The Whole 9
We believe nutrition is the gateway to good health – that improvements in everything from body composition to injury rehabilitation to athletic performance can be best realized through good nutrition
I found out about The Whole9from Rob Wolf, and the more I read the more I wanted to work with them. The above statement really speaks volumes about their beliefs on food. I did not grow up fat, or in a time of great fatness, so we just ate what we wanted and went on with our lives. By the time I needed to worry about nutrition, it was well past due. I initiallythought like most people do an went on a diet. A diet will generally last a few weeks, help shed some weight, and be over. What I have come to find out over the years is that it is never just about the food. You can eat well and work out like crap, or work out well and eat like crap, or do both well but recover poorly, or sleep poorly and it is a cycle. The biggest thing that I hope people will gain from the workshop in May with Melissa and Dallas is that EVERYTHING you do matters. The more you can integrate your recovery, work outs, nutrition, sleep EVERYTHING to work for you, not against you, the better you will look. feel and perform.
What Now!
Everyone hits a "stuck" point along the way. Whether you are talking about dropping fat, getting faster, or getting stronger. What is the answer? Million dollar question, but 2 things to keep in mind are;
1) Stay the course. If you are doing what needs to be done, don't abandon this as soon as you hit a bump
2) Do something, or stop doing something, that you know isn't the best. This is NOT changing your overall plan, but look at that one thing that could be better and make the change. More sleep, more recovery, an extra work out, more time rolling out or stretching. Whatever it is, try it for 2 solid weeks.
Try eating this way for a week, and notice how much better you feel.
What TO EAT
Whole Foods
Mostly Vegetables, lean meats & seafood, Eggs
Good Fats & Oils (nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, olive oil, coconut oil)
some fruit, little starch (yams)
Wild, Local, Organic, Free-range & Grass fed
AVOID “lite”, low-fat” or “fat-free
Don’t eat from the freezer unless you froze it yourself
COOK. SIT DOWN. EAT SLOW
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What NOT to Eat
Processed Food
SUGAR
Grains (bread, pasta, corn, rice, cereal, wheat, etc.)
Bad Fats & Oils – trans & partially hydrogenated (canola, corn, safflower, sunflower, margarine…)
Fast Food
Fruit & Vegetable juice (unless you squeezed it yourself)
SODA (regular & diet)
Legumes (beans, peanuts, soybeans)
Excess Dairy (especially hard cheeses)
Avoid most things that comes in a box or wrapper!
Food as a Reward
I really like allot of what this video is saying. We have gotten to the point in our society where so many of the diet issues we are dealing with have nothing to do with food or hunger. We eat when we are sad, anxious, stressed, ect. I have a hard time telling people that food is just something to fuel your workouts. That is going a bit far for me, but the flip side is really damaging. The mindset of snacks for kids having to be unhealthy to be good. Rewarding ourselves, or our children, with foods that will cause long term damage to metabolism, energy, and relationships with food. I don't want to get into the underlying psychological aspect to eating, so lets just keep it simple. If you are not happy with how you look, feel or perform why would you pass along the very food choices that led to this to your kids?
Shakes
I know allot of people who get their morning meals using a shake, or smoothie. They can't get solids in, short on time ect ect. Not a big problem for most. There have been some recent reports that people looking to drop fat (lean out) should NEVER consume liquid meals as they can cause insulin spikes. Rob Wolf addresses shakes as a meal in his first podcast, and really show them no love in his talks on PWO (Post Work Out) nutrition. I simply stopped using shakes because they did not sustain me, and they were not getting the job done for me. Is a shake better than a Bagel? Probably. Better than eating nothing? The jury is still out on that. TONS of people use protein shakes with great results. If you are one of them, that's great. if you are someone looking to shed some fat and are using shakes, try taking 30 days and eating whole foods instead and see if there is a difference.
TRY THIS:
Cook some eggs up (scambled, fried, ect) and toss some slices of Avocado on top and round it of with the Salsa Verde from Trader Joe's. Why?
1) Tastes great!
