Fueling your Mind and Body
You’ve taken the big step – you’ve committed to the gym and show up and put in 1-2 hours of hard work 4-5x a week and you’re on your way toward those fitness goal you set back in January. But is just exercise enough? High Intensity Training such as what you get from participating in a Muay Thai class can deplete your body on manty levels, which is why it’s important to understand how to fuel your body before, during, and after a workout – This is where the deeper results come from that get you closer to your goals and get your mind and body operating at an optimal level.
For example, you may be on a weight loss mission and while participating in class 4-5x a week show you some preliminary results such as elevated mood, lower stress, and more stable blood sugar, and some weight loss – But you have to be careful that you’re not starving your body and brain from the essential nutrients and fuel it needs to perform optimally throughout the day. Your workout takes a lot out of you so we wanted to share some basics when it comes to diet that you can make easy wins on – if you can manage to kick some subtle habits.
Our brains are always ‘on’ and it takes care of our movements, breathing, heartbeat, senses, and thoughts 24/7 – yes even while you’re asleep. Your brain requires a constant supply of fuel and this fuel comes from what you eat. What you eat dramatically affects the structure and function of your brain, body, and ultimately your mood.
Eating high quality foods that contain plenty of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects is from oxidative stress (aka waste or free radicals) that are produced when the body uses oxygen. Free radicals can damage cells.
Just like putting low grade fuel in a luxury car – your mind and body will be damaged if you ingest anything other than premium fuel. You may be asking- what is this premium fuel when it comes to food? Well I can tell you what it’s not – and that’s processed or refined foods such as sugar which is harmful to the brain and worsens your body’s insulin regulation and promotes inflammation. Multiple studies have identified a correlation between diets high in refined sugars and impaired brain function and symptoms of mood disorders such as depression.
How the foods you eat affect how you feel
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep and appetite, mediate moods, and inhibit pain. Since about 95% of your serotonin is produced in your gastrointestinal tract, and your gastrointestinal tract is lined with a hundred million nerve cells, or neurons, it makes sense that the inner workings of your digestive system don’t just help you digest food, but also guide your emotions. What’s more, the function of these neurons — and the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin — is highly influenced by the billions of “good” bacteria that make up your intestinal microbiome. These bacteria play an essential role in your health. They protect the lining of your intestines and ensure they provide a strong barrier against toxins and “bad” bacteria; they limit inflammation; they improve how well you absorb nutrients from your food; and they activate neural pathways that travel directly between the gut and the brain.
Studies have shown that when people take probiotics (supplements containing the good bacteria), their anxiety levels, perception of stress, and mental outlook improve, compared with people who did not take probiotics. Other studies have compared “traditional” diets, like the Mediterranean diet and the traditional Japanese diet, to a typical “Western” diet and have shown that the risk of depression is 25% to 35% lower in those who eat a traditional diet. Scientists account for this difference because these traditional diets tend to be high in vegetables, fruits, unprocessed grains, and fish and seafood, and to contain only modest amounts of lean meats and dairy. They are also void of processed and refined foods and sugars, which are staples of the “Western” dietary pattern. In addition, many of these unprocessed foods are fermented, and therefore act as natural probiotics. Fermentation uses bacteria and yeast to convert sugar in food to carbon dioxide, alcohol, and lactic acid. It is used to protect food from spoiling and can add a pleasant taste and texture.
This may sound implausible to you, but the notion that good bacteria not only influence what your gut digests and absorbs, but that they also affect the degree of inflammation throughout your body, as well as your mood and energy level, is gaining traction among researchers. The results so far have been quite amazing.
What does this mean for you?
Start paying attention to how eating different foods makes you feel — not just in the moment, but the next day. Try eating a “clean” diet for two to three weeks — that means cutting out all processed foods and sugar. Add fermented foods like kimchi, miso, sauerkraut, pickles, or kombucha. You also might want to try going dairy-free — and some people even feel that they
feel better when their diets are grain-free. See how you feel. Then slowly introduce foods back into your diet, one by one, and see how you feel.
When my patients “go clean,” they cannot believe how much better they feel both physically and emotionally, and how much worse they then feel when they reintroduce the foods that are known to enhance inflammation. Give it a try!
Harvard, Nutritional Psychiatry 2019.
Where to start?
Begin a journal over 7-10 days and track your current eating habits starting with the first think you ingest upon waking and everything in between until you go to bed. Even track the times you are eating. Below are a few items to take notice of and track that will get you started in the right direction.
Carbohydrates: How many at each meal and when are these being consumed. It is best to eliminate carbs from breakfast and save them for after your workout to replenish glycogen stores.
Sugar: How much sugar are you taking in daily (this is hidden in a variety of ways – dig deep into the labels of your foods).
Adult Men: up to 37 Grams per day
Adult Women: up to 25 grams per day (healthline)
Protein: Notate the sources of your protein and if its coming from plants, meats, or dairyFats: Fats are a great source of energy and provide the brain with essential nutrients.
Gathering an overall picture of your dietary habits can help you identify areas of opportunity to improve your health, performance, mood, and longevity. Touch base with us if you want to hear more on diet and how it can help you reach your optimal performance.
Mike Landers – Omni Business Design