An Approach to Nutrition - Individualized!

In my opinion, the proper nutrition is a science.  Your body is a machine that needs to be fueled in conjunction with the requirements of your lifestyle and goals.  That latter point is key and will be expounded upon. 

I have sifted through numerous nutrition books, each hyping a different approach.  In fact, I found it rather ironic to have received my last two sources as a shipment in the same box given their extreme differences.  The Bodybuilder's Nutrition Book promotes protein via animal products (eggs, fish, chicken)….understandably given protein’s role in building muscle.  Forks Over Knives, on the other hand, suggests a purely plant based way to health for the betterment of yourself, the environment and animals.

As a whole, I have come to believe that no single approach to nutrition is “right” as a generality.  However, I believe there to be a right approach for YOU, and that may be quite different than the right approach for ME.  Just like all else in life, the approach needs to be consistent with the end game desired.  Ignorance to both, which is far too often the case, will lead to just that…..game over!

Personally, and at this point in my life, I hope to maximize my performance on the tennis court when playing tournaments this Summer.  As addressed in Enter the Zone, doing so starts with my nutrition NOW and/or months ago.  According to the following article (The Ideal Modern Player), less than 5’7’’ is small on the pro tour.  I am 5’4’’….on a good day.  Secondly, “the modern game is characterized by powerful groundstrokes, huge serves and deep court play.”  My point is that I need to maximize my muscle/strength, without losing any part of my biggest asset – speed!  Thus, protein in my diet is a priority!  However, Forks Over Knives made me quite aware of animal cruelty in the domestication process.  As such and long term, living a purely plant based diet is appealing given personal principles.  In the interim, I will try to derive most of my protein from whole-foods under the plant-based diet – eggs (88% of the protein within absorbed and converted into muscle tissue in comparison to only 48% for most fruits and 35% for most nuts) and fish the exceptions.  This approach, in combination with the remainder of the Forks Over Knives principles outlined below, should allow me to meet the remainder of my goals as well – overall health and well-being, fitness, the maximization of energy and admittedly, a small superficial side of me simply wants to “look good” as Shaun T once claimed in one of the Insanity videos.

Forks Over Knives Principles:

-       Eat Plants – The More Intact, The Better

-       Avoid Overly Processed Foods

-       Avoid Preservatives & Additives

-       Eliminate Dairy (see note below)

-       Don’t Worry About Carbohydrates (simply choose the right types…..whole-plant foods like fruits, whole grains and vegetables….very much in line with the SuperFoods approach)

I encourage you to think through your own goals, principles and lifestyle in order to derive the right nutrition plan for you.  With and over time of course, that plan may modify and change given changes in your approach to the game of life!

Lastly, I leave you with a few side notes as FOOD for thought:

-       Cooking spray is 100% fat despite it being labeled as fat free.  Since a serving size is miniscule, there is less than ½ gram of fat per serving and thus, cooking spray meets the FDA’s definition of fat free. 

-       Ingredient labels are often manipulated via “ingredient splitting”.  For example, manufactures often use more than one kind of sweetener “to push what might have been the top listed ingredient further down the list so that healthier ingredients can be listed first.”

-       Interestingly, dairy products are minimized in the bodybuilder diet (“causes a layer of fat to form beneath the skin and results in a loss of definition”) and eliminated all together under the principles of Forks Over Knives.  As you may recall, Fit for Life also shunned dairy products; mocking the idea of….”why would HUMANS consume COW’S milk?”

-       Did you know that “legislators in Florida, Minnesota and Iowa are working not to ban farm abuse but to ban revealing farm abuse?”  See the following New York Times article.

-       “A plant based diet is not only much less expensive than Viagra and similar drugs, but is usually results in a permanent solution to erectile dysfunction without any negative side effects.” 

That last side note is probably not the food for thought that you wanted me to leave you with, but I dismiss you until next Wednesday’s Heath and Well-Being feature (assuming I don’t slack like I have done the past two weeks – my apologies).