As a health coach, eating healthy food is our primary field of play.
Our studies delve deep into the dark pits of our GI tract; how these nutrients are absorbed; how our energy systems work, and much more. A complex collection of processes and bodily functions turns around and stores what we consume. The study material entwines all this with how the human biology absorbs. My collection of Latin names and science terms connected to nutrition really fills up quite a number of pages in my note book.
I won’t bother you with terms such as gluconeogenesis, how adenosine triphosphate turns into adenosine diphosphate with the assistance of creatine (and what it actually does), or when and from where Peptide YY is released and what it does to various parts of your body.
Terms such as chylomicrons, BCAA’s, ADH’s, and Free Radicals flew left and right across numerous pages. It was an overflow of laboratory-invented names that are all connected to the benefits of good food. All these processes have been studied at length by far more clever minds than me.
Applying these science-based practices is the foundation of what we all are after. I cannot highlight enough the word ‘foundation’. The core of it all, the nucleus of our coaching world. The work of our chromosomes and how it may affect our choices and generics.
This educational, positive rant constantly engrains the fact that the right nutrients area part of a healthier living. We should be the ambassadors of macronutrient splits. We are the promoters of taking enough water- and fat-soluble vitamins, and setting examples to keep your gut microbiome in check.
Am I going only for the cleanest foods these days?
Absolutely not!
A cup of Haagen-Daazs ice cream here, some delicious deep fried spring rolls there or serving home-made hamburgers for dinner fill my plate regularly. I am no stranger to going all out when a new delivery from The Netherlands arrives. A box filled with almond-stuffed cookies, cheese, and other sweetness reaching my home in Bangkok is like opening a present on Christmas Eve. The simple joy of tasting a combination of sweet and fat, sugary and creamy can really make my day.
Food is more than fuel. Food is a part of my upbringing. And a very important part of my life when dining with family and friends.
Just like you, going back to basics was a must. There was no balance between what was good for my body and what my mind spotted as simply delicious. I was eating what I felt i wanted to eat. I ate without realizing that what was stylishly draped on my plate benefitted me in terms of time, quality or quantity. My goal was to be ready to devour what was on the menu. Put a blindfold on me and I ate or drank it.
When you understand what your body can handle, does need, and by when feeding time arrives is a complex process. Every profession has this; we have gained knowledge to translate the science and facts into simple language so that the end user understands it without bringing the Encyclopedia Britannica.
When we fully know, we can start playing around. I am in control of my nutritional choices of today.
We are disciplined enough to fall back to our nutritional basecamp once going slightly overboard. We have some time to experiment. When we comprehend what the (side) effects are on our body when venturing onto a certain path, curiosity rises what happens when turning into new alleys. We experiment and see what this does when not following the perfect line on a race track.
The difference lies in when we know it does not work. We immediately fall back to basecamp. We take a new route for a pit stop or we detour to the left when making a turn to the right leads to a dead-end. Our habits take over, the ones our coaches and obtained knowledge have learned to recognize, and we’re back in first gear.
Yes, I do practice clean eating and do not shy away from taking another scenic road once in a while.
Yes, I can eat and drink whatever I want without losing sight of the finish line.
But I am aware and very clear on what the outcomes will be when pushing the pedal to the metal. As soon as you ignore your bodily traffic regulations, and getting lost without a GPS, you may fall back. Discipline will kicks in.
I neither chose to look towards the finish line nor do I take certain paths for a refuel which I know do not signal success.
The roads to succession are based on habitual changes, seeing the result of implementing tasks, engraining these in your mind, and following those who know.
I am just like you because I know you have it in you, too.
Nothing is better than going home to family and eating good food and relaxing | Irina Shayk
