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The Consistency Project

Simplifying nutrition, health, and wellbeing by breaking down the concepts and actions we can all take to live fuller, more functional lives.

From EC Synkowski, founder of OptimizeMe Nutrition.

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Not sure where to get started?

Check out the 5 most popular episodes

on Whether a Calorie is Just a Calorie

on Figuring Out the Right Amount to Eat

on the 3 Pillars of Nutrition Driving 90% of Success

on the Supposed Benefits of Fasting

on How to Fuel Performance 

Here's the Latest Episode

Quick Bites, #13

5 listener questions with ~5 min answers. Questions: 1. Sugar-free: sugar alcohols vs. sweeteners  2. Alani Nu Fit Shakes 3. Tuna and mercury consumption 4. Macro percentages on Lazy Macros® 5. Sugar highs & swimming performance

The Consistency Project
The Consistency Project
Quick Bites, #13
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Here Are All the Episodes

Want to know if I've got a podcast on a certain topic? Search here.

Quick Bites, #13
5 listener questions with ~5 min answers. Questions: Sugar-free: sugar alcohols vs. sweeteners Alani Nu Fit ShakesTuna and mercury consumptionMacro percentages on La...
Mar 16, 2022
on Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, and Heart Disease
The soundbite summary: On a population level, yes, we need to reduce saturated fat. However, that does not mean every individual needs to do so. There are also other individual...
Mar 09, 2022
on Caffeine’s Effect on Performance
The soundbite summary: Something is "worth a shot" when it seems to have an effect beyond a placebo effect, and caffeine has this trend across multiple modalities. The effect i...
Mar 02, 2022
Q&A on Fish Oil Supplementation
6 listener questions: Can I just eat fish (do I have to supplement)?What if I don't eat fish; should I supplement?Is there any upper limit on the omega3 dose?What about fish...
Feb 16, 2022
On Omega3s, Omega6s, and Fish Oil Supplementation
The soundbite summary: "[L]ong-chain omega3 fats do not have important positive or negative effects on mortality or cardiovascular events" (PMID 32114706), and "increasing ome...
Feb 09, 2022
Quick Bites, #12
5 listener questions with ~5 min answers.  Quick Bites #12 Counting protein in Lazy Macros®Eating for where you are versus your goalsHydrationTeenage protein intakeW...
Feb 02, 2022
on Practical Strategies for Dining Out
The soundbite summary: Eating meals that are 500-600 calories is a useful strategy (and filling) for most people, but that can be hard to find at restaurants. Even seemingly he...
Jan 19, 2022
on Nutrient Timing for Performance and Mass
The soundbite summary: "If someone does or doesn't eat at a certain time, such as post-workout, this almost always changes the total quantity eaten that day. Much of the timin...
Jan 12, 2022
on How to Fuel Performance
The soundbite summary: You have to understand: 1) how nutrients fuel exercise and 2) how activity type, intensity, duration, and capacity all affect the quantity of ...
Jan 05, 2022
Quick Bites, #11
5 listener questions with ~5 min answers.  How much protein can be from protein products versus whole foods?Can a coach motivate and inspire change?Protein requirements...
Dec 22, 2021
on Personalized Nutrition and DNA Tests
The soundbite summary: "Given the limited current biological knowledge on polygenic diseases and inconsistent findings [direct-to-consumer genetic testing] dietary advice remai...
Dec 22, 2021
on Offering Nutrition in Your CrossFit Gym
The soundbite summary: While it's easy to do the math on the potential additional revenue from nutrition services, what is often overlooked is all the work required to generate...
Dec 08, 2021
on the Supposed Benefits of Fasting
The soundbite summary: "Restricting food intake for several decades to obtain a life extension of 2.8 years would be more acceptable if these decades of restriction were not ch...
Dec 02, 2021
on Nutrition During the Holidays (Updated)
The soundbite summary: Do not adopt the mindset that the diet starts in 2022. It's much harder to create change than it is to maintain habits. We can enjoy the actual holi...
Nov 18, 2021
on Being Varied, Not Random
I've known and worked with Pat Sherwood and Adrian Bozman for years. I joined them recently on their podcast, "Varied Not Random," and thought our chat was fun and substantive ...
Nov 10, 2021
on Magnesium and the Mixed Response of Supplements
The soundbite summary: Higher intake of dietary magnesium was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause and cancer mortality; supplemental & total magnesium was not ...
Nov 03, 2021
on Whether a Calorie is Just a Calorie
The soundbite summary: "Calories In Calories Out" is not an attempt to explain all psychological, environmental, or lifestyle variables that affect why we eat. Instead, it expl...
Oct 20, 2021
Quick Bites, #09 (Sweeteners and Additives Edition)
5 listener questions with ~5 min answers.  This is a follow-up Q&A episode to the Artificial Sweeteners and Food Additives podcast I did back in August. I polled my...
Oct 13, 2021
on How to Predict Optimal Performance
The soundbite summary: “There are too many in-the-moment factors of performance that cannot be predicted retrospectively.” In the second part of our conversation about ...
Oct 06, 2021
on Measuring Recovery to Optimize Performance
The soundbite summary: “I think we are so in the weeds of trying to figure out the best measure for recovery that we’ve lost sight of whether it’s relevant to performance....
