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The Ultimate Meal for Athletes: A Well-Rounded Meal
The principle behind eating veggies at every serving is the principle of eating the best meal every time you step to the plate: the most complete, well-rounded meal. This is why the Nutrition Data Nutrient Balance Indicator can be so handy.
Basically, in order to ingest the most complete meal possible, you should get a complete serving of each necessary macronutrient, micronutrient, and phytonutrient (aka phytochemical) at every meal. I'll go over each.
Macronutrients (Carbohydrates, Protein, Fat):
1) CARBOHYDRATES: the main sources of carbohydrates are oats, grains, beans, legumes, and of course vegetables. This macronutrient is probably the most debated source of energy of the last 20 years, so I won't go into needless detail about why they are essential for health, except to say that they are necessary components in the processing of two metabolic cycles in the body: 1) Glycolysis, and 2) The Krebs Cycle (aka the Citric Acid Cycle). Carbohydrates are necessary for repleting glycogen stores in the body and are basic fuel of energy in the body. In addition, fiber is a carbohydrate, and fiber is necessary to healthy digestion and maintaining GI tract health. Thus, it's important to get some kind of carbohydrate at each feeding opportunity.
2) PROTEIN: it is desirable to eat a complete, lean protein at every meal. I will not focus on numbers, since that is not the goal of this post, but rather the reason for getting a complete, lean protein. A "complete" protein will supply all 8 of the essential amino acids (since that is the definition of a "complete" proteins). Only animal sources are complete proteins, although all are not lean. Examples of lean protein are chicken breast, turkey breast, eye round steak, top round steak, tuna, salmon, whey protein, and casein protein. Since, as many of you know, with certain foods there is a limiting amino acid that inhibits the absorption of the other amino acids, it should be easily understood why it's most desirable to get all 8 at each feeding: the synergy between them.
3) FAT: there aren't any inherently "good" or "bad" foods: just foods that are good or bad at certain times (and in certain amounts). The fact is our bodies utilize each kind of fat for different functions, so for the most healthy, best-rounded meal, John Berardi recommends a fat profile of 1/3 monounsaturated, 1/3 polyunsaturated, 1/3 saturated at each meal.
Micronutrients (Vitamins & Minerals):
This is where the NutritionData wheel really comes in handy, and where the reason for veggies at every feeding is made clear. Just go to NutritionData and compare some of your favorite fruits to your favorite vegetables: compare an apple to broccoli, or an orange to spinach. Notice the Nutrient Balance Indicator to the right. Notice how spinach fills up damn near every micronutrient to the brim, and how apples- although abundant in several micronutrients- tend to have many empty micronutrient slices in the wheel.
To get a complete serving of all the micronutrients on the day is good, but to get one at each meal is much better. If you're already eating 6-7 times a day, you will be metabolizing much of each meal before the next. Your body needs not just one or two micronutrients, but all of them: they have varying functions. How desirable is it if one function isn't carried out half the day? That's 50% of your life this function isn't functioning.
Besides, it's clear from the absorption of food versus vitamin supplements that getting the most rounded meal- not just in terms of micronutrients- is best for your body's ability to handle what it is fed. Excepting a few micronutrients (such as Selenium) that can be toxic even from food sources, your body desires as much of them as it can digest from the whole foods you eat.
Phytonutrients (Flavonoids, Isoflavones, Saponins, etc.):
I'm new this to subject myself, but this isn't complicated. Unlike macronutrients or micronutrients, phytonutrients aren't required by the body to subsist (at least not so far as we know yet, or not on the same short timeline); however, they have been shown to have a plethora of healthful benefits. The NutritionData wheel doesn't show thess phytonutrients, so intead I will link you to Wikipedia's Phytochemical Page. If you scroll down to the categories of phytonutrients, you will notice their food sources are almost entirely vegetables and fruits. One phytochemical in particular, lycopene, found in tomatoes, has caught the eye of just about everyone in the field of health-interests. Aside from its protection against cancer, I know my dad has quoted its usefulness in eye health on several occassions.
