Wellness gone wrong Part 2 – Nutrition

I hope everybody is healthier and more enlightened after last week. We talked about how, as a fitness industry, we’ve had too much of a good thing and it's coming to bite us back in the a**. With wellness, another aspect we often get carried away with is nutrition. We know that 80 percent of what happens to our physique is because of the kitchen and 20 percent because of the gym. But here are some things we’ve really gone overboard with. 1. Fad dieting

We met that person, that one who is always switching from one diet to another, and these are diets with no really legitimate explanation as to why they work. All they know is that “so and so” did this and I want to look like her, hence, I’ll diet like she does. People who do these are oftentimes too focused on vanity and are not thinking rationally. If we examine the fad diets of the past few years, you would see that these are not sustainable. If it’s not sustainable it’s probably not worth it. You’re really better off sticking with sound nutrition principles: Balance – Eating the right proportions of different food groups. Variety – Eating different food to get different minerals and vitamins essential to the body. Moderation – Not eating any food group in excess. 2. Eating very little to lose weight

While fasting might be an option, some people also starve themselves. These are the people who eat less than their basal metabolic rate. For women, that might be eating as little as 1,200 calories per day. What happens here is that your body is not getting enough calories for its basic functions, and it’s probably not receiving enough nourishment in the form of vitamins and minerals. For some people, this might get to the point that they experience chronic hyperacidity, ketosis and even GERD (Gastrointestinal Esophageal Reflux Disease). While a caloric deficit is essential to weight loss, compute your basal metabolic rate to make sure you’re having enough calories for bodily functions. 3. Detox

We really have to understand what’s going on here. Your body has two organs that are primarily responsible for taking care of waste products, they are the liver and the kidney. These are really your “detox” organs. Why do I like “detox," it’s an efficient way for people to take in vegetables and fruits, and that’s not really a bad thing. I do get irked though when people go on “detox” mode for long periods of time. You know what the best thing to do is? Have your “detox” drink that’s full of vitamins and minerals throughout the day while you eat healthy nourishing meals that ensure optimal caloric intake. 4. Supplements

So many fitness buffs make the centerpiece of nutrition about supplements. Supplements are what they are—a supplement to a balanced and nutritious diet. Supplements can help augment our nutrition especially if we are lacking in a particular vitamin or mineral (from medical tests). In the Filipino diet, most of us consume lots of protein to start with as a person will only need at most 1.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Another problem is weight loss supplements with potentially dangerous ingredients. Actually lots of weight loss supplements we have here are banned in the USA. So think again.