More Food Doesn’t Necessarily Mean More Nutrition

As you’ve undoubtedly noticed, the desire to eat is an authoritative one. A basic primal instinct, appetite is among the most powerful human desires. It has served us exceptionally well for many thousands of years. As soon as the body begins running low on nutrients to fuel movement or rebuild body tissue, it sends a chemical signal from the brain to induce appetite, resulting in the consumption of food and an influx of nutrients (or so that’s the plan). However, the “hunger signal” will remain active until adequate nutrition has been garnered. Only required nutrients can turn it off; calories have no bearing. Therein lies the problem. Using white bread as an example, a whole loaf could be consumed, and while the stomach would be filled physically with the volume of the bread, the chemical hunger signals from the brain would continue. As such, the desire to eat would remain strong. Of course, this inherently leads to the overconsumption of food and therefore directly translates into body fat gain. With the acquisition of body fat comes the increased risk of myriad serious health concerns and a variety of diseases. Those who carry more body fat than is ideal increase their odds of developing type 2 diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases and even types of cancer.

Lack of nutrients causes hunger and fuels disease

We are living in a very strange time, a time in which people who are overweight or obese can be (and most likely are) malnourished. Yet how can it be that a person who eats an inordinate volume of food can show signs of malnourishment? After all, isn’t food synonymous with nourishment? The more food we eat, the more nourishment we acquire, right? No. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case. Yet not more than 50 years ago, being overfed yet undernourished would have been a strange paradox. Now, however, it’s the rule, not the exception. What has happened over the last 50 years that’s precipitated this shift?

It all starts with the earth

Food is really little more than a median for soil-based nutrients. Drawing from the earth, nutrients inherent to fertile soil transform into plant matter. Now biologically usable by animal and human alike, this nutrient-infused plant has transformed compounds from the soil into digestible sustenance for its consumer. Plants grown in nutrient-rich soil serve as a vessel by which nutrition is transferred to whomever, or whatever, eats them. This being the case, it is also true that very few nutrients exist in plants that have been grown in over-farmed soil. Those crops are simply void of nutrients that have been extracted by numerous plants grown on the same lot of land previously, each one of lower nutritional value than the one before.

Arable land is scarce. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, as of 2005, only 19% of the United States’ total land mass was considered suitable for growing food. In 2003, only 5% of the land in Canada was considered suitable for growing food (1). Of that, only a fraction is considered to be fertile and therefore nutrient-rich. That’s lower than most countries, but keep in mind that much of Canada is covered by ice and therefore is not hospitable to cultivation. But what is deeply concerning is the rate of decline in available growing land. In 2009, the percentages of arable land in the United States and Canada were 18% and 4.5%, respectively (2). One can only assume that it has continued to decline.

You might assume that a red flag would go up and we as a nation would take a collective stance and pledge that, since we consider the health of our citizens a top priority, we will take proactive measures to ensure our dwindling supply of arable land is being preserved. But we haven’t. In fact, our irreplaceable resource is contenting to be gobbled up by animals.

Animal agriculture: the number-one reason for obesity in North America

Even without eating animal products, simply the production of them precipitates a serious health concern. Seventy percent of the little arable land we have retained is not being used to grow food for us, but rather for animals. Of course, the animals are being raised for our consumption, but this type of agriculture results in a significant loss of energy and is an astonishingly poor use of arable land. Using a cow as an example, for every 16 pounds of grain fed to one, we only get one pound of meat in return. Of course, a large amount of that loss is burned up by the cow’s movement, digestion, heat expulsion and bodily functions. But the majority simply ends up as manure. Effectively, we are literally turning one of our countries most valuable resources into manure.

The solution

As clearly as the cause can be identified, the solution presents itself. A diet based on whole plant foods, not merely supplemented with them, is the answer. Not only will basing your diet on nutrient-rich plant-based whole foods dramatically reduce your risk of disease, turn off your hunger signal (and cravings), boost your overall health and allow you to mentally and physically outperform those who are malnourished, it will help preserve the environment. The environment will return the favor by ensuring there’s sufficient arable land in which to grow nutrient-rich food. The cycle is complete.