Bottom line: you want a meal rich in phytonutrients, your best bet is to eat a variety of vegetables in that meal.
It should be clear now what your goal with each meal is (although I didn't comment on macronutrient profile). Just remember balance and moderation for your everyday diet. Otherwise, your goal is simply to get as much good stuff as possible crammed into each feeding. Not that complicated, huh?
This is why I love the NutritionData wheel. It gives a simple graphic representation of each food showing (as percent of FDA Daily Value):
1) Vitamin Profile
2) Mineral Profile
3) Dietary Fiber Content
4) Protein Content
5) Sodium, Cholesterol, and Saturated Fat Content
I don't really need that, usually, but if I design a new meal with only two veggies myself, I usually double check to see that they complement each other. If one dark leafy green has only one vitamin deficiency, I double check to make sure my other vegetable is not also deficient in that vitamin.
In addition to the importance of roundedness in macros, micros, and phytos, there are several other significant reasons for eating veggies at every meal:
1) Glycemic Index
All vegetables are low GI, and most fruits are low to medium GI. Even whole grain oats and grain products are high by comparison. If you aren't familiar with the benefits of a low GI diet over a high GI diet, well, the topic is too vast to cover here. But a shortlist is that high GI diets have been linked to obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, and a host of other top killers in first world countries like those in North America and Europe (where things like starvation aren't a major problem). If you wish to read in more depth, I recommend the book, "The Low GI Diet Revolution" by Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller.
2) Inflammatory Effect
You'll notice that ND has an "IF Rating". This is mainly related to the body's ability to produce prostaglandins that increase or reduce inflammation. The requisite role of inflammation in the anabolic process aside: anti-inflammation is desirable. If you wish to read more, look here:
Explanation of ND's IF Rating
3) The PRAL Score: Acid/Alkaline Load
Covering Nutritional Bases: The Importance of Acid-Base Balance by Dr. John Berardi
PRAL Calculator
4) The ORAC Score: A Rating of Antioxidative Power
Wikipedia: The ORAC
A More Straightforward (i.e. "Laymen's") Explanation of ORAC
One thing to understand is that the latter three reasons above are related to what I already said about macronutrients, micronutrients, and phytonutrients. The IF Rating & PRAL Scores can be calculated by plugging in the content of these things in a food. The ORAC Score can be approximated with fair accuracy by plugging in their content. The only reason it isn't totally accurate for the ORAC is because certain nutrients have a synergistic effect that can't be predicted, and thus there is a need for test tube analysis.
Yet what do all these four things have in common? That's right. The top scorers on all four are vegetables and fruits. And the decathletes of the world are the dark green veggies: spinach, broccoli, asparagus, etc. They are near the top in every possible measurement of nutritive value.
So why is it necessary to eat veggies at every meal? Because even fruits and whole oats or grains pale in comparison to their micronutrient and phytonutrient profiles. Oats and grains also tend to be more dense, calorically, so there's a risk you'll eat more than you should. If you don't take this risk seriously, consider that nearly all the nations in the world with oats and grains as their primary source of carbohydrates have obese citizenry. Basically, there is an opportunity cost to eating other sources of carbohydrates; simply, none can compete with veggies. In addition to this, many people are carb sensitive. Although John Berardi has relaxed his stance on starches for some, he still recommends that carb-sensitive people (perhaps better known as "endomorphs") should eat starches only in the 2-3 hour window following a strenuous workout. This is the only time of the day the body is equipped to handle higher amounts of sugar.
The bottom line: eat your freaking veggies.
Anyway, I've become a human advertisement lately, but really, you should buy Precision Nutrition. It's worth it for the Gourmet Nutrition Recipe book alone (with 125 meals that abide by his 10 rules). But there's also his list of 21 Superfoods that just KICKS ASS, and which I've restrained from listing here because I feel it's his property and if anyone should like to see it, they should support his efforts. Too much money is going to fad diet hackery.
