National Nutrition Month
nu·tri·tion | \ nu̇-ˈtri-shən , nyu̇- \ (N)
Definition of nutrition
1: the act or process of nourishing or being nourished specifically : the sum of the processes by which an animal or plant takes in and utilizes food substances // foods that are necessary for human nutrition
2: NOURISHMENT sense 1… get adequate nutrition both before and during the race. — John Hanc
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What is “Nutrition”?
Throughout my personal education, “nutrition” has always referenced the process of taking in food and using it for growth, metabolism, and repair. It has always been synonymous with “healthy foods” or “proper diet” - but not necessarily in the ways you might think.
Bear with me on this one…
Our bodies are built and powered solely by the nutrients that we eat and drink on a daily basis; therefore, food is the source of all the energy we need. We literally create energy from food. The structures and components that make up the human body (I’m talking muscles, ligaments, organs, and bones, here) are also composed of the nutrients contained in food. This is why eating and taking in the nutrients that provide energy and become the components of our bodily structures is essential to sustaining human life. Also why, when we don’t eat enough, we cannot sustain the necessary levels of hormones, chemicals, and other balances in our system. We cannot create from nothing.
Nutrients, then, drive all of our biological activity. Categorized simply as proteins, carbs, and fats, along with vitamins and minerals. They perform (essentially) three vital functions;
Building our bodies (muscles, bones, blood etc)
Producing energy (heat, power etc)
Keeping the body functioning
Two “Types” of Nutrition
On a biological level, there are two main types of nutrition; autotrophic and heterotrophic.
In autotrophic nutrition, organisms use simple inorganic matters (like water and carbon dioxide) in the presence of light and chlorophyll to synthesize food on their own. Photosynthesis is one such process; converting light energy into glucose for food. Organisms that use autotrophic nutrition are calls autrophs - plants, algae, and bacteria (cyanobacteria) are some examples.
In heterotrophic nutrition, organisms depend on others for their nutrition as they cannot produce their own food. Fungi and all typical animals (yes, including humans) are heterotrophs. Heterotrophs can be of many varieties depending upon their environment and adaptations; some may eat plants (herbivores) and others eat animals (carnivores) while few eat both (omnivores). Thus we can say survival of heterotrophs depends directly or indirectly on plants.
Why Nutrition Matters
Very simply, nutrition is the building blocks for a healthy, maintainable life. Whether you’re looking at it from a biological, biochemical, or genetics standpoint - nutrition affects every single cell in your body.
Proper nutrition can promote healthy living, support normal cellular growth and repair, assists in development and aging processes, helps maintain healthy body weight, reduces risk of chronic diseases, and leads to overall health and well-being. People with proper nutrition tend to be happier overall, lead a more balanced lifestyle, and be less stressed/anxious.
Improper nutrition? Well - it does the opposite. While genetics do play a fair hand in overall health, nutrition can actually help get you out of the hole your ancestors dug for you. It can also put you leaps and bounds ahead of where you might have thought you could go. Improper nutrition leads to chronic illness, high cholesterol, heart diseases, cancers, being overweight/obese, affecting your ability to work, and impacting your stress hormones (to name a few).
Maintaining Proper Nutrition
I’ll be the first to admit - I hate the phrase “proper nutrition” - because by default, “improper nutrition” isn’t really nutrition by definition at all. But, I digress.
It’s actually shockingly simple to maintain proper nutrition. Note I said “simple;” not “easy…”
Eat fresh, local foods that are high in nutritive values, and eat foods lower in nutritional value less frequently (or in less quantity). Eat foods that are rich in fiber, balanced with whole grains and legumes, and stay at your optimal hydration level always.
Now, of course, if you feel like you’re off the nutrition wagon because you have some chronic issues or something is impacting your gut health (symptoms include anxiety, headaches, gas/bloating, mood swings, irregular bowel movements, issues remaining hydrated, not achieving your goals with all else remaining equal) - you’re starting off at a disadvantage. And this is the crux where most people stop listening, because we’ve gotten to the hard work.
You’re born with everything you need to live a happy, healthy lifestyle. Of course there are outliers here, but for the mainstream, your gut microbiome is happy and healthy from the get-go. Then at some point, you probably ate something weird, contracted an illness, got sick with a bug, took some antibiotics, or ate something that was low level radioactive and now you’re stuck in a rut of “what now?”
Go back to the basics.
The reason so many fad diets start with restrictions and cleanses (and why people get hooked on them so easily) is because you restrict all the foods that are bad for your gut right away. Almost all diets will tell you to stop eating sugary foods (bad for your gut), caffeine (arguably bad for your gut), animal protein (difficult for your gut to digest), and to start taking xyz supplements (which increase nutritive values regardless of any foods you’ll eat).
Now the $72 billion diet industry suddenly makes sense, right?
Hook you with results right away (that you can master on your own) but trick you into thinking that you NEED them to do it. Genius!
Imagine if we broke free from the thinking that the next fad diet will “fix” us, and instead, we fix ourselves.
Introduce the rainbow to your diet, and love it. That means new foods, fresh, locally farmed that have been in the same environment that you have. Load up on purple potatoes, peppers in all colors, berries that make your mouth water, cauliflower, broccoli, sprouts - and everything in between. Your gut can thank me later. In addition to being more nutrient-dense, they will also taste better, introduce new good bacteria to your system, and have you feeling fine in no time. Hydrate to your optimal hydration levels (DM me for the equation, it’s awesome), and make sure you’re getting enough sleep.
And before you ask, yes, hydration and sleep both factor into overall “nutrition” if you’re talking to a well-educated coach.
What is Nutrition to You?
The word “nutrition” sometimes gets a bad rep, often times becoming synonymous with “diet” or “proper” foods, etc. It’s unfortunate that the diet industry has become this pervasive - demonizing an inherently positive word. What are some of the beliefs you hold about “nutrition”? Does it hold positive or negative connotations for you? Is it synonymous with diet? Let me know in the comments below - I’m eager to learn more about how society understands and treats it as a whole!