By basing your diet on such foods, you’ll also be supporting companies that actively participate in sound farming practices and therefore preservation of one of our nation’s most valuable resources.

Coming in September, be on the look out for Brendan’s new food issues / environmental / recipe book: “Thrive Foods.”

Sources:

1. Agriculture Statistics > Arable land > % of land area (most recent) by country. NationMaster.com. http://www.nationmaster.com/red/graph/agr_ara_lan_of_lan_are-agriculture-arable-land-of-area&b_map=1. Accessed June 6, 2011.

2. Land use – arable land(%) 2009 Country Ranks. Photius.com. http://www.photius.com/rankings/geography/land_use_arable_land_2009_0.html. Accessed June 6, 2011.

Photo credit: Jeremy Brooks

Smart Nutrition: 3 Ways to Boost Your Athletic Performance

Becoming a great athlete requires work. Hard work, that’s a certainty. But the often-overlooked “smart work” can play an equally large role in athletic success. While there’s no substitute for diligent training, there are a few natural nutritional “helpers” that can directly complement the effect of exercise for a compounded performance boost.

The best way to enhance the odds of becoming a better athlete is to put the body in a position in which it can physically and mentally handle progressively longer and more intense training. This is achieved by adopting a nutrition program that will support the fueling and regeneration process of an active person, which is significantly above and beyond that of a sedentary individual. The fundamentals on which this high-performance body can be constructed are, as you would expect, from the building blocks that you supply it. Nutrient-rich, plant-based whole foods are the foundation on which optimal health (and eventually performance) can be created. Studies have shown that, when consumed after a workout, plant-based whole foods enable muscle tissue to grow stronger in a shorter amount of time than would be possible with the consumption of refined, fractionalized low-quality food.

Once this foundation of solid health has been built by means of premium building blocks, higher levels of both mental and physical performance can more easily be obtained. As I set my sights on professional triathlon racing in 1997, I began to search for additional ways that nutrition could boost my performance as opposed to simply improve my health. While I had already achieved good health, I felt it was time to take my well-being (and my athletic performance) to the next level, beyond a simply solid bill of health.

There are a few nutritional steps that can be taken to get a greater rate of return on the time and energy invested in training.

Enhance cardiovascular output
Rhodiola helps dilate blood vessels allowing for increased blood flow throughout the body. This will reduce energy requirements placed on the cardiovascular system and naturally enhance endurance and the ability to perform intense physical work efficiently. Those who take rhodiola before a workout will enhance their body’s ability to recover by quickly normalizing their heart rate after the workout.

One trait of augmented fitness is an increase in red blood cells, which causes the blood to become thicker. Ginger will help keep the blood at the ideal viscosity so that it can be pumped efficiently throughout the body, which will increase energy (by conserving it) and boost performance.

Turmeric increases circulation, acting as an aid in delivering blood and oxygen to working muscles.

Since keeping the heart rate as low as possible is one of the chief ways of improving endurance, the muscular system as a whole also needs to be considered.

Improve muscular efficiency
If two runners are equal in every respect except for muscular strength, the stronger will be faster over any distance. The lower percentage of maximum strength needed for each stride will translate into improved efficacy and therefore greater endurance. If one runner can squat 10 percent more weight than another, their muscles will not have to work as hard to move the body forward, which will translate to significant endurance gains. When muscles don’t need to work as hard, they don’t require as much oxygen or circulating blood, and therefore will not put as much demand on the heart. This will lower the rate at which the heart beats and significantly improve endurance. Greater strength does equal greater endurance. But, as with the heart, there are nutritional steps that can be taken to enhance the fluidity of the muscles, essentially allowing them to move with greater ease and requiring less energy for each contraction.

