Good nutrition is essential for optimal health, performance and quality of life. Unfortunately, the standard American diet is deficient in many essential nutrients, and at the same time is loaded with toxic ingredients known to cause serious health problems. Making matters worse, doctors rarely test for nutrient deficiencies, which are often at the root of their patients' complaints. The end result is a population marked by difficulties attaining or maintaining a state of good health and optimal performance.

Today we're rounding out our Health Fundamentals Series with a fourth instalment, this time on the topic of nutrition. NBT coaches Megan Hall and Zach Moore discuss why what you eat deserves your time and attention, and the best practical strategies to ensure you're getting the nutrition you need from your diet. They talk about the best foods to consume, how many meals to eat and the best time of the day to eat them, and how to avoid the most common nutritional deficiencies. They also discuss the best way to get started so you don't get overwhelmed and quit before seeing the benefits of a good diet.

Here's the outline of this episode with Megan Hall and Zach Moore:

For all the details, be sure to follow along with Megan's Outline for this podcast.

[00:00:09] First 3 Health Fundamentals Podcasts: 1, 2, 3.

[00:01:27] Why we should care about what we eat.

[00:03:15] Top dietary interventions to focus on.

[00:05:37] Optimal protein intake.

[00:08:25] Protein leverage hypothesis.

[00:12:30] Plant-based vs. animal-based protein sources.

[00:15:37] Collagen peptides vs. whey protein supplementation for muscle protein synthesis; Study: Oikawa, Sara Y., et al. "Whey protein but not collagen peptides stimulate acute and longer-term muscle protein synthesis with and without resistance exercise in healthy older women: a randomized controlled trial." The American journal of clinical nutrition 111.3 (2020): 708-718.

[00:16:52] Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs).

[00:17:26] Avoiding junk/processed acellular carbohydrates and industrial seed oils.

[00:19:27] Focusing on nutrient density; common nutrient deficiencies (calcium, choline, vitamin A, k2, zinc, magnesium, iodine).

[00:26:34] Tolerating organ meats.

[00:28:16] Organ meat blended with ground beef; Nose to Tail, Force of Nature, US Wellness Meats.

[00:31:48] Environmental Working Group (EWG)'s Dirty Dozen.

[00:32:03] Meal number and timing.

[00:32:54] Time restricted eating (limited eating window).

[00:34:08] One meal a day (OMAD).

[00:40:36] Personalizing a diet for you.

[00:40:51] Macronutrients.

[00:44:10] Fiber; soluble vs. insoluble fiber.

[00:45:24] Polyphenols.

[00:46:12] Elimination diets.

[00:50:42] Troubleshooting.

[00:50:52] Digestive distress, during or after meals.

[00:51:38] Improving body composition.

[00:54:06] Managing sugar cravings.

[00:55:06] Gretchen Rubin; Article: When Facing a Strong Temptation, Are You an "Abstainer" Like Me, or a "Moderator?"

[00:55:52] Addressing under-eating; Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S).

[01:00:50] Getting started making dietary changes.

[01:02:49] Nourishbalancethrive.com; Book a free 15-minute starter session.