Nutrient Density Is Not Eating Less, It Is Eating Smarter

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Welcome And Quick Sponsor Thanks

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to There Is a Method to the Madness. My name is Rob Maxwell, and I'm an exercise physiologist and personal trainer. I am the owner of Maxwell's fitness programs, and I've been in business since 1994. The purpose of this podcast is to get to the real deal of what really works and most importantly why things work. Hence the name, There is a Method to the Madness. Before I get to today's show, I want to thank Jonathan and Lynn Gilding of the Gilding Group at Realty Pros. They are committed to providing the highest level of customer service in home sales. Why don't you give them a shout and figure out what your home is worth? 386-451-2412. Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, everybody. Coach Rob here. Whatever time you are listening to this, it's the afternoon for me. Another cloudy, rainy afternoon here in Daytona Beach, Florida. Looks like my softball game is going to get rained out again tonight. I don't know if it was a great idea having a league during the summer here in Florida in the evening. But anyway, it's a lot of fun when we do play.

Why Nutrient Density Beats Diet Talk

SPEAKER_00 1:16

So today I'm going to talk to you about choosing nutrient-dense foods. Basically, how to eat healthy and how to eat whole. So I was pretty much a kid in the 70s. And uh to me it just seems like a really cool time. And I can remember very, very vividly getting in my mom's car, and uh she would drive me up to this place called the Mill, and this is in the Hudson Valley in Gardner, New York. They have since turned this place into a restaurant and wine bar. Go figure. But anyway, back when I was a little kid, the mill was basically a health food store. And I had no idea what that was back then, but uh I knew my mom liked to go to health food stores, and that was the one. And so I don't know how often we'd go, but you know, enough where I remember it pretty well. And we'd go and she would buy like whole flour, and I remember she'd get the peanuts ground in the peanut butter, that was pretty cool, and she'd get all these healthy foods, you know. So I got a pretty good, a pretty good start with a role model as far as eating healthy. And I bring up the 70s being a cool time for all that because it was before the crisis of obesity, you know, we were eating for health. I mean, yeah, we always had a period of people being overweight, you know, obese. I mean, that that's been going on probably since the beginning of time. But, you know, it's it's reached epidemic portions here now in the United States and most of the world. So back then, eating wasn't just about that. Now that's all people talk about is weight loss. And I get it that obesity and gaining weight and then trying to lose weight is a big deal. It's just that there's more to eating than only talking about calorie deficits and trying to lose weight. And that's gonna be the main message today.

The Simple Definition To Remember

SPEAKER_00 3:32

And I think if we learn how to shift our eating from junk food to nutrient-dense food, everything gets better, including weight loss and weight maintenance. All right. So the definition I want to give you, or the idea I want to leave you with, that maybe you get out your pen, you write down right now. Nutrient density isn't about eating less food. It's about getting more nutrition from the food you eat. So if you eat nutrient dense food, you're going to get more nutrients from it in proportion to the calories that are going along with it. All right. So nutrient-dense foods are high in vitamins, they're high in minerals, they're high in fiber, they're high in appropriate levels of protein. In other words, we don't need to have an enormous amount of protein, but nutrient-dense foods have an appropriate amount of protein. They're high in unsaturated and polyunsaturated healthy fats, and they're high in phytochemicals and antioxidants, which help build up your immune system. Very, very healthy. It's like the colors in plants are your phytochemicals. So nutrient-dense foods are high in those things. I'll repeat vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, healthy fats, phytochemicals, and antioxidants. Examples of nutrient-dense foods are all your fresh vegetables, fruits, beans, and lentils, whole grains, meaning real whole grains, not processed grains, nuts and seeds, fish, eggs, plain Greek yogurt, and lean meats. Those are your typical nutrient-dense foods. All right. So whole foods are similar to nutrient-dense foods. The difference is whole foods essentially come out of the ground or from the earth, and they're not processed at all. I just don't want you to think that all processed foods are junk food because there are processed foods that are nutrient dense. For example, plain non-fat Greek yogurt. Okay, that's processed, right? I mean, yogurt doesn't come right out of the cow, right? It's got to be made. But it is still nutrient-dense food. Now, whole foods are literally basically from our earth. Examples of whole foods are apples, pears, all fruits, potatoes, oats, brown rice, brothers, black beans. All right. So if we make it a goal to eat primarily nutrient-dense foods and whole foods, can you imagine how much healthier we're going to be? Maybe that's the problem. You know, people don't believe it, but I promise you it's true. From the time I can remember, I remember hearing, you know, you are what you eat. And people, we have all these little sayings, and sometimes people think, oh, that's not true. No, it really is true. All right. We want to learn how to eat health foods. Like my mom loaded me up, took me to the mill. The health foods were nutrient-dense whole foods. All right. We're talking literally grinding up the peanuts to make the peanut butter, not getting a jar of skippy peanut butter that's been ultra-processed, loaded with sugar, preservatives, and all this other junk they put in it. No, real peanut butter. All right.

