"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"
Simple enough?
The very first thing I want to cover before diving into that sentence is digestion. If your digestion is unhealthy you can eat a perfect food plan every day and it won't matter. The nutrients won't reach the cells if digestion is compromised. The basic steps to good digestion are as follows:
1. Sit and eat. The very first step in digestion is for your brain to acknowledge your food so the proper signals can be sent out to start creating enzymes.
2. Chew. Yep....chewing is super important. Breaking down the food for digestion by chewing properly helps your digestive tract to not work as hard and can help you save your energy for other things.
3. Don't drink while you eat. Drinking while you eat reduces the important stomach acid that helps to break everything down.
4. Remove top inflammatory foods to secure the integrity of your gut lining: gluten, sugar, seed oils, soy, other grains.
Rule of thumb: If you can't see through the package you probably shouldn't eat it. If it comes in a package it should have minimal whole food ingredients.
5. Recognize and treat any digestive issues. This may come in the form of constipation or diarrhea, gas or bloating after meals. It is not normal to go more than a day without a quality movement and it is not normal to have gas after eating...even after eating cruciferous vegetables like cabbage and broccoli.
Digestive issues can also show up in other areas such as joint pain, rashes, acne and fatigue.
To ensure digestive health reduce stress, especially while eating. Being stressed takes a lot of energy from the body and there is less left for digestion. It also reduces stomach acid.
If you suffer from recurring infections, auto immune disease, allergies or even mood disorders such as depression look at the gut. 75% of your immune system resides in the gut and 90% or more of your serotonin is made in the gut (not the brain after all!). So do you have a sick gut? You may have a sick immune system and sick brain too.
So let's move on to the first part of Glassmans statement where he says:
"Eat Meat and Vegetables"
Macronutrients and why they matter:
Macronutrient #1:
Protein
This is a nutrient that is needed by the body for maintenance and growth. Proteins are the MOST abundant molecule in the body and can be found in almost every cell. Protein is especially important for muscle growth.
Where to get it:
Animal products hands down are the best sources of protein.
1. Grass fed and pastured sources of meat are recommended for the nutrient value, humane treatment and omega 3 content. This includes grassfed beef and bison, pastured pork, chickens and eggs.
Grass fed and pastured means the animal has not been caged and has been allowed to eat their natural diet (grain is NOT natural to these animals!) and that they have lived a peaceful life. If you have to go with conventional meats from the grocery store make sure it's a lean cut to minimize the amount of omega 6's. It's not that you want to completely avoid omega 6 fatty acids...you just needs a good balance. Keeping iron stores up is important and "heme" or animal based products are the best source of iron.
2. Wild Caught fish and seafood are preferable to farm raised. Wild caught seafood is allowed to live in their natural environment and not fed protein filled pellets and sprayed with pesticides and chemicals.
3. Vegetarian sources would be things like fermented soy products, Spirulina and Quinoa (only if you tolerate grains). I recommend avoiding unfermented soy products whenever possible. Soy is a phytoestrogen that mimics estrogen in humans. The last thing you want is too much estrogen! If you need proof that soy is bad for you read "The Whole Soy Story" by Kayla Daniels
4. Dairy is another source of protein but only if you tolerate it. If you suffer from digestive distress of any kind after eating dairy explore lactose intolerance.
Otherwise quality grassfed cheese and high fat yogurt are good choices.
5. Protein Powder falls under supplements which I will address in that section.
How much protein:
This is very individual. How much a person needs depends on their level of activity and overall state of health. A very active person needs more protein than a sedentary person. Elderly and injured people need more protein as well. The go to rule for athletes is 1-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. If you don't see the muscle gains you want increase it a bit...closer to the 2 grams. If you are having digestive upset...decrease it to a comfortable level.
Macronutrient #2
Fat
What it is:
Fat is an essential nutrient that insulates our organs, regulates our hormones and protects our brains. There are several types of fat but the kind of fat we are concerned with today is saturated fat.
The body prefers fat for fuel. The kind of fat I am talking about is saturated fat and Medium Chain Triglycerides. like grass fed meats, lard, butter, ghee, coconut and palm oil. I like to say that "Vegetables are the vehicle for fat". I love me some butter.
There is SO much to say about fat and the myths that surround it but I am going to let the experts tell you all about why eating fat does not make you fat or cause heart disease. Sugar and refined carbs, lack of exercise and an imbalance of omega 3 to 6's cause heart disease.
