CHAPTER 22:
SUPPLEMENT YOUR HEALTHY DIET
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“I’ve had rheumatoid arthritis since childhood. As a waitress, I used to get to the end of the day, and my feet, knees, and hips would hurt so much. My joints were always swollen and stiff, and I’ve tried numerous medications that failed to provide relief. After consulting with Dallas and Melissa, I changed my diet and started taking a high-quality fish oil to help get my inflammation in check. After my Whole30, I was completely pain-free for the first time since diagnosis. My joint stiffness and swelling were gone, I was able to go off my medication, and I no longer hurt after a long day on my feet. And I’ve been able to maintain my pain-free status as long as I stay compliant with my program.”
—Amber H., Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
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While the idea of getting all of your necessary micronutrition from real food, water, and your environment sounds lovely, it’s not always feasible. We’re not 100 percent perfect eaters, and our food and environment don’t always supply us with the nutrition we need—even if we’re eating Good Food on a regular basis.
In some cases, supplementing with natural compounds already found in the healthy foods we eat, and in our natural environments, can help us shore up our already excellent nutrition. But hear us clearly:
You cannot supplement your way out of a poor diet.
Vitamins and other supplements may promise to supply the missing nutrients we’re not getting from our food or our environment—but that’s a promise yet to be fulfilled. Nutrients delivered by foods taken directly from their natural environment (like vegetables, fruit, and meat) contain phytonutrients and enzymes that are not—and in some cases cannot be—included in any supplement. And remember, these micronutrients work synergistically with other compounds in your total diet to provide their health-promoting benefits.
PROMISES, PROMISES
It’s no wonder studies show that vitamin and mineral supplements don’t work the same way as the vitamins and minerals found in your food. For example, vitamin C from real food helps prevent many types of cancer and cardiovascular disease, but vitamin C from a bottle doesn’t seem to have the same protective effects. And a diet high in antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruits is associated with a lower risk for many chronic diseases, but there isn’t much evidence to support the use of antioxidant supplements to prevent disease.
Our takeaway is this: Supplements can never replicate the awesome effects of eating real food. However, that doesn’t mean supplements can’t support an otherwise healthy diet. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that certain supplements (like fish oil or vitamin D3) have benefits in the context of a healthy lifestyle that includes eating Good Food. Think about it this way:
Dietary supplements are a supplementation to, not a substitution for, a balanced, nutrient-dense diet.
So what are our supplement all-stars? Our (short) list follows. These are substances already present in a healthy diet and environment that show clear benefit in the research. Now, we’re not saying you have to take these supplements, nor are we saying you should. We are simply discussing compounds that we believe have health-promoting properties and may be able to support your already healthy diet.*
FISH OIL
You only need to do a quick Web search to discover the benefits of fish oil, because there is a wealth of scientific literature on this subject. The omega-3 fatty acids, particularly the long-chain forms found in fish oil (EPA and DHA), have been well-documented to have health-promoting effects, including improvement in blood chemistry and a reduced risk for a number of lifestyle-related diseases and conditions. EPA and DHA are natural anti-inflammatory agents, and as such play a role in brain and heart health; protection from cancer, Alzheimer’s, and depression; improvement of skin conditions like psoriasis and acne; fetal brain development; inflammatory bowel disorders; and arthritis, to name a few.
FATTY-ACID FLASHBACK
Remember, EPA and DHA are specific types of polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids. Your body cannot produce them—you must get them from food or supplements. EPA and DHA are found in high-quality (grass-finished, pastured, wild-caught) meat, seafood, and eggs and in fish oil supplements.
Reducing the amount of omega-6 fatty acids in your diet; eating high-quality meat, seafood, and eggs to maximize omega-3 intake; and supplementing with a high-quality fish oil all help to reduce systemic inflammation and the wide range of downstream effects. However, remember that in the case of all polyunsaturated fats, some is good, but more is not better. We don’t want to overdo our fish oil intake, as too much PUFA in the diet (even the healthy kind) may promote oxidation and inflammation in the body.
