Eating Scientific
You would’ve had to have been living under a rock for most of your life if you haven’t come across at least one fad diet or latest craze or food controversy. Vegan, vegetarian, paleo, ketogenic, carb nite, carb backloading, Atkins, Bulletproof, low fat, low carb, slow carb, dukan...But what do all of these diets have in common?
They all promise that the key to weight loss, fitness and health is to eat or avoid certain foods…
All of these diets work because in some way or another they get you to drop (or raise) your calories without realising it. If you drop your fat (or carb) intake but keep everything else the same do you see how you’ve really just dropped your calories?
It would be exceptionally hard (and pretty boring) to eat 3,000 calories a day in lettuce and apples, or Salmon and spinach. So the better diets keep a minimum level of protein, balance out the rest of the energy required with fats or carbs and have you eat something green every once in a while.
Unprocessed foods tend to be:
High in micro nutrient content
Quite filling per calorie &
Pretty sickening if you try to overeat them.
Processed and sugary foods tend to be:
Very high in sugar (refined carbs)
Likely to mess with your energy levels
Very easy to overeat.
Having said that, as long as you get your calories in order for your goals, hit a minimum protein level, fat and carbohydrates, you’ll get to where you to be want without a hiccup.
However, counting everything (especially when you’re starting out) can be a real pain. We’ve found that our “nutrition doctrine” hits these requirements without you having to bean count and obsess over everything you eat, and to us that seems like an easier route to take!
Macros!
“Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.” - Greg Glassman, CrossFit CEO
Giving rules on what to eat is a good start but you should also be educated about movement, exercise and nutrition; remember we’re in this for the long haul. With that in mind it’s important that you have a little background knowledge about Macro Nutrients.
‘Macros’ are basically the the various compounds that can fuel your body. They are Proteins, fats and carbs.
Protein
Proteins are the building blocks of a human. As well as being important for muscle repair and growth, they’re essential for a host of bodily functions. There are ‘essential amino acids’ that your body cannot produce itself, therefore it’s essential to eat protein to survive and thrive.
Generally proteins are from animal sources like meat and eggs, but are available in small amounts in other food types like legumes, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, soy and some vegetables.
To support a healthy body you generally only need about 1.2g of protein per Kilogram of lean mass, so an average bodyweight of 80kg at 15% body fat would need about 81.6g of protein and a woman at 60kg and 20% would only need about 57.6g of protein. With this in mind you probably don’t need to use protein supplements, unless you’re vegan, but even then it might not be necessary if you select the right foods.
Food Intolerances
Certain foods can make you inflamed, congested, bloated and generally making you feel a little rubbish and lethargic. It’s important to find out which foods make you feel like this.
Culprits can include:
Sugary sweets and treats (a moment on the lips…)
Wheat based foods like bread and pasta (and pie)
Dairy products like milk and whey proteins
Legumes (if beans make you blow wind, it’s best not to eat them!)
Nuts (nut allergies tend to be very serious, if you have one you likely already know by now)
Alcohol
Nightshades
It’s not that these foods are always guaranteed to make you feel terrible and with a lot of people they can form a part of a balanced and nutritious diet. However for some they can be a real problem.
There are a few ways that you can identify a food intolerance. The most reliable is at a doctors office. A blood test can inform you within a few days whether you have any food sensitivities that you should avoid. A DNA test with reputable companies can also give you an idea of whether you have the genes to digest certain foods.
Alternatively you can try an Elimination Diet. You simply eat a very clean diet of meat, fruit and vegetables for 2-4 weeks to reset yourself to a healthy baseline and then add back in foods that you suspect might cause a negative reaction in you. Keep a food log and note how you feel after introducing a new food for a few days. the effects might range from feeling bloated or having bowl pain, to needing a nap, to coming out in a rash!
This is a very personal process and can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to complete, it also takes a LOT of discipline to do properly. However the benefit is that it is free to do and teaches you firsthand how different foods affect YOUR body. We’d recommend doing an elimination diet with a Nutrition coach to help you through the process.
Fats
Fat will not make you fat! Whether you’re sitting at your desk, walking or sleeping you SHOULD be using fat as your main fuel source. They are essential fatty acids which your body cannot produce from any other materials that are needed for recovery from workouts, hormones and a healthy brain!
Clearing up the fat myths
For a long time fat was demonised but there has been some confusion on what fat actually is. There are 4 main types of fat.
Monounsaturated fat - your classic ‘healthy fats’ found in olive oil, avocado and nuts
Polyunsaturated fats - there are many but ones you need to be concerned with are Omega 3 and Omega 6. The former is an ‘anti inflammation’ promoter and the latter is an ‘inflammation’ promoter. Unfortunately many cheap, processed meats and grains are very high in Omega 6 fatty acids so you may need to supplement Omega 3’s if these make up part of your diet.
Saturated fat - was demonised for years as an inducer of heart disease but recent evidence suggests that this is not the case. In fact these are an essential part of a balanced diet, for example they make up the myelin sheaths that cover your nerves and are the foundation building blocks of most hormones! Found in butter, coconut oil and meats.
Transaturated fats - one to avoid! There’s a strong link to heart disease and cancer with these. It’s probably best to avoid them. Found in vegetable oils, heated olive oil and margarine.
Carbohydrates
These are generally classed as starches and sugars and are your body’s preferred HIGH INTENSITY energy source. Unlike fat which is stored in a layer spread out through the body, carbohydrates are only stored as glycogen in the muscles and in the liver. Not that much is stored, which explains why you can only sprint for a limited amount of time.
The trouble is that if you’re not using the carbohydrates to replenish your muscles from HARD workouts, your body will end up storing them as fat. Chronically high blood sugar levels from constantly eating too many carbohydrates can make you feel like you’re on an energy rollercoaster all day, and if taken to the extreme, can cause insulin resistance in the form of type 2 diabetes. The preferred source of carbs are in fruit and veg but are also found in starches like potatoes, and whole grains. They are not inherently evil.
Get in touch
Speak to one of our nutrition experts for online advice or face-to-face at The BNKR. We can organise meal plans, provide recipes and give you the tools that you need for long term success.