Make Each Meal Count:Nutrient-loading for Success

It's no wonder that many people are left scurrying the night before or during an event to load up on water, electrolytes and other important nutrients. There seems to be little to no importance placed on all that time in between events that include all of our breakfasts, lunches and dinners. It's time to turn a new page in which we begin to recognize each meal as an opportunity to bring nutrient-dense foods into the system so that when the body is called on to go beyond the norm (such as during an event) it is better prepared.

Yes, I'm taking about some long-term planning and the idea that every meal is a critical increment on your road to success. Don't get me wrong, the convenience of bars, electrolyte-infused H2O, powders and pre-made shakes are fine occasionally. But they cannot correct a month's worth (or more) of poor food choices that leave your system under-nourished. Part of the problem is that we've become so accustomed to highly processed and fortified foods that we don't know what an actual 'whole food' is anymore. (Just for the record, fortification is what food companies do to add back in vitamins and minerals that were lost during processing.)

During my summer workshops, I've done my best to stress the idea of 'mineralizing one's plate'. Truly, if we need those mighty minerals during training and an event, it would behoove us to spend some time in our daily lives improving nutrient intake. Athletes, at times, are the worst diet offenders creating excuses such as "I just burned all these calories" to erase the double damage they're doing to the body in training and eating. Acidity is a real problem for a lot of people, however its worse for those who are active and athletic. As I've written about in the last several articles on hydration, acidity destroys mineral stores in the bones and muscles leading to osteoporosis and mineral deficiencies. Take a step back for a moment to ask yourself- what is really going on in terms of how well you are preparing for events? How much are you truly invested in your success? Sure, you've bought all the best gear and hired the best coach, but when will your body catch a break? When will it get nourished properly so that it can be as strong, fast, and powerful as you will it to be at the starting line?

Here's a great place to start:
Bye bye chemicals!
Kick out as much processed products/food as possible and replace others, such as bars, with options that are whole food-based. Also look at the daily body products that you use including toothpaste, shampoos, moisturizers, etc. Our skin is a porous barrier that cannot keep out toxic chemicals.

No more "white stuff"!
This includes sugar, table salt, and flour. All of this is leaching minerals and nutrients from your system and causing major imbalances. Also, get rid of artificial sweeteners...if you think there is nothing wrong with what's sweetening your drink, google it and see for yourself the side effects. Also, be careful with tofu as it too is processed food.

Start cooking!
Have more control over the quality of ingredients and save money! Remember that prepared foods often have a high sodium content as well as oils that may not be fresh nor good for your body.

Think fiber.
Kick that bread to the curb. Look to add high-fiber whole foods to your meals such as sweet potatoes, legumes, brown rice, and quinoa.

Revisit fats.
The fats are in and we need to have fats in our diet. I know it may make some of us squirm at the thought of adding it to your plate, however they are critical to good health. Look for healthier sources of Omega-3 fats such as walnuts, flaxseeds and their respective oils as well as olive oil for cooking.

Green, green, green!
Add more greens to your plate with options such as broccoli, bock choy, kale, and spinach. Mix in some sprouts at the last minute before eating.

Eat with the Seasons.
Find your local farmers market and shop for your produce there. You really can't go wrong and there is still time to patronize one before Winter sets in. Plus, you'll be investing your money into the local community. Eating seasonally helps give the body the right nutrients during each season that it needs to stay healthy!

Hydration Series Part IISalt: The Whole Truth

It's true, salt has been fractionalized. Table salt is not a complete salt, rather it's the sodium chloride fractional component of mineral salts that's been processed, heated, bleached, treated, and mixed with glucose (yes, there is some sugar in table salt), potassium iodide (for iodine) and calcium silicate (for anti-caking). Clearly this is NOT real food.

Salts are the minerals such as calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, manganese, etc that can be found in sea salt. This is a complete whole salt. The components balance each other out to be properly assimilated into the body. They all play a major role in buffering acids in the body as well.

I've talked about the difference between a fractional food (egg white protein powder) and whole food (egg) in my last newsletter and it is clear that the body doesn't ultimately know what to do with a fractional element of food as it will need all the components in order to properly assimilate it. The over-abundance of sodium chloride in the body wreaks havoc within because there's simply no place to put all of it! Thus too much table salt can leave you with hypertension, water retention and kidney problems.

Salt's function has been greatly misunderstood. Yes, salt helps the body to maintain water in the system. Without it, we'd lose so much water that we would be unable to function. It also allows our muscles to retain their reactivity and a degree of rigidity necessary for quick movement. This all said, let's take it all a step deeper. Our bones and muscles act as our mineral storage units. Bones hold the calcium and muscles hold minerals like magnesium. The levels constantly are in flux depending on whether the body is acidic or alkaline. Blood needs to maintain a pH of 7.4 for optimal health. But when the blood becomes deficient in minerals necessary to keep it alkaline, the bone and muscle reserves are called to action in order buffer lactic acid and acid-producing foods we've eaten. Calling on these reserves too often prevents the stores from being replenished properly. Thus, we leave ourselves open to problems down the road in which the body begins to breakdown due to excess acidity and lack of minerals (ie. mineral deficiencies, osteoporosis).

All of the studies and articles I've read recently discuss the benefits of a low-sodium diet, but never differential between sea salt and table salt. Of course we need to lower our sodium chloride intake, but no one ever explains why. And a concern is using "salt" as a general term for all minerals which I find to be is misleading. So, a great immediate step is to remove processed, fractional components like table salt from your diet. Himalayan or Celtic Sea Salt (or Real Salt) are much better options to consider adding in. This way you know beyond a doubt that you are getting a more balanced mineral mix into your system.

In the next edition to the Hydration Series, I'll talk more about the concept of maintaining the body's alkalinity and how many of us are sabotaging the precious homeostasis (aka. the body's equilibrium) necessary for good health at every meal. Just begin to look at the foods you are consuming on a daily basis and take note of your sodium chloride intake. Remember that food from restaurants and pre-packaged meals are usually higher in sodium than we'd like to admit. Often one dish at a restaurant is close to or exceeds the FDA daily recommended amount of 1.5 teaspoons for sodium chloride. So, if you are eating out often, keep this in mind.