If you’re eating lots of grass-finished meat and wild-caught, cold-water fish (like salmon or mackerel), you may not need to supplement with fish oil at all. However, if your meat quality isn’t perfect, or if you frequently dine out or travel (and are exposed to omega-6-rich seed oils in restaurant cooking), you may want to consider a daily dose of fish oil.
General recommendations: 2 to 4 grams of EPA + DHA daily.*
Look for a concentrated omega-3-rich fish oil with lots of EPA and DHA per pill or teaspoon. (Skip the omega-3-6-9 blends—most people get more than enough omega-6 from their diets as it is.) We like Stronger Faster Healthier’s liquid fish oil (see Appendix B) for a few reasons. First, it’s highly concentrated, with almost three grams of total EPA and DHA in just one teaspoon. Second, the ingredients are 100 percent natural—no sugar or unhealthy additives. Most important, it tastes pretty darn good for fish oil. See, the fish oil that sits in your fridge isn’t actually anti-inflammatory. You actually have to take it. So five flavors of fish oil that actually taste good (and not at all fishy) make it far more likely that the “taking” part will happen.
CONTRAINDICATIONS
One word of caution: Fish oil can affect blood clotting by inhibiting clotting factors and platelet aggregation. If you have a bleeding tendency, are on anticoagulant medications (like Coumadin), or are about to have surgery, talk to your physician about whether you should take fish oil.
In addition, because EPA and DHA are rather unstable when exposed to air, heat, and light, don’t ever heat your fish oil! It’s OK to add the lemon-flavored one to a cold salad dressing, but don’t drizzle it over hot food or store it in warm places—in fact, we recommend storing it in the fridge, just to be safe.
VITAMIN D3
This vitamin-that’s-really-a-hormone should be no stranger at this point—we’ve mentioned the benefits of D3 for everything from immune support to bone health. While vitamin D3 is found in many foods (like meat and eggs), sun exposure is the biggest natural source of our vitamin D stores.
Skin cells are able to synthesize vitamin D3 when the sun’s UV-B rays hit the skin. If you’re fair skinned, spending just ten minutes in the summertime sun (sunscreen-free, with arms and legs exposed) can produce about 10,000 IUs of the vitamin.
However, dark-skinned individuals and the elderly produce less vitamin D3, and those who live in the Northern Hemisphere may not be able to produce enough vitamin D in the winter, as the sun may not get high enough in the sky for its UV-B rays to penetrate the atmosphere. Which means that many of us are walking around chronically deficient in vitamin D3 and at higher risk for conditions like osteoporosis, heart disease, and certain types of cancer.
Luckily, supplementation with vitamin D3 is quite effective at replenishing and maintaining stores in the body. Of course, some is good, but more is not better. While you can’t overdose on D3 if you’re getting it from the sun, some research suggests that supplementing with more than 10,000 IUs a day may be toxic.
General recommendations: Up to 5,000 IUs daily, depending on your geographical location and sun exposure.
Since D3 is fat soluble, we recommend taking it first thing in the morning, with your fat-rich breakfast. Look for olive oil-based or “dry” D3, not the stuff in soybean or corn oil. Yes, even with supplements, you need to read your labels!
MAGNESIUM
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body (but we bet you didn’t know that, because its big brother, calcium, gets way more attention). About 50 percent of your body’s magnesium is found in bone, the other half predominantly in tissues and organs.
Magnesium is critical to bone health but also plays a major role in muscle and nerve function, heart rhythm, immunity, regulation of blood sugar, and blood pressure. And from our own experience, we have found magnesium to be of great help for those who are having trouble obtaining restful sleep. In fact, we often call magnesium the “magic white powder,” as it helps us fall asleep so easily!
