10 Old School Nutrition Tips for Strength and Health

Over the last few years, I have been introduced to an American writer called Brooks Kubik. I first listened to a series of podcasts he recorded for Strength Matters. I then went on to buy and read several of his books including ‘Dinosaur Training’ ‘Knife, Fork, Muscle’ and ‘Strength, Muscle and Power’. Brooks is an advocate of old-school training. Basic principles that stand the test of time and sometimes have been around for hundreds of years.

I recently received one of his regular emails based on nutritional advice from the 1930s & 1940s and thought it was worth sharing. It’s amazing how the advice is the same as much of what is published today in books and magazines. Many would say that it’s common sense BUT the thing about common sense is that it’s not that common.

I’ll now hand you over to Brooks……

“I was reviewing some old books and articles on diet and nutrition from back in the 1930s and 1940s and was struck by how much good advice they contained.
For example:
 Eat plenty of fresh, green vegetables, particularly green leafy vegetables.

⦁ Fresh green vegetables and green leafy vegetables were considered to be what
they called “protective” foods.

⦁ Meaning that they promoted good health and protected against illness.

If you cook vegetables, steam them – don’t overcook them into soggy mush, as
most people do.

⦁ Likewise, serve them plain, not covered in some sort of cream sauce.

Avoid white flour and anything made with white flour.

⦁ This and the next tip were among the most common tips of the era.

⦁ There was a saying back then: “The whiter the bread, the sooner you’re dead!”

Avoid white sugar.

⦁ If you need a sweetener, use raw honey.

⦁ My thought – skip the honey.

Avoid loading up on high-carb foods, even if they are a staple of the traditional

meals in your part of the world.

⦁ No loading up on baked beans, grits, pancakes, biscuits or spaghetti.

Fresh green salads are a terrific food for strength and health.

⦁ Use a variety of fresh vegetables and different kinds of greens in your salad.

⦁ Lemon juice is the best salad dressing.

Eat plenty of fresh lean meats, served without spices, condiments, sauces, pickles, ketchup, etc.

⦁ There was a lot of emphasis on simple cooking and simple meals back then.

⦁ Try food concentrates (which is what they called food supplements) if you wish,

but understand that they can’t replace good food and healthy meals – and that it is much more important to purchase high-quality food than to buy food concentrates.

⦁ This was interesting advice, given that it ran counter to the interests of the folks

who sold the food concentrates.

Don’t stuff yourself.

⦁ This advice somehow got lost – and today, we are told to shove as much food as possible down our gullets – which is ALWAYS bad advice.

⦁ John Grimek had a BIG appetite – but even Grimek advised trainees against force-feeding or stuffing themselves.

Eat a variety of fresh foods to be sure that you consume all the different nutrients your body requires.

⦁ This was another very common piece of advice back in the day. You see it in virtually every old book or article.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I think there are some wise words there – and some pretty good advice for all of us. As always, thanks for reading and have a great day. If you train today, make it a good one!”

Nutrition & Hydration Week

Nutrition and Hydration Week is an annual event that started back in 2012 (11th – 17th March 2019) with a shared objective to highlight, promote, and celebrate improvements in the provision of nutrition and hydration locally, nationally, and globally.

With the event happening this month I thought it would be a good idea to share some information and useful tips to help you improve your nutrition and hydration.

Let’s start with HYDRATION.

The adult human body is made up of approximately 60% water, the brain is made up of 75% water and the blood is 83% water. Throughout the day amounts of this water is lost through sweat/temperature regulation (you do not need to be working out to sweat), breathing, urine, and feces.
In not replacing the water that is lost your body will become dehydrated. Many people are dehydrated and are not even aware of it. It is therefore extremely important that we drink water regularly to replace what is lost and to allow our bodies to function correctly.

So why is water so important and how does it help us?

Water

⦁ boosts energy levels
⦁ naturally lowers blood pressure
⦁ delivers important nutrients to all our cells
⦁ is vital for lubricating joints
⦁ is used for protecting the brain
⦁ boosts your metabolism
⦁ helps the body properly break down food
⦁ is a detoxifier that helps to flush out toxins
⦁ prevents headaches & migraines which can be triggered when dehydrated
A way to tell if you are or are not drinking enough water is to check for some of the side effects listed below. Are you experiencing any of these?
⦁ tiredness
⦁ dry skin
⦁ dizziness
⦁ increasing blood pressure (as lack of water makes the blood thicker)
⦁ headaches & migraines
⦁ muscle cramping
⦁ low urine output/ darkened urine

So how can you ensure you stay hydrated

⦁ Keep a bottle of water with you during the day. To reduce your costs and protect the environment, carry a reusable water bottle and fill it with tap water.
⦁ If you don’t like the taste of plain water, try adding a slice of lemon or lime to your drink.
⦁ Drink water before, during, and after a workout.
⦁ When you’re feeling hungry, drink water. Thirst is often confused with hunger. True hunger will not be satisfied by drinking water.
⦁ If you have trouble remembering to drink water, drink on a schedule. For example, drink water when you wake up, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and when you go to bed. Or, drink a small glass of water at the beginning of each hour. There are also plenty of free apps out there that can be downloaded to your phone and will provide you with an audible reminder
⦁ Reduce your coffee and tea intake. These are both diuretics that increase the amount of water and salt expelled from the body as urine.

Now let’s look at NUTRITION

Nutrition is a bit of a mind field, especially with the different types of diets that people follow these days!! – vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, clean eating, ketogenic, fasting, pescatarian, Mediterranean etc etc.

