“As a general rule, the less that has been done to your food, the better its return will be.” – Brendan Brazier
To our ancestors, food represented sustenance and vitality. Unfortunately, our relationship with food has become complicated. The Standard American Diet – SAD – hardly resembles the forage which sustained the human race for millennia. Instead, it translates closer to inadequacy and even disease.
It’s not a great secret that food impacts physiology and performance. Food has a relation with mental clarity, recovery, longevity, immunity, and even fertility. Nutrition is a highly individualized science, and there is no universal approach. But by learning the needs of our bodies, we can create optimum conditions to create and sustain high performance.
The science of nutrition is the wild west. This largely boils down to the obvious: we all have unique genetics and digest food differently. There is no one size fits all approach. Instead, let’s focus on general principles.
We should familiarize ourselves with the term nutrient density. It describes how much nutrition we get from the calories we consume. The greater the density, the greater the nutritional value. Calorie counting is an incomplete picture because it only measures the amount of heat generated per gram of either carbohydrates, protein, or fats – macronutrients. It fails to account for micronutrients, phytonutrients, or enzymes.
Nutrient density encompasses the entire picture. Using this model, foods become a spectrum of high net to low net gain foods. Digestion requires energy to extract nutrients from food. Essentially, high net gain foods are the ones which require the least amount of energy to digest and provide the most nutritional value. These high net gain foods contain significantly more micronutrients, enzymes, prebiotics, and probiotics than low net gain food counterparts. They give us the biggest bang for our buck.
Nutrient density even impacts gut health. Low net gain foods cause an overgrowth of “unhealthy bacteria” which can lead to the development of allergies, headaches, mood swings, poor recovery, and possibly increase the risk for injuries. But high net gain foods support gut health primarily due to the fiber contained in these foods. Fiber feeds the gut microbiome allowing it to flourish. The trillions of “healthy bacteria” in the gut microbiome help break down food products into usable forms and, even more impressive, produce 95% of serotonin in the body.
Because many unknowns remain in the nutrition space, we are going to focus more time on implementing healthy eating habits. Adequate nutrition begins with hydration. As a minimum rule, aim to drink a cup of water (240mL or 8 ounces) every hour, especially during the first 10 hours of waking, and reduce intake in the evening to avoid bathroom use during sleep. If we participate in physical activity then increase water intake accordingly before, during, and after activity.
One commonly overlooked principle of nutrition is when to eat. We have 2 general recommendations. First, being diurnal creatures, the body is more efficient at extracting energy from food during the daytime so we should eat then. And second, let’s avoid large meals 2 to 3 hours before sleep and performance. To digest food requires energy. During digestion, blood flow increases to the intestines to extract nutrients from food. This also means, if consumed close to bedtime or performance, a reduction in sleep efficiency and optimal performance.
Healthy eating habits start with habits. Let’s remember the Laws of Habit Formation – cue, craving, response and reward. No cue equals no craving. We don’t eat what is hidden, and we can’t eat what we don’t have. Keep this in mind if we have a tricky relationship with processed foods.
The majority of the battle, to reclaim healthy nutrition, is won by removing ultra-processed foods. UPF’s are calorically rich but nutrient poor. If it says “sugars added” or “contains seed oils,” avoid it. Both are pro-inflammatory and low net gain foods. If the ingredient list looks like a paragraph and requires an advanced degree in chemistry, it’s best to leave on the shelf.
Our nutritional philosophy at QHP comes down to 2 words: whole foods. These items have an ingredient list of 1 with high nutrient density – minimally processed foods (2-3 ingredients) like yogurt, cheese, or dried meats are also okay. There are thousands of whole foods available, and chances are we’ll like a handful which provide adequate nutritional requirements so be open-minded and explore.
Also, if the budget allows it, let’s consume organic foods. These foods contain significantly higher vitamins and minerals – check out the difference in grass fed vs grain fed butter. While we may save money with non-organic food, our body also keeps receipts. By eating organic, we replenish and refuel with high net gain foods. Nutrition made simple means staying hydrated, eating whole foods, and avoiding ultra-processed foods.