Why Calories Are Not Equal

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So calories are not all equal. Nutrient-dense foods are high in nutrients and relatively low in calories for the amount of nutrients you get. Calorically dense foods are the complete opposite. They're high in calories and low in nutrients. All right. So 200 calories of almonds is far different than 200 calories of, say, a candy bar. Far different. Okay. The almonds are going to have your healthy fats, some protein, fiber. Such a huge key to have high fiber. Magnesium, just to name one of the minerals, and vitamin E, just to name one of the vitamins. Candy has sugar. That's it. Sugar and calories, and then whatever preservative it takes to keep it on the shelf. So what would you rather eat? What do you think is better for your body? Healthy fats, monosaturated, unsaturated fats that come in nuts, protein, fiber, magnesium, and vitamin E, or sugar with the calories. I mean, obviously we know the difference, right? Now, fiber, as I talked about the other day, maybe you didn't listen, so I'm just gonna say it again. Fiber is typically the missing ingredient in most Americans' diet. And if we eat whole foods, if we eat nutrient-dense foods, we're going to get enough fiber. Women need at least 25 grams a day. Men need at least 38 grams a day. Most Americans are getting less than 15. That's pretty bad. But why should we be surprised? I mean, if we're going to, say, McDonald's, we're getting a happy meal, we're getting whatever, we're getting their quick meals. I don't know what they are for adults. Thank goodness it's been so long since I've been in one. But let's say you get their meals, whatever it is, even if it's a hamburger with fries and a Diet Coke, which I always find to be so funny. But anyway, you're probably getting three grams of fiber in that whole meal. So I'm not surprised at all that Americans are getting so little fiber. We need more fiber. All right. Fiber is in nutrient-dense foods, fiber is in whole foods, fiber aids our digestion, they increase our feelings of satiation so we feel full. They stabilize our blood sugar, they support healthy gut microbiome so your gut is nice and healthy. And it's possible studies have shown that it will lower your bad cholesterol. All right. So fiber is good. Try to eat more fiber. Again, I'm going to repeat if you eat whole foods, nutrient-dense foods, you will get enough fiber. All right.

Fiber And The Eat The Rainbow Rule

SPEAKER_00 10:09

Here's another little tip: eat the rainbow. Eat a lot of colors. Remember those phytochemicals I mentioned earlier? They are the coloring that you're going to see in plants. Your phytochemicals will help build up your immune system. There's been many, many positive studies on their health benefits, and we're not going to get the colors of the rainbow or the phytochemicals in processed foods. It's got to come from the plants that you eat. And each color represents a different phytochemical, which will keep you healthy. So try to eat your red foods like red radishes, your orange food like carrots and melon, your green vegetables. So you're getting your green like broccoli, romaine, other lettuces, end dive, your purple foods like eggplant, your white foods like onions. Try to get your colors of the rainbow. All right. The goal isn't just to only eat these things, but it will really, really help if you get enough colors throughout the day. If you're eating mostly beige all the time, beige and brown, that's not very good. All right. Means you're eating a lot of candy bars and we don't want that. All right. So whole foods and nutrient-dense foods will help you control your appetite. They're not going to spike your blood sugar up so high to where you get an immediate crash and then you're hungry again. That's the whole idea. If you've ever noticed when you eat something like a candy bar within an hour or so, you're hungry again. That's because you get a big insulin spike from the sugar and then it drops really quick. Your blood sugar drops a little bit, and then you get what you think is hungry again when it's really just low blood sugar, and then you have a tendency to eat. So if you want to control your appetite better, if you are trying to drop a few pounds, then you're going to want to eat more fiber, drink more water, and eat enough levels of protein. That's why you're going to feel more satiated. You are going to feel full. All right.

