A framework for good nutrition and fast recovery

Nutrition is more than meeting recommended daily allowances of nutrients. Nutrition is providing the infinitely complex human body the conditions and building blocks that it needs to function best as a whole system. Much nutritional understanding today, however, is focused on piecing together a proper diet based on single nutrients. Rather than considering the entire nutrient and anti-nutrient content of foods, a food's merit is often based on a single nutrient.

Milk, we've all heard, is a good source of calcium for strong bones. Yet relative to fruits and vegetables, milk contains a paucity of vitamins and minerals and also contains anti-nutritive factors such as the highly allergenic protein casein. Per calorie, dark leafy green vegetables contain nearly the same amount of calcium as milk. Furthermore, vegetable matter requires less digestive energy.

A framework for good nutrition should be based on adequate nutrient intake, minimizing digestive energy, and leading a healthful lifestyle.

Nutrient Intake

In the last 100 years, thousands of nutrients have been studied in relation to human nutrition. We know the consumption of certain nutrients is critical for health. The human body cannot make vitamin C, for example, and this nutrient must be taken in through food or supplement. Despite all this study, relatively little is known about how the various nutrients function and interrelate. Rather than creating a diet prescription based on selectively getting enough of this or that nutrient, a whole food, plant-based diet is the most nutrient-dense diet one can eat with all of the necessary nutrients in proper proportions. Moreover, the nutrients in fruits and vegetables are readily absorbed by the body.

Digestive Load

Heavy and complex foods like meat and dairy require longer digestive times and thus require more energy to process. This tremendous digestive load results in stress that taxes the body. For the athlete, this means less energy for the body to devote to recovery. Low-fat whole plant foods like fruits and vegetables not only supply an optimal dose of nutrients, they are also easily digested and assimilated. Athletes who consume a whole food, plant-based diet have an advantage over those who eat animal foods because they are reducing digestive stress.

Lifestyle Factors

You can eat the best diet in the world, but how you live will also affect your ability to assimilate nutrients and respond to training. The following lifestyle habits should also be considered as part of "good nutrition."

1. Exercise: Athletes usually don't have a problem getting enough exercise, but one's training load must be considered in relation to one's whole lifestyle. Training for endurance, strength, speed, flexibility, and coordination should be balanced according to one's athletic goals in order to prevent injury and maximize enjoyment.

2. Rest/Sleep: "Races are won in bed," a wise coach once said. Adaptation to training occurs when the body can recover. If you're waking up groggy or need coffee and stimulants to get the day going, you're probably not getting enough sleep.

3. Minimizing Stimulation: One of the most popular stimulants among athletes is caffeine. The body must use energy and nutrients to expel the toxins in coffee and caffeinated sodas. This is a waste of energy that an athlete could be putting towards recovery or training.

4. Sunshine: Sunshine is important for more than just vitamin D. Natural sunlight plays a critical role in regulating our bodies' endocrine system and sleep patterns.

5. Clean water: Dehydration will rapidly impair athletic performance, but the impurities found in most tap water and bottled water may affect health in the long run. Distilled or reverse osmosis filtered water in non-leaching containers should be preferred.

6. Clean air: The average adult's lungs have a surface area of 100m². This is a huge filtering system for air pollutants. For athletes living in or near cities clean air is hard to find. Do the best you can by training away from major traffic arteries and industrial areas.

7. Emotional Health: Anger, disappointment, frustration, doubt, and worry can quickly ruin one's athletic experience. Much has been written on sports psychology in the past several years, and these books, as well as practices such as yoga and meditation, are helpful in finding equanimity.

8. Community: A supportive group of friends or relatives makes a healthy lifestyle and achieving fitness goals much more enjoyable and attainable.