Diet and Nutrition Explained

[Ryan]

This is going to be a sticky thread that I will use (over time) to discuss dietary needs, nutritional issues, and how this pertains to fitness goals.

 

This will not serve to address specific medical conditions that require precise attention. It will be discussion regarding general aspects of human dietary habits.

[Ryan]

There are a few basic principles to having a decent diet.

 

Choose a variety of sources of food. Do not rely on a few types of foods. This helps ensure a broader base of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and macronutrients (fats, proteins, and carbohydrates).

 

Choose foods that are not highly processed. The majority of foods should be fairly fresh. Prepare your own meals when possible or dine at places that use fresher ingredients and prepare food on demand. This reduces your intake of additives and preservatives.

 

Eat 4-6 times per day. The "three squares" system is antiquated. More regular feedings help maintain energy levels and provide nutrients to the body when necessary.

[Ryan]

The multivitamin is a great and very inexpensive (50 cents or less a day) insurance policy for your dietary habits. We can't eat perfectly every single day. Even being conscious of our dietary choices, it's easy to be deficient in some small aspect That's where the multivitamin comes in - it can help solidify those gaps and give you a small all-around boost. It is NOT an excuse to go eat crap. It is still important to eat fairly well most of the time. Supplements are only 5% of the dietary picture.

 

Choose a multivitamin that contains a fairly comprehensive set of vitamins and minerals derived from natural sources (fish liver oil, kelp, alfalfa, etc). This helps ensure a more biologically ready form as well as any other compounds that may exist naturally that we just don't know about yet. Try to get time-release as well, so there will be a steady trickle of these nutrients into your system. Ideally you'd want to take 1 or 2 of the tablets with your morning meal and be set for the day.

 

As an example, this is the multivitamin I take (not an endorsement of the brand nor the site):

 

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/browse/sku_detail.jhtml?SkuID=3200&BreadCrumbType=SearchResult

 

Most health food stores have a decent selection of natural-source multivitamins. Store brand and mass-produced vitamins tend to not absorb as well, so I would avoid those.

[Ryan]

For quite some time, saturated fat and cholesterol have been supposedly tied to health problems and dietary issues. This is one of the biggest farces in fitness history. Rather than attempt to reiterate the timeline of events, I will direct readers to this article:

 

http://www.westonaprice.org/know_your_fats/oiling.html

 

It is an excellent (albeit lengthy and sometimes technical) article about dietary fat, cholesterol, health problems, and the real story behind it all.