Nutrition Philosophy... by coach johngie

Although nutrition and nutritional science is highly complex and in practice can be highly personalized, I do believe there is a fundamental approach that most ideally suits the needs of human physiology and optimal health.

The human body thrives when it gets all the essential building blocks so that each cell can thrive. It needs essential nutrients like amino acids and fatty acids as structural building blocks, essential cofactors like vitamins and minerals to carry out specific biochemical reactions and functions within the body. Finally, it needs a network of specialized nutrients that provide the stimulus to help support different regions of the body that become keystones for overall health; phytonutrients and how they enhance the health of the microbiome as just one example. 

The question becomes, what does a high effective diet look like? How is it best created and applied for each individual? After the above foundational principles have been established, I create the next layer down to consider what are the desired (or undesired) systems and associated effects that need to be regulated within the body:

Your nutrition should be built around your lifestyle, training, stress, genetics, and the current state of your body. Each person, each goal, and each life circumstance brings with it special considerations nutritionally. This is why there is no such thing as the best diet for everyone and there never will be. 

Even though for most people this approach is vastly superior to other mono diets (vegan, carnivore, etc), it is important to acknowledge that those diets can absolutely provide benefits to many people depending on genetics, lifestyle, timeline, adherence, and moral issues but they are not generally more healthy for every person as is often spewed by loud fringe minority groups. 

A good general rule is that if you're in a deficit (relative to what you burn) you can likely get away with a lot more sub-optimal choices and the body will still be able to process it without issue. If you're in a caloric excess, the body won't tolerate sub optimal choices very well and will likely start to show signs of metabolic dysfunction (stored fat, inflammation, etc). 

Nothing is perfect, we simply do our best to find what works for you, right now, based on your genetics, the current state of your body, your goals, your lifestyle, and preferences. One thing we know for sure is that movement is key to creating a more effective environment in the body for the food you eat to do its job.

5 Nutrition Principles

1 Choose the highest quality foods you can find

Quality is defined by the absence of toxins / pesticides / food chemicals (aka Organic), grown in natural environments (local is a good idea when possible) and as close to its natural state as possible. The further the food is from its natural state (aka processing) the less of it you should consume.

2 Diversify consumption of micronutrients

Like.. fresh fruits and vegetables, fermented foods, nuts, and tubers. NOTE: Not all plants are good for you, especially in larger amounts. The cooking process is important.

3 Eat 1G/LB Protein from high quality sources

High quality means the absence of pesticides and GMO grains, living in a stress-free environment, and being fed a diet that is what the animal is supposed to eat: grass, shrubs, etc. NOT corn and soy like typical feedlot animals. NOTE: I am not against corn / soy fed meat, I think it has value for farmers to make money, and ultimately feed more humans. 

4 Introduce a time restricted feeding window

Eating between a fixed window of time has been shown to be effective for nutrient sensitivity, inflammation, fat loss, longevity, focus, energy, and much more. I suggest starting by simply reducing your eating window by 2 hours at the beginning and end of the day. No food or calories for the first and last 2 hours of the day. This will begin to change your relationship with being hungry. It's important to be hungry. Learn to enjoy it. Avoid mindless snacking between meals. Those seemingly small calorie snacks are keeping you fat.

5 The state your body is in matters almost as much as the food you eat. 

Eating anything in a stressed, anxious, tired, overwhelmed stress isn't going to digest, absorb, or assimilate well regardless of the quality. Taking time to acknowledge how you feel, slow down, breathe, be grateful, and chew your food well might be the single best advice you can get for optimization of nutritional status.

For nutrition consultations please feel free to reach out to Coach Johngie

@ coachjohngie.rmbl@gmail.com