Magnesium is found in many foods, including leafy greens (spinach, Swiss chard, mustard greens, and turnip greens), other vegetables and fruits, and several types of nuts and seeds. However, according to several studies and the World Health Organization, a substantial number of people in the United States are magnesium deficient. The processing of food and higher percentage of “junk food” in our diets have been contributing factors. Furthermore, many blame the depletion of our soil because of long-term industrial-farming practices, excessive use of fertilizers, changes in varieties of plants grown, and loss of microorganisms in the soil—if our soil doesn’t contain as much magnesium as it used to, the plants we grow in that soil won’t either.
Magnesium supplements come in many forms. A citrate form is generally well tolerated and easy for the body to absorb. Citrate can be taken in capsules, but we prefer a powder like unsweetened Natural Calm.
General recommendations: 1 to 3 teaspoons (200-600 mg) dissolved thoroughly in water shortly before bed every evening.
You can also get your mag the old-fashioned way—in an Epsom salt bath. Throw two cups of the salts in warm bath water and soak away—some of the magnesium in the salts will be absorbed by your skin.
TOO MUCH MAG
One word of caution: Too much magnesium will have a laxative effect. This may be great for those suffering from constipation—a regular dose of magnesium may help alleviate that digestive issue—but for those of you who want to supplement without the extra bathroom “help,” start your dose off small and gradually work your way up. You can always split your supplementation up into smaller doses throughout the day, or switch to an ionic or topical form of magnesium, if the citrate form is not well tolerated.
DIGESTIVE ENZYMES
Enzymes are proteins found in food (but mostly manufactured by your own body) that facilitate chemical reactions. These enzymes—and good mealtime habits, like the kind we describe in our meal-planning template—are critical for proper digestion.
Ideally, you’d all be eating whole, unprocessed foods, taking time to chew your food thoroughly to make it easier for your small intestine to absorb the nutrients. However, processing, cooking, gulping down meals, and drinking fluids while eating reduce the number of enzymes that make their way into the digestive tract—and may make it hard for your body to actually “use” (digest and absorb) the nutrients in the food you are eating.
Broad-spectrum digestive enzymes containing HCl and pepsin help your body break down fats, carbohydrates, and protein and maximize the amount of nutrition you are able to absorb. We like NOW Foods Super Enzymes, but any brand that contains HC1 and pepsin (and, ideally, papain and bromelain as well) would work.
General recommendations: 1 to 4 capsules with each meal.
Take a bite of food, the digestive enzyme(s), then the rest of your food If you feel any sort of “heat” in your stomach after taking your enzymes, back off by one of more pills per meal, as necessary.
PROBIOTICS
Remember way back in Chapter 6, when we talked about our “friendlies,” those health-promoting gut bacteria? Our alliance with them is largely what helps regulate our delicately balanced immune activity, digest our food, absorb micronutrients, manufacture vitamins, and generally take up space that would otherwise be snapped up by pathogenic bacteria.
Balanced gut bacteria is the key here—the right kinds, in the right amounts. But many factors can cause our gut’s bacterial population to become unbalanced—and that spells trouble.
Bacterial infections, the use of antibiotics, stress, alcohol, and specific dietary factors can disrupt the delicate balance of beneficial bacteria in our gut. If left unchecked, gut dysbiosis can contribute to a number of health conditions, including diabetes, obesity, cancers, and autoimmune disorders.
However, before you go running out to the store to stock up on (often expensive) probiotic supplements or buy out your local health-food market’s sauerkraut supply, a word of caution.
There are about 500 different species of bacteria living in your gut.
Without knowing how much of which kind you have (and which ones you’re missing), how will you know what kind of supplement to buy, and how much to take?
We’re not big fans of willy-nilly supplementation with live bacteria. Remember, balance is key—and too many of any one kind could be problematic.
General recommendations: Don’t dump a bunch of probiotics into a disordered system without guidance or testing.
