Nutrition

Proper diet is essential to maintaining good health. Keeping the body well-nourished and at a healthy weight has been proven to improve mood, quality of life and longevity. It may also go a long way in preventing or controlling many serious illnesses. Obesity, which has now reached epidemic proportions in the United States, and an enemy of good health, can be kept at bay through proper nutrition along with a program of healthy exercise.

Benefits of Good Nutrition

Not only do people feel more energetic and happier when they eat well, they also keep their bodies in the best possible condition. The benefits of good nutrition include developing and maintaining physical strength as well as preventing or controlling disease processes. Research has shown that the following disorders may be avoided, controlled, or mitigated by life styles that include well-balanced nutrition:

• Apnea
• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Certain cancers
• Gout
• Heart disease
• Hypertension
• Liver and gall bladder disease
• Osteoporosis
• Type 2 diabetes

While there are complex causes for diseases to occur, some hereditary or unknown, proper nutrition can make a noticeable difference in keeping individuals healthy.

A Healthy Diet

The power of Real Food will not only help you to lose weight, it will help boost performance. The Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) approach to nutrition is our recommended method.

For people making the switch to LCHF, what’s your number one piece of advice?

Stick with real food. When you focus on food that comes out of the ground, off a tree or from an animal, you not only reduce your carbohydrate intake, but optimise your nutrient density! This is the answer to controlling your health and performance not only today, but into the future.

LCHF is often thought of as a good way to reset, but is it sustainable in the long term?

It’s absolutely a lifestyle. LCHF can be as low as 20-25 grams of carbohydrates/day to treat metabolic dysfunction or disease, but also as high as 150 grams of carbohydrates/day for those who are happy with their body composition and are training regularly. The biggest decision you can make for your health is to significantly reduce, if not eliminate, your intake of packaged foods.

Is there anyone this low carb style of eating wouldn’t suit?

I strongly believe that as long it is personalised, LCHF should be a way of life for everyone. Athletes who perform extremely glycolytic activities (such as Power Lifting) may find they need to periodise their intake relative to their training and competition demands, but real food should be every athlete’s number one priority.

Why do you think the “energy in = energy out” and “fat makes you fat” kind of myths still prevail, even though they’re false?

I think the two main issues are time and ‘Big Food’. Essentially we’re trying to unlearn five decades of flawed science in a world where we are constantly bombarded with food messages and vested interest marketing. The key mantras to remember are “all calories are not created equal” and “fat makes you burn fat”.

Nutritional Counseling

Since a healthy lifestyle requires making wise food choices, the more informed individuals are about what they eat, the better. Reading labels, eating fresh foods whenever possible and keeping informed about nutritional research -- may all contribute to leading a healthier, and often a longer, life. Nutritional counseling is invaluable in pursuing this goal. Since more and more children have become obese, it is extremely important that nutritional counseling begin at an early age.

Nutritional counseling services include initially taking a medical, and sometimes psychological, history and establishing a customized dietary plan for each individual patient. A specific diet takes into account each patient's weight goals, personal food preferences, overall health and particular medical conditions. Anyone can benefit from nutritional counseling, especially patients with food allergies or eating disorders. Ongoing nutritional counseling allows for evolving dietary guidelines.

Additional Resources

• Dr. Mark Hyman
• Dave Asprey: Father of Biohacking, Author/Expert on brain performance, diet, fitness, nutrition
• Dr. Jason Fung, MD - Diet Doctor
• Steph Lowe - Podcast