Download Gregory Welch 6/30/07 Shopping For Food: Information, Hints, and

Gregory Welch
6/30/07
Shopping For Food: Information, Hints, and Tricks Everyone Should Know
Topic of the Week 129
I used to dread shopping for food. Back before I started bodybuilding, I would always
send my mom off to the supermarket to buy some more cereal, soda, and other assortments of
junk. I was never interested in the aspect of browsing for different types of foods and looking at
their nutritional values, the only thing that interested me was consuming those said foods. Since
having taken up the bodybuilding lifestyle, shopping for food has become more enjoyable. No
longer am I looking to buy food to satisfy personal cravings, but for functionality. It is no doubt
that the foods you eat have a great impact on your body composition as well as your performance
in the gym. When people state that gaining muscle and losing fat is comprised mostly of your
dietary habits, they are not joking. Food shopping can be a tedious experience, but when you
understand that the food you are buying plays such a vital role on your physique and has such a
positive impact on your well being, you will be more willing than ever to push around a shopping
cart at your local grocery store!
Going into a supermarket can be an overwhelming experience for some. Aisles upon
aisles of food grace every square foot, where is one to start? I find it best to carry a list with me
before I ever step foot inside. Often, when you are shopping for food, you have to buy so much
that it is more than likely you will forget a thing or two, and who wants to drive back after
already spending ample amounts of time shopping? You got more important things to do, like eat!
When food shopping, it helps to separate all the different types of foods you intend to buy
into different categories to insure you are getting all your proper macro nutrients and food groups.
Don’t ever neglect any aspect of nutrition, even back during pre-historic times, people were still
eating forms of carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, as well as tons of meat. In examining the
physiques of our ancestors, any rational person can come to the conclusion that they were onto
something in regards to what they ate and the positives it had on their body compositions.
Different foods all serve different purposes and regulatory measures, which is why it is
important to include a wide variety and assortment in your daily diet. Low glycemic
carbohydrates play a vital role in providing your body with lasting energy and refilling muscle
glycogen stores after a strenuous workout. They are best consumed before and after your workout
at around thirty to sixty grams. There are tons and tons of carbohydrate sources but you must
realize that most of them are junk and don’t serve any other purpose but to make you fat. I even
believe that high glycemic carbohydrates post workout for rapid increase of insulin sensitivity is
over hyped and is not needed. Especially for an individual of endomorphic characteristics, it is
never necessary to dump sixty grams of Gatorade powder down your throat so nutrients can
arrive to your muscles quicker! Great sources of carbohydrates include oatmeal, sweet potatoes,
and brown rice; these will serve you very well in whatever your goals may be.
Fats are also essential to ones diet and are usually overlooked and under consumed.
Dietary fat is a vital nutrient that our bodies need for health and daily functioning. As an energy
source, it supplies essential fatty acids for growth, healthy skin, vitamin-absorption and regulation
of bodily functions. Fat is a calorie-dense energy source; it contains nine calories per gram while
carbohydrates or protein each provide only four per gram. The consumption of mono and
polyunsaturated fats, a.k.a. “good fats” will also provide you with long and stable sources of
energy much like carbohydrates. They will also induce feelings of satiety keeping you fuller for
longer and enabling you to eat less without going hungry. As for other benefits of fat, it is shown
that high consumption rates of olive oil in Mediterranean countries is considered to be one of the
reasons why these countries have lower levels of heart disease. Monounsaturated fat is believed
to lower cholesterol and may assist in reducing heart disease. Like polyunsaturated fat it provides
essential fatty acids for healthy the development of body cells. Monounsaturated fat is also
believed to offer protection against certain cancers, like breast cancer and colon cancer.
Monounsaturated fats are typically high in Vitamin E, the anti-oxidant vitamin that is usually in
short supply in many Western diets. Most important it is important to achieve a correct balance of
omega 3 to 6. Fish oil and flax do have some benefits beyond general health; they are utilized by
the body quickly and shouldn't lead to storage as fat. Some great sources of healthy fats include
avocado, salmon, natural peanut butter, fish and flax oil, as well as various assortments of nuts.
Finally we come to the macronutrient we all know and love best- protein! Getting
adequate supplies of protein, especially for a bodybuilder, is essential. Everyone needs protein to
build new cells and repair any damaged tissues. Without protein the body cannot function well
and muscles in particular suffer. Generally, people think about protein coming from animal meat,
but milk, eggs, fish, cheese are all good forms of protein. This is because the body can use most
of the protein absorbed from these sources. Plant proteins such as that from grains, cereals, fruit
etc are all incomplete proteins and so they need to be supplemented with foods that have a more
complete protein source. Food which are high in amino acids are the best protein source, since
amino acids determine how much of the protein can be used by the body. Half of amino acids
need to be supplied in the food; the other half can be synthesized within the body from the acids
already eaten. I want to note that people often overemphasize the benefits of lean protein, that is,
protein that doesn’t contain much fat. Although these may be good for one on a calorie limited
diet, foods that combine protein and fat, such as whole eggs, cheese, steak, pork, are great for
really packing on mass. Steak for example, contains zinc and creatine. Zinc plays an important
role in managing testosterone levels and the various benefits of creatine are widespread.
