Optimum Performance

The Do's & Don't of Nutrition (Part 1)

Over the next few weeks I will be adding to this list. Lets start with the do's.....

The Do’s of Nutrition

Keep a Nutritional Diary

By having your client writing down everything they eat, you may discover that they may consistently skip breakfast. It would also be advisable to have them log their emotional state when they eat.

Eat More Frequently (6 x per day)

In a study of meal frequency, it has been shown that a group eating 6 meals per day lost more fat that a group eating 2 meals per day – despite the calories being equal.

Increase Water Consumption

Water consumption must be increased. This does not mean tap water either. We are looking for high quality “live” water if possible – best choice is artesian water. One of the best I have found is Eternal Artesian Water from New Zealand.

Adding organic sea salt to your water can also be of benefit. All you need is a small pinch to a liter bottle of water; if you can taste the salt then you have added too much. Remember this is not the same as table salt as conventional salt is dried at over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. This amount of heat changes the chemical structure of the salt. Also, conventional processing adds harmful additives and chemicals.

Eat more meat

Modern man (an woman) are eating far less meat that what they should be all because they have been led to believe that it is unhealthy to eat too much meat.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a fatty acid that’s been praised for its ability to fight cancer, diabetes and fat, is in the news again. This time, a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found that CLA does, in fact, help people to lose weight.

The meta-analysis found that people who took 3.2 grams of CLA a day had a drop in fat mass of about 0.2 pounds a week (that’s about one pound a month) compared to those given a placebo.

Previous studies have also shown that CLA appears to reduce body fat while preserving muscle tissue, and the compound has become a huge boon to the supplement market, popular with bodybuilders and dieters alike.

The absolute BEST way to get CLA is naturally from grass-fed beef. Grass-fed animals have from three to five times more CLA than grain-fed animals.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition May 2007, Vol. 85, No. 5, 1203-1211

When we switch from grainfed to grassfed meat, we are simply returning to the diet of our long-ago ancestors, the diet that is most in harmony with our physiology. Every cell and every system of our bodies will function better when we eat products from animals raised on grass.

1. Grass-fed beef is naturally leaner than grain-fed beef.

2. Omega 3s in beef that feed on grass is 7% of the total fat content, compared to 1% in grain-only fed beef.

3. Grass-fed beef has the recommended ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fats (3:1.)

4. Grass-fed beef is loaded with other natural minerals and vitamins, plus it's a great source of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) a fat that reduces the risk of cancer, obesity, diabetes, and a number of immune disorders.

5. Beef, in its natural grass-fed state, is a health food of the highest order.

Increase intake of vegetables (can include some vegetable juice)

Vegetables contain phytochemicals, which are powerful natural agents to promote health. Phytochemicals can reduce inflammation and eliminate carcinogens while others regulate the rate at which cells reproduce, get rid of old cells and maintain DNA.

Vegetables will also help to alkalinize your system, as most of us are far too acidic. Most people benefit more from increased vegetables than from extra vitamins. You will normally need a large amount of vegetables to optimize your body's pH acid/alkaline balance.

Up to one-third of the vegetables you eat should be raw, as cooking and processing can destroy essential micronutrients.

Asparagus

Escarole

Avocado (actually a fruit)

Fennel

Beet greens

Green and red cabbage

Bok Choy

Kale

Broccoli

Kohlrabi

Brussel sprouts

Lettuce: romaine, red leaf, green leaf

Cauliflower

Mustard greens

Celery

Onions

Chicory

Parsley

Chinese cabbage

Peppers: red, green, yellow and hot

Chives

Tomatoes

Collard greens

Spinach

Dandelion greens

Endive

Zucchini

If at all possible, always try to buy organic vegetables. If no organic vegetables are available, carefully wash your foods and remove peels and cores to minimize your exposure to pesticides and other chemicals.

Beware of using frozen vegetables. Freezing vegetables can damage the highly perishable micronutrients that aren’t even recognized, let alone measured, by food scientists. Biophotons are one type of these micronutrients.