For better or worse, this is Michael's take on eating. I have some areas I'd tweak, but needless to say, we're not battling the Freshmen Fifteen or the bad effects of a steady diet of beer and pizza. Guest post --sans any parental editing--by the college guy:
Since
we’re talking about nutrition, I feel it my obligation to confess that
I am grossly underqualified to speak about the body or any related
subject.
However,
I am also an NCAA Division 1 athlete. I run an average of eight miles
each day. I have four percent body fat. And I manage it through my
diet, however amateur it may be.
College
students, soccer moms, business executives and weekend warriors all
have a common denominator. They seem to be too tired and too busy all
the time. On average, the American adult gets 6.7 hours of sleep per
night (http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/04/sleep.stress.economy/index.html).
When doctors recommend seven hours a night, the difference is not so
staggering that it would explain why we are so fatigued during our
afternoon grind.
If it isn’t sleep habits, then what other habitual practices could possibly effect the body’s energy?
Immediately,
diet presents itself. We are a country hooked on instant. Whether it be
communication, entertainment or dinner, we love things fast, furious
and abbreviated.
However, few realize that fast food kills slowly.
Simple
salts and sugars create instant energy for the body. When you’re very
hungry, or very tired, you may notice your body craving candy, soda,
potato chips or french fries. That’s because these foods have an
abundance of either simple salt or sugar.
Simple, in the sense that the body can break down and use the salts and
sugars almost instantly. The problem is that the energy in these types
of foods lasts for only 30 minutes or less. There and gone in an
instant.
Imagine
you’re building a fire. If you simply light a stack of paper on fire,
the fire will burn fast and die faster. But if you combine wood with
the paper, and are diligent to the flame, your fire will burn for hours.
Nutrition is the same way.
Your body needs sugar
and salt. The trick is finding them in complex forms that offer more
than simple energy. The following are some meals and ideas that I’ve
found to work. Maybe you hate them; moldy black tea doesn’t appeal to
most -- BUT, it works! Or maybe you love them. Love or hate, hopefully
it gives you some ideas and some thoughts.
Breakfast
is the most important meal of the day. But almost everyone has little
time to cook a wholesome, round meal before class or work. Mom always
told us to eat a rainbow throughout the day. Really, try to eat a
rainbow for every meal. Again, breakfast is on the go so eat some
natural fast food.
Peaches,
strawberries, plums, pomegranates, bananas, blueberries, apples,
oranges, pears, mangos and kiwis. Put any three of these in a blender.
Add apple or orange juice. Blend with ice. Super delicious.
These
are fruits with some extensive combination of Vitamins C, A and K,
potassium, iron, fiber, niacin, and antioxidants and deliciousness.
I
just threw out a lot of vitamin jargon. None of it I understood at
first. Antioxidants have to be good. So are vitamins. What’s niacin? I
eat Special K so I think I’m covered.
To give a brief, and incomplete overview, here are some things to know about some necessary nutrients:
Vitamin
C is really good for you. Just google it. It’s a pro-oxidant and an
anti-oxidant and it does the moonwalk in your dietary system and makes
you feel alright. It boosts your energy and it keeps you healthy.
Vitamin C is the Brad Pitt of vitamins. Just dreamy.
Vitamin
A is like the middle reliever in a baseball game. You need it to link
your starter and your closer. Without it a lot of necessary functions
in your body don’t happen. And if you don’t take in enough vitamin A,
uh, you go blind. Vitamin A is necessary for the following functions:
▪ Vision
▪ Gene transcription
▪ Immune function
▪ Embryonic development and reproduction
▪ Bone metabolism
▪ Haematopoiesis
▪ Skin health
▪ Reducing risk of heart disease
▪ Antioxidant Activity
Vitamin
K helps get rid of bruising, fight Alzheimer's disease, liver cancer
and helps promote calcium bonding. I broke my nose last fall and
boosted my vitamin K and calcium intake. The bone was supposed to take
two months to heal. It took two weeks.
Niacin
deficiency is characterized by fatigues, irritability, slow metabolism,
poor concentration and anxiety. Be happy. Get that niacin.