2) Awesome fat and Protein!
3) Holds your hunger and fuels your body.
Any salsa, or Salsa Verde will do but I use Trader Joe's because it tastes so good on everything and it is very clean (paleo)
One Thing
Weight loss is a tricky subject. It can be as simple as "burn more calories than you consume" or as complicated as micro nutrient ratios and balancing your carbohydrates with your fats. People have actually taken people to court because the pills at GNC said they would make you lose weight while you sleep and they did not work. What if you could only change one thing? Try it! Take 10 days and do not eat ant grains at all. No breads, rices, pasta ect. I will guarantee you two things for sure: you will have more energy and you will drop weight. The consumption of simple carbs (breads ect) has shown to big a big contibuter to being overweight. If you like bread and are happy with how you look and feel then don't change a thing. If you like breads and are not happy with how you look or feel, give it 10 days!
Worst Foods
There are endless lists of "worst foods" and you have to take some with a grain of salt. Did you really think that a plate of French Fries with Cheese sauce was going to be good for you? The meals you need to be careful of are meals that look healthy, or low cal, but are actually BRUTAL. This is one. No one will confuse ribs with Chicken, but they aren't the worst thing you could eat. Check out the facts here!!!
5. Worst Ribs: Outback Steakhouse Baby Back Ribs (full rack)
2,260 calories
(no other nutritional information available)
Let's be honest: Ribs are rarely served alone on a plate. When you add a sweet potato and Outback's Classic Wedge salad, this meal is a 3,340-calorie blowout.
For some comparison, the Rib and Chicken combo at Chilis is 1440 calories!
HERE is a good list of foods that are rough!
Recipes from Friday night
Looking for something on the sweeter side? We tried these recipes for our Friday night get together, got good reviews so here's how to make them:
Raisin Paleo Cookies
1/2 cup pitted dates, chopped into chunks
3/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup macadamia nuts
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 tsp coconut oil
1 Egg
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 tsp cinnamon
How to prepare:
1. Put nuts, date, coconut oil, & cinnamon in the food processor with the S blade on it. Pulse until nuts and dates are broken down and it resembles loose crumbs.
2. Pour into a mixing bowl, add egg and raisins - mix together.
3. Drop the dough onto a ungreased cookie sheet(I used a tablespoon) and then flatten them just a bit, kinda resembled a mini burger.
4. Bake in preheated oven at 350. Approx 15 - 20 minutes.
They will be golden brown when done, baked too long the raisins will burn and taste bitter.
Coconut Maccaroons
1 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup raw almonds(sliced or chopped)
2 TBSP raw honey
4 Large egg whites
How to prepare:
1. Mix ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Bake in preheated oven at 325 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes.
Check halfway through and turn the cookie pans so the cookies bake evenly.
The Grain Manifesto
There is some great information out there about grains. The folks at The Whole 9 put up a great piece that really covers all the bases!
The Grain Manifesto
We’re continuing our “manifesto” series (refer back to dairy and peanuts for earlier offerings) with the one topic most likely to spur controversy – grains. Our Whole30 program doesn’t include grains of any kind – no breads, cereals, pasta, rice, not even fake grains like quinoa or gluten-free substitutes. We’re about to tell you why. (Note, we are well aware that this information may run counter to everything you’ve ever been told by your parents, doctors, personal trainers, government agencies and TV advertisements. For that, however, we make no apologies… because all the people who have been selling you Whole Grains for Health all these years have been just. Plain. Wrong. We understand if this makes you kind of angry. It makes us angry too.. but that’s a topic for another post.)
Why We Don’t Eat Grains
A. Grains provoke an inflammatory response in the gut
Lectins are specialized proteins found in many plants and foods, but are found in high concentration in grains (particularly wheat), legumes (particularly soy), and dairy. The most commonly referenced grain lectin is called “gluten”, but there are many others which are found even in pseudo-grains like quinoa. Lectins serve many biological functions in animals, but foods with high concentrations of lectins are harmful even if consumed in moderate amounts.
