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by John Meadows | 01/26/11
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Diet Strategy
But what if you aren't absorbing all the nutrients from the food you're putting
in? You can be fastidious about your diet and count your macronutrients to the
gram but if you have a digestive disorder, it's like having all that hard-earned
cash you banked get eaten up by hidden fees and service charges.
John "The Mountain Dog" Meadows has battled some digestive demons that
forced him to become an expert in digestion, but if you don't think digestion is
cool, or even all that important, you need to read this article.
Fact is, I'd say 10-15% of new coaching clients come to me with at least two
to three staple foods that give them bloating, gas, or some other
uncomfortable symptoms of digestive disorder.
Digestion is of the utmost importance to anyone who cares about his or her
health, and it can make or break your progress in the gym as well. This article
will discuss a few simple ways we can improve our digestion and
subsequently, our overall health and well being.
A Personal Story
I'm very passionate about digestion. As some of you might know, I almost died
in 2005 from an internal disorder.
When I woke up in the Intensive Care Unit, I learned that I no longer had a
large intestine/colon, and that I was temporarily the proud owner of a new
ileostomy. From that point on, I became very interested in learning everything
I could about the digestive system.
Other than a propensity for dehydration, I've had no real issues for the last
three to four years and have competed successfully – and in great condition, I
might add. I credit that to my dogged pursuit of knowledge in this area as well
as having progressive doctors like Eric Serrano in my corner.
The only medication I have to take is Imodium: I take one every morning and
night, and will likely need to do so forever. It has no negative effect on me
though, so I consider myself lucky. I can also eat anything I want, unlike the
unfortunate folks who suffer from other digestive maladies.
Here's a simple test to make you aware of how well your digestive system is
working. It's called the Bowel Transit Time Test.
1. Buy some charcoal tablets.
2. Take 5 grams on an empty stomach. Note the time specifically.
3. Look for dark stool when you go to the bathroom.
4. When you see the dark stool appear, this is your bowel transit time.
If it's been less than 12 hours, usually this indicates that you're not
absorbing all of your nutrients.
If it's been 12 - 24 hours, this is usually perfect transit time.
If it's been more than 24 hours, food is sitting in your colon for too long.
This can indicate a potential problem as substances that are supposed to get
eliminated can make their way back into the bloodstream, not to mention
increase the risk of colon diseases.
Digest This
Now, let's talk about the layout of your digestive system. Think of the digestive
system as a 25 to 35 foot-long fire hose that goes from your mouth to your
anus. The actual lining of the digestive system replaces itself every three to
five days.
The digestive system's basic function is to break down food into small
particles that the body's cells can then use for energy, repair, growth, etc. As
food passes through the system, it's broken down into amino acids, glucose,
and glycerol, depending on whether you're eating protein, carbs, or fat.
The frustrating part for many is that they can be eating what many would
consider to be a perfect diet but still have issues. Simply put, it doesn't matter
what you eat if you can't absorb it properly due to a digestive disorder.
This is something that I caution those who force feed themselves thousands
upon thousands of calories a day: your body can only handle so much. So
let's take a closer look at the digestive process from where it starts all the way
through to where it ends.
When food enters the mouth, salivary amylase continues the digestive
process by splitting carbohydrates into maltose. This is accomplished by
breaking the bonds between the carbohydrate molecules to produce
disaccharides and trisaccharides.
After leaving the mouth, food passes through the esophagus. This is the tube
that transports food from the mouth to the stomach, and it usually takes food
five to six seconds for it to pass through, although it could take upwards of a
few minutes for food that isn't chewed thoroughly.
Lastly, there's a little flap at the bottom of the esophagus called the
esophageal sphincter. Ideally, it should keep food and stomach acid from
coming back up, provided it stays closed most of the time. If not, people can
suffer from reflux, or even hiatal hernias.
Okay, perhaps your stomach isn't an atom smasher, but it does blend up and
liquefy food into a gooey liquid called chyme.
