I have my Nutrition Certification and am very happy to finally have a more sound knowledge base about something that literally impacts every single aspect of the quality of my life. One stat that helps motivate me is this one…
Just 12% of Americans were obese in 1950, 15% in 1980, 35% by 2000. Obesity is a common, serious, and costly disease. The prevalence of obesity was 42.4% in 2017~2018.
-The Guardian | Ian Leslie & CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) data brief
Here are some of my notes from the course:
- The most important factor is determining calorie balance (how much you eat)
- Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be transformed from one type to another.
- Calories: The amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 liter of water by 1 liter of celsius. (energy measurement)
- Energy from food comes to us in three forms and the 3 main macronutrients:
- Fat
- Carbohydrates
- All carbs are a union of sugar molecules
- Supplying the nervous system with its fuel
- Refueling Glycogen stores, which is tied to muscle growth
- Secreting insulin (which helps muscle growth)
- Measured on the Glycemic Index = the speed with which carbs are converted to glucose
- Low Glycemic Foods: Oatmeal, sweet potato, corn, beans {{Complex / Better}}
- Medium: Whole wheat, rye
- High: White bread, bagel, bran flakes, instant oatmeal {{Worse}}
- Eat carbs before and after training sessions
- Before > Provides additional fuel
- After > Refills glycogen stores which have been depleted during the workout
- Recommend 1-3 grams of carbs per body weight for active people
- Protein
- Helps build and repair muscle fibers after exercise.
- Muscle is made out of protein. (Builds & Saves muscle)
- 90% of protein is broken down into amino acids
- For optimal training: .5-1gram of protein per pound of body weight
- For me 50 grams of protein per day is the sweet spot for longevity of life and provides enough protein for muscle growth.
The question of how many calories do I get each day actually was something that I have never really thought about. It turns out that my maintenance calories = 2,991 calories per day. To figure out your TDEE or Total Daily Energy Expenditure simply use this free online calculator here.
- More calories as TDEE = Positive
- Same as TDEE = Neutral
- Weight loss = calories in vs. calories out.
A good target value for your daily water intake is 2.7 liters for women and 3.7 liters for men
Salt!
I didn’t learn about Salt from the course but have been inundated with an interest in Salt, as not only a huge piece of my diet but a symbolic – spiritual foundation for much of what we experience in society. I am reading Salt, a fascinating story about how this little element has led to creating the word salad, the color purple, ammunition, and the word for which we now get “salary” from.
Salt is the embodiment of the divine light.
Salt is the soul of the world, the anima mundi barried in the sea. Upper and lower, spirit and nature uniting. The prima materia. A version of the philosophers stone, connected to the center of life.
Eat Like a Mother F*cking King shopping list:
- Avocado
- Beets
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Broccoli 🥦
- Cacao Nibs
- Cashews
- Cranberry Juice
- Cucumber
- EVOO
- Flour
- Garlic
- Grapefruit
- Kidney Beans
- Lemons
- Limes
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Salmon
- Spinach
- Sweet Potato
- Wild rice
Supplements
- Omega 3 (Fish oil supplementation has been noted to be comparable to pharmaceutical drugs (fluoxetine) in majorly depressed persons, but this may be the only cohort that experiences a reduction of depression. Read about how this helps with depression here: https://examine.com/topics/depression/ and see all 28 studies.
- Whey isolate protein
- Stinging nettle (Kidney Cleansing)
- Pregnenolone
- Glutathione
- Maca
- And of course don’t forget sunlight for that Vitamin D!
