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06.21.2017

EAT FOR ABS: SCIENCE BEHIND FOOD HELPING US SEE RESULTS

 

This post gets into the nitty gritty of how we can actually make simple tweaks to how we eat in order to see physical results through food. I’m all about efficiency. If I can do a little, simple something here and there that leads to big results down the road, I’m in! That’s how I think of my nutrition approach.

THE START OF MY SCIENCE-BASED FOOD APPROACH
First and foremost, I truly believe that the best meal plan is the one you can stick to long-term. I’ve tried all sorts of approaches from calorie and macro counting to carb cycling and even just general healthy eating. My belief is that almost every approach can work in the short-term, but very, very few are able to be maintained in the long run.
The way I eat is how I have eaten since I came up with this approach when I was in college almost 5 years ago. The foundation is:
1) Enjoyable – yes, I really want to see results but it’s not worth it to me if I’m not enjoying the process, so that is a nonnegotiable for me and why many other plans fell flat
2) Easy to Follow – I’m busy. You’re busy. We are all busy. I’m totally cool with putting in work to see results but if something can be simplified or made easier, I’m all about that, which is why my approach is the way it is
3) Effective – effective to me is a plan based on science; I came up with my food tweaks when I was an undergrad and immersed in all sorts of biology, physiology, anatomy, neurology and chemistry courses. I was fascinated by how foods we eat actually have huge impacts within our bodies and I wanted to work with these processes to see results
With those 3 goals and a love of science, I set out to create a nutrition approach in which I could literally just make tweaks to how I was already eating in order to see physical results.
I won’t go into the complete approach as you can find that in the Eat Your Way Lean Meal Plan, but I really want to touch on some of the science that can help us understand why some of the tweaks I suggest are highly effective. 
I love learning the science because knowing the why behind a plan works leads to me sticking to it because I have trust in the process!
BLOOD SUGAR / INSULIN
When we eat carbohydrates, the body breaks them down into sugar, which then enter the bloodstream. In response to increasing blood sugar levels, the pancreas produces insulin which is a hormone that signals cells to begin absorbing the sugar in the blood to be used for energy or storage.
The body is constantly working to keep conditions stable, so the opposite happens when blood sugar levels get too low. When this happens, the pancreas produces a different hormone known as glucagon which communicates to the liver; the liver releases stored sugar to get blood sugar levels back into a “normal” range.
It’s pretty easy to see how the foods we eat play a role in these processes. When blood sugar levels are high (such as after a high-carb meal), the body is trying to decrease the amount of sugar in the blood by shuffling it into cells. This is where fat storage can occur because if our bodies aren’t requiring immediate energy from the ingested carbs, the body stores it for later use. There is a clear benefit in maintaining steady blood sugar levels throughout the day.
What we eat affects our blood sugar levels (just a few examples)….
Types of Carbs – processed carbs, such as grains that have been refined spike blood sugar levels more than those that are minimally processed
Fat – any meal combined with fat slows the conversation of carbohydrates into sugar
Fiber – fiber is a non-digestible carbohydrate, so high fiber foods slow down the rate of digestion
*This is why one of my greatest tweaks to how I eat involves food combinations; by combining certain foods we can actually slow down the digestion, leading to a more gradual and lower rise in blood sugar (and decreasing the likelihood of fat storage) It’s also why I evenly space my meals out throughout the day for blood sugar stability
 
LEPTIN + GHRELIN
Ghrelin: the hormone responsible for giving us the feeling of hunger. When ghrelin levels are low, hunger and cravings are low. This hormone is typically its highest prior to a meal because the hormone itself is secreted from the lining of the stomach when the stomach is empty. This hormone travels all the way to the brain, signaling the hypothalamus to increase appetite.
Leptin: the hormone responsible for appetite suppression. When leptin levels are high, hunger and cravings are low.  Leptin is produced by fat cells and like ghrelin, leptin travels to the hypothalamus in the brain to communicate that there is enough fat so it is okay to stop eating. This then suppresses appetite.
The issue is that in overweight individuals, leptin levels are continuously high due to an increased number of fat cells. The brain then becomes resistant to the message of “enough… I am full” (this is similar to insulin sensitivity).
The reason why this is so important is that it shows our body composition actually plays a role in our cravings and our ability to feel feel full. Most of us think of losing fat as a way to simply look better, but it will actually affect the way we eat because we can begin to get these cravings under control! 

NUTRIENT DENSITY + SATIETY
Satiety: the state of feeling full
Nutrient Density: the amount of micronutrients found in a particular food item
The relationship between nutrient density and satiety is that nutrient dense foods promote satiety. So many people (including me at one point!) think a calorie is a calorie. The mindset of: I can eat 100 calories of cookies or 100 calories from chicken and it’s the exact same. By now, you can see how while a calorie is a calorie, the body metabolizes certain foods differently. 
Nutrient density and satiety is another example of this. I’m sure you can relate to this… it just happened to me the other day haha… I was eating a bag of chips and I literally ate the entire bag (the bag wasn’t thattt big lol) and I was just as hungry after as when I started eating them. This is because a chip is a nutrient-poor food item. 
On the other hand, I’m sure you can recall eating a dinner mine from the other night… chicken kabobs, a bunch of grilled veggies, maybe over some rice topped with a yummy sauce and that fresh off the grill taste. Those items are all nutrient-dense and it’s no surprise that you feel full after eating them. That entire meal is probably less calories that the bag of chips I ate yet it filled me more (=satiety).
Basically, this is really important because nutrient-dense foods allow us to feel full and satisfied. The key is finding nutrient-dense foods that you enjoy. I don’t make myself eat something just because it’s healthy. I find foods that I both enjoy and that are full of nutrients
*Choosing nutrient-dense foods the majority of the time is another simple food tweak I make that helps reveal really great results
SUMMARY
All of that is to show that there is a science-based reason behind why I eat the way I do. I make such simple food tweaks like combining certain macros at each meal, eyeballing portions and choosing nutrient-dense foods 80% of the time (it doesn’t even need to be a 100% or nothing type of deal). 
It works! I know in yesterday’s post I mentioned that I don’t mind sounding like a broken record on this one… I didn’t see the results I was looking for until I changed my eating habits. If you’ve been struggling, give it a try. You can find the complete approach in my Eat Your Way Lean Meal Plan.

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