HCL (hydrochloric acid) begins to break apart protein chains into smaller
pieces. HCL and chyme are both very acidic – you'd get a nasty burn if HCL
came into direct contact with your skin. HCL's acidic properties also help to
sterilize food by killing off nasty microbes that might have made their way onto
it, like the germs that set up shop on that KFC drumstick you found under the
sofa.
Fortunately, there's a protective layer of mucous that keeps HCL from burning
and damaging your stomach, though you likely know someone who's had an
ulcer. An ulcer results when the layer of protection breaks down and the HCL
literally burns a hole through the stomach. I had an ulcer when I was 20 years
old, and it was extremely painful. (My ulcer was primarily stress induced;
fortunately, I learned a few ways to de-stress and was able to put this behind
me.)
Your stomach also produces pepsin, which helps to break down protein, and
lipase, which helps to break down fats. Even though most of the nutrition in
your food will be absorbed later on in this trip, water, some salt, and ethyl
alcohol can go directly into your bloodstream from your stomach. This might
explain the great mystery of why when I indulge in an Absolut Mandarin
Vodka with diet Sprite, I feel it right away!
Food will usually be in the stomach for two to four hours, depending on the
makeup of the meal. As you know, fiber and fat can slow down this process.
Next, we're going to discuss how we can turn your digestive system into a
high performance machine.
Chronic Stress
I've come to the conclusion that stress is an underlying cause in just about
everything. All the reading I do on heart disease points to stress – not
cholesterol and saturated fat intake – as being the major culprit, and the same
is true with your digestive system.
When you're constantly stressed, your body begins to slow down digestion,
reduce blood flow to digestive organs, and produce toxic metabolites. The
thing is, your body just can't tell the difference between, "Oh crap, there's a
rabid wolverine chasing me!" and "Oh crap, I'm late for another meeting at
work." It gets desensitized and begins treating all stressors the same.
Crappy Diets
When you eat junk, you damage your intestinal lining. period. Sugar, man-
made fats, and processed foods inflame the GI tract. Also, if you're eating a
diet too low in fiber, you're likely to have food hanging around too long (bowel
transit time is too long), allowing nasty byproducts of digestion to irritate and
inflame your gut.
You've no doubt heard about maintaining the proper ratio of acidity versus
alkalinity in your gut? This ratio can be compromised by poor food choices as
well.
Medication
Perhaps you know someone who became even more ill because their
antibiotic medicine killed off the "good" gut bacteria right along with the bad?
Broad spectrum antibiotics are usually to blame.
Something that hard training athletes and bodybuilders should know is that
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs specifically) can also wreak havoc. These
drugs may be a little easier on your stomach lining, but they cause damage to
your intestinal lining, sometimes to the point of causing actual physical pain.
The response is often to take even more to help keep the pain at bay, and
while NSAIDs block pain and inflammation causing prostaglandins, they also
block the prostaglandins that heal – a vicious cycle!
Another important fact is that all of these medications can damage the brush
borders of your small intestinal lining. These little paint brush-like projections
serve to execute the final phase of carbohydrate digestion.
Finally, NSAIDs can impede the repair process your intestinal lining
undergoes every three to five days, causing it to become weak and potentially
lead to leaky gut and other gut permeability issues.
Dysbiosis
Dysbiosis When Candida gets into the gut wall and breaks down brush
borders, you get a condition known as dysbiosis. This is an imbalance in the
intestinal bacteria in the gut and ties back to our previous cause, as
medications can kill off the good bacteria/friendly flora that normally keep
Candida in check.
You may experience symptoms like diarrhea, chronic joint pain, fever, gas,
constipation, bloating, mood swings, anxiety, fatigue, and indigestion, just to
name a few.
If you think you might have leaky gut, you can get a test from your doctor that
involves drinking a mannitol-lactulose solution and collecting your urine for the
next six hours. Your doctor will send this to a lab where they can determine if
you have leaky gut based on the mannitol and lactulose levels in the urine.
