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In this blog post based on our health coaching video, we'll dive deep into the world of nutrition. Our day-to-day food choices significantly impact our performance, longevity, and overall well-being. As our Tiger physician, Dr. Matthew McNamei, often says, "Everyday food choices can either be medicine or poison." Good food choices enhance our body's health and performance, while poor choices lead to increased inflammation and oxidative stress. Let's delve into these concepts further.
Understanding Cellular Health
Our health habits ultimately re-engineer the environment in which our cells live. Cellular medicine, which we practice at Tiger, emphasizes that if your cells are thriving, so will your tissues, organs, and entire body. This approach takes us back to the very root of health.
What is Oxidative Stress?
Oxidative stress occurs when there's an imbalance between free radical production and antioxidant defenses. It's associated with major degenerative diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disease. Anything that leads to chronic degenerative diseases reduces longevity, performance, and day-to-day well-being.
Here are the primary drivers of oxidative stress:
- Alcohol Consumption: Moderation is the key.
- Excessive Saturated Fats: Look for non-dairy alternatives.
- Obesity: Maintain a healthy weight.
Improving Oxidative Stress Biomarkers
Changing your nutrition habits can significantly impact stress biomarkers. Adopting diets such as Paleo, Keto, or Mediterranean has solid research backing their benefits. These diets help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, ultimately improving how you feel and perform.
Time-Restricted Eating
An even simpler concept with similar results is time-restricted eating, which we'll discuss in our group health coaching and other videos. By aligning what you eat with stress management and time-restricted eating, you create a synergized superpower in your life.
Steps to Lower Oxidative Stress:
- Remove Offending Items: Reduce alcohol, saturated fats, and sugars.
- Add Healthy Items: Incorporate almonds, cashews, walnuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, and cleaner versions of peanut butter.
- More Fruits and Vegetables: Boost your fruit and veggie intake to positively impact oxidative stress.
The Impact of Nutrition on Performance and Longevity
Your nutrition choices affect not only daily vitality but also your long-term health and longevity. A concrete example is an NFL quarterback who follows a very high-quality diet, aiding his performance and longevity in a sport notorious for injuries. This athlete, not initially top-drafted, worked his way to the top through consistent health habits similar to what we promote at Tiger.
Principles Over Rules
At Tiger, we avoid prescriptive meal planning and instead focus on principles. Understanding these principles allows you to operate with flexibility rather than rigid rules. For example, genetic markers may indicate personal dietary needs, allowing for tailored nutrition.
Battling Inflammation: Another Pillar of Cellular Health
Inflammation is a significant factor in age-related health problems, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. To age well and stay productive into later years, it's crucial to focus on reducing inflammation levels.
Monitoring Inflammation:
- Keep an eye on your C-reactive protein score, which should be under 1.0.
- Better nutrition choices can help lower inflammation levels; view food as
The Glycemic Index and Load
Glycemic Index: Measures how carbohydrates increase blood glucose levels.
Glycemic Load: The cumulative effect of the volume of carbohydrates consumed.
With genetic predispositions to diabetes or prediabetic conditions, it's essential to avoid high glycemic index foods and excessive glycemic load.
Our Western diets are loaded with glycemic foods, omega-6 fatty acids, and processed items. Limiting these foods is critical for reducing both glucose spikes and overall body inflammation.
Steps to Change Your Diet Profile:
- Eliminate problematic foods: Processed foods, excess sugars, soft drinks.
- Focus on real foods: Meat, vegetables, fruits, and nuts.
- Gradual process: Adopt changes slowly for sustainable habits.
Nutrition and the Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule)
The Pareto Principle suggests that a vital few actions have a disproportionately large impact on your life. Avoid fad diets and focus on sustainable habits, combining Tiger's multi-faceted approach: stress management, sleep optimization, fasting, daily movement, and nutrition. This ensures long-term health benefits and weight management.
Building a Personalized Nutrition Plan:
- Avoid Intolerances: Identify and eliminate foods that cause sensitivities.
- Monitor Caloric Intake: Align your diet with your age, gender, height, weight, and activity level.
- Balance Macronutrients: Fat, proteins, and carbohydrates should be carefully managed.
- Include Micronutrient-Rich Foods: Focus on fruits, vegetables, and other clean foods.
Conclusion: Nutrition Shapes Your Future
Your dietary choices literally paint a picture of your future. By learning about inflammation, oxidative stress, and clean eating, you can make informed decisions that serve your long-term health. Embrace the mindset that food is either medicine or poison, and start making one small, impactful choice every day.
"Everyday food choices can either be medicine or poison."
– Dr. Matthew McNamee
Take Action Today
Understanding principles over rules, remember that it's about making sustainable changes and not beating yourself up for occasional slip-ups. Start with tiny micro habits, such as eliminating one unhealthy food, and gradually build on your success.
Your destiny is shaped by the habits you build today. Make one small change daily, gain momentum, and soon you'll be reaping the benefits of a healthier, more vibrant life.
Thank you for joining me in this deep dive into nutrition essentials. I hope you found it helpful. Let's embark on this journey toward better health together! Have a great day!
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A Word From Our Founder, Steve Adams
Hey there! I'm Steve
I spent 20 years in high-pressure corporate banking, constantly traveling and neglecting my health. By 50, I was sleep-deprived, getting only 2-3 hours of sleep despite lying in bed for six hours. I suffered from acid reflux, IBS, cramping, constipation, anxiety, fatigue, and brain fog, affecting my performance and relationships.
Then I found a Functional Medicine Doctor
He conducted extensive testing on genetics, gut biome health, and hormones. He discovered several issues and created a personalized medical plan and coached me for a year on lifestyle changes. The results were transformative!
Today, I feel like a new person. I can engage in high-intensity interval training, weight lifting, and running without any symptoms. Inspired by this journey, I founded Tiger Medical Institute to help others achieve similar health transformations - to help you live healthier, better life!
