Upgrade Your Health & Performance Through Optimal Nutrition Part 3

Upgrade Your Health & Performance Through Optimal Nutrition Part 3

Do you know that cops and firefighters are at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease? Jonathan Scheinberg M.D. is a cardiologist and law enforcement officer that has done extensive research on the topic. His research indicates that heart attacks (on a 24-hour view) are probably the number one killer of law enforcement officers. The average age of a LEO with a heart attack is 49 years old versus 67 years old for the general population. Police officers are over 50% likely to die from their heart attack while less than 2% of the general population will die. 

We know the Standard American Diet directly leads to people being overweight or obese. We know as a group; law enforcement officers are more likely to be overweight or obese. I know what it’s like, when I started my recovery process I weighed almost 260 pounds. I got to the point where I realized my health was suffering and I was at serious risk of future health problems.

We can make a lot of excuses for that. Injuries limit our exercise. We have irregular hours. We have overtime and grab whatever we can to eat. We have a lot of things to do that take up our time and quality food isn’t always a priority. 

The hard truth is you can’t make any more excuses. You have to own your nutrition. You have to prioritize eating well. Being overweight or obese is causing you to be inflamed. Inflammation in your body and being obese increase your risk of a cardiovascular event. 

Friends, I can’t emphasize this enough–change your nutrition, change your life. I want everyone reading this to enjoy their life and continue to contribute to their community. I want you to be healthy, you deserve it. I want you to take a lot of money from your retirement system, not be the person that makes the actuary pleased because you didn’t last a long time. The world needs you! 

The most immediate change you can make and the one that will give you the most immediate benefit is to remove any food with preservatives, excess sugar, artificial sweeteners, seed oils and refined grain products. No processed food. No fast food. If you can make a commitment to do this for just 28 days, you’ll see amazing changes in your health and your body composition. What food you consume, how much you consume and when you consume it (stop eating 3 or 4 hours before bed) influences 80% of your body composition. So if you want to lose weight start with removing these items from what you eat.

I know first responders love energy drinks. Unfortunately, they are loaded with ingredients that are not good for you, and actually can be harmful to you. Feel energized now, pay for it with your health later. Energy drinks cannot be your substitute for proper sleep.

If you can’t pronounce the name of something on an ingredients list, or you don’t have a container of the chemical name that you would put on your food, DO NOT EAT IT in processed food. 

If you’re eating packaged food, it shouldn’t have more than 5 ingredients. Whatever goes on your plate should look like where it came from. That means vegetables, fruit, meat, eggs, etc. Like it came right from the source.

Consider swapping commercially farmed products for organic when you can. I’ll cover more on that in a future blog, just understand the commercial food industry uses boat loads of pesticides that you don’t want in your body. 

If you want to get completely on board with changing your nutrition, I recommend looking at articles online by Mark Sisson. Sisson is an advocate for ancestral nutrition and movement. This type of eating style aligns us with what we were meant to do to provide dense nutrition to our bodies. 

You can do this! We are Fancy Mammals with opposable thumbs!

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.