Kombucha is a form of tea that has been fermented using microorganisms. It is exceptionally rich in organic acids, active enzymes, amino acids, and polyphenols and is distinguished as a health elixir. Significant for the athlete, it can directly enhance performance by acting as a natural muscle relaxant. This allows muscles to move with greater fluidity and ease, which results in less energy expenditure and ultimately enhanced endurance. Kombucha culture is also exceptionally good for removing toxins from the liver, which will result in quicker recovery following a workout. Enhanced mental clarity and a smooth, sustained state of well-being is another benefit of drinking kombucha, which will reduce anxiety before physical exertion or other demanding events.

Sodium and potassium are electrolytes that play a vital role in optimal hydration. The correct balance of electrolytes and fluid will help maintain hydration, which in turn will enhance muscle function, heart efficacy and mental sharpness. Since sweat is comprised of water and electrolytes, water alone will not fully maintain or restore fluid levels lost through sweat. Without complete hydration, blood will thicken and increase the workload placed on the heart, leading to premature fatigue. Inadequate hydration will also result in muscle twinges and cramps.

Reduce inflammation
Regular exercise causes inflammation. The more aggressive the muscle contractions, the more inflamed they will become. This inhibits performance in two major ways. Inflamed muscles will not be able to move smoothly, requiring more effort (energy) for each contraction, which will cause the heart rate to rise and endurance to fall. The recovery rate after exercise will be reduced, requiring more time between workouts leading to the inability to train more.

Anything with chlorophyll is highly alkaline-forming and will significantly reduce inflammation. Spinach and other leafy greens are ideal.

When taken immediately before exercise, devil’s claw has been shown to prevent inflammation and promote fluid muscle contractions. Devils claw has also been shown to temporarily reduce the effectiveness of pain receptors, allowing the athlete to push harder during physical activity and achieve a higher level of performance.

Ginger and turmeric have also been shown to reduce inflammation when taken immediately before physical exertion.

Photo Credit: heymrleej

Using Stimulation to Your Advantage

Unexpectedly hearing a loud noise when the room is quiet, you might feel a sudden rush of energy. This is the most basic form of stimulation, left over from your primal survival mechanism. Your body assumes the loud noise is a threat and prepares you for action by engaging the adrenal glands to draw more energy.

In reaction to the first onset of stimulation — a form of stress — we gain energy. We become more alert, our strength can increase, and we have the ability to process information more quickly and react faster. We aren’t confronted with those types of threats today, but face stress from too much work, family-related concerns, poor diet, breathing impure air, constantly having to be “on”, and not enough down time.

To varying degrees, based on the body’s perceived severity of the stress, cortisol is released as a stimulant. Since our adrenal glands were not designed to be used as often as they are today, it’s common for them to become overworked, resulting in an exhaustion called adrenal burnout.

Stress-free people are fat-burning machines. A stressed person’s system will switch from burning fat (as fuel) to carbohydrates in the form of sugar. Burning more sugar and less fat, the body will begin to store body fat instead of using it for energy. This leads to overworked adrenal glands, adrenal fatigue, reduction in sleep quality, and many stress-related impairments.

Biological Debt
The body goes into biological debt after energy from stimulation has dissipated. In the modern world, often brought on by eating refined sugar or drinking coffee to gain energy in the short-term, biological debt is a state of fatigue. Unfortunately, it is common for those who consume the Standard American Diet.

Energy can come from stimulation or nourishment. The more processed the food, the more stimulating its effect on the nervous system, and the less nourishing. The more natural and whole a food is — raw and sprouted being the best — the less stimulating and more nourishing.

Because of our insatiable desire for quick, convenient energy, our streets are crammed with coffee, donut, and fast-food establishments that provide short-term energy. The body can subsist on stimulating, nutrient-absent food for only a short period before becoming either exhausted or sick.

