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Proper Nutrition For Maximum Health and Fitness (updated)



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Old 05-19-2007, 11:27 AM
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Default Proper Nutrition For Maximum Health and Fitness (updated)

The typical intake of three meals a day isn't good. Since your body can only metabolize a certain amount of protein, it makes no sense at all to eat three large meals a day, because you will be taking in extra fat and carbs, and not using most of the protein that you're taking in.

Five meals a day is more appropriate.

-You should get enough fruits and veggies to keep your organs functioning properly and keep your immune system up. Antioxidants and vitamins that are found in fruits and vegetables are vital to good health, so that is a basic, yet vital element of any diet. You should eat about 10 servings a day of tomatoes, peppers, grapes, broccoli, cabbage, potatoes, apples, bananas, and other nutrition loaded fruits and veggies as these.

-Avoid eating refined sugars, transfats, and excess carbs. Any excess carbohydrates or sugars that are taken in, will be converted into lipids by your body and stored as fat. Carbs are necessary to the body for the production of energy, to get you up and moving around. The average person however, eats far more than necessary.

-Protein is the main reason for spacing out meals. Protein is necessary for building muscle, but the body can only use a certain amount of protein at a time. Excess protein will be converted into fat, and gives the kidneys a hell of time in processing them. Good protein sources are milk (most easily used protein in building muscle), eggs, lean meats (red or white), beans (avoid soy, because it has properties similar to estrogen), and potatoes. I weigh about 165 pounds, and the ideal amount of protein for me to be taking in is roughly 23 grams, 5 times per day, because my body can only use this much based on my weight. This amount of protein spaced out every two and a half hours or so is ideal, it allows my body to constantly build muscle. To get this number, divide your weight in pounds by 7 to get an approximate value. Of course, this is intended for people who are already lean, and are looking to build extra muscle, it needn't be scaled up for someone who is overweight and weighs 300 pounds obviously.

-Stinging nettles have been greatly undervalued as a good source of nutrition. If steamed, they lose their stinging power because the formic acid in them is destroyed by heat. Dried nettles contain an amazing 40% protein, as well as vitamins and minerals, and unique chemical compounds that act as a kidney cleanser, which gives rise to their scientific name uritica. Nettles are an ideal nutritional supplement, and could be ground and added to food as additional protein, cooked into omelets, or put into soups. In their fresh form, they can be used in place of spinach.

-Potatoes are interesting because they provide a fairly high source of protein, but also because they contain some of the best complex carbohydrates, which provide consistant energy over a long period of time, and are slowly digested, leaving a person feeling fuller longer. Baked potatoes are the most filling of all foods. Potatoes are also rich in vitamin C, and have more potassium than bananas.

-Foods like most cereals, pastries, and white bread are virtually useless. they have simple, highly processed carbohydrates that don't really fill you up, and only give you a temporary rush of energy that is quickly exhausted, leaving a person feeling tired and sluggish. Whole grains are better, but personally I think that potatoes are better still.

-Transfats and refined sugar should be avoided. As long as a person is taking in enough protein to build muscle, fruits and veggies for nutrition, and complex carbohydrates to provide necessary aerobic energy, it is nearly impossible that they won't also get enough fat and sugars, but special care must be given in the case of omega fatty acids. Honey is an exception, it is very nutritious, and can be taken in as a supplement in moderate amounts. Omega fatty acids are vital for proper heart and brain function and a myriad of other necessary processes. Specific information about these is given below.

-The health benefits of herbs should not be overlooked, they can be used to speed metabolism, lower heart rate, provide extra energy, or a host of other health applications. They are useful for tweeking the body or mind to fit a specific task. Excess caffeine should be avoided.

-A proper balance of omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids, is highly beneficial to good health. Most diets are gravely deficient of omega 3. They are essential nutrients, meaning that the body must receive these from the diet, as they cannot be synthesized within. In order to balance your proper intake of omega fatty acids, I recommend eating canned salmon or sardines three or four times a week to ensure that you are getting enough, as well as using virgin olive oil in meals. Flax seeds also contain high levels of omega 3 compounds, but almost none of this is received by the body unless the seeds are ground up prior to ingestion.

I have revised this since my last posting, any additional suggestions are very welcome!
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Old 05-19-2007, 12:20 PM
EricT EricT is offline
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The only thing I would mention at this time is the protein stuff. I would love to see just ONE scientific source of information on how much protein any one person can metabolize at a different time. I am most certain that it doesn't exist. I know you have probably read statements to the effect but it is only based on myths and assumptions. A better recommendation would be 1.3 to 1.5 grams per pound a day. 5 or 6 meals would certainly be ideal but the main thing is to get enough. The amount of protein you yourself say you need is about half of what you should be going for. Likewise the idea of all excess protein being stored as fat is erroneous.