Sep 22, 2021
on the Belief That Eating Organic is Healthier
Some things seem so obvious we don't even question them, like whether organic food is healthier than not. But is it? To answer, we're talking about what the label means, regula...
Sep 15, 2021
on the Fear of Chemicals in Food
Do the chemicals used in conventional food production negatively affect health? To answer, I'm talking about how natural doesn't always mean safe, presence doesn't always equal...
Sep 08, 2021
on Figuring Out the Right Amount to Eat
I get lots of questions about food quantity and I thought an episode covering my best advice was warranted. We're talking through three things to figure out: how much to eat, h...
Sep 01, 2021
Quick Bites, #08
5 listener questions with ~5 min answers.  Question 1. Prioritizing High-Volume:Low-Calorie Foods Topics:• Need to evaluate all nutrients in the diet to be able to determin...
Aug 18, 2021
on Supplements and the Worried Well
Why do we worry about food additives but have so few issues with supplements? We're talking about why it might be a case of misplaced vigilance, regulatory differences, and the ...
Aug 11, 2021
on Artificial Sweeteners and Food Additives
Should we be worried about food additives? I'm unpacking that by talking about food regulations, how many daily Diet Cokes it would take to be truly unsafe, and why the anxiety ...
Aug 04, 2021
on Training Intensity vs Volume
How are intensity and volume related, and how do they drive body composition and performance? To answer, we're talking about what drives performance adaptations, whether you sho...
Jul 21, 2021
on Training and a Woman’s Cycle
Should women change their training based on their cycle? My answer has us exploring the general concern inherent in the question, what the research actually says, an analysis of...
Jul 14, 2021
Quick Bites, #06
I've got 5 new listener questions teed up for this edition of Quick Bites, including ones on carbohydrate powders post-workout, realistic weight loss expectations, alternative c...
Jul 07, 2021
on the 3 Pillars of Nutrition Driving 90% of Success
What if the foundation of solid nutritional habits wasn't just the foundation, but almost the entire pyramid? We're diving into that this week, discussing the 80/20 rule, pointi...
Jun 23, 2021
on the Cancer Risk of Meat
Is there significant evidence that meat increases the risk of getting cancer? Answering that has us talking through how I unpack these kinds of queries, why the WHO labels red m...
Jun 16, 2021
on Collagen as a Supplement
What is collagen, and why is it such a popular supplement? Those are the questions we're looking at, talking through whether it counts toward our daily protein intake, how the s...
Jun 09, 2021
on Beta-Alanine and Belief
Is beta-alanine a performance enhancer? After Mat Fraser went on Joe Rogan's podcast, sales of it skyrocketed due to his emphatic endorsement. So we're looking at what it is, wh...
Jun 02, 2021
Quick Bites, #05
We're returning to your questions this week, talking about helping folks who are susceptible to falling for fad diets, living in an environment we don't have much control over, ...
May 19, 2021
on the Carnivore Diet and Mainstream Diet Books
Should we be eating like a carnivore? We're breaking down why some say we should. Along the way, we talk about why I recommend so few mainstream diet books, plant toxicity, and ...
May 12, 2021
on Plant-Based vs Animal-Based
Is plant-based a better diet than animal-based, and what do those classifications even mean? Those are the questions we're unpacking today, looking at each through the lens of n...
Apr 29, 2021
Quick Bites, #04
Your questions are back in the spotlight this episode. We're talking about fat intake for improving performance, how shift workers can utilize the #800g Challenge, bone health, ...
Apr 19, 2021
on Intuitive Eating
What does the practice of "intuitive eating" get right and where does it go off the rails? We're looking at the 10 principles that underpin the philosophy, emotional eating, why...
Apr 09, 2021
on Weight, Health, and Worth
What is the Health At Every Size movement, what do they get right, and what do they get wrong? We're talking about weight being a poor proxy for worth, why health is multi-facto...
Mar 30, 2021
on Reverse Dieting
Can we overfeed our system and force our metabolism to adapt to needing more calories, thereby effectively speeding it up? We're answering that today, talking about why reverse ...
Mar 20, 2021
on Sodium Intake & Blood Pressure
How much salt is too much? That's what we're talking about today, diving into how sodium affects blood pressure and why it's unlikely you need to supplement your diet with elect...
Mar 10, 2021
Quick Bites, #03
We're back to your questions today, talking about the relationship between weight and body fat, how to work on nutrition with kids, finding good sources of protein for vegans, a...
Feb 28, 2021
on Loopholes & Other Ways to Cheat on Your Diet
Why do we commit to a new diet, only to then seek out the gray areas that let us cheat without guilt? That's what we're diving into here, talking about the #800g Watermelon Chal...
Feb 18, 2021
on the Right Amount of Daily Added Sugar
The USDA recently upset folks by not altering their recommended daily added sugar intake, despite being advised by scientists to do so.We dive into the reasons they didn't and m...
Feb 08, 2021
on the Best Diet of the Year
