Upgrade Your Health & Performance Through Optimal Nutrition Part 2

Upgrade Your Health & Performance Through Optimal Nutrition Part 2

We know the S.A.D. is the primary reason Americans are overweight or obese. 

What you need to know is WHY the S.A.D. contributes to this issue. As I mentioned previously, how and what you eat is the easiest thing for you to take control of and change right away. If you got the food journal and food scale I recommended you’re probably surprised by how much you’re actually eating that doesn’t do anything for you. I was when I first started tracking my food intake.

If you’re not convinced, take the food journal and track everything you eat and drink for one week. Start with morning coffee including any sugar or creamer you add and do your best to capture everything during each day. The journal isn’t meant to intimidate you, it's meant to be a tool you can use for accountability to yourself and help you take responsibility. So write down everything in detail, size, amount, etc.

Set your scale to grams.Use the scale to weigh your portions before they go on your plate and write down the weight. For future reference, a gram of fat is 9 calories, one gram of carbohydrates is 4 calories and one gram of protein is 4 calories. I’m not an advocate of calorie counting when you’re on a proper nutrition plan, but you need to see what your initial calorie count per day is because you’ll see where the extra weight is coming from. Once you know how to provide your body proper fuel you’ll see your daily calorie intake is less but you’re getting more dense and beneficial nutrition.

The S.A.D. is characterized by overconsumption of grain based carbohydrates. It also is characterized by contents like artificial sweeteners, corn, soy, added sugars, preservatives, trans fats and other food industry garbage like seed oils and GMOs (genetically modified organisms aka genetically modified food).

The seed oils I mentioned include corn oil, canola (rape seed) oil, cotton seed oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, grape seed oil, and rice bran oil. These oils are called “vegetable oil” and are made through a highly complex process that uses harsh chemicals that are also poisonous. They are all marketed by industrial makers. Go research how canola oil is made or the history of cottonseed oil and you’ll see why I refer to them as garbage. Some of these products were originally made as machine lubricants. These oils are responsible for inflammation in your body. Sadly, they are hidden in many foods people consume.

Essentially, you’re trying to run a very complex machine on trash when you stay on the S.A.D. Your body, and its ability to heal, regenerate, grow and be in an optimal state is greatly reduced when you take in “food” that your system isn’t designed for. 

Nobody runs fighter jets on WalMart gasoline. We don’t carry Blazer ammo in our duty guns. You can’t be in optimal health and wellness when your food intake isn’t on point. 

The S.A.D. has given us more food quantity and much less nutritional density.

The components of a typical S.A.D. inevitably lead to a disruption in the gut lining, resulting in chronic inflammation. Disrupted gut function and inflammation lead to disease. Worst case–cardiovascular disease. The number one killer of cops. 

I’m not anti-carbohydrate. I am warning you about too many carbohydrates and the wrong type of carbohydrates as well as carbs at the wrong time. 

When we ingest carbohydrates they get broken down into components, including glucose, to provide fuel for cells. You have glucose stored in your muscles and your liver. Your body can burn glucose quickly and efficiently for energy. When you overeat carbohydrates, by eating too much or too often, you end up with glucose staying in your bloodstream too long. Every time you eat, your pancreas secretes the hormone insulin to bring that blood glucose level down. When we bombard our system with carbohydrates, we end up on a high glucose/insulin roller coaster. Action-reaction. Once your muscle and liver cells are full, the body stores excess glucose in fat cells. That is why the S.A.D. leads to being overweight and obese. 

Eventually, the cells become less sensitive to insulin, resulting in insulin resistance. Insulin resistance leads to obesity, accelerated aging and interferes with important hormones such as testosterone, DHEA and thyroid.

The good news is that you have a choice. You can get off the S.A.D. and reverse its effects through better food choices and moderate exercise. Remember, 80% of your body composition is what and how you eat. 

In Nutrition Part 3 I’ll tell you easy, practical and actionable steps to get off the S.A.D. 

If you or a family member are having any issues with mental health or relationships, please reach out for help. Responder Health (responderhealth.com) is an organization that offers resources specifically for first responders and their families. Responder Health provides confidential and full-service solutions that support first responders through stress and traumatic events, and provides them with the education, resources, and community they need to live healthy, happy lives. Our peer advocate hotline (206)459-3020 offers a confidential 24-hour crisis referral service for all public safety employees, all emergency services personnel, and their family members nationwide.