So, if you suspect that your bacterial allies aren’t so well organized, start by reaching out to your doctor or nutritionist for some testing. If you can’t do the lab work, then you can still take steps to restore a healthy balance of bacteria with naturally fermented foods and drinks—an excellent choice for regular consumption.
However, start slow with raw (unpasteurized) sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha beverages, or coconut-based kefirs. Overdoing fermented foods can also provoke some pretty ugly symptoms in people who have dysbiosis. This may mean as little as one tablespoon of “live cultures” from real food a day, working up to a higher “dose” as your gut adjusts to the infusion of new friends.
Another great helper for gut health and healing are bone broths—but you have to make your own, as the stuff in the store doesn’t have nearly the same nutrition as homemade broths. Slow-cooking the bones extracts vital nutrients that are seldom consumed in our regular diets, including gelatin, glucosamine, and important amino acids that form the building blocks of a healthy, balanced digestive system.
Use our recipe in Appendix A, choosing bones from pastured, organic animals whenever possible. Start with a cup of bone broth a day, but feel free to increase your intake to a cup with each meal.
MULTI-VITAMINS
In response to the question, “Should I take a multi-vitamin,” we generally answer with one word.
Meh.
We’re pretty agnostic on the subject of “multi-vitamins”—supplements that include a wide range and variety of vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients. On one hand, we know that the nutrients we get from real food interact in complex and beautiful ways in our bodies, providing us with a level of health that supplements simply cannot match. On the other hand, it’s idealistic to think that we can get perfect nutrition just from the foods we eat and our environment. After all, we don’t always eat perfectly, and our modern world (the soil, the water, the seeds themselves) may not provide us with as much nutrition from our foods as it used to.
However, the micronutrients found in multivitamins are nowhere near as bioavailable as those found in real food, and some of the synthesized forms of vitamins contained in multivitamin supplements may actually be harmful.
General recommendations: May not hurt but probably won’t help, either.
If taking a broad-spectrum multi-vitamin makes you feel good, go right ahead. But we certainly don’t think it’s a necessary addition to your already healthy diet and lifestyle.
FINAL THOUGHTS
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While your initial introduction to our Good Food philosophy may be over, our journey together is just beginning! Improving your health and quality of life is a gradual, evolutionary process. Our Whole30 program is a great way to jump-start your healthy-eating transformation, but you will continue to develop your new, healthy-eating habits and relationships with food for the rest of your life. And we promise, working your new food selections and habits into a sustainable, satisfying lifestyle gets easier with practice.
Still, you’ll probably want a little help, support, and guidance along the way, and we are more than happy to oblige. Our Web site (http://whole9life.com) is a wealth of resources, including an active forum where readers can post questions, connect with others, and share their experiences with like-minded people at various stages of their healthy-eating journeys. We encourage you to visit, participate, and become a part of our growing community.
Of course, while we believe your journey to optimal health starts with food, there are other factors that also play important roles. Health and fitness is multifactorial, and while nutrition is always the foundation, we also believe that you cannot focus on just one aspect of health at the exclusion of others. Sleep, exercise habits, and stress also factor into your personal health equation.
If your health is still suboptimal after many months (or years) of healthy eating per our recommendations, consider looking deeper into non-nutritional factors. At our seminars we often say, “Don’t look for a nutrition solution to a lifestyle problem.” So at some point, we encourage you to expand your scope of focus beyond food and start making positive, sustainable changes in other areas of your life too.
We have enjoyed sharing our stories and our message with you. Now we encourage you to do the same. Please visit our Web site or our Facebook page and tell us how the Whole30 and It Starts With Food has changed your life.
We wish you the best in health.
