PN: Food Is Fuel ... And A Lot More

PN writes about their concern that fitness folks can only talk about food in term of it being fuel.  Why does that bug them?

Food is so much more than “fuel” or “energy” or “calories”.

For one thing, even if we’re looking at food purely in terms of its physiological effects, when we focus on “energy” and “calories”, we’re only telling part of the story.

Sure, the macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) in food contain “energy” or “calories”. Or, perhaps most correctly, “chemical bonds that, when broken, are used to create ATP”.

But food also includes micronutrients, phytochemicals, zoochemicals, water, and more.

Think of these as character actors in a movie. They may not be the “stars” of the show. They don’t really provide “energy” (or fuel) at all.

Yet their dynamic interactions create the spark. They’re absolutely critical for energy, performance, mood, and optimal long-term health. In other words, without them, the show won’t go on.

Unfortunately, the “food as fuel” story almost completely ignores these important characters. 

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/food-is-not-fuel

My dearly deceased martial arts instructor and mentor used to reminisce about his instructor/uncle taking him to Star Wars, many times, usually late at night, and saying "Dis good part!"  Which is what this is:

Okay, so here’s the thing: Living organisms are not machines.

Rather, they’re incredibly complex, self-regulating, and dynamically steering. Frankly, they’re almost magical systems.

If you’ve spent any time doing “calorie math”, you’ll know that trying to calculate precise inputs and outputs is frustrating.

Perhaps you ate more calories than you thought you should… but got leaner.

Or you ate fewer calories than you thought you should… and gained weight. (Or you didn’t lose that last stubborn 10 pounds.)

Or you started eating breakfast instead of skipping it… and dropped a couple of inches off your waistline.

According to the simplistic “food as fuel” view, none of this should be possible. Yet it happens all the time.

Because human bodies aren’t combustion engines. They’re complex, dynamic, organic, and infinitely sensitive systems.

Good Advice from PN

10 lessons for an easier and more successful body transformation:

1. Realize that exercise alone doesn't work.
2. Find a big motivator.
3. Find something to lose.
4. Choose proof over theory.
5. Do one small thing every day.
6. Make your commitments a little too easy.
7. Find someone to answer to.
8. Focus on behaviors, not outcomes.
9. Let your coach track the results.
10. Get a support network.
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/10-lessons-for-2012

Berardi On "Paleo" And Other Topics

John Berardi started off in life as a trainer, competitive athlete and knowledge hungry nutrition geek - and from there got a PHD and became the the Chief Science Officer of his now very impressive company, Precision Nutrition.  PN is helping many thousands of people address their health and weight problems.
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/berardi-interview

In the interview linked above, there's a rich trove of ideas for how to approach health and nutrition.  The article is informative and a good read for those still sorting through the intersection of health, performance, food and weight loss.  But it also provides context for what are, to me, interesting discussion points.  What I found when I read the PN text as part of a PN certification was that while I disagreed on several conceptual and factual points, the nutrition prescriptions were all aligned with what I would hope my clients would do; except for the exceptions I'll discuss in this and future posts.

First off, what does JB think of "Paleo" eating?

For most of the population – including recreational exercisers – eating fewer grains and less refined food should be a way of life. I mean, how can you go wrong eating a diet rich in lean meats, a wide diversity of dietary fat, a rich buffet of vegetables, and a host of nuts and seeds?
That’s exactly how most of us should be eating. Especially when we’re not blowing through lots of carbohydrates with high-level athletic training.
However, some exceptions do apply. When we’re not obsessively counting our calories – which most people shouldn’t do anyway – there are some folks who have a really hard time eating enough total food with only meats, veggies, nuts, and seeds.
I’ve seen it time and time again with elite athletes training 4+ hours per day. And with skinny ectomorphic guys who struggle to gain muscle. For their goals, the typical “Paleo” recommendations have to adapt a little bit.
This usually means we include more unrefined carbohydrates. Often at breakfast and during the post-workout period. We also include a protein/carb drink during training. And the rest of the day can be more protein, veggies, nuts, and seeds.

Since I don't work with a bunch of high level endurance athletes, I'll take his word on this topic.  I'd encourage any endurance athlete I was working with to get those extra kcal via fat - much like Peter Attia is doing - but I'll bet most would think that isn't possible.  What I like about this response is JB's "Paleo agnosticism".  In other words, whether or not you think the Paleolithic model of nutrition is the be all, end all of food perspective, it is still easy to see that it provides a template for health and wellness and feeling good.  Why?  Because it addresses the biggest issue in the poor health of most of us Westerners - glycemic control.  If you delete processes and industrially produced carbs (I count juice, bananas and wheat/corn products in that group), blood sugar will regulate much, much better.  If you want to take one additional step to get blood sugars under control, skip all fruit for a month or two to ensure you give your liver time to heal from what has likely been a long period of overindulgence in fructose.

Part two of JB's thoughts on the Paleo diet coming up tomorrow.