Fuel For Muscle Energy And Recovery

SPEAKER_00 12:18

Now, my athletes out there, and I like to think that everybody out there is an athlete. Everybody is doing something physical. We're supposed to be physical. We are physical beings. All right. We're supposed to be physical. So every one of you is an athlete, even if you don't think that you are. If you're eating more nutrient-dense foods, it's going to be a lot easier to build muscle. If you're not eating nutrient-dense foods and you're not eating enough good calories, you're honestly not going to build muscle. You're just not. You really are wasting so much time in the gym if you're not eating to fuel your muscles. You are going to lose more fat because you are building up your metabolism by building up your muscle tissue. So you will lose more fat by eating more nutrient-dense foods. If you're a runner, I promise you you're going to have the energy to run faster. If you're a cyclist, I promise you you're going to have the energy to cycle better. Your power sports, if you play golf, if you play softball, if you play baseball, whatever, any sport that requires a lot of power, you're going to have the carbohydrates stored where you're going to be able to do that. If you eat nutrient-dense foods, you're going to recover better. That is a big key. If you aren't eating nutrient-dense and whole foods, it's going to be very, very, very hard to recover. All right.

The 80 Percent Rule And Grocery Plan

SPEAKER_00 13:44

So I always tell people try to be 80% good 80% of the time. Meaning, don't get all in a panic and just decide, man, there's no way I can do this perfectly. I mean, I don't do this perfectly. I do the best I can, but more often than not, I choose nutrient-dense foods. I've made it a habit. It has become very easy for me to do so because when I go to the grocery store, those are the kind of foods that I'm buying. Again, I am not perfect. When I went to a baseball game over the weekend, there's not a lot of whole foods, if there's any at all, except for maybe the bags of the peanuts that you're going to shell, I suppose. But other than that, there's not a lot of whole foods. There's not a lot of nutrient-dense foods. I ended up having one of those small pizzas and I had a um soft pretzel. Those aren't nutrient-dense foods. I mean, believe it or not, pizza, anyway, isn't as bad as you might think, but it is absolutely not great. But it was the best choice I had at the time. And again, because I eat nutrient-dense foods and whole foods 80% of the time, it's okay. So we don't need to be perfect. We just need to make steps to be better. It is always about being better. So remember, 80% good, 80% of the time. If you're going to the grocery store, or I should say, when you go to the grocery store, the old tip is to shop the perimeter of the store. That's really, really true. I mean, that is where your whole foods are going to be. So go to your produce department and load up. Go to the dairy area, try to get your lower nonfat dairy products, your eggs, so you can have your egg whites. If you're going to get meats, make sure you get lean meats. Fish is better. And make sure that when you get eggs, you try to get the farm-raised organic eggs, you know, just as I said before. Never hurts to add a little bit of caution in there. But tend to stay in the perimeters of the store for your nutrient-dense foods. Okay? Now, when you go, remember, here are other things you can load up on natural oats, brown rice, legumes and beans. I have said it before. They are like the super foods. If you can eat legumes and beans, they are like the super foods along those same lines. Lentils. If you're worried about keeping your vegetables better longer, get frozen vegetables. I mean, they are healthy as well. And then you're going to be able to keep them in the freezer a little bit longer. You don't have to worry about them going bad. And nuts. Don't forget to eat good nuts, almonds, walnuts, even peanuts. All right. If we eat too much, naturally we can gain weight if we eat too much of anything. But the another big perk of nutrient-dense foods or whole foods is because of the high fiber content, you tend to fill up. You tend not to eat as much. Now I know it could be pretty easy to overeat a bag of almonds. Nobody's saying go crazy with these things, but I promise you, if you eat more nutrient-dense whole foods, you are going to learn how to not eat as much. And you are definitely eating healthier. And if you don't really have any weight to lose, then yeah, you don't even need to worry about that. I mean, again, there's a difference between eating healthy foods for your health and then eating a diet to try to lose weight. These are two different things. And as I said in the opener, yes, I understand that when people need to lose weight, which 70% or so of our country does, unfortunately, that it is a big deal. I get it. I'm just trying to shift the conversation to eating well, eating healthy, and take it a little bit off of that priority, which has been kind of just circulating around for the last 20 years or so. And again, if we do eat healthy, and healthy is eating nutrient-dense and whole foods, then our weight loss journey is going to be so much easier. All

