Phil Kaplan Provides a Primer on Fitness Nutrition

What prompted this article? Years ago my articles were prompted by editors calling me. Today, they're often prompted by people . . . people who ask me questions related to fitness, nutrition, exercise, or health. This time it was a woman named Lisette. She asked me what she should use, proteins, carbs, fats, or supplements, as if there's some magic element, some secret that isn't being told, or as if one of the four choices is the end-all-be-all secret to leanness and longevity.

I wished I had a simple resource to direct her to. I wished I could hand her a card or send her an email that led to her a single resource that gave her a new awareness. Really what I wanted to say was, "C'mon, use your head! It's so simple."

The deeper darker part of me wanted to get within an inch of her face, and with saliva flying yell, "Use?!?!?! What do you mean what should you use?!?! Has our population become so dense that people can't tell the difference between eating and using?!?!!?"

I didn't do that.

Instead I promised I'd post an article, and that's why I'm sitting at my desk at midnight chipping away at the keyboard.

Lisette presented anything but a unique experience for me.

Often I want to shout, "use your head," as some form of the question repeats daily.

I'm referring, of course, to the "what should I eat" question.

Over the years I've written hundreds (literally) of articles on the topic. The answers haven't changed. All that has changed is the insanity of the marketplace.

Protein sellers scream "protein," carb producers say "carbs," and health food stores want to meet whatever your product dujour need may be.

In restoring sensibility, simplicity, and of course, optimal benefit, here's the simplest lesson I could possibly provide . . .

The macronutrients have calories, and there are three categories of macronutrients, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.

STOP. Digest.

Got it? OK, then we move on . . .

The mechanisms carried out in the act of metabolism, cell development and maintenance, and energy production (the utilization of the macronutrients) requires micronutrients, namely vitamins and minerals (including phytochemicals, anti-oxidants, and all of the super-long names they give compounds found in fruits and vegetables).

Then, there are supplements . . . presented as if they are scientific marvels, groundbreaking discoveries, or ancient secrets of some hidden land buried deep in the magical mountains where the indiginous people live in utter ecstasy.

So much of supplement marketing is hype. Supplements, in the great majority of cases, are nutrients. Yes, they are bottles or containers of our old friends the macronutrients and/or the micronutrients.

Protein is the materials from which cells are primarily constructed (i.e. skin, muscle, etc.).

Carbohydrates and fats are the preferred energy substrates.

When we consume meals, we want to get an adequate mix of the cell-supporting proteins, the energy producing carbohydrates, and the essential fats (the fats our bodies cannot synthesize). These are found in foods, granted, much of the value is compromised as foods are produced more for packaging and marketing than for optimal human consumption.

I eased into the creation of nutritional supplements only after years of hearing the "is chromium good" and "what product will burn fat" questions. When I developed my formulas, I didn't add magic, I didn't add super-duper-longest-words-in-the-dictionary compounds that I could use to create the illusion of superiority. I constructed powders that contain macronutrients and micronutrients in outcome-specific blends.

But, Phil . . . I've seen the photos!

The fat burners work!

If the fat burners "work," it's only in conjunction with wisdom, intense and directed exercise, and supportive eating. If the "photos" catch your eye, it may mean the air brush is working better than the fat burners. Note at right what a bit of air brushing can do. Perfect for a fat burner ad, right?

For years, without any advertising at all, I've continued to build and supply a loyal customer base with my EAT! And RELOAD formulas, formulas aimed at providing valuable nutrients at the ideal times recognizing the challenges we face in 21st century nutrition. Supplements should be viewed as "aids" in making Supportive Nutrition simpler. That's precisely what I had in mind when I created my products.

I've written, and I'll continue to write, articles about the food labeling deception, about th impotence of many weight loss drugs, about supplements that have value, and about the optimal balance between eating and moving, but my intention here was clarity. Too many people approach me with too many questions that can all be answered with a baseline understanding of human nutrition. I wanted to provide a simple resource for the primary and foundational a-ha's.

Here's how I'll conclude this simple, but I hope clarity-forming article.

Proteins, Carbs, Fats, or Supplements?