Interpreting results:
This is where the rubber meets the road, and why you're probably reading this
article.
Here are eight things you can do to turn around the digestive issues you're
having and start absorbing your nutrition better!
You may need to replenish your bacterial flora if you're having issues. The
bacteria living inside our digestive tract weigh nearly four pounds! Not all
bacteria is good (salmonella for example), but there are many that are
friendly, and we call these probiotics "intestinal flora."
It also produces acids that maintain the proper pH balance in the intestine,
killing off microbes that can cause disease. This is a very important
supplement for those taking antibiotics and other medications discussed
earlier, as it lessens the side effect of killing off beneficial bacteria.
These bacteria also help to regulate peristalsis, which is the process that
moves food through the digestive tract. Again, food that sits in your intestines
too long creates issues, so this is a particularly important benefit. Lastly, it can
even manufacture B vitamins.
I am not associated with any, but the two I recommend are Klaire Labs and
Innate Response.
Prebiotics are fuel for good bacteria, whereas probiotics are the actual
good bacteria.
Prebiotics are non-digestible nutrients that your good bacteria can use
for energy. They stimulate the growth of good bacteria such as the
bifidobacteria and lactobacilli discussed. The two most common types
are inulin and FOS(fructooligosaccharides). Prebiotics generally pass through
the digestive system intact and really perform their magic in the colon.
Increase fiber slowly. Shocking the body by moving from a small amount to a
large amount of fiber overnight is a bad idea. Aim for a serving of one or the
other in every meal. Don't neglect veggies by just eating fruit as excessfruit
can cause gastric disturbances.
With soluble versus insoluble fiber, just focus on total grams, as most high
fiber foods have a good mix of both already. Also, try to eat fruits and veggies
that are in season, as these will likely have the highest level of nutrients and
enzyme activity.
Minimize refined carbs, trans fats, and alcohol consumption. Remember that
sugar, man-made fats, and processed foods inflame the GI tract.
One of my friends always says that if it won't spoil or rot, don't eat it. Good
advice since "live" foods have more enzymatic activity!
I really like digestive enzymes because they can work in both the stomach
and intestinal environments.
Lifestyle Changes
One of the most important things is to relax and find ways to de-stress and
enjoy life more.
Having a balance in life is ALWAYS a good thing. Appreciate the ones you
love, and enjoy a good meal together as a family.
Meal: 1 cup organic full fat cottage cheese (cultured dairy with live enzymes),
3/4 cup cooked oatmeal (3 grams fiber), 1 banana (3 grams fiber + prebiotics)
Meal 3: 6 oz chicken w/clove of garlic (prebiotic), 1/2 cup fresh papaya
(papain digestive enzyme), 8 asparagus spears (2 grams fiber)
Meal 4: 6 oz wild Alaskan salmon, 2 pieces Ezekiel Bread, 1 raw pear (5
grams fiber), 2 tablespoons raw honey (prebiotic)
TRAIN
Meal 5: 50 grams whey isolate, 1 cup of raspberries (8 grams fiber), 1 cup raw
milk (live enzymes such as lactase and probiotics), 1 medium sized sweet
potato
Meal 6: 6 oz. grass-fed beef, 1 cup broccoli (5 grams fiber), 1/2 cup fresh
pineapple (contains bromelain, a digestive enzyme)
That's a Wrap!
The old bodybuilding expression is, "You are what you eat."
I would amend that to, "You are what you eat, digest, and effectively absorb,
minus what you excrete as waste."
As incisive as my quote is, I doubt Hallmark will be calling me to help come up
with greeting card captions anytime soon.
Fine by me. I'll just stick with helping you reach your fitness and bodybuilding
goals, safely and effectively. Post any questions you might have on the
LiveSpill and I'll do my best to answer them, as this is just scratching the
surface of a very complex topic.