Food and Nutrition

 

Life can be really tough sometimes because we are always busy and always trying to find an easier way to do things. Unfortunately things get comprimized along the way and food happens to be the first that gets the hit. A century ago we ate organic mostly and now up until the last 30 years we eat packaged chemicals that taste so good we can't put them down! We can just grab a meal to eat in under 30 seconds and rolf it down in a minute.. The problem because of so many additives that are put into food, they are addictive and we crave them all the time. Our taste get over sensitized so that any normal healthy food just tastes bland. Ultimately no kind of exercise program can stand up to food in this kind with the kind of consumption we crave. You would have to be exercising during your meal just to stay slim.. It sounds weird, to say that we have over-weight runners and we shouldn't. They are overweight because of the food they eat, the cannot sustain a good weight eating food that it so how in clories or unknown additives. Our bodies get completely confused on how to utilize and function normally. Weight gain is the first sign of improper eating with food that you have no idea what it contains.

What you eat is the mainstay to staying healthy whether you exercise or not. The best and most important aspect of eating is being aware of what you are actually putting in your mouth. The sad part about our culture in North America is that we are in a fast food eating era. Where other people cook for us or we use products that are packaged with long ingredients that we don’t understand.

We don’t know what we are putting in our mouth.

My phylosiphy for eating during any program of exercise, daily living or diet is to eat what you know…

Choose Whole Foods Closest to Home or Organic

Organic whole foods would be one safe haven of food to venture, but still there are certifications that are not as strict as they should be. Although it is hard to find food that is 100% organic eating closest to organic is best. If you have troubles deciding what organic is best, talk to the grocery clerk about different labelings and certifications that are at the store or market. Usually food coming localing will be the best food.
The damage that are food has to go through when coming from afar is sad in a big way. Our food will have lost so much nutrients and nutritional value that these foods become a risk as well . Can we really call packaged foods, FOODS? Ingredients are long and hard to understand. Buying organic is the safest way to go, but be sure that it is truly organic. I have thought many times to have my own year round greenhouse to garden whole foods to stay safe from disease. I’m deeply considering this.

The Healthiest Way of Eating is knowing what you are eating and not eating what you don’t know.

I remember on the news an anchor women found out she had breast cancer , knowing too many people in her life who had cancer prompted her on a quest to find out why so many people were gettnng cancer. I never found out her results, but I can bet it had something to do with the food we eat. Our food is tainted by marketing ploys, pesticides, insectides, chemicals made so that food stays on the shelf longer and chemicals to make it taste better, and these are just a few.

Whole foods are foods that are grown in the ground, they include fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, whole grains. This is what a diet would look like and be geared towards healthier eating. It is whole, natural, nutrient-rich and will heal your body from whatever damage your body has already encountered. Eating in combinations of whole foods will enhance your well-being and your health. A raw diet would be one to consider while trying to detox your body.

Running Food and Nutrition

Running or exercising demands a lot of your body, proper nutrition is important to fuel your body and help you to reach goals.

There are three primary sources of food to consider when following a proper diet and exercise:

 Cabohydrates – a big source of fuel energy that your body needs immediately and will help increase performance and endurance.
 Protein - an excellent source of food that slows down digestion while running and after a great fuel source for repairing sore mucscles.
 Fat –Is a primary fuel source to keep up your endurance even after the carbohydrate glycogen storages have started to deplete.

Where Do You Get These Fuels?

Carbohydrates come from whole foods like:

Vegetables - Primary source of carbohydrates 3 to 5 servings/day
- Fruits, try staying away from fruit juices a lot contain too much sugar.
Proteins come from foods like:

- Fish
- poultry
- nuts
- dairy
Recommendations vary amongst people according to size/body mass, our age and activity level. A person weighing 150 lbs. should eat less grams/day of protein (55grams) compared to a person being 250-pound at 92 grams/day.

Fats come in foods like:

- Avocados
- Fish
- Oils
- Nuts
- dairy

Keep Your Diet Rich
Before going out to the grocery store for your running program or even just daily life and eating, look at the list of foods and add them. Make sure your grocery cart is mainly foods you can recognize and that you have shopped mostly on the outside aisles. Nutrient density is a measure of the amount of nutrients a food contains in comparison to the number of calories. A food is more nutrient dense when the level of nutrients is high in relationship to the number of calories the food contains, so do your body good and it will love you for it!

Vegetables

* Asparagus
* Avocados
* Beets
* Bell peppers
* Broccoli
* Brussels sprouts
* Cabbage
* Carrots
* Cauliflower
* Celery
* Collard greens
* Cucumbers
* Eggplant
* Fennel
* Garlic
* Green beans
* Green peas
* Kale
* Leeks
* Mushrooms, crimini
* Mushrooms, shiitake
* Mustard greens
* Olives
* Onions
* Potatoes
* Romaine lettuce
* Sea vegetables
* Spinach
* Squash, summer
* Squash, winter
* Sweet potatoes
* Swiss chard
* Tomatoes
* Turnip greens
* Yams

Fruits

* Apples
* Apricots
* Bananas
* Blueberries
* Cantaloupe
* Cranberries
* Figs
* Grapefruit
* Grapes
* Kiwifruit
* Lemon/Limes
* Oranges
* Papaya
* Pears
* Pineapple
* Plums
* Prunes
* Raisins
* Raspberries
* Strawberries
* Watermelon

 

Eggs & Low-Fat Dairy

* Cheese, low-fat
* Eggs
* Milk, 2%, cow's
* Milk, goat
* Yogurt

Beans & Legumes

* Black beans
* Dried peas
* Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
* Kidney beans
* Lentils
* Lima beans
* Miso
* Navy beans
* Pinto beans
* Soybeans
* Tempeh
* Tofu

Poultry & Lean Meats

* Beef, lean organic
* Calf's liver
* Chicken
* Lamb
* Turkey
* Venison

Nuts & Seeds

* Almonds
* Cashews
* Flaxseeds
* Olive oil, extra virgin
* Peanuts
* Pumpkin seeds
* Sesame seeds
* Sunflower seeds
* Walnuts

Grains

* Barley
* Brown rice
* Buckwheat
* Corn
* Millet
* Oats
* Quinoa
* Rye
* Spelt
* Whole wheat

Spices & Herbs

* Basil
* Black pepper
* Cayenne pepper
* Chili pepper, dried
* Cilantro/Coriander seeds
* Cinnamon, ground
* Cloves
* Cumin seeds
* Dill
* Ginger
* Mustard seeds
* Oregano
* Parsley
* Peppermint
* Rosemary
* Sage
* Thyme
* Turmeric

Natural Sweeteners

* Blackstrap molasses
* Cane juice
* Honey
* Maple syrup

Other

* Green tea
* Soy sauce (tamari)
* Water

List from www.whfoods.com