Net Gain: Increased energy through conservation, not consumption
The nutritional value of food as stated by the “label claim” is of course pertaining to what is in the food, not what the body actually gets from it. A more sensible way to assess the energy providing attributes of food is to consider its net gain. The net gain of food is the term I give to what we are left with once the food has been processed for energy by the body. We all know that the body gets energy from food in the form of several nutrients. However, the more energy the body has to expend to digest, assimilate and utilize the nutrients in the food we give it, the less we are left with.
An example would be the consumption of white bread. Have you ever eaten at a restaurant that served French bread before the main course? In the past, I would wolf down the bread and though my stomach was physically full, I would still be hungry. Since white bread is basically void of any useful nutrients, my body wanted to continue eating despite the fact that my stomach was full. To digest, assimilate and then eliminate the white bread requires a large energy expenditure. As a result, the net energy gain from it is very low. In fact, if the bread is buttered or if a trans-fat containing spread is added, the result can actually be a net loss.
In today’s hectic, fast-paced world, we are inundated with nutrient lacking foods. Consumed mostly for convenience sake, processed and refined foods have led us to a decline in health and elevated medical costs. Having to consume more of them to “fill up” due to their absence of usable nutrients, yet high sugar and calorie counts, we have become an obese, energy depleted society.
Back a few years in my more conventional thinking days I would try to gauge my caloric intake requirements based on my activity level and body weight. Eating about 8,000 calories on heavy training days, I would usually need a rest day soon after. I realize now, a large part of my need for the extra rest day was not just to recover from the energy expended during training, but primarily from the energy expended digesting an inordinate amount of low net gain food.
By consuming more easily assimilated foods a large amount of energy can be conserved. Due to two main reasons, the first being that the nutrient rich easily digested foods can be assimilated with less expenditure. The second being that when more nutrient rich foods are present in the diet, the body does not have to eat as much as if it were fed “average” foods. As a direct result, not as much needs to be eaten and therefore digested. This is a huge net energy gain, to be spent as you please. If the body is left to decide it will likely choose improved immune function and quickened restoration of cells damaged by stress—essentially, “anti-aging” activities.
Once realizing the value in nutrient density, assimilation, and absorption of food, I began eating in terms of net gain, with no adherence to calorie consumption guidelines. Instead, I focus on consuming nutrient dense, easily assimilated foods. As a result my recovery rate has significantly improved. I no longer need an extra day to recover from eating copious amounts of conventional food. Enhanced by simple means of increased efficiency, my body now pools its retained energy resources to more quickly recover from muscle damage associated with training. Today, I consume about 30% fewer calories than I did just two years ago yet have more energy—by means of conservation, as opposed to consumption.
Instead of feasting on common refined foods, I now consume whole foods almost exclusively. Raw, alkalizing, enzyme intact, living foods have become the foundation of my diet. Switching my main carbohydrate source away from refined starches to whole fruits, vegetables and grains was my starting point. Raw nuts and seeds, with an emphasis on hemp and flax, as well as legumes supply me with protein and essential fatty acids. The majority of vitamins and minerals I require come from fresh, raw vegetables – dark leafy green ones in particular.
It’s easy to pack nutrients into liquid form thereby improving assimilation; basically allowing the body to get what it wants while expending less energy to get it. I have one or more nutrient-packed shakes daily to insure that I get all the nutrients I need to support my activity level. Also, since it’s important to eat several meals and/or snacks a day, making one or more of them liquid adds variety.
Ideally, a shake should contain all the nutrients that a compete meal does. First, make sure that the protein is an easily digestible one, such as hemp, which is packed with live enzymes that improve digestion and absorption. For essential fatty acids (especially Omega 3), I use ground-up whole flax seeds. Maca, as an adaptogen, adrenal tonic and a source of sterols and sterolins, is also a critical ingredient. Chlorella, for its detoxifying properties, naturally occurring vitamin B12, growth factor, nucleic acids and rich chlorophyll content, is another worthy addition.
Hemp, flax, maca and chlorella are the four primary ingredients in all my shakes. After adding them, I blend it all up with whole fruit and water or nut milk. Feel free to experiment with all kinds of fruit for variety. Berries are always desirable as they are loaded with antioxidants. Raw carob powder is also a nice addition. In fact, making this blender drink years ago lead me to formulating Vega Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer.
Remember, when it comes to improving net gain, the key point to remember is if you don’t spend it, you’ll still have it. Think in terms of energy conservation when it comes to vital body functions such as digestion and assimilation to help you perform better at anything you attempt.
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