Natural_Medicine_Magazine_Issue_145_July_2017

Fitness
CORNER
ESSENTIAL PROTEIN
So, nutrition is not so simple one way or
another. But, what we do know is that we all
need protein in decent quantities in order
to optimise our health and to optimise our
performance. For example, did you know
that protein is required to make: several
hormones in our bodies; cell membranes;
muscle and all connective tissue; a large
chunk of our immune system; our gut lining;
neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) and detoxifi
cation chemicals? Protein, along with
certain fats, vitamins and minerals, is essential
in our body. Essential means that we
will eventually die without it. Carbohydrates
don’t actually carry that status. However,
considering that a large number of carbs are
wrapped up within fruit and vegetables and
their wide array of nutrient contributions,
we would be extremely unwise to try and
exclude them.
One of the best books on this subject is the Paleo
Diet for Athletes by Loren Cordain and renowned
triathlon coach Joe Friel. The Paleo diet supposedly
represents the way we used to eat about
20 000 years ago, well before the appearance
of the agricultural revolution – we were simple
hunter-gatherers back then. And guess what? We
didn’t eat dairy and legumes (beans and lentils),
nor did we eat any kind of grains – we certainly
didn’t have a pasta party the night before chasing
an antelope for fi ve hours straight (as has been
studied in the Kalahari Bushmen). But Joe Friel
recognised that endurance athletes did need a
decent dose of carbs when putting in a big mileage
– these would mostly come from fruit and
starchy vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes,
butternut, pumpkin etc), but some grains would
be consumed as required. The emphasis was still
on good sources of protein (and essential fats)
plus lots of vegetable matter (the gathering part):
a pretty simple and nutritious diet.
IAN CRAIG, MSC,
DIPCNE, INLPTA.
Twitter @ian_fsn
www.thenutritionalinstitute.
com
www.intsportsnutrition.com
He is an exercise physiologist,
nutritional therapist,
NLP practitioner, an
endurance coach and
specialises in Integrative
Sports Nutrition. Ian is the
editor of the Functional
Sports Nutrition magazine
and has just launched
the Centre for Integrative
Sports Nutrition, which
trains nutrition and exercise
practitioners. He also runs a
busy nutrition practice in the
Johannesburg Morningside
Chiropractic Sports Injury
Clinic. He recently released
his fi rst book, Wholesome
Nutrition, with co-author
Rachel Jesson. Ian offers an
educational online course:
12 Steps to Wholesome
Nutrition.
JULY 2017 | 071