The Journal

Stories of becoming

Training, nutrition, Colombia and the 1% philosophy — editorial notes from the Phoenix Initiative.

Protein for Active Women: Needs, Sources and Timing Myths

How much protein do active women really need, where should it come from, and does the post-workout window matter? A calm, evidence-informed guide without the bro-science.

May 9, 20265 min read

Nutrition

Mindful Eating: What a Retreat Table Teaches About Slowing Down

Most of us eat on autopilot — at desks, over screens, in cars. Here is what happens when you slow the meal down, and how to bring the retreat table home with you.

April 27, 20265 min read

Overhead view of a whole silver river fish on a green plantain leaf beside a halved lime and coarse salt, on a weathered wooden table in warm afternoon light.

Nutrition

River Fish of the Magdalena: What Ends Up on the Plate

Bocachico, capaz, tilapia from Betania. What Huila's river actually feeds people, what that fish gives your body, and why the catch is getting harder to find.

April 22, 20265 min read

Wedges of ripe papaya and watermelon on a cool ceramic platter beside a sweating glass of iced water, on a shaded veranda in bright tropical midday.

Nutrition

Why Heat Kills Your Appetite, and How to Eat Anyway

Blood flow, the hypothalamus and thirst dressed up as fullness: the real reasons hunger fades in the tropics, and seven practical moves for eating regardless.

April 20, 20265 min read

Nutrition

Hydration in the Tropics: What Changes in Heat and Altitude

Training near the equator rewrites your hydration habits. Here is what heat, humidity and altitude actually change — and how to drink smart without overthinking it.

April 20, 20265 min read

Low-angle view of a woman's hands harvesting cilantro and basil into a woven palm basket in a lush tropical kitchen garden at golden hour.

Nutrition

Cooking From a Garden Ten Metres From the Kitchen

When the garden decides the menu, everything changes: what freshness actually means chemically, which plants survive a hot valley, and two warnings worth heeding.

April 18, 20264 min read

Extreme macro of golden flaxseeds, chia and cracked walnut halves spilling from a tipped glass jar across dark slate under hard side light.

Nutrition

Plant Omega-3 and the Conversion Nobody Explains

ALA, EPA and DHA are not interchangeable. What the conversion rate really is, why omega-6 competes with it, and how to stop your flaxseed going rancid.

April 16, 20265 min read

Backlit clay mug of hot aguapanela with a slice of lime, steam catching golden light beside a bundle of fresh lemongrass and mint on dark stone.

Nutrition

Aguapanela, Cidrón and the Culture of the Hot Drink

What is really in a Colombian infusion: the herbs on the windowsill, what panela is and is not, what we can honestly claim, and how to brew a far better cup.

April 14, 20265 min read

Overhead view of a composed meal on a terracotta plate: brown rice, red beans, grilled plantain, avocado and greens with lime on a raw wooden table.

Nutrition

Building a Plate Without Weighing a Single Thing

Proportion instead of arithmetic: how to compose a meal with your hand as the only instrument, applied to a Colombian plate — and where the method stops working.

April 12, 20264 min read