Lectins are hardy proteins that do not break down easily, and are resistant to stomach acid and digestive enzymes. They migrate through your digestive tract largely intact, and disrupt the intestinal membrane, damaging cells and initiating a cascade of events leading to eventual cell death. (Translation: lectins destroy the cells that line your intestines, leading to small “microperforations” or tiny holes in your intestinal lining.) These holes allow intact or nearly intact proteins, bacteria and other foreign substances to cross into the bloodstream – where they do not belong. As the immune system notices foreign substances in the body, it responds and attacks. The immune response can manifest in an unlimited number of conditions (not just in the digestive tract!) commonly referred to as “auto-immune” in nature.
It’s important to note that these cautions are not just critical for those with a diagnosed Celiac condition. These negative downstream effects happen to everyone who eats grains, to various degrees.
B. Grains spike insulin levels
Grains pack a whopping amount of carbohydrates in a very small package. As most grains are also heavily processed (yes, even whole grains) they are broken down into blood sugar (glucose) in your body very quickly. A high amount of ingested carbohydrate broken down very fast leads to a spike in blood sugar. The body, demanding homeostasis, then releases a massive dose of a hormone called insulin to pull blood sugar levels back down. This is often referred to as an “insulin spike”.
When too much blood sugar is present in the system, your body quickly runs out of places to store it as useful energy, and will store any excess as body fat. In addition, when too much insulin is present in the system, the cells in your body become desensitized to the hormonal “message” insulin is trying to send. Since the message isn’t getting through, your pancreas is prompted to release even more insulin when your body doesn’t need it. Finally, chronically high insulin levels lead to a condition in which your body has trouble releasing the energy already stored in your cells. This is a bad place to be. If (via a diet high in carbohydrates) this pattern continues, insulin levels continue to rise, fat stores continue to grow and the body becomes completely incapable of responding to its own directions.
C. Grains have an acidifying effect on the body
A net acid-producing diet promotes bone de-mineralization (i.e. osteopenia and osteoporosis), and systemic inflammation. Grains are one of the highest acid-producing food groups. By replacing grains and grain-containing processed foods with plenty of green vegetables and fruits, the body comes back into acid/base balance (and a more positive calcium balance). Recent research out of Tufts University has also shown that a more alkaline diet preserves muscle mass. We like muscle mass.
D. Grains are “empty calories”
All grains – things like oatmeal, pasta, breads and cereals – have two things in common. They are calorically dense, and nutritionally meager. A small portion of grains packs a whopping amount of calories, almost all in the form of carbohydrates. All those calories, however, contain a miserly amount of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients (also called phytochemicals). Compare the calories, carbohydrates and vitamin profile of two large slices of whole grain bread (100 grams) to one cup of chopped, cooked broccoli (184 grams – nearly twice the mass). (Nutritional stats from NutritionData.com)
Note that we’re not saying there is nothing good to be found in grains. They do contain vitamins and minerals in various proportions and amounts. But the serious down sides of grains far outweigh any potential health benefits. Bottom line – there is NOTHING found in grains that you can’t get from a better source with NO down sides (like vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds).
Questions? Doubts? Want more information? Post thoughts to comments.
BBQ!
I LOVE Barbeque, but not when the trade off is loads of sugars and preservatives. I will go off the reservation now and again to get some great ribs, but very rare. I have tried and tried to make a sauce that:
1) Tastes great
2) Lacks sugars and preservatives
3) Has no vinegar
I have FINALLY come up with one!
INGREDIENTS
Arrow Root
Apple Cider
Cumin
Dijon Mustard (I use a coarse ground spicy)
Chili Powder
Paprika
Cayenne Powder
Garlic
I make to taste, so you will need to play with amounts. Take 3 cups of Cider and boil it until about 1/2 is gone. Pour 1/2 of what is left in a Tbsp. of Arrow Root and whisk until pasty. Add more Cider until the consistency in like Molasses. Mix in dry ingredients and you are set. I dumped this into 2 lbs of grass fed beef cubes and set cooker on low all night. AWESOME flavor!
