3 Easy Ways I Improved My Nutrition
I always thought I had a good handle on nutrition. But these three things proved me wrong, and changed my understanding of nutrition and my approach to diet.
Logging my food
I’ve been an athlete all of my life and I’ve always manipulated my diet in pursuit of my physical goals. But a few years ago when I stopped racing in triathlons I found that my diet was out of whack and I couldn’t get it straight.
Three years of endurance training had changed my relationship with food. I had become overly conscious of every single thing I was putting into my body. I wanted to optimize what I was eating so I could optimize my training. And I thought I was, but physically I just didn’t feel great.
I had been dealing with a lot of injuries and my body wasn’t responding well to training. I felt like I was never recovering. I decided I needed to look past the food and at the actual macros going into my body. So I started tracking my meals with Avatar Nutrition. (My Fitness Pal offers a free meal tracker but with less amenities than Avatar).
I tracked every meal, snack and drink for 4 months.
I learned two important things:
I was not consuming nearly as much protein as I thought I was. Actually about 50% of what I thought. My goal was 160 grams of protein per day (1 gram per pound of bodyweight), I was consuming about 75 grams.
I was over-consuming fats. I regularly found myself 20 - 30 percent above my target.
I was surprised, but it made sense based on what I was experiencing physically. My body wasn’t recovering, due to a lack of protein, and I couldn’t lose the last bits of fat hanging around those tough spots.
This was my first insight into the changes I needed to make. I bought a better protein, whey instead of pea, animal protein is more bioavailable than plant, and I upped my meat and fish intake. Aiming for three 30 - 40 gram servings per day (1 per meal).
I also limited my fat intake. The fat I was eating was all “healthy fat” (i.e. walnuts, almonds, olive oil, avocado) but by labeling it “good for me,” I had gave myself permission to overindulge. But fat is fat. And when over consumed, fat will find a place to store itself.
Logging my food made me realize that even though I was eating the right foods, I was eating them in the wrong proportions to achieve my goals.
2. #800 Gram Challenge
I was eating healthy and I made adjustments to my protein and fat intake, but I still wasn’t getting it right. I felt better but not as good as I thought I should feel. My diet was clean, devoid of anything processed, and 9.5/10 meals were cooked at home. So I was kind of stumped as to why I still felt like I was falling short.
I read Built to Move (a great book) and learned about the #800gramchallenge. And at that point it clicked for me. I had heard so much advice before about portion sizes, how many servings of fruits and vegetables to eat. But this approach was simple and practical.
I learned, amongst other things, that, similar to my overconsumption of “healthy fats,” I was also over consuming vegetables and fruits, sometimes causing gastric distress and bloating. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing.
My #800gramchallenge takeaway:
Eat 6 handfuls of fruits and vegetables a day. Do that in addition to eating .7 - 1 gram of protein per bodyweight and you’ll be well on your way to achieving your goals.
So now, I grab two handfuls of cooked vegetables from the refrigerator, and/or a thumb sizer serving of fat to add to every meal, and snack on berries or an apple..
It’s been such a simple change that’s been a life saver. I don’t get the gastric distress and bloating I had been experiencing, and my bowel movements are better than they’ve ever been.
3. Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM)
A CGM is a wearable medical device that measures glucose levels in your body every 5 minutes. Unless you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you’ll likely need to agree to be part of a clinical trial by working with a company like Levels Health, the company I used.
The device connects via Bluetooth to the Levels app on your phone where you can monitor your glucose activity. The Levels app will also show you your Stability Score, which increases with stable blood sugar, Average Glucose for the day, and Spike Duration, how long your glucose stays elevated past the set threshold. The app also includes a host of advice, articles and recipes to help you maintain a stable glucose score.
Erratic glucose levels can lead to poor metabolic health, which can lead to a host of chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes and more. So knowing what impacts your glucose score and how to improve it is valuable.
I wore my CGM for 23 days. It was supposed to go for 30 but I had a couple of technical difficulties applying two of the sensors. Note: Do not apply it into a muscle. Get the needle to pierce between muscle, preferably between the shoulder and tricep, more towards the front of the arm, not the back.
After 23 days I learned a few important things.
Getting consistent quality sleep is the most important thing I could do to control my glucose. On days where I slept like shit, even a handful of blueberries was enough to spike my glucose and trigger an event on the app. Even worse to note, poor sleep causes sugar cravings. A bad cycle. Sleep is priority numero uno.
Carbohydrates are ok when balanced with the right types and amounts of fiber, protein and fat. Whether that’s a balance plate, or a balanced food like lentils. Consuming the right balance of macros, and in the right order, carbohydrates last, was important to not spike glucose.
Potatoes, sweet, russet, red, it didn’t matter what kind, spiked my glucose on average 15 - 20 points more than rice or pasta. I’ve never enjoyed eating potatoes and perhaps this is why. Now I know I don’t have to eat them.
In Summary
In order of work, time, and effort, logging my food was by far the worst. It takes a lot of work because to do it right you really have to log every single thing that goes onto your plate and into your mouth. That includes the olive oil you use to cook and finish your dish with, and the 4 - 5 almonds you grabbed when you ran out the door. All of these things up and need to be accounted for.
But logging my food was also the most valuable. I really thought I understand from simply reading labels the amount of macros I was eating, and I was so wrong. It’s so easy to lose track of what you’ve consumed throughout the day. But when it’s right in front of you, it sinks in. It’s probably no coincidence that the most work got the most reward.
Second is the continuous glucose monitor. Mostly because I had two bad experiences applying sensors. But the other three went on smooth and I forgot I was even wearing them. To get the most out of the experience though you really should log your meals. If not all of them, at least when you notice a spike or a crash. When log your food Levels gives you feedback and advice on how to make glucose stable changes to your food.
The real amazing thing is to eat mashed potatoes and then watch your glucose take off in real time. It’s wild when you realize what’s going on behind the scenes.
And the easiest has been complying with the #800gramchallenge. Yes it requires meal prep (check out this whole page of meal ideas) to stay consistent, but once you establish a cooking routine, you’ll be excited to load two handfuls of veggies onto every plate.
These three things completely changed my understanding of nutrition and how my body and mind have been able to perform as a result. They are all easily accessible and I think offer a good return on investment. Pick one to start. And go from there. I logged my food in 2020 - 2021. Adopted the #800gramchallenge in mid 2023. And wore the CGM from 2023 - 2024. That’s all to say, take your time. Nothing happens overnight.
Let me know which ones you’ve tried or which ones you’re thinking about getting into, and if you have any questions. Enjoy.