So
you have blender full of this goodness. Before you blend add some
spinach. Why? Because spinach is God’s vegetable. Seriously. Pretty
much everything you need to survive can be found in raw spinach.
Vitamin A, B, C, K, B6 and B12, thiamin, magnesium, fiber, zinc, iron,
riboflavin, potassium and protein are all found in spinach.
After
you add your spinach, add a tablespoon of flaxseed powder. A tablespoon
of flaxseed will give you 25% of your daily value of calcium and iron.
Flaxseed also is rich in Omega 3 and Omega 6 which promote brain
function and reduce depression.
Okay, now you can blend that nutritional dynamo and enjoy.
For
most people, that should offer a substantial, healthful option to start
the day. If you are more active, or require a little more substance,
couple the smoothie with a piece of toast and a hard-boiled egg. I
timed myself this morning and it took me seven minutes for the
smoothie, a minute for the toast and two minutes for the egg which I
had boiled the night before.
Breakfast
is a big deal because it lays the foundation for the rest of your day.
If you don’t get the nutrients you need to function for the day in the
morning, the rest of your day will be spent trying to make up for the
ground you’ve lost. Your body will be trying to carry out functions and
burning reserve nutrients. As a result, you get tired, depleted and
grumpy because you’re low in everything.
Assuming
you’ve eaten well for breakfast, lunch and dinner are simply a
continuation and extension of what you’ve started in the morning.
Again,
lunchtime can be a rush for everyone. The night before, usually I make
myself a salad. But it isn’t a girlie salad ripe with green stuff. And
it isn’t your fat uncle Bill’s salad soaked in salt and Thousand Island
dressing.
Take
a can of white tuna, drained and rinsed. Add spinach, black beans,
diced avocado and tomatoes. Mix a tablespoon of olive oil with a
teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. You are now eating a protein and
fiber-rich, essential fatty-acid meal that will fill you up and never
let you down; somewhat similar but decidedly different from a Bud Light
commercial.
The
tuna is almost pure protein. The black beans are the preeminent source
of fiber. Avocado has Omega-3s and Omega-6s. The tomatoes continue your
Vitamin-C intake -- let’s face it, you really can never have enough
Vitamin-C.
Why the olive oil and balsamic vinegar? Because together they’re delicious!
Come
dinner time, I’m usually starving. My go to is some kind of grilled
meat or fish (steak, chicken or salmon), coupled with rice or potatoes,
a slice of artisan bread and a small salad.
The
steak and chicken give you more protein. Rice and potatoes give you
starch and carbohydrates which are great in promoting energy. The bread
is another source of carbohydrates.
The
salad gives essential vitamins and minerals. Usually, I make it with
spinach, pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries, tomatoes, sliced
almonds, and Kalamata olives. Pomegranates offer some sweetness and are
high in Vitamin-C and antioxidants. Dried cranberries pretty much offer
no benefit -- but they’re cheaper than pomegranates. Kalamata olives
are nutritionally worthless as well, but they add flavor without a lot
of sodium or cholesterol.
Now,
I eat way more than what I’ve mentioned above. That’s a result of the
amount of time I spend exercising, which is upwards of three hours per
day. Personally, an easy way of getting positive calories is to drink
an eight-ounce glass of whole milk and eat a tablespoon of raw peanut
butter in between meals. Protein and fat. It boosts my energy and stays
my appetite till lunch or dinner.
Finally,
every Monday I drink a bottle of kombucha (kom-BOO-chuh). Here is a my
kombucha apology and you can agree or disagree or question. The stuff
is almost magical.
Kombucha
is a living culture of beneficial microorganisms. Kombucha is made
through the fermentation of black tea using a kombucha culture,
otherwise known as mold or mushroom. Active enzymes, viable probiotics,
amino acids, antioxidants and polyphenols are created during the
fermentation process. Kombucha is NOT a drug nor is it a cure for
anything. But, it is simply a super healthy food that helps the body to
find (or regain) its natural balance in the body, which promotes
overall well being. Essentially, if your body is regulated and calm,
you’re healthier. And if you’re healthy, you’re not sick. Try it.
You’ll understand.
