We discussed briefly what supportive nutrition is and now we will take an in depth look at what it is and it importance.
In all of my consultations, training programs, seminars and client sessions I teach a very simple and powerful lesson. It is that of supportive nutrition. There are more diets and eating programs than I can count. Some of them tell you how you should eat and promise ridiculous results. Some are unfounded and some that outright lie.
Supportive nutrition, or eating supportively, is the act of ingesting foods in a way that is supportive to your metabolism. We discussed what metabolism is earlier, the speed at which your body burns through food. Eating this way is not a diet and it is not a fad, it is simply the way we were born to eat. For those of you reading this book that has had a baby, you will soon understand why.
To truly eat supportively you must consume a visible serving of a LEAN PROTEIN, A STARCHY CARBOHYDRATE and A FIBROUS CARBOHYDRATE every 3 to 3 ½ hours. It’s that simple. Now it is not easy to eat this way, and it would be wrong for me to ask you to eat this way without an extensive explanation. That will come.
I know you are saying to yourself “I have been hearing everywhere that I am supposed to avoid carbs. Right?” Well, no. Not at all. That is one of those false beliefs I explained earlier. It was better to leave that one until this section. We will get to the importance of carbohydrates shortly; first I want to explain supportive eating
Here are some examples of the three groups you will need to eat from:
Lean Protein
Chicken breast
Turkey breast
Egg Whites
Most fresh fish fillets
Shellfish
Starchy Carbohydrate
Potato
Whole grains
Brown Rice
Oatmeal
Fibrous Carbohydrate
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Mushrooms
Peppers
Onions
It doesn’t seem that hard after all, does it? An example of a supportive meal would be Chicken breast with brown rice and mixed vegetables, or an egg white omelet with peppers, onions and mushrooms with a side of oatmeal or whole grain toast. I understand that most of you have lived with the idea of a small, if any breakfast and lunch and a large dinner. So eating supportively will pose a small challenge, but it can be done. And to prove how it is natural instinct all we have to do is go back to the new baby example.
A baby wants to be fed every three hours like clockwork. Remember the 3am feedings? It seemed like the only thing the little one did was eat and sleep. But he/she ate every three hours. And that is supportive.
There are, most likely, a few questions bouncing around your head now. Why the carbs? Why do a lot of diets talk about reducing them? That is simple. First of all, carbohydrates are your body’s preferred source of energy. They fuel everything you do from moving to breathing to thinking. But there are two types of carbohydrates, simple and complex.
Simple carbohydrates are ones that convert quickly to blood sugar or glucose. A few examples of a simple carbohydrate would be things like cookies, cakes, sugar and refined flour or white flour. A complex carbohydrate is one that is a complex string of sugar molecules. Because they are made up of these complex streams of molecules, your body really has to work to break them down to be converted into glucose in the blood. This causes the complex carbohydrate to be released slowly and steadily into the bloodstream, thus avoided large spikes in blood glucose. The chapter on sugar will cover this in detail.
With good supportive eating habits you will always have a nice steady stream of glucose into the blood, which will allow your body to release fat. This is extremely important due to the fact that the glucose is carried in the blood and stored as glycogen in the muscle.
Glycogen is the fuel for ALL muscular contraction. Muscular contraction is not only involved in exercise, all movement we do requires muscular contraction on every level. From blinking to thinking, glycogen is your fuel. As long as you are consuming adequate carbohydrates, you are accessing stored glycogen and burning it up. The thing is that it is quickly replaced.
This is a key understanding at any suggestion of reducing carbs in order to lose “weight”. Supportive eating is the only way we were meant to eat.
Following is a list of the three food groups to choose from. Always remember, consume one visible serving from each group every 3 – 3 ½ hours. Avoid all simple sugars and refined and bleached flour. You will be well on your way to a healthy lifestyle feeling better than ever.
In addition to a supportive eating plan you must drink an adequate amount of water. The standard recommendation of water that most people know of is a minimum of eight glasses a day. You should have one before each meal as well as one with each meal.
Realistically, for the best results on a program where fat loss is the goal, considerably more glasses are required. To determine if you are drinking enough water you should take your body weight and multiply it by 0.55 and you will have the number of ounces you should consume in a day.
If you feel that you will have trouble keeping track of how much water you are drinking, it may help to carry a bottle of water with you where ever you go. To keep track of how many times you refill the bottle, place elastic bands around the bottle; remove one elastic band when the bottle gets refilled. When there are no more bands around the bottle, you have reached your goal.
In my experience, the clients that have concisely followed the guidelines for water consumption have lost the most fat. On top of the fat loss – water helps to cushion the skin as fat is lost as well as a noticeable improvement in skin complexion. Water buoys your shrinking fat cells, thus plumping your skin and leaves it clear and healthy.
Water has no calories and prevents dehydration. Water is also absolutely necessary in a resistance-training program as it supplies muscles with an enhanced ability to contract. Our bodies are mostly made up of water and as we perspire we lose that a lot of water. It is essential to replace it. It is the most neglected aspect of a weight loss program as well as the most important.
A question that arises a lot with my client is “can I drink too much water?” You would have to drink a huge amount of water for that to happen, but it can. The term for such a happening is hyponatremia and is rare. Reports of this condition have occurred in a few athletes running in ultra marathons and triathlons. The reason for this occurrence is because of the long durations and the tremendous amounts of water consumed. Simply put, they can’t stop to go to the bathroom. As you will always be able to relieve yourself as required, you will most likely never suffer from hyponatremia.
Nothing even close to this condition has ever been observed by myself, or anyone, on a program that I know of. The condition is extremely rare, even for athletes.
Supportive Nutrition Shopping List
| Lean Protein | Fibrous Carb | Starchy Carb |
| Bass (white)
Bluefish Cat Fish Chicken Breast Cod Crab (steamed) Egg Whites Veal Sushi Haddock Halibut Scallops Smelt Swordfish Tuna Turkey Breast Canned White Chicken (water) Canned Tuna (spring water) Hi Protein Meal Replacement |
Asparagus
Bamboo roots Beans (green) Broccoli Brussel Sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Cucumber Eggplant Lettuce Mushrooms Okra Red or Green Peppers Spinach Summer Squash Zucchini Onions |
Barley
Lima-beans Red beans Black-eyed Peas Corn Whole wheat flour Lentils Oatmeal Peas Popcorn Potatoes Brown Rice Acorn Squash Butternut, winter Squash Sweet Potatoes Tomatoes Wheat (shredded) Yams Pro Carb MRP All Whole Grains |