How Can Food Change Your Life?

Changing my diet from processed food to all-natural food has made me a better athlete, student, and person. My family has benefited from this peculiar way of eating as well. I bet you didn't realize how much food could affect every aspect of your life.

The acronym SAD represents the Standard American Diet, which is characterized by large quantities of refined and processed grains, high-fat foods, processed meats, high-sugar drinks, and high-sugar foods (wiki). Most people think that a low-carb, low-fat, low-calorie diet is the best way to stay fit and healthy, but the truth is that is just a great way to slow down your metabolism which ultimately leads to weight gain and a muggy brain. I am going to explain how putting down the granola bars and orange juice can save your life.

I learned about this new diet when I started doing Crossfit. Crossfit is an extremely taxing sport both mentally and physically, and because of this it is important to have a diet that is optimal for physical fitness as well as brain function. Our gym does something called “The Whole Life Challenge,” where you basically give up all processed foods for 60 days and see how your body changes. The knowledge I gathered while doing this challenge was stunning and improved my quality of life.

I have always been an athlete and I used to think that the perfect day food-wise looked something like this:

breakfast - low fat bagel + fat free cream cheese + glass of orange juice

lunch - granola bar + apple + lunch meat sandwich

snack - crackers or some kind of low fat food

dinner - pasta + marinara sauce + meatballs
Most people would look at that and agree it looks pretty healthy. Not too much fat, not too many calories. Now I know that although eating like that will keep you skinny, it will not necessarily benefit your overall health.

Back to the Whole Life Challenge. I thought that people were crazy for giving up so many foods and I had many doubts. How will I get enough nutrients? Enough calories? How will I get my required calcium intake if I can’t drink milk? What about sugar and carbs? Where will I get my energy from? On this journey I have found the answers to all of these plus any other food related questions a person could possibly think of.

For the duration of the challenge you are only allowed to eat sweet potatoes, organic butter, nuts/seeds, fruits, all vegetables except corn, and meats that are not processed. Other foods are left out because they have one of the following consequences: a negative hormonal response (ex: raises insulin too much), a negative psychological response (ex: addictive foods), don’t support a healthy gut (ex: foreign proteins/chemicals/GMOs), or they increase inflammation in the digestive system (ex: gluten). (Hartwig)

It is a challenge at first to choose sweet potatoes over ice cream or green beans instead of bread, but once you follow the challenge seriously you start to notice some pretty big changes. You start to lean up, cardio isn’t as taxing on your body, recovery time speeds up, it’s easier to think clearly and focus, you’re not as tired or hungry during the day, and stress levels stay in check.

Physical changes. On the Whole Life Challenge I noticed that my body started to lean out. I gained muscle and lost fat. My mile time decreased and intense cardio workouts started to feel less taxing. I also was able to recover faster after workouts which allowed me to push harder the next day. I found this to be due to the high amounts of fat I was eating throughout the day. Instead of looking to sugar for a source of energy, fat was my go-to pre-workout fuel. A handful of almonds, 1/2 an avocado, or even a couple eggs is all it takes. On the other hand my strength increased and I found that my mobility/flexibility improved. When you are eating foods that don’t induce inflammation, your body isn’t as sore and that makes it much easier to get into tough positions such as a squat (Becker).

Mental changes. Most people know that certain foods can trigger headaches. It may be shocking, but headaches aren’t the only thing that can be caused by food. Many diseases such as dementia, chronic headaches, depression, epilepsy, and diabetes are caused by the foods we eat as well (Drevitch). All the chemicals and crap they put in food nowadays to make it taste good (as well as make it addictive) change the expression of our genes (Nature). Certain genes can be turned on or off depending on outside factors such as environment or diet. For example cancer cells start off as healthy cells and slowly mutate into cancerous cells through changes in gene expression caused by being exposed to certain things like foods, substances, chemicals, etc... (Science Museum). Eating the right amounts of the proper nutrients and avoiding processed foods can reduce your risk for pretty much every lifestyle related disease there is (Cancer Research). If that doesn’t convince you to stop eating oreos maybe this will. People with diets high in fat are 42% less likely to face cognitive impairment compared to people with low fat diets (Drevitch). Mr. Drevitch also goes on to say “there's a big difference between eating fat and being fat. People who eat more fat tend to consume fewer carbs. As a result, they produce less insulin and store less fat in their bodies.” Personally I noticed that I was able to focus better and think more clearly. I even gained confidence from knowing that what I was putting into my body was the best choice.

