Follow these six rules for a healthy eating and whole foods plan designed just for a broker like you.
"Where is the food?" It's the question I ask many runners when I check their food diaries.
It is not that they are starving. Most consume many kilojoules and nutrients, but it is in the form of energy bars, beverages enriched with nutrients and fortified packaged foods.
The problem is that "real" foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats) are better for you than fortified products.
This is because there is more to a carrot or a sweet potato than just vitamin A.
Within the body, vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients work in tandem with literally thousands of other compounds, such as components of color in fruits and vegetables, starches and special fibers in whole grains and fats unique in seeds, nuts and dairy products. And it's the whole package that promotes good health and maximum athletic performance.
Of course, protein bars and fortified juices seem to be a convenient way to ingest all the more than 50 nutrients that every runner needs daily. But getting them - and more - from real food is easy.
Follow these six rules every day, and your body will get everything you need for better health and better functioning.
Rule # 1: Eat seeds or foods made from seeds
What makes the seeds so special? The seeds, which include whole grains, many beans and even tree nuts, contain the crucial mix of nutrients needed to grow a new plant, which means that they are filled with compounds that improve health.
In addition to traditional nutrients such as proteins and essential fats, seeds contain bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds and ferulic acid, which act as antioxidants.
It has been shown that eating a diet with abundant plant seeds improves health and helps maintain a healthier body weight. People who eat whole grains and beans have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, and tend to have lower cholesterol levels than people who do not eat nuts and seeds.
Rule # 2: Eat five fruits and vegetables of different colors daily
You already know that eating fruits and vegetables provides your body with vitamins, minerals and the carbohydrates it needs to fuel your career.
Fruits and vegetables also fill you with a few kilojoules, which helps you maintain your weight. But to make the most of your products, you should think in terms of color: yellow, orange, red, green, blue, purple and all the intermediate tones. There are more than 400 pigments that illuminate the product aisle, and each offers unique health benefits.
Rule # 3: Eat plant foods with their skins intact
Drop the peeler. From apples and black beans to red potatoes and your baby's marrow, the outer skins of plants protect them from UV light, parasites and other invaders. As a result, these skins are replete with a wide range of phytochemicals that also protect your health.
Grape skins, for example, have a high resveratrol content, and onion skins contain quercetin, which can help lower the risk of heart disease and cancer of the colon and prostate, and increase their immunity.
Producing the skin is also rich in resistant starches and various types of fiber. These compounds promote the growth of healthy bacteria in the intestines, improve bowel function (relieve constipation and decrease the risk of hemorrhoids) and help reduce appetite and help control weight.
Studies have shown that the fiber of fruits and vegetables skins (containing both soluble and insoluble fibers) actually blocks the absorption, from 3 - 4% of total kilojoules consumed when eaten as part of a diet high in fiber. This is the reason why people who follow a diet high in fiber (more than 35 g per day) consisting mainly of fruits and vegetables tend to have lower levels of body fat and waist sizes smaller than those who eat little fiber.
Rule # 4: Drink milk and eat dairy products that come from animals
Whether it's a cow, a goat, milk from mammals (unlike soy milk) and other dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt, they should be part of each runner's diet. Of course, milk provides calcium, and calcium forms strong bones, which is excellent for running. But animal milk offers much more.
Dairy products supply the muscles of a runner with a large amount of protein to help speed recovery. But whey protein, the specific type of protein found in dairy products, can also help strengthen the immune system.
Rule # 5: eat foods that come from cold water
Fish and other seafood provide a unique combination of important nutrients for runners. Most seafood is an excellent source of quality protein (it needs approximately 50% more protein than its friends that do not run) and also contains zinc, copper and chromium: minerals that are often low in a broker's diet . But the omega-3 fats found in fish, especially cold water, are what make seafood such an essential part of anyone's diet.
Over the past decade, researchers have developed a history of large fish: people who eat fish and other seafood a few times a week have a lower risk of sudden heart attack, vascular disease and stroke.
Fish intake has also been linked to lower rates of depression. And recently, low intake of fish (and omega-3 fats) has been associated with certain behavioral conditions in children, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Anthropological scientists who study the theory of "caveman" nutrition that our ancestors consumed much more omega-3 fats than we currently consume and that many of our modern ailments, such as heart disease and Alzheimer's disease, can due to a low consumption of omega-3 fats. Runners should also keep in mind that omega-3s in fish have anti-inflammatory abilities, which gives them the ability to counteract muscle pain induced by exercise and help relieve diseases such as psoriasis.
Rule # 6: Eat meat, poultry or eggs from animals raised in the wild or fed with grass
By eating lean meats, poultry and eggs, along with dairy products, runners can easily meet their increased protein needs and take essential minerals that may be difficult to obtain from non-animal sources.
In particular, meats are a great source of iron and zinc, which support healthy red blood cells and a strong immune system. And these two minerals are simply better absorbed by the body when they come from meat instead of non-meat sources.