Since most major food sources of protein contain more than enough of the essential aminos then there is not reason to believe, based on our knowledge at this point, that one source is better than another, aside from absorption rates which may be a factor (fast absorption being advantages) for post workout.
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If you act sanctimonious I will just list out your logical fallacies until you get pissed off and spew blasphemous remarks.
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Old 05-19-2007, 07:15 PM
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Thanks for your post. . . yes, you're right, I could not find anything in my search for a scientific study of maximum protein uptake. In fact, some people have actually reported seeing improved results from as much as 2g per pound of lean body mass. I was taking the information based on what I was told by a personal trainer, but apparently he was just drawing that from some inaccurate information. I was able find references to excess protein being converted into body fats, and also releasing uric acid in their breakdown, which can lead to kidney problems if excessive. I guess it's just one of those things that people need to figure out for themselves, but thank you for correcting that misinformation I was given.
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Old 05-20-2007, 06:15 PM
Scorcher2005 Scorcher2005 is offline
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This is barely any different than the first one of these that you posted. Most of the info is still wrong...
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Old 05-20-2007, 09:49 PM
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no, actually virtually none of it is wrong
if you're convinced that it is, why don't you tell me what my mistakes are and back it up with some evidence
I seem to recall you thinking that potatoes are 'too much carbs' which actually doesn't make any sense
potatoes are complex carbohydrates, and they're one of the best sources
you can't live on protein alone
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Old 05-20-2007, 10:08 PM
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sorry, my mistake, someone else said that about the potatoes being too high in carbs
still though, it's not very useful for me to be told that most of my information is wrong
it would be nice of you to provide some examples, don't just tell me that I'm wrong about everything
I've put a lot of research into this stuff, and I'm fairly sure that most of it is right, so tell me where I'm off the mark, and I'll appreciate it
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Old 05-21-2007, 06:21 AM
EricT EricT is offline
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I'll address the potato issue.

I don't actually agree about patatoes being automatically "too much carbs" and they can definitely fit into a diet, especially if you eat them in the right context.

But the carbohydrates in potatoes are starches. While starches are "complex carbs" that does not put them in the category of something like brown rice for an example. It is not just simple versus complex carbs like it used to be. Some complex carbs, notably starches like potatoes have VERY high GI ratings and of course they would have a high glycemic load and insulin rating.

In fact starches can and will raise your blood sugar faster and higher than some simpler sugars. For many people this is an issue when it comes to controlling and buring fat. I am not saying that I condemn potatoes but I would say they should not be a main source of bulk carbs. But it's going to depend on the person. I myself find potatoes good to go (although I don't eat tons of it) but I am a very low bf person with good insulin sensitivity.

And yes, you can find information that says potatoes have a GI of as low as 65. But you will also find info saying as high as 158! That's higher than the table sugar or white bread reference. Of course it's going to depend on the type of potato and that's going to have to do with the amount of amylopectin starch and how "mature" it is. And remember that the GI is based on a standard amount of available carbs - 50 grams. The average potato serving will contain I'd say around 65 grams or more carbs which will put the glycemic load higher.

Any food can affect different people differently of course but potatoes are going to tend to be on the high side. As far as the protein content, by weight it's pretty negligible for bodybuilding purposes and the amino acid content is such that it is an ok protein source in a varied diet but it contains around 10% of calories as protein. Of course all protein counts. Putting potatoes on a list of protein foods, however, doesn't make a lot of sense, IMO since over-reliance on them as a protein source would mean a whole lot of calories as carbs and shunting aside some higher protein sources.

So for bodybuilding purposes I would concider them as a carb source and not put a whole lot of thought into the protein angle. And keep in mind that I am talking about bodybuilding and not someone who is inactive and not trying to grow...in which case they would probably do pretty well with potatoes and other vegetal sources of protein in terms of protein amount but even that is an issue of some debate.

I agree about nettles being very good for you. And they do contain a high amount of protein in the dried form as compared to other plants....40%. But if you consider the weight of it and the sheer bulk amount you'd have to eat to actually equal a lot of protein....well, let me just say you'd have a stomach ache . A small amount of it each day or a moderate amount 2 or 3 times a day would be great but they are strong and I wouldn't overdo them as a food source. Too much of a good thing.... But yeah they are very valuable and I have eaten them (I used to be a pretty adventurous vegetarian). They taste a little like spinach once you cook them.

Last edited by EricT; 05-21-2007 at 07:10 AM.
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Old 05-21-2007, 09:05 AM
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thankyou, that is the kind of reply I was looking for!
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Old 05-21-2007, 09:53 AM
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Quote:
-Foods like most cereals, pastries, and white bread are virtually useless. they have simple, highly processed carbohydrates that don't really fill you up, and only give you a temporary rush of energy that is quickly exhausted, leaving a person feeling tired and sluggish. Whole grains are better, but personally I think that potatoes are better still.

-Transfats and refined sugar should be avoided. As long as a person is taking in enough protein to build muscle, fruits and veggies for nutrition, and complex carbohydrates to provide necessary aerobic energy, it is nearly impossible that they won't also get enough fat and sugars, but special care must be given in the case of omega fatty acids. Honey is an exception, it is very nutritious, and can be taken in as a supplement in moderate amounts. Omega fatty acids are vital for proper heart and brain function and a myriad of other necessary processes. Specific information about these is given below.
It seems like through most of your original post your trying to come up with concrete rules to follow for dieting/nutrition. That would be a huge mistake IMO. not everything that is bad for you, is bad all the time. For instance, you mention sugars, not all sugars are created equally, and post workout you definately want to superdose high GI carbs such as Dextrose/MaltoDextrin/Waxy Maize starch. These will absorb quickly, and replace the muscle glycogen you just used, and speed recovery and growth.

Also, depending on your diet, some fruits will only hinder your fat loss efforts, but lets not get started on keto diets and requirements we'll be here all day.

to me it seems like your overthinking a lot. You have to eat/traing/rest for your specific goals, having not seen your goals, its hard to get a clear picture of what your getting at here.
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Old 05-22-2007, 04:49 PM
Scorcher2005 Scorcher2005 is offline
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Hardgain, that's pretty much what i was thinking. I would of said something along those lines (although not worded as well) If i had more time when i posted it up.
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