At the end of the day, it is about what works for you and your lifestyle. Don’t make it difficult and time-consuming as you will not be able to stick with it.
Whatever you choose make sure you eat healthy nutritionally balanced foods to ensure your body gets the right nutrients to function efficiently.
There are 6 essential nutrients: Carbohydrates, Fats, Proteins, Vitamins, Minerals and Water. Nutrients are compounds in foods essential to life and health, providing us with energy, the building blocks for repair and growth, and substances necessary to regulate chemical processes.

Below are some food examples of where we can get each nutrient:
Proteins: meat, dairy, legumes, nuts, seafood and eggs
Carbohydrates: pasta, rice, cereals, breads, potatoes, milk, fruit, sugar
Lipids (most commonly called fats): oils, butter, margarine, nuts, seeds, avocados and olives, meat and seafood
Vitamins: common vitamins include the water-soluble B group vitamins and vitamin C and the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K

⦁ Fruits and vegetables are generally good sources of Vitamin C and A and folic acid (a B group vitamin)
⦁ Grains and cereals are generally good sources of the B group vitamins and fiber
⦁ Full-fat dairy and egg yolks are generally sources of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and E
⦁ Milk and vegetable or soya bean oil are generally good sources of vitamin K, which can also be synthesized by gut bacteria

Minerals: (sodium, calcium, iron, iodine, magnesium, etc.): all foods contain some form of minerals.

⦁ Milk and dairy products are a good source of calcium and magnesium
⦁ Red meat is a good source of iron and zinc
⦁ Seafood and vegetables (depending on the soil in which they are produced) are generally good sources of iodine

Water: As a beverage and a component of many foods, especially vegetables and fruits.

Including all these nutrients in your diet is good but how regularly and how much should you be eating?

From each food group, the British Nutrition Foundation recommends:

⦁ Fruit and vegetables: 5+ portions per day
⦁ Starchy carbohydrates: 3-4 portions per day
⦁ Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat, and other proteins: 2-3 portions per day
⦁ Dairy and alternatives: 2-3 portions per day

And here are some examples of portion sizes:

⦁ 2 handfuls of dried pasta shapes or rice (75g)
⦁ A bunch of spaghetti the size of a £1 coin, measured using your finger and thumb (75g)
⦁ the amount of cooked pasta or rice that would fit in two hands cupped together (180g)
⦁ A baked potato about the size of your fist (220g)
⦁ About 3 handfuls of breakfast cereal (40g)
⦁ A piece of grilled chicken breast about half the size of your hand (120g)
⦁ A piece of cheddar cheese about the size of two thumbs together (30g)
⦁ About 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (20g)
⦁ About 3 teaspoons of soft cheese (30g)

Nutrition Runs Deep

I recently started a certification course in Nutrition and Nutrition Coaching to expand my knowledge and the service we can give to our members.
Nutrition is a subject close to my heart as I struggle with this every day and my dad is also struggling and needs to make changes now as his health and well-being depend on it. So I was very grateful when James said I could do the course.

I speak with many of you every day and know that for some nutrition is a minefield and you are unsure what is right and wrong as the media and press send out such mixed messages. I can not wait to complete this amazing certification so I can start working with you and others on this great nutrition path.

Anyway, I am on chapter 1, it’s a great place to start! and it’s starting at the very beginning – the science stuff….. Now I loved biology at school but that was over 25 years ago and I have forgotten all the long technical terms and words. Great if you are playing Scrabble but tough to memorize them all. That aside I am loving the learning process and even at this early stage had a great thought-provoking moment.

I know that if I eat junk food and fizzy drinks my body/appearance changes – my clothes get tighter, and a roll appears around my middle but I have never truly thought what was happening deep inside my body until now.
Our bodies are made up of trillions of cells. Our organs, our muscles, and our skin are all made up of cells and all have a role in making us function and move every minute of the day.
I love watching documentaries about the creation of life and how a single sperm and egg come together and divide to form a ball of cells called an Embryo and then these cells multiply hundreds of times to create what can only be described as an alien-looking creature!! But then continues to develop into a gorgeous baby. It gets to me every time how amazing our bodies are that this can happen!!

Stop and think about this for a moment ……… for nine months these collections of cells, each with their special role, work together to create us and make us what we are today. Most of us are fortunately born healthy and over some time grow and learn to walk, run, swim, etc.

These tiny cells truly do amazing things and each one is protected by a cell membrane or protective wall. As the name describes it keeps important things in and the harmful things out.
However, what we put in our mouths (food, drink, drugs, cigarettes, etc) can have a major impact on this protective wall. I had never really thought about it to this level. Yes, I know if you drink too much alcohol you can damage your liver, or smoking cigarettes clogs up your lungs but I never really thought any deeper than that.

For example, eating the wrong things like saturated fats (sausages, burgers, cream, butter, etc) affects the protective wall stopping it from working effectively by making it rigid thus not allowing the good things in and the bad things out of the cell.

To achieve and maintain a healthy membrane / protective wall we need to be eating monounsaturated (avocados, almonds, cashews, olive oil) and polyunsaturated (oily fish, flaxseed, sesame seeds, walnuts) fats as well as a balanced dietary fat profile. The one exception to this guideline is coconut products and coconut oil. Coconut oil is technically a saturated fat but plant-based and is very good for you.

A great example of the cell’s protective wall not working effectively is – diabetes (Type II). Research has shown that more tightly packed/ rigid membranes often have a stronger resistance to insulin leading to higher insulin concentrations in the blood.

So the next time you feel tempted to eat that big burger or cream cake take a moment to think about the trillion cells inside you that worked amazing miracles for nine months creating you and making you who you are today.

Taking the saying ‘YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT’ to a deeper level.

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