Nutrition 101 – Pt 2.

Filed under: General Health, Nutrition

For those of you who missed it, I began a 2 part series about Nutrition 101 HERE. Today is a continuation of my top 10 rules, guidelines, tips, what have you. Do remember that even with all these guidelines, there is no one perfect diet. Many people find many different ways of eating, that still fall under the realm of these guidelines yet are completely distinct, that are as healthy as can be. Now onto the fun stuff.

6. Eat Healthy Fat, and Lots of it.

• Fat is necessary for proper hormone production.
• The 80′s were wrong, do not fear fat.
• Fat doesn’t make you fat.
• The lipid hypothesis of heart disease is wrong.
• Eat fat from foods that meet the criteria of Rules 1 & 2.
• Do not fear saturated fat, as long as it comes from food following Rules 1 & 2.
• Minimize consumption of industrial vegetable oils – corn, soybean, safflower, sunflower, etc.
• Should usually be at least 1/3 of calorie intake.

7. Only drink single ingredient, zero calorie beverages.

• Liquid calories go unnoticed by the body, so they add up.
• Best choices – water, tea, some black coffee.
• Some fresh juice ok in moderation.

8. Minimize Supplementation, though some is OK.

• Use to enhance, not replace a balanced diet.
• Lack nutrients inherent to REAL food.
• Best choices – protein powder, vitamin D, fish oil, creatine, resveratrol, etc.

9. Control Carbohydrate Intake

• Carbs should be mainly from nutrient dense fruits and veggies.
• Grains should only be from real whole grains – old fashioned oats, quinoa, sprouted grains, amaranth
• Minimize regular wheat intake – high in anti-nutrients – choose sprouted grain versions
• Best times for grain-based carbs – breakfast, pre and post training.
• Individual variance to this, so do not fear carbs, just use appropriately.

10. Live a Little!

• Break the rules once in a while.
• Do not fear eating a piece of cake, or some french fries, just do not make a habit of it.
• Understand what once in a while is, it is not a daily occurrence.
• Don’t always be “that guy (or girl)” who never eats anything at parties or social gatherings, it is ok to not be perfect.

I hope that helps some people, whether you are just trying to maximize health, lose weight, gain mass or some combination thereof, put these tips to use and you will certainly see vast improvements in all cases. Again, questions and comments are most welcome.

Addendum to Rule 2.

• Avoid artificial sweeteners, instead chose natural versions – Stevia, Lo Han, Molasses, Honey, Agave Nectar, etc – still only use sparingly.

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1. Jack Says:
   June 16th, 2009 at 10:07 am

   Brian,

   Great picture of a DFH product! No other company these days can top the potency and quality of their line.

2. Darian Says:
   June 16th, 2009 at 3:27 pm

   Brian,

   Thanks for the informative blogs, I always look forward to reading them. What is your feeling on products like Biotest Surge recovery and workout fuel? They seem to provide pretty cool benefits but do contain the artificial sweetener sucralose. If you eliminate all other artificial sweetener from your diet do you think it’s okay to include products like this in a healthy diet?

3. Josh Says:
   June 16th, 2009 at 6:01 pm

   Besides expanding you knowledge with attaining the ISSN certification, what is the difference between scope of practice when you have your CSCS to having both ISSN and CSCS? I know there is a fine line that only RD’s can cross due to their degree, could you make some sense of all of this for us? Either here or in a blog post?

   Thanks a lot,
   I always enjoy your work,

4. Brian St. Pierre Says:
   June 18th, 2009 at 7:25 am

   Darian,

   I don’t think that having some artificial sweeteners from time to time is going to kill you, on the other hand, there is a lot of nutritionally empty sugar in both of those products. I prefer to see people consume real food after training. There are exceptions, but your average fitness enthusiast probably doesn’t need them.

5. Brian St. Pierre Says:
   June 18th, 2009 at 7:28 am

   Josh,

   I wouldn’t say my scope of practice is any different, but having the CISSN does show prospective clients that I have attained at least some certain level of knowledge (along with my degree). Only RD’s can provide medical nutrition therapy, and it differs from state to state a little, but as a general rule you are more than ok giving people tips and guidelines and helping them make better choices.

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