“The secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.” -Mark Twain
Food shapes us-literally. I notice a huge spike in my mood when I’ve eaten and drank well. It might be down to the fact I feel positive about the fact I’m doing my mind and body good, but there is a great deal of scientific proof which suggests eating well makes us feel better in a number of ways. This seems obvious, so it seems strange that many of us don’t put a conscious effort into consuming healthier foods. Commitments such as work and relationships can strain us and put pressure on our eating habits, but the key to improving our diets lies in informing ourselves. Once the basics are broken down, understanding what to put in our bodies and crucially, how much to consume becomes simple. Personally, I’m of the belief that food can only be defined as unhealthy when it is combined with frequency of consumption.
Within the fitness industry, there is a lot of confusing jargon around food-namely the term ‘macros’. This simply means Macronutrients, which are the terms you may read on the back of the packaging of your food-protein, carbohydrates, fat and so on. I check labels religiously, and it can be very time consuming when you’re just grabbing lunch on your break. Going food shopping with my housemates has been frustrating for them in the past, understandably when I’m agonising over the amount of protein in yoghurt. I’m not going to pretend I calculate my intake to the last calorie, but I know how much of everything I’m consuming in each day and keep a tally in my head. I used to use a macro-counting app, but scanning and searching for items became far too much of a chore and I was starting to become obsessive. Now, I know roughly how much protein, fat, carbs and calories I want to consume and do so by making the extra effort to check and count it all-which really isn’t as difficult or boring as it sounds once you’re used to it.
Something I’ll never forget reading is the statement that 70% of our physique is determined by what we eat, and the other 30% is actual training. Now, I’m not sure how scientifically accurate this is as there are a host of genetic and environmental factors to include, but research suggests this is a fairly accurate estimation for the general public. It’s about finding a balance. There is no point exercising 6 days a week if you don’t adjust your diet accordingly and fuel your body appropriately. Supplements are helpful and can help add in extra macronutrients when making another meal can be inconvenient or unmanageable. I used to eat pretty well growing up as my family ensured I knew the benefits of eating well and made sure they provided healthy meals, so I was very lucky in that respect and it gave me a head start. I also enjoy cooking and watch an obscene amount of food-related videos. My Instagram discovery page is almost exclusively videos of food being cooked, which I could watch endlessly.
Attending university was a big culture shock from an eating perspective. I no longer had healthy meals cooked from scratch for me and had to take responsibility of maintaining a good diet, which can be extremely difficult for a student with a busy schedule and no car. I definitely was not in a consistent and overly healthy routine at university, but I always made sure I put the effort in to try and eat well and in comparison to some of the stuff I’ve seen students eat, I’ve not done too badly. I used to underestimate the importance of eating enough fruit and vegetables and just tried to pack in as many calories and grams of protein as I could, until I realised I couldn’t get by on tuna pasta and multivitamin tablets. I now put in far more effort into eating several portions of fruit and vegetables and feel far better for it-both mentally and physically. The standard recommended intake of fruit and vegetables in the UK is portions a day to be 5. The Japanese Government advises 9. Their average life expectancy is a few years higher than ours, which has dropped by 6 months recently. Draw your own conclusion.
The formula for losing weight is very simple. Burn more calories than you consume, and you’ll lose weight. Consume more than you burn, and you’ll gain weight. There no secret or trick to it, and that’s the rule I’ve applied to my diet in trying to maintain a healthy weight where I can play competitive sport and use the gym, but also enjoy food. I don’t cut anything out of my diet and eat pretty much what I like-within reason. I like McDonald’s and KFC, I love fatty food like cheese and pizza and won’t ever deny myself of them occasionally, as long as I’ve eaten well and don’t have football the following day. I also have found the healthier foods I most enjoy and incorporate them into my diet too. It’s balanced. I struggle to eat food early in the morning as my appetite is low and will only have some fruit, yoghurt and a breakfast bar of some kind until lunch when I make up for it by eating a large meal. I supplement my diet with protein shakes which I add peanut butter, honey and fruit to which adds calories, flavour and nutrients. It requires a little extra effort but once a routine is formed, it’s very easy to consistently eat appropriately but enjoy it. Nothing has to be cut out and I’m open minded, so I’ll try new foods as long as I’m getting the sufficient macronutrients for me to maintain my weight. I struggle to put weight on and so can afford to be quite lenient with what I eat, but forcing down disgusting mass gainer shakes when I was younger was pretty difficult and I can confidently say I’d rather eat a little less and put on weight more easily-but I’m used to it and now have a good understanding of my body, what it reacts best to and what can backfire (almond milk will disable me due to stomach pains for at least an hour).
The pressure on people to eat well yet juggle their increasingly stressful and hectic work lives, as well as have a social life, spend time with their families and stay fit-plus take part in any hobbies they may have is borderline unreasonable. This, I feel, is the root cause of the emergence of dangerous and misleading products such as diet pills, appetite suppressants and metabolism accelerators. The culture of C-list celebrities promoting them on social media is reckless and a lack of general information about such products and their dangers is road that so many have gone down, it may be irreversible. Their contribution to eating disorders and complete obsession with body image is another subject and will be visited in a future post, but there is no doubt there is a link between food, social media and the capital to be made by selling such dangerous products. The monetary incentive is obvious for many companies who don’t truly care about their target markets wellbeing. If we crave food, it’s because our mind and body want it-which is completely natural and fine, within reason! Balance is the key in any diet, and every individuals body is different. Informing and supporting ourselves and one another is fundamental when it comes to nutrition, and enjoying food is part of enjoying life-if eating brown rice and chicken every day makes you truly happy, do it. But being afraid of an occasional burger and missing meals if you do succumb to “unhealthy” food is not sustainable, rational or constructive to a healthy outlook towards all aspects of life.
The journey of fitness. 