Is there a "best" diet? CNN recently weighed in, and here's my take. We're talking about the challenges of nutrition research, the limits of hyper-specific advice, why science i...
Jan 29, 2021
on Biohacking, Optimization, & Other Shades of Grey
Lots of people and products claim to help us "hack" our health. Are they legit? That's what we're diving into, talking about why these pursuits are so popular, the placebo effec...
Jan 19, 2021
Quick Bites, #02
We're taking some more listener questions today, diving into whether nutrition needs to change post-menopause, if natural yeast has measurable health benefits, and tips for gett...
Jan 09, 2021
on Protein Timing & Muscle Protein Synthesis
What is muscle protein synthesis, how does it affect muscle growth, and why does it matter? Those are the questions we're tackling in this second of two episodes on protein dige...
Dec 30, 2020
on Digesting and Absorbing Protein
You may have heard the "rule" that the body can only digest 30g of protein at a time. Is it true? That's part of what we're talking about today in the first of two episodes on p...
Dec 20, 2020
on Why Diets Fail
Statistically speaking, few people are able to maintain weight loss a year after losing it. Fewer still when looking two or three years out. That's obviously a problem. In this ...
Dec 10, 2020
Quick Bites, #01
We're taking some of your questions in this first iteration of our Quick Bites format. Among other topics, we're diving into fasted workouts, caffeine intake, and whether or not...
Nov 30, 2020
on Nutrition During the Holidays
How do we get through the holiday season nutritionally intact? That's the conundrum we're talking about today, discussing how prevalent weight gain is during this time of year a...
Nov 20, 2020
on Performance vs Longevity
At what point does elevated performance in sport or fitness diverge from long-term health? That's what we're diving into, talking about the Blue Zones, CrossFit®, and the challe...
Nov 10, 2020
on Whether the USDA Got Their Guidelines Wrong
–– OptimizeMe Nutrition Products Bonus Podcast Content (3x/month) on Apple or Spotify30 Days of the #800gChallenge® program30 Days of Lazy Macros™ programMasterclass program (8...
Oct 31, 2020
on Low Carb vs Low Fat
Is it better to focus on low-fat or low-carb? That's the big question we're tackling this episode in anticipation of our next episode, which is all about whether the USDA got th...
Oct 21, 2020
on Why It’s Okay to Be Hungry
Do we have to accept being hungry to lose weight? Do we have to get uncomfortable to make a change? That's what we're diving into today, talking about using the dials of 'pressu...
Oct 11, 2020
on Exercise as an Anti-Inflammatory
What is inflammation and how is it affected by age, weight gain, and exercise? Those are the questions we're diving into today, trying to provide simple answers to something tha...
Oct 01, 2020
on Whether You’re Making the Right Choices
I get a lot of questions that go something like, "I eat pretty much [insert some variety of whole foods], and I eat small amounts of [insert less ideal foods]. Am I ok?" Here's ...
Sep 21, 2020
on Vitamin D Supplementation
Why don't I offer a blanket recommendation for Vitamin D? I get that question a lot, and this episode covers many of the reasons why I don't think there is evidence for widespre...
Sep 11, 2020
on Convincing Loved Ones to Change
How do you convince loved ones to change their behavior or nutrition? I get asked that question a lot. The short answer is that you don't. This episode is the long answer as to ...
Sep 01, 2020
on the Difference Between Muscle Mass & Strength
What should your nutrition look like if you want to get big? Or if you want to add strength? When I get those questions, I often need to take a step back to make sure we underst...
Aug 22, 2020
on Improving Body Composition
Why do we default to apps, coaches, or trackers when judging our nutrition progress? That's what we're unpacking in this episode, talking about understanding your calorie count ...
Aug 12, 2020
on Building Difficulty as You Go
When it comes to nutrition, where should you begin and what should you do next? Those are questions we're answering this episode, talking about the #800gChallenge®, Lazy Macros,...
Aug 02, 2020
on the 10 Principles of Nutrition
What are the principles that underpin all my nutritional advice? That's what we're diving into today, talking about why I don't prescribe specific foods and my belief that we've...
Jul 23, 2020
on Opportunity Costs of Poor Nutrition
What's my dream? That's a question someone recently asked. My answer: That we do the basics better. Because we know how and because of the other challenges we could tackle when ...
Jul 13, 2020
on Redefining Health
How is it that only 12% of Americans meet the recommended markers of metabolic health (without medication)? That's the question we're diving into, talking about vulnerabilities ...
Jul 03, 2020
on Gaining Muscle & Losing Weight
Why should strength-building be part of your weight loss plan? That's the question we're tackling today, talking about how muscles burn more calories, the benefits of being stro...
Jun 23, 2020
on Accountability & Making Decisions
What are the differences between internal and external accountability, and when do we need to lean more towards one than the other? Those are the questions we're tackling, discu...
Jun 13, 2020
on Detoxes, Fasts, & Juice Cleanses
Is it possible to "detoxify" our systems through a 7-day juice cleanse? That's the question we're tackling this week. We talk about why that idea can seem so attractive and how ...
May 28, 2020

