Proper Nutrition for Good Health

 

JED WIGHTMAN    PERFORMANCE/SPORTS NUTRITIONIST               ADVANTAGE FITNESS LTD

This article has been written for Canadian Physique Alliance – May/June 2020 Edition

 

The importance of real and proper nutrition cannot be overstated. Yet still, I am amazed how far away from that basic understanding we have gotten in our society today. This applies to everybody out there for the support and maintenance of good health on the most basic levels. Now, if you’re an athlete this takes on a whole new agenda of purpose and necessity. If you want to improve, or make any progress at all, it is not an option, it is essential.

Let’s start with the absolute most basic fundamental, WATER. We must hydrate. This means an adequate amount of h2O per day to fulfil our bodies basic needs. That doesn’t mean soda, juice, energy/electrolyte drinks or coffee. WATER.

Next up is one most people forget about, don’t take seriously enough or unfortunately don’t love. It’s also taboo in our culture to talk about. Yup it helps us poop. It’s called fibre, we need at least 30 grams a day, 22 of that is Insoluble fibre! This is the fibre that does the job of colon cleansing. We don’t poop enough. What is the point of eating anything to help your body if you can’t properly pass the waste you’re producing? Think of the healthiest digestive tract, that of a baby. They poop as much as they eat. Why, because their bodies haven’t been affected by years of poor nutrition. We should take a very serious lesson from that. So the fibre gives us back what we lost.

Complete protein is the foundation of all biological functions. We must get an adequate amount of complete protein. This means consuming all essential amino acids that will aid in proper protein synthesis of the protein we eat. If it’s not complete protein it’s not doing its job. We are protein deficient in our culture today. There is a lot of confusion on proteins and what is required. Should it be Vegan or Animal protein? It doesn’t matter as long as it is complete protein.

Essential fats, the word essential doesn’t mean optional, it means necessary. We must get these from foods because our body does not produce it, specifically Omega-3. Even more than protein we are short on our Omega‘s. The importance, necessary place and number of benefits in our diet are almost too long to list. Colorful vegetables are needed because they are packed full of vitamins and minerals. They also have a fibre content and are very important to cover basic nutritional needs.

Carbohydrates are misunderstood. There is a ton of misguided information on this very useful fuel. Now I say useful, not essential. We can live fine without carbohydrates. Not one thing in the body is made of carbohydrates. This is contrary to our body being a protein feeding carbon-based life form that relies on amino and fatty acids. They are least important in this equation but very necessary and very effective if used properly and from the right sources. Again I remind you this is all very basic nutrition. We must cover the bases, enough fluid, fibre, protein and essential fats.

Notice how in everything that I’ve written, not one component includes or mentions supplements. Food is key, whole food not powders and pills. Supplements have their place in advanced nutrition but they should never be anything but an inclusion to a consistent thorough, well rounded and complete nutrition
program.

Food dude is all we need!

 

Jed