| Eating to His Glory: A Look at How the Body
Uses Nutrients by J.R.Smith |
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Back to Nutrition |
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Eating to His Glory: A Look at How the Body Uses Nutrients God’s Body by Design Bodybuilding; marathon runner; power lifting; track and field; soccer; what do each of these sports have in common? Each athlete must be fueled with proper nutrition according to their specific sport. Each athlete has a specific demand on their body for certain energy supplies such as fats, carbs or proteins. But not only that, each athlete must eat adequate amounts of nutrition in order to perform at peak levels while maintaining levels of food that are considered safe and healthy. Man has been searching for performance enhancing foods that can be dated back to the origins of time. God had a clear picture of what He wanted each of us to eat and designed the body accordingly. The problem with our nutrition practices of today is that man has thrown in what he “thinks” is the right mix. Little do the researchers know is that if they did a little more research in to the original owners manual many of us call the Bible, we can find exactly what to eat, when to eat, how to prepare foods, which foods will maximize performance and which ones will clog the ol’ heart pipes and shut down the digestive tract. It was not until the very first Olympics held in Greece that we actually find the first documented attempt to improve sports performance through nutrition. It was here that Dromeus of Stymphalus is credited with adopting special nutrition practices for the improvement of athletic performance. Most noteworthy of these practices was the consumption of large amounts of meat to improve muscular strength. (So, it really wasn’t Doctor Atkins who started the high protein diets was it? Hummm….) Well back on track, let me say this: there is no single food solution that will increase athletic performance, but if you do leave out or drastically reduce just one component you will see a dramatic reduction in sports performance. Let me give you the definition of nutrition according to the Specialist in Performance Nutrition manual from the International Sports Sciences Association. “ Nutrition is the process of eating and converting food into structural and functional body comp0unds like skin, muscle, and hair. It is required for growth, maintenance of bodily function, repair of tissues, performance, and health. Different parts of the body need special nutrients to function properly. For example, your nervous system has different needs that your muscles. These differences must be considered to make the whole body perform at its best.” God had a plan (and still does) when He made us. In that plan, He designed exactly how our body is to process foods and which ones work the best for us. When man was still in the Garden of Eden, there was no death. Therefore, man could not kill animals for the purpose of eating. If you will read the Book of Genesis, God told Adam that He gave him every plant, vegetable and seed bearing tree in order to eat and maintain good health. It was not until Adam and Eve sinned that God had to add another dimension to their nutrition plan: Meat. By taking a simple look at the Bible, we can see God made each of us to be consuming higher levels of carbs, then proteins, then fats. In this way, our body will work more efficiently when the right combination of foods are put into the machine. When those foods are placed in the machine (our body) it not only works with maximum performance, it will also reverse much of the diseases we face today such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, etc. I suggest that each of you go out and purchase the book, “The Makers Diet”. It will really open your eyes to healthy and maximum performance nutrition. Since many of you that come to this web site are bodybuilders, you are mainly interested in building muscle. Many of you have followed the high protein diets for some time and probably have not questioned the origins method of mass building nutrition simply because it is so ingrained in the bodybuilding community and all the top supplement web sites. But the problem is: protein cannot build muscle by itself. It must have a high presence of carbohydrate available in order to do its job. For example if you do not have an adequate amount of carbs in the body, the body will kick in a hormonal cascade that will eventually create a condition called gluconeogenesis. What this simply means is that you body needs carbs in order to function and the body will find them one way or another, which means that typically your body will begin to break down “muscle or protein” and convert those proteins to a poor form of glucose in order to survive. The primary function the body is trying to protect brain activity. By the way, the brain uses primarily carbohydrate in the form of glucose and uses more calories than any other part of the body. It never sleeps and is always active. The liver provides the brain with its necessary fuel and when the liver is starved for glycogen, it will sacrifice tissue in order to get it. From there your body will go into ketosis, which should only be experienced if one is sick. This is not a natural condition of the body and should be avoided at all costs. According to the ISSA SPN manual; “When the body runs out of carbohydrate stores ( about 2400 to 3000 calories) and relies mostly on fat for energy, physical performance declines dramatically. When this happens the body has to push extra hard to keep up the work pace. Long distance athletes will call this hitting the wall. This was commonly encountered before the importance of carb loading and carb ingestion during exercise.” When a bodybuilder is in the gym pumping away at the weights, it is the glycogen in the muscle that is allowing his or her muscles to function by providing the necessary raw materials for the mitochondria to create ATP, which in turns allows the muscle to even move. This does not come from protein. You could literally eat your body weight in protein but you will not have the necessary fuel available to lift heavy enough weights to do the damage to the tissue to create growth. Here is a list of the Athletic Significance of Carbohydrates. · Carbs are the primary fuel source of the body; · Carbs are the primary glucose source; · Complex carbs should be eaten more than simply carbs; · Carbs should be eaten before, during and after exercise. The on exception is athletes who are weight training for muscle and strength building effects. These people should wait an hour after exercise before they eat to avoid interference with the growth hormone elevating effects of intense exercise; · The body stores glucose in the form of glycogen; · Carb loading maximizes glycogen supply but is not for every athlete; · Glucose is the primary fuel for the brain and nervous system; · Carbs are involved in maintaining blood glucose levels which are vital to performance and appetite control. Well as you have already noticed, this can get quite lengthy but that is the great thing about a monthly column, I can take as long as necessary to help educate you in the ways of godly sports nutrition. You see, God has a specific way He wants you to eat and by doing so, you will increase your performance in every day life, in the gym and during competition. Granted there are going to be times in which you will have to switch over to a high protein diet in order to get that shredded look, but I promise you, if you do it right, you will not have to kill yourself to get that prize winning physique, but more on that later. I have to close now. My wife and I have just bought our first house and I feel like Tom Hanks in the movie the Money Pit. If you have never seen this movie, I encourage you to watch it. I nearly fell out of my seat laughing so hard when I watched it. Now with so much having to be done in this house before we can comfortably live in it, well, I can now feel a little compassion for ol’ Tom. But God is good and He has a plan. I just have to maintain my proper ratio of carbs and proteins in order to keep myself properly nourished….I am still looking for that passage in the Bible that tells how to fix pizza…… Until next month, have a great and wonderful Christmas. And remember, Jesus was the gift but we are the reason for the season. He didn’t come to redeem Himself, He came for us. We are the reason for the season. Amen. If I can be of any assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email or cell phone. May God richly bless each of you and your families. BIO: J.R.Smith has over 38 years of experience in the fitness and sports field, a former black belt in martial arts and holds multiple certifications from various organizations including the ISSA. He is also the first fitness professional in Kentucky to take and pass the national board exam given by the National Board of Fitness Examiners. Currently J.R. is the Director of Wellness for Lifeline Home Health and owns a private wellness consulting firm called Kentucky Wellness Solutions. He is the strength coach for the Somerset High School boy’s basketball team and provides private one on one personal training and nutrition counseling. J.R. is also a certified biblical counselor through the American Association of Christian Counselors. You can contact J.R. at: bodyfit2day@hotmail.com or by cell phone at 606-271-0981. JR Smith, c.f.t., s.s.c., s.p.n NBFE Board Registered / Fellow Executive Director Lifeline Wellness Center CEO Elite Performance Sports & Fitness Training Systems 606-271-0981 |
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