10 Rules of Nutritional "Balance"

1.Balance total calories with total calorie demand (exercise), while always striving to achieve more work with less fuel via metabolic and bio-mechanical efficiency.

2.Balance sodium with (2x)potassium. http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/23/health/he-sodium23

3.Time carbohydrate intake with post exercise “super feeding” windows (up to one hour after exercise) and avoid both net high carb intake (carb load) and high glycemic carbs the rest of the day, especially in the late evening.

4.Balance total fat intake with total fiber intake, without making it always OK to eat more fat because you're balancing it with more fiber. Refer to rule #1. (TMI metric : the clean wipe test)

5.Balance daily protein intake with your body's lean muscle and bone mass (1 gram of protein per day per 1 kilogram of lean body mass{= total body weight minus body fat} and spread protein intake evenly throughout the day in 3 meals and 3 micro-meals.

6.Balance yummy food with good-for-you food. Eat your veggies/lean protein and your treats. Don't eat on a regimen (diet) that you won't want to sustain.

7.Schedule eating protein types with post-exercise windows. Eat whey and other anabolic proteins (animal) post-exercise, and eat soy and other anti-catabolic proteins (vegetable, casein) in the late evening and on recovery days. Protein variety is important.

8.Balance the use of supplements with the intake of “real” food (and use a fiber supplement in balance with total vegetable fiber intake) The best way to get a full spectrum of vitamins, nutrients and fiber is by eating large quantities of raw and specifically cooked vegetables. (Many vegetables are best eaten raw, some are best cooked lightly (crucifers) and some are best eaten well-cooked and in combination (tomatoes/garlic/olive oil)). Use supplements in a balance with your capacity (or opportunity) to eat large platefuls of vegetables, and precise amounts of lean protein. Some supplements (fish oil, creatine, l-Arginine, ALA, CLA) should be taken daily because you can benefit from consuming them in greater quantities than are available (or advisable to eat) in food form.

9.Balance vitamin D intake with daily sunlight exposure. If less than one hour a day of sunlight on face and hands take 2000 miligrams daily (over and above other vitamin D sources). If between 1 and 3 hours of daily sun exposure take 1000 miligrams. If more than 3 hours of daily sun exposure take no supplemental vitamin D.

10.All the rules above will help you perform (in sports and in life) at your best, and age the least. Without ever being hungry. It's a framework for approaching what you eat that minimizes both oxidative stress and inflammation. But bear in mind that both eating and exercise cause oxidative stress and inflammation. You can't eat and power-exercise your way out of aging--if anything the reverse is true. What you do when you are neither eating nor exercising is the most important part of both. It's easiest to restrict calories (#1 of the strategies above) when you don't have stress/depression as one of the motivations for seeking them out.

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