Let’s talk about Food for a moment

They say that a great and healthy physique is built in the kitchen and not in the gym. I would agree with this sentiment. To take this example to the extreme, I would hazard a guess that someone who maintains a healthy eating regime, and walks around the block once a day, perhaps plays bingo once a month, would have a leaner and possibly more toned constitution than someone who trains like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but lives off Beer and fast food. It is our aim to dip into the best of both worlds. Let’s get the diet right and let’s train consistently.

Remember 1+1 = 3 on this program.

The dieting industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and it often preys on lambasting (like basting a turkey for Thanksgiving- lol) people with misinformation. There’s so much information and counter-information out there, that it’s no small wonder that we don’t know which way to turn anymore. – So in total desperation, we reach for something sweet and wait for the sugar buzz to hit, while we thumb down the Instagram timeline, thinking that the toned blonde in the tiny skirt looks way too artificial. Don’t get me wrong. There’s enough plastic in people’s breasts and asses nowadays to kill all the dolphins in the ocean. This much is true, but I urge you that it’s time to make a few informed decisions about what we put into our mouths. 

So, with the emphasis on the word “information” Let’s delve into the Food-Show a little deeper by introducing its main actors….

When you understand the basic food groups, your decisions about what to put into your tummy will be made with more finesse. You’ll instinctively know when you’ve had your fill. You’ll feel the cleaner food have a more direct impact on your energy levels and gain a better understanding of portion sizes.

Carbohydrates

Most of us know that carbs are the bad kids on the block of a dietary regime… Carbs, however, are given a bad rap at times. If you’ve been adding your carb intake up on the Thorfit App or another similar App, you will notice that there are carbs everywhere… probably under your bed if you look there too….

When you get your carbs from a healthy salad or vegetables, then you’re feeding your body, and that’s a good thing. The problem with carbs, though is that they appear in highly processed foods. When you treat yourself to a Dunkin donut, you’re getting about as much nutritional value as eating white sugar with a tablespoon. Sure, you’re eating carbs, but there’s no actual nutritional value to be found.

In the most basic way, simple carbs are table sugar, syrup, and soft drinks… like soda…These should be avoided, except on Cheat days.

The bad carbs are things like cakes, beer, biscuits, and fudge…

Complex Carbs include porridge, apples, cardboard, and peas….

For a long time, people believed that complex carbohydrates were universally better for you than simple carbohydrates, but that isn’t always the case. You see, your body takes both complex and simple carbohydrates and tries to break them down into useable sugar energy to fuel your muscles and organs. It’s not the type of carbohydrate that really matters, but how quickly your body can break it down and how much it will spike your blood glucose levels. It’s not as simple as dividing complex carbs from simple ones, though. A slightly more sophisticated way to rate carbohydrate quality is something called **the glycaemic index**(GI). The GI attempts to classify foods by how quickly they break down and how high they boost blood sugar levels.

Neither low carb diets nor low GI diets represent a magic pill for fat loss. The correct approach is to recognize carbs as the energy source that they represent, eat the right amount to fuel the metabolism which in turn will help you to burn fat.

WITHOUT CARBS, YOUR BODY WILL BEGIN TO BREAK DOWN YOUR MUSCLE TISSUE TO FUEL YOUR BODY, WHICH WILL SABOTAGE YOUR EFFORTS IN THE GYM.

As a rule, you should aim to consume around 0,5grams to 0,75 grams per pound of bodyweight. Don’t eat carbs on their own. If you mix them with some protein, then the breakdown of carbs happens slower, and you don’t become prone to energy spikes.

Carbs are not to be demonized. They are part of the foods that we should be eating. Carbs are your friend, but they can also be your undoing. While you’re getting used to the broad brushstrokes of this lifestyle program, we’re going to tell you when and how many carbs you should be having.

Fats

Let’s stop and have a look at Fats for a moment. I can probably attest that the day I made fats, my friend, and moved away from the thinking that low fat was the only way to go, is when it all became more manageable for me.

For a long time, fats were compared to carbs. — blamed for every damn health problem out there. It’s the main reason that for nearly twenty years, low fat was synonymous with being healthy. And for many people — maybe even several of you reading this — that’s still how you determine whether something is safe to eat. It has to be good if the label reads “low fat”. Also thinking that it’s safe to eat if it doesn’t have saturated fats.

Let’s un-demonize fats for a second here…

Let’s start by saying that you’re probably NOT consuming enough of it.

Fat is good, and it’s your friend. Fat is good for your heart, nerves, and muscles.

Yip, you read that correctly — it forms a coating over your nerves and serves to speed up the conduction of your thought impulses along your nerves. Fat also serves as a substrate for a family of hormones, called eicosanoids.

While I’m now running the risk of sounding too geeky, let’s just say that they’re essential for regulating blood pressure, inflammation, and even blood clotting.

Monounsaturated fats are found primarily in foods such as avo’s, cashew nuts, pistachios, and the like. This type of fat can also be found in olive oil; they help lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol. Monos have also been proven to help fight weight gain and may even help reduce body fat levels.

Polyunsaturated fats, like monounsaturated fats, help fight bad cholesterol. These fats stay liquid even in the cold because their melting point is lower than that of monounsaturated fats. You can find polyunsaturated fats in foods such as salmon, fish oil, sunflower oil, seeds, and soy.

Polyunsaturated fats contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which have largely been processed out of our food.

Omega-3s and 6s are very important and are often referred to as essential fatty acids or EFAs. These cannot be manufactured by our bodies, and so it is necessary to supplement them. And because your body needs these sources to function optimally and remain healthy, it’s your job to make sure your diet has enough of these fats to avoid problems and breakdown.

Saturated Fats

And our conclusions — supported by science — are that your diet should include saturated fats and that you can eat a lot of them. There are several studies of hunter-gatherer tribes that consumed 50 to 70 percent of all their calories from saturated fats without any health problems. When you receive the specific calculations for your fat intake, up to half of the fat can derive from saturated fats. Saturated fats also get a bit of a bad rap because they have been shown to elicit and increase cholesterol in the bloodstream. Again, I have to add that this is not as scary as the media makes it.

Are you going to argue with one of the most basic structures of how your body was intended to work? Listen, saturated fat is one of the best sources of energy for your body. It’s why your body naturally stores carbohydrates as saturated fat. Not to mention, saturated fats are some of the most satiating foods, meaning they keep you fuller longer. And research shows diets that are higher in saturated fats are often lower in total calories consumed.

That leaves you with one option: assuming you’re not a vegetarian, you should be eating red meat, dairy, and eggs to consume your share of saturated fats. If you’re of vegan convictions, that’s totally cool too. Find your space within this advice, and the results will show up.

Transient Fats

These are the worst fats, and you should avoid them. They are found in chips, deep-fried foods, and french fries. Trans fats are artificial. They are made by a chemical process called hydrogenation. Manufacturers take liquid vegetable oil and pack it with hydrogen atoms which convert it into solid fat. The food industry loves this smooth, food-preserving creation, but your body can’t cope with this manmade junk. It literally does not know what to do with it, other than store it as a neat deposit on your body.

Of course, I advocate that you take a moderate approach. Have the chocolate from time to time…. but stay vigilant about what kinds of fat you put into your system.

In closing, there’s a story about the Eskimos’s who have about 100 different words for “snow”. You see, in their environment, their very survival depends on their ability to differentiate the nuances of snow. 

It’s the same with food. The more you’re able to distinguish between its nuances, the more easily you will be able to navigate its landscape without getting lost in sugar-capped candy-capped mountain scapes… 

Chat soon