The principle behind eating veggies at every serving is the principle of eating the best meal every time you step to the plate: the most complete, well-rounded meal. This is why the Nutrition Data Nutrient Balance Indicator can be so handy.
Basically, in order to ingest the most complete meal possible, you should get a complete serving of each necessary macronutrient, micronutrient, and phytonutrient (aka phytochemical) at every meal. I'll go over each.
Macronutrients (Carbohydrates, Protein, Fat):
1) CARBOHYDRATES: the main sources of carbohydrates are oats, grains, beans, legumes, and of course vegetables. This macronutrient is probably the most debated source of energy of the last 20 years, so I won't go into needless detail about why they are essential for health, except to say that they are necessary components in the processing of two metabolic cycles in the body: 1) Glycolysis, and 2) The Krebs Cycle (aka the Citric Acid Cycle). Carbohydrates are necessary for repleting glycogen stores in the body and are basic fuel of energy in the body. In addition, fiber is a carbohydrate, and fiber is necessary to healthy digestion and maintaining GI tract health. Thus, it's important to get some kind of carbohydrate at each feeding opportunity.
2) PROTEIN: it is desirable to eat a complete, lean protein at every meal. I will not focus on numbers, since that is not the goal of this post, but rather the reason for getting a complete, lean protein. A "complete" protein will supply all 8 of the essential amino acids (since that is the definition of a "complete" proteins). Only animal sources are complete proteins, although all are not lean. Examples of lean protein are chicken breast, turkey breast, eye round steak, top round steak, tuna, salmon, whey protein, and casein protein. Since, as many of you know, with certain foods there is a limiting amino acid that inhibits the absorption of the other amino acids, it should be easily understood why it's most desirable to get all 8 at each feeding: the synergy between them.
3) FAT: there aren't any inherently "good" or "bad" foods: just foods that are good or bad at certain times (and in certain amounts). The fact is our bodies utilize each kind of fat for different functions, so for the most healthy, best-rounded meal, John Berardi recommends a fat profile of 1/3 monounsaturated, 1/3 polyunsaturated, 1/3 saturated at each meal.
Micronutrients (Vitamins & Minerals):
This is where the NutritionData wheel really comes in handy, and where the reason for veggies at every feeding is made clear. Just go to NutritionData and compare some of your favorite fruits to your favorite vegetables: compare an apple to broccoli, or an orange to spinach. Notice the Nutrient Balance Indicator to the right. Notice how spinach fills up damn near every micronutrient to the brim, and how apples- although abundant in several micronutrients- tend to have many empty micronutrient slices in the wheel.
To get a complete serving of all the micronutrients on the day is good, but to get one at each meal is much better. If you're already eating 6-7 times a day, you will be metabolizing much of each meal before the next. Your body needs not just one or two micronutrients, but all of them: they have varying functions. How desirable is it if one function isn't carried out half the day? That's 50% of your life this function isn't functioning.
Besides, it's clear from the absorption of food versus vitamin supplements that getting the most rounded meal- not just in terms of micronutrients- is best for your body's ability to handle what it is fed. Excepting a few micronutrients (such as Selenium) that can be toxic even from food sources, your body desires as much of them as it can digest from the whole foods you eat.
Phytonutrients (Flavonoids, Isoflavones, Saponins, etc.):
I'm new this to subject myself, but this isn't complicated. Unlike macronutrients or micronutrients, phytonutrients aren't required by the body to subsist (at least not so far as we know yet, or not on the same short timeline); however, they have been shown to have a plethora of healthful benefits. The NutritionData wheel doesn't show thess phytonutrients, so intead I will link you to Wikipedia's Phytochemical Page. If you scroll down to the categories of phytonutrients, you will notice their food sources are almost entirely vegetables and fruits. One phytochemical in particular, lycopene, found in tomatoes, has caught the eye of just about everyone in the field of health-interests. Aside from its protection against cancer, I know my dad has quoted its usefulness in eye health on several occassions.
