Holistic Nutrition

[2Di4]

I've recently decided to switch grocery stores to a holistic market to improve nutrition and overall health. My belief is that by eating foods that don't have as many pesticides or hormones I would notice a difference in energy levels and overall health.

I'm curious how many people here choose to eat more organic and the benefits they find.

The only problem is by switching I'm completely lost in the holistic market as none of the products are the same. There are a lot of products to choose from and it's hard to know first steps when I don't know the benefits or even how to cook it. I have switched to Kamut bread which is apparently an ancient grain and easier to digest. I also tried tofu noodles which I could live with (my nonna would kill me if she knew lol).

I was hoping for some help in what to look for and how to make it! Any suggestions...

[loganhart]

Sorry , I do not have advice on navigating your grocery store. I just wanted to share my opinion about your decision because I believe people who are uneducated on the basics of nutrition may make decisions to eat certain foods or follow certain diets for the wrong purposes.

First, isn't it awful depriving yourself of tasty foods you enjoy.

Keep in mind just because the name of the food has changed or if it has a natural/organic tag on the label, doesn't necessarily make it "healthy" or means it won't be a detriment to your caloric goals if eaten in excess of your macros.

This being a bodybuilding forum I assume your goals go beyond being "healthy" and you have aspirations of altering your body composition.

Basically this, it's cool to try new things, but if you don't like them, don't eat them. Try to avoid a lot of the mainstream nutrition bs that is everywhere these days. It's mostly centred around profit and giving the consumer the impression they are going to be "heathy".

[Domicron]

I think it's a good idea to test out new foods and diets to see how they affect your body. just calculate the macros and calories into what your requirements are.

the problem with just thinking holistic in general is better is not knowing how to start. try reading about the options; why Kamut is supposed to be better than white bread, etc...

[foodandfitness]

Often times people place a "health halo" around foods they deem to be inherently good for you and ignore portion sizes or overall concept of balance. When people say they want to eat more organic or holistic foods, this is a red flag for some very basic misunderstandings of nutrition.

Organic does not mean your foods won't have pesticide residue. You should wash all produce regardless to rimes off dirt and pesticides. Holistic is not an objective term in nutrition.

You want better energy and well being? What is your body fat %? Because for your height, you are about 15 lbs overweight unless you have some muscle on you. Do you? How strong are you? http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLi...Standards.html where do you lie on these charts? How is your cardiovascular fitness? How much sleep do you average each night? How many calories do you need and do you eat and how many protein carbs and fat are you aiming for? These are the kind of things you should be looking at FIRST before you start shopping for organically if your goal is health and energy.

[ShadowWolfe]

Often times people place a "health halo" around foods they deem to be inherently good for you and ignore portion sizes or overall concept of balance. When people say they want to eat more organic or holistic foods, this is a red flag for some very basic misunderstandings of nutrition.

Organic does not mean your foods won't have pesticide residue. You should wash all produce regardless to rimes off dirt and pesticides. Holistic is not an objective term in nutrition.

You want better energy and well being? What is your body fat %? Because for your height, you are about 15 lbs overweight unless you have some muscle on you. Do you? How strong are you? http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLi...Standards.html where do you lie on these charts? How is your cardiovascular fitness? How much sleep do you average each night? How many calories do you need and do you eat and how many protein carbs and fat are you aiming for? These are the kind of things you should be looking at FIRST before you start shopping for organically if your goal is health and energy.

organic in the US is probably not the same in other areas like Canada. I imagine Canada and US dont have the same standards or regulations for creating organic foods. And often times these places only sell from local companies and growers.

organic from my understanding means creation without pesticides and hormones. im sure there are lots of foods that there would no difference whether organic or not. but certain foods (meat especially) look and taste differently.

[2Di4]

There are grades of organic here and organic standards have different grades. Washing your fruits and vegetables alone do not get rid of the chemicals that you are ingesting... The chemicals used get absorbed into foods (some absorb more than others depending on the skin) My choice to eat this way ahs to do with taking in less harmful chemicals. Additionally with regards to the meats it has to do with hormones used to make the animals grow faster than normal, plus how humane they are being treated in the process.

