What to Eat

Driving home from Baltimore to Chicago, I had many hours to kill, or catch up on reading, depending on how you look at it. I dove in to my borrowed copy of What to Eat, written by professor of nutrition at NYU. As a food and nutrition professional, Marion Nestle helps us decifer food culture. She does her best to peel away the layers of politics and marketing mayhem to walk the average consumer through the aisles of the grocery store understanding the nutritional difference between butter and margarine, the biochemistry of high-fructose corn syrup, and the secrets of selling processed foods by adding health claims to the boxes.

Key concepts to walk away with:

• Organic ¹ healthy - candy is candy whether the sugar is organic or not. Eat organic meat and dairy to avoid extra hormones and antibiotics. Choose organic produce for conventional fruits and vegetables that require high loads of pesticides.


• Most cereal sends our body into a hyper insulin mania. Added vitamins and minerals do not compensate for the sugar rush, which will inherently cause weight gain. When glucose is not stored as glycogen (because the muscles and liver are already concentrated), the excess sugar is stored as fat. Choose cereals high in fiber, made with whole grains such as oats, bran, buckwheat, barley and amaranth, avoid sugar words in the ingredients especially if it is listed high in the list (a.k.a. honey, high fructose corn syrup, beet sugar, cane sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup solids, sucrose, fructose, dextrose).


• We get 9% of our calories from bread, so choose wisely. The least amount of ingredients the better - bread does not need to be a science experiment. Go with a multi-grain high in fiber and with no added sugars or hydrogenated oils. Brands I recommend include Baker's, Vermont, French Meadow (especially their spelt or whole rye and yeast free varieties), Pepperidge Farm (some varieties), and Whole Foods and Trader Joe's whole grain varieties.


• Margarine is made by making a liquid fat more solid by adding hydrogens to the fatty acid chain. This changes the shape of the fat from cis to trans, which basically means bending the fat and causing it to be more plastic. Think of a fat that can bend around the curves of your arteries; not too bad. Then we add hydrogens to that fat so that it will not go rancid, but in doing so, the fat can no longer slip around those curves. Instead we have clogged arteries, inflammation, and poor immunity when eating baked goods, crackers, and peanut butter made with partially hydrogenated oils. Read the ingredients; the FDA does not require food manufacturers to include trans fats in the food label if there is less than 0.5 grams per serving. Be weary of the serving size!
• Limit soy products, especially highly processed soy. Research is not conclusive regarding the safety of soy. The studies showing the benefits - lowering cholesterol - are backed by manufacturers and other entities that benefit from soy sales. Other research demonstrates that the isoflavones in soy mimic estrogen (phytoestrogens) and may increase risks of prostate, breast, and uterine cancer in genetically sensitive individuals. Note: this may be a problem for men and women alike. If you do like soy, stick to tofu, edamame, miso, tempeh, or soy milk with limited processing. Avoid soy protein concentrates and soy protein isolates. To make these food ingredients, found in cereal, protein bars, powders, and veggie burgers, the soybean must be heated to such extreme temperatures that any benefits are destroyed. In general, high temps create problems; the same is true when heating fats or oils to high temperatures, such as in frying.

Trying to be a more conscientious grocery shopper? This book is for you. And because it is written by a noteworthy nutrition professional who did extensive research, it is a trusted source. You will also find that it is written with conversational tone with some science added in, but not too much that you need a chemistry degree to decipher (although I do have a chem degree so please post if this is not a true statement).

The answer is....

1.2 - 1.4 grams protein per kilogram per day

For example, if you weigh 110 lbs, this is equivalent to 50 kg (kilograms=pounds/2.2)

50 kg x 1.2 = 60 grams
50 kg x 1.4 = 70 grams

So a 110 lb runner needs somewhere between 60 and 70 grams protein per day.

Although carbs are your body's primary source of fuel, protein is crucial for endurance training. Protein is necessary for muscle growth and repair, hormone production, hair and nail health, immune function, and red blood cell production. During intense training, protein may be used for fuel as well. The carbon backbone of amino acids converts to acetyl-coA, which is able to enter the Krebs Cycle to produces ATP (fuel for muscles). This generally only occurs when there is excess protein after growth and repair or if their is insufficient energy from carbohydrates and fatty acids.

More important than overall protein intake is making sure to get some source of protein with every meal and snack. Have you ever found yourself hungry very quickly after a bagel and cream cheese or a big plate of pasta? Carbohydrates are digested very quickly, starting with the production of the salivary enzyme amylase. The carbs enter the bloodstream, blood sugars go up, and insulin is released from the pancreas to (1) shuttle glucose into cells so it can be used for energy and (2) to lower blood sugars back to a normal level. The greater carbohydrate load at a meal, the more insulin that is released and the further our blood sugars will fall. You may be hungry before actually having metabolized the carbs. Including a protein (or healthy fat) helps slow the release of the glucose into the blood, thus providing sustained energy.

You don't want to eat too much protein close to a workout because of the slower digestion (it takes about 4 hours for proteins to be completely digested), which may lead to cramping due to poor blood flow to the gut. You do want to include adequate protein at breakfast and after hard workouts. Breakfast is especially important for blood sugar balance. Your blood sugars are the most susceptible for peaks and valleys in the morning. You have essentially been fasting for 8-12 hours and blood sugars are low. You will most likely crave carbs in the morning because of low blood sugars and low serotonin levels (carbs help produce serotonin), but you must balance them with protein or you can find yourself hungry the whole day, crashing in the afternoon, and craving sweets after dinner. Next time you find yourself wanting a sweet after dinner or caffeine in the afternoon, take a look at the protein in your breakfast.

Breakfast options for protein - yogurt (look for low sugar varieties and/or higher protein Greek yogurt), cottage cheese, nut butters (all natural almond, cashew, peanut), all natural chicken breakfast sausages, nuts or seeds, whey protein powder, or eggs.

Milk does have 8grams protein per 8 ounce serving, but it also has 12grams carbs due to the milk sugar lactose. When consuming cereal and milk, look for an additional protein source.