Nutrition

Key Insight

What is healthy nutrition?

● It’s very likely you have mistaken beliefs about what healthy nutrition is. Don’t feel guilty; everyone has been mistaken. How did this happen? The “7 countries” study is the largest nutrition study ever conducted. It began 70 years ago and continues today. It is responsible for the pyramid of nutrition that has been propagated for generations as the healthiest. The pyramid has at the bottom many breads, potatoes, rice, processed grains and other carbohydrates. It was recommended to eat plenty of those, while at the top are meats/proteins which should be eaten in small amounts, and at the very top are fats which are villains and generally should be eaten minimally or almost not at all. Well, that is all wrong! The research turned out to be wrong, data misinterpreted, wrong conclusions drawn, and all that was revealed, but it was too late. The damage is done. Fats were demonized and this knowledge was passed down through generations. Carbohydrates were glorified, and processed grain producers could hardly wait. It’s important to note that profit margins on processed grains are far higher than on meat production, so it makes sense to expect strong lobbying to glorify processed grains.

● What is true? The truth is healthy fats/oils are very good for the human body. It is true that more protein is needed and that protein is extremely important, especially in the early stages of life when the brain develops. The truth is that too many processed grains (mostly enriched with sugar) cause many health problems, insulin resistance and ultimately diabetes...

● Insulin - a hormone activated when we eat and tells the body to use the freshly ingested calories and to store the rest. If we consume too many calories and activate insulin too often its function can be disrupted and after 5–20 years can lead to serious health problems. When this happens fat cells fill up to the maximum, then fat cells in organs and in the blood vessels; insulin resistance follows. Insulin is also a crucial hormone for many processes in the body and disrupting its action leads to other health problems. ○ If you have already caused significant damage with insulin activation mechanisms, a ketogenic diet is likely the best option for remediation. In a ketogenic diet about 70% of calories come from healthy fats, 20% from slow/healthy carbohydrates, and 10% from protein. The body switches energy transport to ketones. It is hard initially, but this diet has shown many benefits in treating insulin resistance, diabetes, epilepsy and various cancers. Recently it has become less popular among “recreational” dieters because autophagy is easier and benefits are similar for a healthy body.

● In nutrition people are mostly focused only on calories and sources of calories, but hormones in the body are just as important. Insulin, leptin (satiety hormone), ghrelin (hunger hormone), testosterone, dopamine and all others together influence how ingested calories will actually be used. When we are psychophysiologically healthy our hormonal profile should be well balanced and calorie use optimized, so it’s important (again) to consider other sections of this course (sleep, physical activity, exposure to healthy stressors, etc.). The state of our body is as important as the food we consume. The food we take affects the state of our body, and the state of our body affects the food we take in. Various studies show a strong link between healthy eating and mental health, and also show a link in the other direction: when we are in a poor mental state we reach for unhealthy foods and gain weight.

● If you want to precisely calculate intake and expenditure, you should know: ○ Nutrition labels can be off by as much as 20% ○ Different people extract different amounts of energy from the same foods (hormones, genes, digestion efficiency), and it does not always convert 100% ○ Fat, carbs and protein affect appetite differently, and refined sugars trigger even stronger hunger after consumption. ○ Fitness trackers add about 20% to estimates. ○ Weight is measured in the morning after waking and averaged over 7 days. Day‑to‑day variations can be a few percent and are normal. ○ Chewing, knee‑shaking, swaying, standing up, sitting, and other micro activities can burn 800–2500 calories daily. These are the body’s mechanisms for burning the excess calories consumed throughout the day. ○ If you want to lose weight you need to consume fewer calories than you burn. It sounds silly but many people blame their genes, God, and bad weather for their obesity. You cannot gain weight if you don’t eat too much. The optimal caloric deficit for weight loss is 10%

● How should nutrition look? ○ Healthy, unsaturated fats: Plant oils (olive oil, canola, sunflower, soybean, corn), nuts, whole grains/seeds, fish. Two tablespoons of olive oil daily are essential! ○ Proteins: primarily seafood, poultry, eggs. Red meat in small amounts. Dairy in small amounts. You need about 1.6 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (and more for muscle building). Supplement with whey protein or plant protein as needed. ○ Vegetables and whole grains: A lot of calories should come from vegetables. ○ Fiber: 50–60 g per day. A healthy gut is extremely important. It’s good to eat fermented foods and add probiotic and prebiotic supplements. ○ Supplements: Multivitamin and Vitamin D are basics, but the more the better! ○ Vegan nutrition: Shows many health benefits but requires planning. Protein and amino acids aren’t of the same quality as in meat, which can be challenging if we want to build muscle. A good start is to introduce 1–7+ vegan meals per week and build from there. ○ Moderate fruit: Even though it can be rich in vitamins, fruit is largely sugar. ○ Cheat day: From time to time give yourself a little treat and eat whatever you crave. If you’re healthy and 80–90% of your diet is healthy, there will be no problems (on these days it’s important not to eat after 7–8 pm for sleep quality). ○ Walking after meals: Very healthy, especially after dinners. ○ Gradual changes: If you have very unhealthy dietary habits a sudden change will be hard, so changes should be introduced gradually over 4–12 weeks. A good strategy is to replace only one meal at a time, then gradually more and more. ○ Dark chocolate: Ideally 100% cacao, no sugar or with stevia. ○ No sugar: Refined sugar is one of the worst things modern society created. Avoid it as much as possible even in small amounts (diet drinks or sweets with artificial sweeteners are much better options, though not without flaws). ○ No processed foods: Margarine, trans fats, processed fats, saturated fats... ○ Time‑restricted eating: a whole section! ○ Optimal hydration: a whole section!

● Intolerances - It’s very possible you have intolerance to some suggested foods, so best to test. Tests are very affordable and cover over 300 common foods.