Perhaps you think this doesn't have a grand impact in the body and it all boils down to macros and cals but there is a little more to the human body than just that. I workout (gym 2-3x a week, running 1-2x a week) and get more than 7 hours of rest per day. Thanks for the suggestions of what to consider though...

[Robsolutely]

I personally see improvements in skin complexion when solely consuming hormone-free dairy and meats.

I think the rest of it is a scam. Pesticides can still be used in organic growing... However, synthetic pesticides (example: DDT) cannot be used. Today, most of these harmful synthetic pesticides have been identified and banned for use in any commercial produce farming.

[JDizleSwoleizle]

If your not sure what to get just stick with whole foods. Fruits, veggies etc are still the same, an apple is an apple, rice is still rice. You can try different processed foods from the grocer over time to figure out what you like. I know something we have added is quinoa seeds and pastas. If they have off brand type cereals and other products crackers etc they are usually somewhat similar. As far as bread you will just have to figure out what you like if you are going with a non traditional grain.

[plateau_max]

I eat locally grown organic stuff because after 6 years in college learning about nutrition and the human body I've become really picky about what I put into it, but it's a mental thing. Sort of like a lot of my friends in the medical field who turned into huge germophobes after their second semester of college biology haha.

Things like pesticides and hormones aren't really going to affect you noticeabley. The reason why getting as "pure" as possible with your food can be helpful is because you can cut out things that are often added to foods to help preserve them longer on shelves. I go to Whole Foods because they have a couple really awesome meat cutters (not to be confused with butchers) there and I can me some fresh chicken, cuts of bacon straight from the pig, things like that. Bacon on the shelf, if you look will have things like dextrose, corn syrup, salt, artificial flavor additives, all kinds of crap when all you really want is bacon right? Getting my vegetables at the farmer's market allows me to get stuff that was pick that morning or the day before at peak ripeness, rather than getting stuff from the produce section of a grocery store that was picked 2-3 weeks early simply so it would last longer on the shelf. Peak ripeness means peak nutritional value.

This all goes back to the same thing you'll hear over and over on this forum. When it comes to your fitness, weight loss, muscle gains, etc, just eat whatever you want as long as it fits your calories/macros. Everything beyond that is just personal preference (like my choice to be organic).

[ShadowWolfe]

I guess one thing not really considered to often is that health does not really relate necessarily to appearance or weight. someone may be an IFBB pro but on the inside they arent healthy at all. Lots of pro athletes (not just bodybuilders) look terrible into their 50s and 60s because of drug use (which lets face it IFBB has lots of). and the strain on bulking/cutting on the body doesnt have positive long term effects.

I think the motto or common consensus on this forum is basically IIFYM and what foods encompass that doesnt matter, no matter how processed or whole the food is.

[SDC77]

Don't forget to live while you're busy jumping through hoops trying not to die.

[FrankDavidson]

I've recently decided to switch grocery stores to a holistic market to improve nutrition and overall health. My belief is that by eating foods that don't have as many pesticides or hormones I would notice a difference in energy levels and overall health.

That's an optimistic faith-based hypothesis if ever I've seen one.
Why do you think pesticides and hormones would be a major determinant of "energy levels" or "overall health"?
If you do 'notice a difference in energy levels and overall health' how will you determine whether that is due to perceived reduction in pesticides or hormones, a change in macronutrient and micronutrient intake, a change in lifestyle or extrinsic factors such as elimination of stressors.

I'm curious how many people here choose to eat more organic and the benefits they find.

Nah, I give organic a miss if I can. It's overpriced, hyped and the products are as consumerist as non-organic.
I grow my own fruit and veg (I'm far too lazy and busy to run to the shops for every darned thing). Though I don't use any chemicals my gardening couldn't be considered organic as it doesn't meet the requirements of the organic certification schemes as for example non-organic certified food waste goes into my compost heaps.
I sometimes buy organic fruit and bread at the supermarket but that's because the store hasn't sold them at full price and they are massively reduced. If I go to the wholefoods shop when in town (which stocks more pills, potions and snake oil than the bodybuilding industry) and they only have something in organic I'll wait until I get to the out-of-town supermarket and get it there non-organic and cheaper.