Bottom line: you want a meal rich in phytonutrients, your best bet is to eat a variety of vegetables in that meal.
It should be clear now what your goal with each meal is (although I didn't comment on macronutrient profile). Just remember balance and moderation for your everyday diet. Otherwise, your goal is simply to get as much good stuff as possible crammed into each feeding. Not that complicated, huh?
This is why I love the NutritionData wheel. It gives a simple graphic representation of each food showing (as percent of FDA Daily Value):
1) Vitamin Profile
2) Mineral Profile
3) Dietary Fiber Content
4) Protein Content
5) Sodium, Cholesterol, and Saturated Fat Content
I don't really need that, usually, but if I design a new meal with only two veggies myself, I usually double check to see that they complement each other. If one dark leafy green has only one vitamin deficiency, I double check to make sure my other vegetable is not also deficient in that vitamin.
In addition to the importance of roundedness in macros, micros, and phytos, there are several other significant reasons for eating veggies at every meal:
1) Glycemic Index
All vegetables are low GI, and most fruits are low to medium GI. Even whole grain oats and grain products are high by comparison. If you aren't familiar with the benefits of a low GI diet over a high GI diet, well, the topic is too vast to cover here. But a shortlist is that high GI diets have been linked to obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, and a host of other top killers in first world countries like those in North America and Europe (where things like starvation aren't a major problem). If you wish to read in more depth, I recommend the book, "The Low GI Diet Revolution" by Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller.
2) Inflammatory Effect
You'll notice that ND has an "IF Rating". This is mainly related to the body's ability to produce prostaglandins that increase or reduce inflammation. The requisite role of inflammation in the anabolic process aside: anti-inflammation is desirable. If you wish to read more, look here:
Explanation of ND's IF Rating
3) The PRAL Score: Acid/Alkaline Load
Covering Nutritional Bases: The Importance of Acid-Base Balance by Dr. John Berardi
PRAL Calculator
4) The ORAC Score: A Rating of Antioxidative Power
Wikipedia: The ORAC
A More Straightforward (i.e. "Laymen's") Explanation of ORAC
One thing to understand is that the latter three reasons above are related to what I already said about macronutrients, micronutrients, and phytonutrients. The IF Rating & PRAL Scores can be calculated by plugging in the content of these things in a food. The ORAC Score can be approximated with fair accuracy by plugging in their content. The only reason it isn't totally accurate for the ORAC is because certain nutrients have a synergistic effect that can't be predicted, and thus there is a need for test tube analysis.
Yet what do all these four things have in common? That's right. The top scorers on all four are vegetables and fruits. And the decathletes of the world are the dark green veggies: spinach, broccoli, asparagus, etc. They are near the top in every possible measurement of nutritive value.
So why is it necessary to eat veggies at every meal? Because even fruits and whole oats or grains pale in comparison to their micronutrient and phytonutrient profiles. Oats and grains also tend to be more dense, calorically, so there's a risk you'll eat more than you should. If you don't take this risk seriously, consider that nearly all the nations in the world with oats and grains as their primary source of carbohydrates have obese citizenry. Basically, there is an opportunity cost to eating other sources of carbohydrates; simply, none can compete with veggies. In addition to this, many people are carb sensitive. Although John Berardi has relaxed his stance on starches for some, he still recommends that carb-sensitive people (perhaps better known as "endomorphs") should eat starches only in the 2-3 hour window following a strenuous workout. This is the only time of the day the body is equipped to handle higher amounts of sugar.
The bottom line: eat your freaking veggies.
Anyway, I've become a human advertisement lately, but really, you should buy Precision Nutrition. It's worth it for the Gourmet Nutrition Recipe book alone (with 125 meals that abide by his 10 rules). But there's also his list of 21 Superfoods that just KICKS ASS, and which I've restrained from listing here because I feel it's his property and if anyone should like to see it, they should support his efforts. Too much money is going to fad diet hackery.