Learn more about fat
Macronutrient #3
Carbohydrates
I am sure the first thing people think of when the word carbohydrate or carbs comes up is breads, crackers, cookies, donuts. Those aren't on THIS list friends. Here's a little factoid for you: One slice of whole grain bread has more sugar than a snickers bar. But let's eat bread...shall we? NOT.
What they are:
This macronutrient is solely to be used for energy. Eat more than your body needs and guess what happens? The excess turns to fat, causes higher insulin and inflammation in the body. Don't eat enough and your energy will nose dive.
Where to get them:
NO you don't get them at Shipleys! Look to your nutrient antioxidant rich sources like squash, bananas, sweet potatoes, tubers, jicama, zucchini, berries.
The second part of Glassmans statement says:
"nuts and seeds"
Nuts and seeds can be great additives to your nutrition...that is.....if you don't overdo it. High in omega 6's too many nuts can throw off that precious balance of omegas we are working so hard to maintain. The best way to eat nuts and seeds is raw or soaked and roasted at home. Nuts contain phytic acid which bind to the minerals and make these tasty morsels hard to digest. Stick with a handful per day and don't over do the baked nut flour goodies.
"some fruits"
Fruit IS sugar. Fructose to be exact. One of my clients favorite questions is 'Why am I not losing weight? I eat plenty of fruits and veggies!" Too much fruit can cause weight gain, higher levels of cortisol and increase the hunger hormone "ghrelin" which encourages us to continue looking for food even if we aren't hungry. Keep fruit to a minimum of one cup or less (preferably the high antioxidant dark berry variety) and eat it during your most metabolically active time of day before noon.
"Little Starch"
Athletes especially afford to eat more starch than most. Starch in the form of sweet potatoes, cassava, yams and white rice are best. When I say "White rice" it often puts people in a state of shock. We aren't supposed to eat anything white! White rice is an exception because it has less phytates than brown and is easier to digest. Yep...phytates are those nasty nutrient stealing compounds. If you are trying to lose weight limit your starches considerably.
"No sugar"
This is one I have trouble with. Probably because I enjoy my paleo baked goodies and my avocado chocolate pudding...but anyway. If you have severe sugar cravings I highly recommend doing a detox plan like The 21 day sugar detox by Diane Sanfilipo
It has three levels and allows NO sugar on level three. Tough but sometimes needed for the seriously addicted!
The safest sweeteners for baking or using minimally are Stevia (preferably the green organic stevia), raw honey or maple syrup.
Many people complain about sugar cravings. Here are a few reasons to explore if you are one of them:
*lack of sleep
*dehydration
*caffeine crash
hunger or not enough nutrients or protein
How to handle cravings?
*eat nutrient rich foods
* get plenty of quality sleep
*exercise
*explore emotional health and attachments to food
The last part of Glassmans statement says:
"keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat"
Remember that excess macronutrients will be stored as fat. It's pretty tough to overdo the non starchy veggies and protein so just keep a check on the starches. Find your happy place. One thing I want to make sure to remind you of: Stressing about food too much can hinder all progress you make with a healthy lifestyle. I am not a fan of measuring food, reading labels for fat and sugars (because if you are eating the right food there is no label), weighing food, tracking diaries (unless you are asking for input from someone). These are all things that create STRESS and over vigilant behaviors about food are going to cause problems.
Notice Greg says nothing about legumes and grains. I will touch briefly on gluten but legumes are a whole other day. Just be mindful that they share similar properties that make them hard to digest.
Gluten:
Just what IS gluten?? Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley rye and other common grains. It contains anti nutrients such as lectins which are not broken down in the normal digestion process. This leaves you with large intact proteins in your gut. Let's go further...why is this a problem? They can cause intestinal damage and this allows them free access to our bloodstream. These proteins (not to mention the free pass the OTHER proteins have gotten from those nice holes caused by gluten!) are not recognized by the body...so an attack is sent out and the process of inflammation begins.
We can NOT digest gluten. We were not meant to. The bread Jesus broke at The Last Supper is nothing like the overheated over processed grains we are being killed with (sorry but we are) today.
Why do we crave breads and cookies? Because gluten fits into the same opiate receptors that other addictive drugs do. Nice huh?
What happens if you eat it every once in awhile? You need only be exposed to gluten once every 10-15 days to keep your gut damaged. It can take up to 6 months to a year to undo that damage. I often hear people say they are "gluten free....except for the one piece of bread I ate last week" You either are or you aren't. If you aren't reading every label do NOT consider yourself gluten free. Kind of like being pregnant. You can't do it halfway!
