Tuesday, April 13, 2010

My Nutrition Revolution Evolution: From Grape Soda to Grapeseed Oil

Every day until I started high school, it was grape soda and doughnuts after school or practice. My family friend who would take care of me after school put a blanket on me as I passed out on the "Archie Bunker" chair after watching Scooby Doo and other classic cartoons.

I often woke up with headaches. I was lethargic at times, even though I was constantly playing sports after school, be it football, baseball or basketball. I was a three-sport jock dumping the wrong fuel in my system.

Back then, I, as well as my family, lacked the knowledge we now have of the Glycemic Index. I encourage everyone to find a copy of one online, print it out, post one copy on your fridge and keep another in your wallet for when you dine out.

I know now that if I eat a plain baked Russet potato, the glycemic index is 98 (out of a possible score of 110;); not good for somebody who burns carbs way to quickly. A plain baked potato for me is all-too quick burning octane. I've got to add some sour cream (hopefully organic) to it to slow my oxidation rate. The quicker the oxygen burns the food up, the more likely I will feel lethargic later from exhausting my energy supply.

Up through college, I ate anything that I could lay my hands on in order to gain weight, as I entered college weighing 140 pounds, standing at 6-ft tall.

I became friendly with a powerlifter who taught me to stack layers upon layers of bread in between peanut butter and honey. I would watch this squat, adrenal-charged powerlifter fold a whole pizza in half and almost swallow the whole thing in one bite.

So I scarfed down multiple plates of pasta and pizza and always, as per the suggestion of my powerlifting friend, ended my meals chugging four glasses of milk for the extra calories.

I finally started getting a little bulky and no longer felt self conscious about my stick-figure frame. But for the first time, I was also fighting a mini battle of the bulge. On a family trip to Hawaii in my senior year of college, my sister taunted me: "You've got lovehandles."

I would never go back to that burrito place and order that again -- I try as much as possible now to eat organic meats -- but the experience turned me back into an omnivore.

It only makes sense that my body naturally gravitated back towards meat consumption. In 2006, I discovered METABOLIC TYPING. Through MT, it was determined that I should feel free to eat liberal amounts of grass-fed beef and other rich protein and fatty foods. No, it wasn't the Atkins Diet; I still consume 30-40% of my caloric intake in the form of carbohydrates.

Determining what your body prefers to burn for fuel is priceless. Doing this will provide you with rock steady energy all day. It will keep you calm, focused and healthy.

I also have recently discovered further sources of holistic nutrition to determine my Metabolic Type, which isn't new; it's been around for at least 5,000 years. The ancient yogis in India developed Ayurvedic medicine, which consists of three main constitutional types (Vatta, Pitta, Kapha).

I visit an Ayurvedic practitioner in town who told me to stay away from spicy and citrus foods because they just add more fuel to my rapidly-burning fire. Makes sense. Ayurveda and food-allergy tests are great supplements to finding out what your Metabolic Type is.

Now, I'd be hard pressed to be able to pinch and inch on my midsection. Hardly a drop of flour in my diet, no refined and unsprouted grains except for oatmeal and quinoa flakes in the morning. Very little processed food; nothing my body doesn't like.

My blood sugar is steady Eddie. My energy is constant. I have discovered my true self a lot more by staying positive and energetically- efficient.

I hope everyone in the U.S. discovers how to eat for their specific needs and learns to cook with healthy oils like coconut oil and grapeseed oil. And I hope there will be a lot less people one day pounding bottles of grape soda.

To have me help you determine your Metabolic Type, visit HealthExcel's website and enter my name and adviser number: Judd Handler; JH868. Call Judd at 858.442.6861 for more details.



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