This problem was once only true for those who ate an unhealthy diet comprised largely of stimulating foods like refined flour, refined sugar, coffee, and caffeinated soda. But other forms of stimulating foods have become prevalent in the “heath food” world – cacao being the most notable. Cacao is a stimulant that contains caffeine, which can lead to dependency. Additionally, foods that contain caffeine raise cortisol, which lowers the immune system, making the body more vulnerable to infection and eventually leading to fat storage and inflammation.

Stress – Stimulation – Sickness
One measure of health is having cost-free energy — energy that lasts and does not have to be “stoked” continually with stimulating foods. The stoking of energy can only lead to less energy.

For the average North American, 40% of stress can be directly linked to diet. With the first onset of stress comes natural adrenal stimulation, which is healthy in small doses. The rise in cortisol, however, always results in fatigue. The degree of fatigue depends on the degree of stimulation. At this point a person should rest and remove the elements causing the stress, such as poor diet. Yet, this is when most people turn to self-imposed adrenal stimulation to regain energy – foods like coffee and refined foods in the regular world and cacao in the healthy and/or raw world. This results in a short burst of energy, greater fatigue, and more stimulation to re-energize.

Each time the circle completes itself, the severity of the condition rises, creating an incremental decline in health and an increased risk factor for serious disease. The first completion of the circle will likely result in a slightly increased appetite. The next time around will result in cravings, likely for starchy, refined foods (often making raw foodists more tempted by cooked food). Sequential passes involve difficulty sleeping, irritability, mental fog, lack of motivation, body fat gain, lean muscle loss, visible signs of premature aging, and sickness. If this cycle of chronically elevated cortisol levels continues, tissue degeneration, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, and diseases can develop.

A healthy, sustainable whole-food diet and lifestyle does not require additional stimulation through food. Your body will re-establish its sensory system, functioning at a healthier, more energetic level, without the cellular-damaging need for stimulation.

Recalibrating
Have you ever noticed that sometimes the phone’s ring sounds very loud, and at other times it sounds relatively quiet? The key word is relatively. Our body has the ability to adjust to much of what goes on around it.

To calibrate its sensory system, the body must decide at what level it will sense stimuli. The only gauge the body has is the information we feed it: sound, sight, touch, smell, and taste. Our bodies are chronically over-stimulated, yet most of us don’t realize it. Constantly climbing to a new level to remain in the same place is difficult, but common. The solution is to recalibrate the body. A healthy plant-based diet free of stimulants will serve as a solid platform.

The Benefits of Stimulation
Not all stimulation is negative. It will always result in greater fatigue, but its value is based on what it is summoned for. “Production stress” is a positive stress that occurs when the adrenal glands are stimulated to achieve something that could not be done (or done as well) without stimulation.

An athlete who has recalibrated by eating a clean diet and abstained from all stimulating foods can borrow energy to boost performance from a small amount of adrenal stimulation before a race, such as drinking a cup of yerba maté (a South American herb) or eating a small amount of cacao. Extra fatigue a day or two later will be a small price to pay.

Using stimulation when it will not help you achieve something of value is an “uncomplementary stress,” such as the regular consumption of cacao. It is similar to shopping with a credit card. You get energy now that you don’t actually have, but you pay for it later.

If used too often, borrowing energy will lose its effectiveness and become another form of stress that perpetuates the cycle. The strategy can be used only a few times a month. Ideally, a healthy, stimulant-free diet will provide you with all the energy you need through nourishment.

The Scoop on Omega-3

Recently I saw a generic brand of knock-off Oreo cookies. Not surprisingly, the first ingredient was refined sugar and the second was bleached, white flour. Across the front of the box, larger than the name of the cookies, it said: omega-3. That was the most prominent text! And while omega-3 is vastly important (essential even), the way its suggested usage is being promoted has become somewhat misguided. As with many healthy foods or nutrients grabbed by the mainstream, omega-3 consumption is slightly misunderstood.