Supplements I recommend:
What is a supplement: "Something added to complete a thing, make up for a deficiency or extend or strengthen the whole"
Supplements should be treated as such.
1. Fermented Cod Liver oil. There are way too many benefits to explain so here are a few (source: WAP):
- Cod liver oil contributes to bone health, preventing bone and muscle pain and joint pain.
- Vitamin-rich cod liver oil has been shown to support the health of pregnant women by improving the fatty acid profile of their breast milk to optimize brain health in the infant.
- Traditionally, infants were given cod liver oil to support immune health until Dr. Spock began to recommend vaccinations in its place.
- Vitamin A has long been shown to aid in vision health in diabetics and non-diabetics alike.
- FCLO promotes proper absorption of calcium and magnesium, thereby helping to normalize blood pressure.
- Inflammatory conditions like colitis and Crohn’s have been shown to improve with the type of omega 3s in FCLO moreso than to medications often prescribed.
- Taken orally or applied topically, fermented cod liver oil helps to improve the quality of skin, both on the face and for issues of rashes, diaper rash, wrinkles, and more.
- The vitamin A in fermented cod liver oil has been shown to be protective against cancer.
Take a look here Everything you need to know about FCLO
The link to buy it is here and don't try to buy a cheaper form of FCLO....they are NOT the same.
2. Vitamin D3: Important for the absorption of calcium (which is imperative for our bones to be healthy) and an important booster for our immune system. Does anyone have a friend in Alaska? Any of those cold wet dark places? Aren't they a little...ummmm...more edgy or sad when fall rolls around? It's because there is NO sunshine feeding their cells the vitamin D hormone that we typically call the "happiness supplement". They usually suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. I have a dear friend in Washington State and bless her heart (there's the southern girl in me) she always feels worse in the darker months. I begged her to get her vitamin D checked and it was literally non existent. Without proper exposure to the sun we can't be happy. Period. Think about how our ancestors lived...circadian lifestyle all the way!), up with the sun...napped when not hunting...back out in the sun late day for dinner and off to bed when the sun went down. THAT my friends is how we need to be living! If you aren't already following a circadian lifestyle (with modern day tweaks of course!) adopt one asap. If you aren't sure what that means email me at mindfulnessinhealth@gmail.com and I will send you info on it. It IS that important. So get out in the sun with NO sunscreen (obviously not during the hottest part of the day) and expose your arms and legs to the sun, get your vitamin D levels checked at least once a year and supplement if needed.
3. Magnesium: Now this is another powerhouse supplement that most people are lacking in. Magnesium supports relaxation of the muscles, cardiovascular health by regulating blood pressure and heart rate and aids in calcium absorption. The other good stuff that comes with magnesium is that it helps you sleep and go to the bathroom if you are constipated. LOVE it. This is the kind I like and you can buy it on Vitacost.com or amazon for a reasonable price. If it gives you loose bowel movements start with a lower dose or use chelated magnesium.
4. Probiotics: Since we aren't getting all kinds of bacteria from dirt like our ancestors did (think about it...they never cleaned their fruits or veggies) we are usually lacking the beneficial bacteria for our gut that they had. SO how does modern man fix this? The number one way to add in beneficial bacteria is to eat fermented foods-kraut, pickles, kim chi, kefir, kombucha. You can also risk your neighbors thinking you are nuts and the possible ingestion of all kinds of toxins and just eat the dirt. Or....save yourselves the embarrassments and possible parasites and just take the probiotic. There are some experts that say taking a prebiotic is a better idea but as of today I have not extensively read into this so I am sticking with taking probiotics after sickness or during times of stress especially. Make sure you change up the probiotic every now and then.
Option one soil based probiotic
Option two
5. Protein Powder: Yes it is considered a supplement. Let me reiterate that the best place to get protein is through animal products. BUT, there are instances where people may need more protein in their diet and noshing on red meat just isn't practical. IN this case and every now and then protein powder is fine. Just don't replace your REAL food with it too often. You can go with a whey protein isolate which is 100% pure protein with no lactose but this is a more processed brand with a heavier price tag.
Whey protein concentrate is less processed but contains fat and lactose so this is not a good choice for lactose intolerant people. The grams of protein you decide on are going to be individual according to weight, activity level etc.
So this is probably the longest blog EVER...but I had a lot to cover. I hope this has been helpful in the most practical terms. Remember to eat real food!
In health,
CFH
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