There are benefits in my experience of eating a minimally processed wholefoods diet. By that I mean buying bulk drystore items such as grains, pulses, cereals and cooking from scratch with home grown veggies with shop-bought. Much cheapness, far less packaging waste, long cupboard life. I could still eat far from optimally or even satisfactorily with a wholefoods diet,depending what I do with the ingredients. In terms of health outcomes planning meals based on macro and micronutrient needs to support my lifestyle is more important than how I source the ingredients.

The only problem is by switching I'm completely lost in the holistic market as none of the products are the same. There are a lot of products to choose from and it's hard to know first steps when I don't know the benefits or even how to cook it. I have switched to Kamut bread which is apparently an ancient grain and easier to digest. I also tried tofu noodles which I could live with (my nonna would kill me if she knew lol).

I'm not sure what you meant by a holistic eating as there isn't an objective definition for that. I assumed you meant wholefoods, but if you are confused about products it looks like you've maybe swapped buying products from one place with products from another place without really moving towards a minimally processed whole foods diet.None of the products are the same? Lentils are lentils, chickpeas are chickpeas, flours are flours

I was hoping for some help in what to look for and how to make it! Any suggestions...

It's up to you how you source your nutrients and from what foods you obtain them from but i'll state again In terms of health outcomes planning your nutrition based on macro and micronutrient needs to support your lifestyle is more important than how you source the ingredients.

[rand18m]

There are grades of organic here and organic standards have different grades. Washing your fruits and vegetables alone do not get rid of the chemicals that you are ingesting... The chemicals used get absorbed into foods (some absorb more than others depending on the skin) My choice to eat this way ahs to do with taking in less harmful chemicals. Additionally with regards to the meats it has to do with hormones used to make the animals grow faster than normal, plus how humane they are being treated in the process.

Perhaps you think this doesn't have a grand impact in the body and it all boils down to macros and cals but there is a little more to the human body than just that. I workout (gym 2-3x a week, running 1-2x a week) and get more than 7 hours of rest per day. Thanks for the suggestions of what to consider though...

Your making a mistake thinking that "organic" doesn't use pesticides. You should investigate and learn more.

[tara19]

I'm poor.
No deal.

[foodandfitness]

IMO there is a hierarchy of importance when it comes to having optimal energy and health. Eating "holistic" foods is going to be at the bottom of that list.

My list might looks something like.

1. Living a low stress lifestyle with good relationships with others and yourself
2. Exercising routinely and progressively
3. Maintaining a healthy bodyweight and body comp
4. Eating the right amount of macros and micros
5. Daily mental challenges
6. Get laid
7. 8 hours of sleep
.....
999999. Eating more organic and holistic foods


But that's just me.

[germaine07]

http://www.maxcondition.com/page.php?148

[ShadowWolfe]

http://www.maxcondition.com/page.php?148

I dont really care for studies that are one sided and a clear bias is introduced in the first sentence.

That article talked about organic stuff in the 40s....and some hippie farmer.



Anyways, a lot of products that are "organic" are also usually free of GMO products as well. I guess a lot of people dont consider GMO an issue, but todays society doesnt look like society 20-30 years ago before GMO was in everything.

also in Canada products to be labeled organic have to 95% organic and have to certified by accredited parties and have to be free from these (Ie, cant contain these items):
All materials and products produced from genetic engineering.
Synthetic pesticides, wood preservatives or other pesticides, except as specified in CAN/CGSB-32.31.
Fertilizer or composted plant and animal material that contains a prohibited substance.
Sewage sludge used as a soil amendment.
Synthetic growth regulators.


also it seems like a lot of people only think of fruits and veggies when it comes to organic when theres basically every product available can be organic (meat, dairy, breads)