JANUARY 17, 2015

What’s Your Nutrition Protocol?

The topic of nutrition is always an interesting one.

A big reason nutrition is so interesting is because the opinions and information on the topic varies greatly.

What nutrition protocol do YOU follow?

I have a number of nutrition principles that I teach.
I think, as in exercise prescription, that there are many ways to “skin the cat.”  I take a variety of things into consideration when I prescribe a nutrition plan.

In other words: There is NOT a “one-size-fits-all” model.

Ask any of my clients; there are tweaks and variations for each individual that differ from one to another. Why does this work? Because every BODY is different—plain and simple.

While there are basics that you should stick to in food prescription—a basic template of good nutrition (meat, vegetables, some fruit, , little starch, no sugar, water), there are also a variety of factors that you should consider for nutrition planning, including: the constitution of the person, ethnicity, age, gender, economics, emotional state, climate, gut health, stress levels, etc. Factors, such as these, should be taken into consideration, along with tests through hematology, the basic terrain of the person, and the requirements for the current function (ie. Active vs. inactive; type of training; etc.).

So, with all these factors to consider, how do you know, or where do you learn, what is the best for YOU or for your client?

Below are some books that I have read that have shaped my nutrition philosophy and given me more insight into nutrition protocols for numerous clients over the years. There is no particular order of importance, just some of my top picks. After all, if you only know one way, is it the only way?

– The Metabolic Diet – Di Pasquale – You want some thoughts and ideas on how carbs and fats work in the body. Maybe you want to know how cycling carbs can make your body react? Look no further than personal experience that Di Pasquale explains. I got ridiculously ripped in my bodybuilding days eating this way (with shitty food choices mind you), but needless to say, ripped (love that word, miss it actually just as much as: “Bulkin’ up”). In short: I ate 20 net carbs in a week , then ate my face off in shitty carbs from Saturday morning to Sun evening…crazy shit but VERY interesting.

– The Metabolic Typing Diet – Wolcott –The book itself does not give enough insight into how this can be helpful in some cases; and some don’t like its ideas, but I do see a place for this. I liked the fact of individualizing a plan. I have witnessed a ton of people follow this and heal away from being “sick.”

– Healing With Whole Foods – Pitchford – GREAT insight into ideas and theories that have been around for 1000’s of years from Asian traditions to modern ideas around nutrition prescription.  I gained good insight on the true power of some foods and how we can prescribe those foods appropriately based on what the person needs or doesn’t need.  All around, good stuff.  Look past the dogma on some things and learn about the detox and drainage work. It’ll give you some good insight

– Good Calories, Bad Calories – Taubes Wow, lots in there! Love the critical thinking around what is there in research and what lies beneath the work. Taubes also analyzes how we got to this shitty point on carbs and fats and the rest of the @#$%’ed up ideas around food guides, the lipid hypothesis, etc. Overall a long read, but really good insight.

– Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human – Wrangham – He thinks cooking is the shit, bottom line, to the point he believes it helped in our evolution, interesting…

– Underground BodyOpus – Duchaine – Loved this guy in the old Muscle Media 2000 days prior to T-Mag and Testosterone and T-Nation. He was the Robb Wolf of the day (except I’m not aware of Robb being placed in jail at anytime in comparison?) for his work on nutrient timing, protocols for users and nutrient loading/unloading, cycling work for nutrients, etc.

– The Complete Guide to Food for Sports Performance: Nutrition for Your Sport – Burke and Cox – Good insight into what the Olympic groups want to see and what they want to see with research on athletes and food studies. Also offers information on specializing work and great basics on norms for endurance training folks.

– The Hidden Story of Cancer – Scott & Amid – Read it, WOW!

– Coping with Food Intolerances – Thom – Written by a doc who gives some good insight into this inflammatory pathway, the ‘why’ around it, and what we can do with it; also good read onto how it came to be that way and why.

– The China Study – Campbell & Campbell- How can you make comments or suggestions against your beliefs if you do not know what they are saying or where they are coming from? A good educational piece on how to change beliefs from some research – nice colors on the book also.

-Clinical Nutrition – Institute for Functional Medicine – Solid insight into the medical (asymptomatic model) and nutrition. Heavy on vitamins, minerals and supplements, but some good insights in there on the science behind disease and some good nutrition ideas.

– The Schwarzbein Principle – Schwarzbein – Great read on endocrine thoughts and ideas that surround life and nutrition.  There is a tie in with good food examples and prescriptions based on what she sees and believes in. I love the areas on hormones and physiology.

– The Zone – Sears  – See the China Study – better colors on book .

– Nourishing Traditions – Fallon – I LOVE animal fats, bottom line, that is where i resonate here. I also like the old fashioned approach in this book with the hit on grains.  This book is well before its time, a look at ‘wrong fats’, and more…more good stuff, as well some good recipes.

– The Maker’s Diet – Rubin– I had the chance to see this guy come out of his shell and come back from the dead out of Chrons into making his products and this book. I have followed his ideas ever since. I like his perspective on phasing foods, seasonal approaches as in healing with whole foods and hygiene thoughts and cleansing

– The Swiss Secret to Optimal Health – Rau – This guy’s program has helped a LOT of people in Europe. My Doc has seen this work first hand for peeps cleaning out their guts, getting the hormones ready for action – and I’ve seen it come back in tests after 1 month, better than anything else! There is definitely the right time and place for it for the right person. Rau’s thoughts on food choices are coming from his “own” feelings and background, but all in all, he has a system that addresses sickness—healthcare, not “sickcare.”

– Paleo Solution – Robb Wolf- Everyone who read this, gets it; great writing, very witty and keeps you into it – which is the way it is needed to sell the fact to people that grains are the devil and meat and veggies are king. Done very well; backed by huge social proof – used by many with success and truly is the basic principles we should all apply day to day – BAM!

Oh man, I went over my word limit today…and there are more…but this might give you some insight into where my ideas and formulations come from for my nutrition prescription and why I also love to read and research.

Ok, now it’s really your turn. What nutrition protocol do you follow? How has it impacted your life or your health? What have you learned?

Give us feedback!

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Function 1/17/15

18 min AMRAP @100%:
15 Box jumps, step down – 20/18″
12 Push press – 75/55#
9 Toes to bar

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Being 1/17/15

Row 3k for time

Notes:

record times

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Will 1/17/15

AM

AD 30 sec @85%
AD slow spin 30 sec
x 36

– rest 3 min every 12 sets
– KEEP this pace easy

PM

C&J – build to a tough single in 6 sets

+

12 min AMRAP:
100 WB – 20#, 10’
75 S2OH – 75#
50 Alternating pistols – 25/leg
25 HSPU – maximum hand allowance 36×24″

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She 1/17/15

SC – build to a heavy single in 10 min

+

9 min AMRAP
3, 6, 9, 12…
Thrusters – 65#
TTB

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