Throughout the rest of March we will be focusing on one of the biggest controllables that we have…Nutrition!
If you just rolled your eyes, or audibly said, “Here we go again,” I get it and you’re not alone. We live in a capitalistic society and while that is an amazing way to live, one of the drawbacks is seen in various industries where the ‘quick buck’ becomes more important to the marketer than the people said product/service was made to serve. The nutrition world is no different. From the latest and greatest diets to pills that magically transform you into “the Rock,” to belts that by wearing them, you don’t have to do anything else and *Shazam* your dream body appears…where the heck do you turn?!?
Prior to chiropractic college and my time at Health 1st, I managed a General Nutrition Center. You’d be blown away by people in their late 50s still looking for “a magic pill” or the answers to all of their nutrition questions. Maybe you’re one of those people, and that’s ok! Nutrition is so simple, yet so complex at the same time. I’m going to do my best to tie everything together throughout March’s blogs so stayed tuned!
Let’s begin with a visual. Though there are various minor nuances that we can get into, I want to keep it very simple by borrowing this food pyramid from RP Strength:
At the end of the day, the most crucial component to a successful “diet” program is what you will follow, consistently. And at the foundation of this pyramid is the concept of ‘calories in vs. calories out.’ If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you eat less than you burn, you will lose weight. It is after the caloric surplus/deficit differential is understood that we can begin to explore the next rings of the pyramidical ladder. Following calories is “Macros” or macronutrients. This is where the Keto diet really thrives. For those whom aren’t familiar, the Keto diet places an extreme emphasis on fats as the primary fuel source vs. the traditional carbohydrates (protein is the third macronutrient). If the carbohydrate consumption is low enough, the body is forced to make ketones, which can most easily be described as a much less-efficient carbohydrate-like substance made by the liver (chiefly). There are reasons to pursue this diet in the short-term as a fast-track to weight-loss BUT…once again, if you consume more calories than you burn (whether those cals come from fats, carbs, or proteins) you will gain weight. As you can see, timing, composition, and supplements/hydration round out our march to the top. I’d love to continue to hit on each of these micro topics, but desire to feed info in small bites (pardon the pun). If you take nothing else away, please understand the “calories in vs. calories out” statement as the foundation for every “diet fix.” Nothing replaces that.
Another incredibly important element that is vital to understand in the nutritional realm is the individuality of it all. I can’t give you any researched percentage, but for sake of ease, let’s just use the hypothetical 80% as our rule of thumb. What I mean by that is that what was explained in the previous paragraph will take care of 80% of what most people are looking to get out of nutrition. Yet, there are additional wonderful elements to each person that make you…well, you! That includes food. For example, a Type 1 diabetic whom lives in MN in late January not only needs to have quick sources of sugar available should his/her blood sugar dip too low; but they could also benefit from a Vitamin D supplement for the winter months where we hardly get any sun, up North. This can be obviously juxtaposed to an elderly, yet healthy, woman residing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Today’s following and final thought was huge for me, personally. THE MOST IMPORTANT mental shift that occurred to me is what I’d like to leave with you. That is simply the idea that food is fuel. If we have an inappropriate emotional relationship with food, we not only create bad habits, but the immediate repercussions of binging, restricting, emotional eating, excessive social drinking, etc. can slowly, but surely, mold us (mentally and physically) into someone that we do not desire to become.
Don’t mishear me on this last point. I love a bison burger and fries as much as the next guy and if Cousin Missy doesn’t bring her chocolate chip cheesecake bars to every Thanksgiving, she knows she won’t be coming back (jk…kind of). But, on the other hand, you wouldn’t pour old, diluted lawnmower oil into a Ferrari, would you? Feed the machine, your ecosystem, adequately and appropriately, so that you can become the most effective man or woman that you dream of becoming.
Until next time,
– Brock Baumgarn CA, Nutrition Consultant, Health 1st Chiropractic
Bibliography:
-Davis, M. 2020, Renaissance Periodization Pyramid, digital image, RP Strength, accessed 7 March 2021, https://renaissanceperiodization.com/expert-advice/choosing-the-right-diet-for-you.