Nutritional Myths at the Firehouse (or any house)

Today I wanted to post about nutrition, more importantly on some of the biggest nutritional myths floating around firehouses (and other houses).  Eat this, don't eat that...there is so much misinformation on nutrition that it can get to be overwhelming and frustrating.  Take a look at 4 of the biggest nutritional myths, hopefully they can clarify some things for you.

Myth #1

“Eat fewer calories and you will lose weight.”

The Truth:
Low calorie diets completely damage your metabolism and never result in long term weight or fat loss.. As a trainer I routinely heard clients say “But I barely eat all day and I still can’t lose weight!”.  Starving yourself results in a loss of muscle mass, which results in a slower metabolism, which results in weight and fat gain.

The truth is that it’s more important where your calories come from. Just simply reducing your calories may result in no weight loss and leave you tired and hungry all day.  I recommend logging your food every once in a while to make sure you are eating the right amounts of the right foods.

Myth #2

“Eat Low-Fat to Lose Fat”

The Truth:
Low Fat foods have made Americans even more overweight and unhealthy than they were before the low fat craze. The truth is the only way to lose fat is by eating fat. Yes, you heard me right. If you are not eating the right kind of fat, your fat loss is literally impossible. The right fat intake will turn your body into a fat-burning furnace (and that is not an exaggeration).  

Low fat foods also have a ton of chemicals and sweeteners that are not only toxic but cause you to crave more food.

Myth #3

“Low Carb diets are the fastest way to lose weight”

The Truth:
Low Carb diets never work long term and they make you feel miserable in the process. Most people on low carb diets suffer from headaches, muscle aches and a lack of energy.  Carbohydrates bind with water in your body, when you cut them out of your diet, your body flushes the water out of your system.  This results in a rapid weight loss but not one that is sustainable.  Worst of all, as soon as you put anything that even resembles a carb back into your body, you blow up like a balloon.

Myth #4

“Supplements are the only way to lose weight”

The Truth:
You don’t need anything but the right foods and the right plan to achieve your perfect weight. This is the biggest money making scam in the world today: companies selling you worthless supplements with false promises. The truth is, without the right nutrition principles and without the right foods, no supplement will have any positive effect on your body.  If you don't have a solid nutritional foundation supplements will be a complete waste of money!
In order to finally lose weight and completely change the course of your health, you must forget all of the worthless information that is in the media today. If any of these above statements were true, our country (and our industry, click here for obesity statistics in firefighters)  be so overweight and unhealthy?

So, should you eat?  I think the best thing to do is follow this one simple rule when it comes to nutrition:

"Only Eat whole foods with ONE ingredient."

That's it.  The reason why one ingredient whole foods are the best for you is that they contain zero processing and zero artificial ingredients that have been linked to increasing inflammation and body fat accumulation.  

Get the Standard Operating Procedures to Eating Healthy for FREE, (Click HERE!)

Eating healthy in the firehouse isn't the easiest thing to do.  It takes discipline and an avoidance of the kitchen (or whatever place in the firehouse where all the goodies are).  Obviously, it is impossible to avoid the kitchen entirely but it is possible to lean out the firehouse.   Cooking for a group of hungry firefighters is not easy-- if you don’t cook something tasty you will hear about it from your crew...for a long time.  The goal of this e-book is to provide some guidelines (and some recipes) on how to cook and eat healthy in the firehouse (and at your own house) to keep you lean and “fit for duty.” 

--Six easy to follow guidelines

--Fire house shopping list

--Example meal plans

--Healthy snack ideas that are easy and quick to prepare

--Healthy Recipes

Get the Standard Operating Procedures to Eating Healthy for FREE, (Click HERE!)

The Best Nutrition Advice for Firefighters

Today I wanted to piggy-back on my post about inflammation and heart disease (keep the comments and emails coming).  I know that in health and fitness sometimes the best results are obtained from the simplest advice.  So here goes, in my opinion the absolute best thing you can do to lose weight, get healthy, or live a life full of energy is to eat by this ONE RULE:

“Only eat whole foods with ONE ingredient.”

That's it.  The reason why one ingredient whole foods are the best for you is that they contain zero processing and zero artificial ingredients that have been linked to increasing inflammation. One of these common ingredients is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).   HFCS is a man-made sweetener that is 20 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). It is mainly found in soft drinks and fruit juices. Americans as of 2001 were ingesting on averaging 63 pounds of HFCS per year!  The health implications to consuming HFCS are that it has been shown to raise triglyceride levels,which are a precursor to heart disease. Elevated triglyceride levels are related to high insulin levels which promotes fat storage, inflammation and is a precursor to Type II Diabetes.  Obviously you want to avoid HFCS along with other processed ingredients.

Another reason to  stick to one ingredient foods are that they are the most naturally nutrient packed, which provides you with the maximum enzymes, nutrients, and energy to fuel your body with.  Plus, they are satiating and are the exact foods nature intended us to eat.  Some of the best ones in the grocery store don't even have a label... (keep in mind that if the food doesn’t have a label on it that’s usually a dead give away that it's probably a one ingredient whole food.)  So next time you are preparing a meal at the firehouse or for you family, try to include one ingredient foods and stay away from the processed ingredients.  Once again, read your labels and consume more water while decreasing your intake of soft drinks and fruit juices.

I you are looking for more healthy recipes along with great guidelines to eating healthy in the firehouse, get my FREE SOPs to Eating Healthy in the Firehouse.

Stay Safe and Healthy,
A. Zamzow

Controlling Cholesterol in Firefighters

High Cholesterol...

Choose healthy carbohydrates, lower your cholesterol.

Cholesterol comes from eating too many eggs, bacon, and other animal foods high in fat and cholesterol, right? Not always. First off, cholesterol works as a building block for all the cells in the body, as well as your body's repair mechanism for damaged cells, especially the ones in your blood vessels and digestive tract. So when you consume foods that are high in additives, preservatives, colorings, and other toxic processes it leads to damaged cells. Often times the foods that cause this damage to your cells are your refined and processed carbohydrates. So your body's response to damaged cells is to release more cholesterol into the blood stream to repair them!

Can stress, family history, alcohol consumption and lack of exercise lead to high cholesterol? Absolutely.

But in the end, what may be the main reason for your elevated cholesterol level? An excess consumption of low quality carbohydrates.  To learn more about good quality carbohydrates, sign-up for your FREE copy of The SOP's to Eating Lean in the Firehouse.

TRIVIA: Since Vegans often times have 80% of their calories coming from some type of carbohydrate, now you know how they can still have high cholesterol without consuming animal meats high in fats!

Remember, You are a FireRescue Athlete, you must fuel your body correctly to be able to efficiently and effectively perform your job. 

"Train like an athlete, fuel your body like an athlete."