Consuming whole eggs as opposed to just the white is actually found to lower your bad
cholesterol while raising your good cholesterol; it will also supply you with much more energy
than a tasteless egg white will.
Also don’t forget to neglect your fruits and vegetables! They are packed full of nutrients
and antioxidants and are a great complimentary to any meal. If you are on a budget, I’d
recommend just buying some frozen vegetables as opposed to fresh, organic varieties. They may
not have as many beneficial nutrients do to being stored and frozen, but they are a heck of a lot
cheaper. It is also important to note, that the darker and richer in color the fruit or vegetable is, the
better it is for you! Always choose romaine lettuce over say, generic iceberg, and the dark blue
color that makes up a blueberry happens to be one of the most antioxidant packed fruits you can
eat! Fruits and vegetables also contain a good amount of fiber, which help to keep you regular;
nobody wants to have a backup when going to the bathroom!
As I’m sure you’ve come to realize part of which that makes a bodybuilding diet so hard
to maintain and to stick with the monotony and repetitive nature of the food we eat, and also the
fact that at times it can be very bland and boring! Sure, we eat for functionality, but why not
make food taste the best that it can, and why not add in variety when you are able to? Some tricks
and secrets that I like include using Splenda and cinnamon in my oatmeal and cottage cheese.
Splenda is basically calorie free and cinnamon has a good amount of fiber in it, so these two aids
won’t be detrimental to your diet, and on the plus side as well, they make these boring foods taste
good! Also, don’t be afraid to use fruit as well, it is naturally sweet yet healthy so top your
chicken breast with some grilled pineapple or throw some natural peanut butter on a couple
pieces of banana. Crush up some avocado and add diced onion and chopped tomato to make some
delicious guacamole, it is a great compliment to any dish. Hot sauce is also typically low in
calories and can add some great flavor.
As if the food we have to eat on a daily basis doesn’t seem like much of a deterrent to
you, the fact that buying steaks, milk, cartons of eggs, veggies, fruit, as well as other assortments
of goods tends to add up and be quite taxing on the wallet! This is where it helps to be a little
obsessive about where and what you end up buying. Always sift through circulars and coupon
catalogs that get sent to you. You might feel like you are wasting your time, but when you go to
the checkout line and realize you saved twenty or so dollars just by clipping coupons, you’ll be
happy you did it. Also, buy it bulk! This is where places like BJ’s and Costco come in handy.
You might end up spending more money at a time buying ten chicken breasts as opposed to three,
but overall you really do save, and it prevents you from having to go back out every third day and
buying more food. However, be wary of sales such as “Buy three get one free” or sales citing
things like, “Limit twelve per customer.” Deals such as these may seem like a great buy, but
chances are you will only end up buying more than you need in the first place!
Another tip is to never, ever purchase pre-cut/sliced fruits, vegetables, or meat. It may be
convenient and you may be saving time not having to slice or marinade anything yourself, but
realize that you’re also paying a tremendous premium—sometimes up to twice as much as uncut
versions of the same food—just so you don’t have to bother picking up a knife. Finally, make
sure to take advantage of any shopper club card or membership system that your grocery store
might offer. There incentive to offering these programs is to keep you loyal and coming back, in
return, you reap the benefits of saving money on your purchases just by becoming affiliated.
One final word of advice is to really stick to your guns. Buy what you have to buy, and
get out of there! Don’t dilly-dally around looking at all the junk food and candy that is
undoubtedly going to litter the majority of the isles. It’s not a coincidence that grocery store eyecandy with fancy packaging is placed right at eye level to entice and attract you, being in a
supermarket is temptation paradise for anyone who is on a diet. Each time I walk in I’m surprised
and baffled about what the average American consumes on a daily basis and the sad part is that
they do because most do not know any better. You may try to justify buying some treats by
thinking to yourself about how hard you’ve been dieting or all of the progress that you made in
the gym, but realize that after you leave the grocery store, any temptation will be gone. Don’t get
me wrong, I’m not discouraging eating junky food on occasion when you really feel like you
deserve it, but if you are succumbing to a sheer impulse, suck it up, wheel your shopping cart on,
and try to get some sort of satisfaction just by looking at the food and imagining how it would
taste, lol.
GW
LaxPro