An upswing in awareness of omega-3 began to develop soon after a World Health Organization (WHO) report was released. The report suggested that the average North American eats a diet with a vastly out-of-balance ratio of omega-6 to omega-3, which was linked to serious health problems. Consumers of the Standard American Diet (SAD) commonly ingest 20 times more omega-6 than omega-3. This was of great concern since the WHO determined in their extensive study that the ideal ratio for optimal health is 4:1, provided both sources of omega-6 and omega-3 are of high quality and in their natural, unrefined form.

Those eating a SAD were consuming five times more omega-6 than the ideal. A significantly out-of-balance ratio such as this was being blamed for a broad spectrum of ailments. Inflammation contributing to joint pain was one of the chief concerns, but the list was long and varied. Difficulty sleeping, general mental and physical fatigue, sugar cravings, the inability to burn body fat effectively, dry skin and even poor memory were all suspected of being a result of this off-kilter ratio. Serious implications indeed.

As a consumer-minded society we immediately concluded that these findings meant we should get more omega-3 in our diet to compensate for the lopsided ratio. Was this a bad approach? Not particularly, but it certainly wasn’t the most logical. Seemingly overnight omega-3 became a buzzword and everyone wanted to increase their omega-3 intake. Of course the next question was, “can I buy omega-3 supplements?” The answer very quickly became yes. This was a good thing, but it was far from optimal.

Another finding that emerged from the same WHO study was not as celebrated. The report also suggested that the problem was not merely created by too much omega-6 but rather by its sources. In addition to a distorted ratio, denatured, refined and highly processed forms of fat containing omega-6 were found to be part of the problem. Essentially eating too many high-temperature fried foods, denatured oils and manufactured fats (commonly used in cheaper baked goods to increase shelf life) was being blamed.

Taking into account the WHO’s findings on the ideal ratio, those of us who eat a diet that does not regularly contain large amounts of high-temperature fried foods, hydrogenated fats (such as those found in some margarines) or trans fats have no reason to use supplements with a greater ratio of omega-3 to omega-6. It’s just not necessary. If, however, a large part of your diet consists of denatured fats, fried foods and manufactured oils…stop eating them! Don’t just supplement your diet with omega-3 and think that you’ve solved the problem by balancing your ratio. It’s false hope and nothing more than a bandage that will offer a mild reprieve of symptoms at best. The cause will remain, and the problem will continue to worsen until it is addressed.

There are many highly corrective oil formulas on the market that offer 1:2 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3. Because of the reasons I’ve stated, I believe the best approach is to eat a healthy, balanced diet of whole foods as opposed to taking a highly corrective formula. A healthy diet includes balanced cold-pressed oils that yield a ratio between 4:1 and 2:1. I often make a salad dressing that combines cold-pressed, organic hemp seed oil (70%), flax seed oil (20%) and pumpkin seed oil (10%). Straight hemp oil is another good choice.

The WHO report concludes the best way to bring the ratio back to a healthy balance is to simply cut back on all processed, denatured and manufactured fats with a goal of complete elimination. Cold-pressed forms of omega-6 are perfectly healthy and essential to optimal health. As long as their quantity does not surpass four parts for every one part of omega-3, optimal health will be obtainable.

Solid Nutrition: The Base for Economic Recovery

In the early part of the previous century, being overweight was a sign of wealth and, as such, a status symbol. Those who were able to afford excessive amounts of food wanted the world to see they made enough money to overeat. Fortunately, times have changed, and today people showcase their wealth in less health-damaging ways. Now, however, the other end of the income spectrum is most commonly overweight or obese. According to studies conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association, low-income individuals and families are more likely to be overweight than those earning middle and high incomes. Of course this is a generalization, but that’s how these kinds of studies work.

As you might expect, low-quality diet is one of the main reasons for the increase in obesity among the poor. Many processed and highly refined foods (or what, in some cases, are more properly referred to as edible food-like substances) are cheaper than whole, fresh, and natural options. People with less money are more likely to buy the cheaper foods.