APPENDIX A:
THE MEAL MAP
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“I’ve battled to control my reactive hypoglycemia for what seems like forever, even as a young child. I attempted to manage it by eating small meals throughout the day and followed the suggestion to try regularly timed, conventional ‘round meals’ when the constant snacking did not help. As a result of my uncontrolled and overaggressive insulin response, there were many times when I would wake up with paralyzing night sweats and heart palpitations. Since doing my first Whole30, I’ve been able to manage my blood sugar more easily than I ever have before, and I no longer have to think about food with fear. Whole30 has helped me to eat in normal intervals without having to constantly snack, and has finally given me the freedom to eat when I’m hungry!”
—Emily, Birmingham, Alabama
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So, you’ve banished all the foods that make you less healthy from your pantry and stocked your kitchen with all the foods that make you healthier. Now what?
The easiest way to transition into your new eating habits is to focus on making meals based on yummy ingredients rather than trying to recreate complicated recipes. This approach has two advantages. For one thing, you don’t have to worry about whether a recipe is compliant because you’ll be basing all your meals around what are now familiar, approved ingredients. For another thing, you can create delicious meals that take a minimum amount of time and require only basic cooking skills.
The formula for a meal is simple:
ANIMAL PROTEIN + LOTS OF VEGETABLES + HIGH-QUALITY FAT + SEASONINGS
Even if you think you “can’t cook,” this formula will make it easy for you to adapt your eating habits without stress and with lots of flavor. Our handy meal charts will help you improvise hundreds of nutritious, satisfying meals during your Whole30 and beyond.
OUR GOOD FOOD MEAL MAP
In this section, we’ll give you enough mix-and-match ingredients to create a year’s worth of meals, all 100 percent approved for your Whole30 program (and beyond). But take note—this is not a set-in-stone, thirty-day meal plan.
We will not decree that you must eat shrimp.
We aren’t going to spell out which veggies to eat with each meal.
And we are not going to tell you what to eat a week from Tuesday.
We are all grown-ups, and at this point in our lives, no one should be telling us what to eat and when. As we’ve mentioned before, we are big fans of the “teach you how to fish” approach, which means that we’ll give you all the tools you need to comfortably and competently start cooking (and eating) according to your new healthy-eating plan—but but you’ll still have to plan and prepare meals yourself. The good news is, you get to eat them all yourself too.
Our basic Meal Map is structured like this:
MASTER RECIPES — PROTEIN AND VEGETABLES is where you’ll find scores of easy-to-follow recipes for a variety of protein and vegetable options. We’ve organized some of our best ideas in our tasty charts, so you’ll know exactly how to put together meat, veggies, and seasonings so you can go from cooking to eating in practically no time.
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MASTER RECIPES — CURRIES AND SOUPS is your go-to for a complete meal-in-a-bowl. We’ve given you lots mix-and-match possibilities to suit your tastes and moods—and many can be whipped up in twenty minutes or less.
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FINISHING TOUCHES —SAUCES, SEASONINGS, AND DRESSINGS will satisfy your need for a little drizzle of something flavorful to transform meat-and-vegetables into a feast worthy of a gourmet magazine. Experiment with the master recipes, and get in touch with your inner chef!
We’ve also given you recipes for three of our favorite when-you’re-in-the-mood-to-really-cook-or-entertain meals.
QUICK-AND-EASY MEAL — A REALLY GREAT STEAK is a classic, and one of the great rewards of eating real food.
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QUICK-AND-EASY MEAL — NO-FUSS SALMON CAKES ties all your nutrients up in an eye-catching package. Keep your pantry stocked with the ingredients, and you’ll always be just half an hour away from voilà!
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FANCYPANTS MEAL — DELICIOUS DINNER PARTY is a mouth-watering menu of entrée, sides, and dessert which never fails to elicit oohs and ahhs, and is perfect for a special occasion or a random Wednesday.
Finally, when you’re ready to dig into more detailed recipe creations, we’ve given you a list of cookbooks and Web sites with thousands of Good Food recipes in Appendix B—most of which are also Whole30 approved.
We promise, between our Meal Map and resources, you’ll never, ever be bored with healthy eating.