Hormonal changes. I cannot stress enough how important hormone levels are. Eating all natural balances them out. People who eat processed foods usually have at least one the following: acne, allergies, anxiety, depression, fatigue, headaches, mood swings (Turbin). Eating artificial sweeteners, dairy, grains, legumes, soy, and seed oils cause more problems than you would think. One of the most well-known diseases caused by a bad diet is diabetes. Sugars and sweeteners promote insulin resistance, leptin resistance, a leaky gut, and they are just empty calories that don’t provide any nutritional value (Hartwig). I don’t know about you, but I prefer to have a healthy hormone balance so my body can function optimally at all times. Did you know that before alarm clocks were invented people used to wake up due to elevated cortisol levels? These days most people won’t get up unless their alarm clock goes off at top volume. If you need an alarm clock to wake up that’s a sign that your hormone levels are out of balance (Parsley).

Relationship changes. I convinced my family to do the challenge with me the second time around and so far they have reaped the benefits along with me. Since healthful choices are highly influenced by what’s available it’s critical to always have good food prepared if you want to be successful during this challenge. It’s no fun to go to a picnic and have to stare at delicious looking foods that you aren't supposed to eat, but that picnic wouldn’t be so bad if you were prepared and brought along some homemade all-natural food. Having good food available and knowing that we are all in this together has strengthened my family and gave us all something in common to shoot for. Even the community at my gym has been strengthened through this challenge. We are all learning, struggling, and helping each other out. The biggest change that will affect your relationships caused by eating healthy is that you won’t be as cranky as often. We all have our days, but by taking care of your body and having balanced hormones it makes life a little more enjoyable.

I don’t diet, I just eat for my goals. My goals are to be extremely strong both mentally and physically. I also want to go to the Olympics and run a Spartan Death race. Eating all natural foods is the most efficient diet for me. I think that this way of eating is not only perfect for athletes, but for anyone who is overweight or suffers a chronic illness (or any illness for that matter). This lifestyle is not a quick fix and I promise you that you won’t lose 10 pounds in 10 days. It takes time and patience for change to occur, especially if you want long-lasting effects.

The main reason we eat is to fuel our bodies and gain energy, not for pleasure and not to offset emotions. It may be hard to make changes in your diet, but the benefits you will have in the future are so worth it.

Overall changing the way I eat has improved my quality of life. I preach about eating healthy because I presume that something that could change your life so much ought to be known by everybody. I asked one of my classmates what eating healthy was to them. I got the typical response of “low-fat granola bars, whole-grain bread, and fruit.” It is really hard to educate people about what real healthy food is because they immediately become defensive when you suggest that what they know about food is incorrect. Hopefully by sharing this and through the growing popularity of Crossfit we can change the way the world views food.

Works Cited

Allen, Will. "GMO Food, Antibiotic Laced Meat and High Fructose Corn Syrup Have Made the U.S. the Fattest Nation in History!" GMO Food, Antibiotic Laced Meat and High Fructose Corn Syrup Have Made the U.S. the Fattest Nation in History! Organic Consumers Assosiation, 5 Sept. 2012. Web. 26 May 2014.

Bauer, Joy. "Hidden Additives." Www.joybauer.com. Web. 26 May 2014.

Becker, Liz. "Road to Rio." : Muscle Inflammation vs. Food Inflammation. Blogspot, 10 May 2014. Web. 26 May 2014.

"Diet and Cancer - Different Foods and Nutrients." : Cancer Research UK. 2 Dec. 2010. Web. 26 May 2014.

Drevitch, Gary. "What Grain Is Doing to Your Brain." Next Avenue. PBS, 17 Nov. 2013. Web. 26 May 2014.

HARTWIG, MELISSA. It Starts with Food: Discover the Whole 30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways. Rutland: Tuttle, 2012. Print.

Lobo, Ingrid. "Environmental Influences on Gene Expression." Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group. Web. 26 May 2014.

Parsley, Kirk, Dr. "Re: 1 QUICK WAY TO NATURUALY INCREASE TESTOSTERONE: SLEEP." Audio blog comment. Barbell Shrugged. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2014.

Turbin, Tina. "Hormones and Paleo | Paleomazing." Paleomazing. TTAT. Web. 26 May 2014.

"Western Pattern Diet." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 May 2014. Web. 26 May 2014.

"Who Am I?" How Do Healthy Cells Become Cancerous? Wellcome Trust. Web. 26 May 2014.