This is problematic for two reasons. First: highly-processed and refined foods generally have little to no nutritional value. As a result, you will have to consume considerably more food to satisfy the body’s need for nutrients. Only when the body has the nutrients it requires does it switch off its hunger signal. The negative short-term effect is that more food will be consumed, which leads quickly to weight gain. In addition, the digestion of this, low-nutrient food robs the body of energy without providing much energy in return. The result is that the person feels less full and has to spend more money to buy additional food to stay satiated. If that person were to gradually switch over to a diet comprised of more expensive whole foods, he or she would no longer be in a constant state of hunger and therefore would naturally choose to consume less. The financial saving gained from buying cheap processed foods quickly evaporates.

Second, the consumption of these processed foods contributes to long-term health risks. If a person has relied on processed foods to reconstruct the body day in and day out for decades, that body will falter later in life. Disease of some form will almost certainly be the result. Type II diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, and the many offshoots of cardiovascular disease are the most common to develop. The drugs needed to treat these ailments commonly cost several thousand dollars per month. And that’s just to alleviate the symptoms; the underlying disease continues to progress. Admittedly, there are rare cases when drugs can eradicate the disease; however, what caused the disease in the first place has not been addressed, therefore it may return.

To put it simply, replacing refined, processed foods with natural, whole foods is a form of health insurance. You will stack the odds in your favor and save money in the long run. In the short term, you will have more energy and greater mental clarity, both of which can significantly improve productivity. Some people may choose to put a dollar value on that.

We are beginning to experience a realization among corporate America that true, sustainable health can be directly translated into improved profits. The realization that healthier employees not only get sick less often, but are simply more productive, has clearly began to dawn.

A recent study published in the Washington Post revealed that, on average, American-built automobiles cost $1,500 more than comparably equipped Japanese or European cars. The reason? Americans are in worse physical health than their Japanese and European counterparts and therefore must pay higher health insurance premiums. This additional cost is passed on to the end consumer to allow the company to maintain profitability. The United States is less able to compete in the global market simply because its citizens are in a poorer state of health.

As the health of the American people declines, so, too, does their nation’s economy. This is not a coincidence. More people are developing disease earlier in life than in any previous generation. Those who aren’t privately insured place a tremendous burden on the taxpayer-funded healthcare system, contributing to higher taxes, a decrease in spending, a sluggish economy, and even a near-recession (or recession, depending on who you talk to), as America is now experiencing. While there are other contributing factors here, including the sub-prime mortgage debacle and war spending, a nation made up of unhealthy people is inevitably going to become an unhealthy nation economically. A company comprised of unhealthy people will never reach its full earning potential.

Large corporations are beginning to catch on. At the Googleplex in Santa Clara County, California, Google employees enjoy recreation facilities once the exclusive domain of high-priced resorts: a gym, two swimming pools, and a sand-volleyball court. But the Googleplex’s culinary options are where it shines the brightest . With 11 cafeterias, the selection of food is vast. And employees can request whatever they want—whether it’s on the menu or not. The cafeterias offer several balanced, plant-based options and a plethora of smoothies and raw foods.

Is Google going to this considerable up-front expense simply because they’re nice people? No. They are nice, but they also understand that the improved health and happiness of their employees will improve their bottom line. And it has, consistently, since its inception in 2003. The monetary return on their investment comes in the form of employees performing at a higher level. And consider the advantages that beyond-basic health can bring to a company. Employees who are in top form have a stronger immune system and are less likely to get sick and be absent from work. Companies who don’t embrace this holistic approach to well-being and productivity will not turn as great a profit and eventually will not be able to compete with the ones who do embrace it. Then they’ll have to answer to their shareholders.

The fact that “health and wellness” is beginning to be viewed as something that is of economic value is exciting. And, in my estimation, will eventually prove to be what turns our societies’ health around and thereby will be responsible in large part for resurgence in personal revitalized wellbeing. Rightly or wrongly, we are a society that bows down to the economy, revolves around it and is altogether controlled by it, so for the economy to prosper in unison with our personal heath enhancement is of great significants.