Ignore Fads And Build Better Habits

SPEAKER_00 18:12

right. You know, there are all these super foods and super diets that are floating around all of the time. And it's there's nothing new. I mean, I've been doing this as far as a business goes for 31 years. I've been working out and an avid fitness physical fitness person for closer to 40 years. So even before I was getting paid to do what I do, I was involved in the health and fitness industry. I mean, I was reading books, buying magazines. I was involved. The superfoods, the super diets, the fads and all that, that's nothing new. I mean, it's been going on forever, you know? I can pull out a magazine from 30 years ago and open it up and show you an ad for something, and you would laugh at it. It's not that different from how it is now. It's just, it's just a different trick. It's the same game with a different trick. So ignore all that crap. There's not a perfect food out there. There is certainly not a perfect supplement. There's not a perfect diet plan. I mean, all that is just to make money off of you people who continue to buy into it. Instead, if you want to look for anything super, come up with super discipline. Come up with a super strategy. Not a super food, but a super way of looking at things. In other words, in my book, You Can't Outrun a Poor Diet. You know, when I give it to people or sell it to people or whatever, I point out that this is a behavior strategy book because that's what it's all about. Like most people know how to eat right. They really, really do. And most people know when they're overeating, and most people know when they're drinking something they shouldn't drink. The key is how do you not do that? We know when we're doing it. How do we not do it? Well, there are behavior patterns, there are ways to learn. We can delay gratification, which means I'm not going to throw this out forever. I'm just not going to eat this right now. So forget super foods, forget super pills, forget super drugs, forget super diets. Think of it as I'm going to come up with more super strategies. I'm going to come up with ways that I can deal with my behavior. You know, most people don't eat because they're hungry. Most people eat because they're either bored or they think they're supposed to. That's the reality of it. And we're all guilty of it. Like we all do it. We all do it. We all have habits like that, but they can be broken. And one of the real keys to do that is by eating health foods, nutrient-dense foods. All right. That's what we really, really want to try to do.

Pick Three Foods Drink Water Close

SPEAKER_00 21:08

I want everybody to think about this. And I want you to at least come up with three foods that I mentioned that maybe you weren't eating enough of. All right. I'm gonna I want you to come up with just three oats, brown rice, beans, lentils, frozen vegetables, whole vegetables, nuts, everything in the protest carbon, non-fat dairy, different fish maybe you haven't tried. All right. Just come up with three foods that you're going to shift into your diet. And don't forget, it's really hot out. Also, drink that nice, fresh water. Do we always need to have something in our water? I mean, I don't think we do. Let's go back to just drinking nice, clean, nice, cold water. It will make you feel better. Until next time, just get out there and remember that you don't have to be perfect. You want to try to eat 80% well, 80% of the time. There is no such thing as perfect. Thank you everybody for listening to today's show. I really appreciate it. I ask you if you will please hit automatic download wherever you are getting your podcasts, and please subscribe to the show. It will cost you absolutely nothing. And if you heard anything you like, I would really appreciate it if you would send it to somebody who you think needs it. You can text it to them, you could email it to them, you can share it to your social media. And now I want to take the time to thank our second great sponsor, Procharge Liquid Nutrition. This stuff is great. My personal favorite is the lemon lime. Each packet has two servings, and each serving is 20 grams of protein. The great thing about it is you can open up the packet and squirt it right into your mouth. You don't have to mix any proteins, you don't have to shake anything up. It is that simple. You can take it with you when you travel, so you don't have to try to pack any bulky protein containers. You can put it in your carry-on or you could put it in your suitcase. That makes it super convenient. It's really great stuff. So check them out on my website at fittomax.net or just check them out and Google them at Procharge Liquid Nutrition. Thanks everybody.