Bonus Content (3x/month)

Get one full episode (last Wednesday) and two minisodes (alternating Fridays) a month. The full episodes follow the regular format, the minisodes are short (10-15 minutes) and just EC. They are often reviews of recent scientific literature or coaching calls. [Apple is more expensive due to platform fees].

Apple ($10.99)
Spotify ($7.99)
"I don't usually feel like paid subscriptions are worth it ... but yours is top notch with REAL life applications that I think on daily as I make food choices! Thank you!"
– Jessica O

Meet the Hosts

EC Synkowski

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EC Synkowski is a Certified Nutrition Specialist®CNS), a Licensed-Dietitian Nutritionist

(LDN)

, and Certified CrossFit Level 4 Coach)CF-L4). She’s the founder of OptimizeMe Nutrition and the creator of the #800gChallenge®.

Patrick Cummings

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The Consistency Project is produced and co-hosted by Patrick Cummings, a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and brand coach to gym owners & entrepreneurs.

Thank You for the 5-Star Ratings & Reviews

madihavetowriteareview
MORE please!!!
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Love love love this podcast. Each time an episode is released it's like Christmas. EC has a super tangible approach to presenting complex topics in easy-to-understand, digestible ways. Highly recommend to both the nutrition expert and first time gym member.
DrAltRaja
AMAZING!!!
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I LOVE this podcast. Just started a few days ago and binged on all the episodes. Patrick is a great interviewer and they have an excellent dynamic. EC is incredibly knowledgeable and clearly a veteran in the realm of health, fitness and nutrition. As a physician, I find her balance between the science and art to be incredibly useful. I find myself taking notes as I go along and have been reconsidering some of my own practices as well as how I can implement what I've learned immediately to better serve my own patients and colleagues.
I have been optimized
So Much Knowledge
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Legitimately the only reason I even have the podcast app. EC is the 🐐
SIchampine
Thorough and Trustworthy
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I love E.C.'s approach. She is so easy to listen to and, so full of knowledge, reputable, and simply trustworthy. Really enjoy this podcast - and I love that they are 30 min or less usually 😊
SIchampine
Best and most practical nutrition advice ever
Read More
The information presented by EC is simple and easy to apply. She is brilliant.
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