Holistic Nutrigenomics

hardtrainer

Ok, so I made up the title there to get some attention. But I do have a very valid reason for doing this. The current fad of overcomplicating things (Think "Dr" Gillian McKeith "PhD"..!!), which seems to be catching on, even among those that we would expect to have a more balanced approach to diet, really concerns me.

As for the title above, well there is an emerging field of research, dubbed 'nutrigenomics', which looks at the way diet affects gene expression. I kid you not. There is some rationale for it, in that certain micronutrients do have the potential to alter gene expression, over time (this is crucial). How much value we place on this kind of research should really be considered very carefully. Like the holistic nutrition fad (balanced approach to the diet, yada yada yada...I can hear that freaky pooh lady waffling on already), the trend towards overcomplication is really not a positive thing. You do not need to know the micronutrient breakdown of everything you eat. Aren't you busy enough in your life as it is?

I lead a busy life. I enjoy my food. I try to eat as balanced and healthily as i can. I supplement with protein and a multivit, but I still eat plenty of fruit and veg (could always be more though). I don't care about how much selenium I've gotten today. I couldn't give a $h*t how much zinc is in my lunch, it doesn't matter. For the most part, I am confident that I am getting a balanced diet and the multivit helps to top up anything that may be lacking in my diet.

The problem, as I see it, lies in self proclaimed experts (like Mrs McKeith) advising people that they need to get more of one micronutrient or another, to combat some vague, but umbrella group of symptoms. There are a lot of otherwise rational people falling into the trap of worrying about the exact micronutrient composition of their diet. If you fall into this trap, then please, take a step back and try to think logically about things. Eat more fruit and veg, by all means. Eat as varied a selection of foods as you can and avoid, where possible processed foods. If you can do that, you will be healthier.

I don't want to get bogged down with the carb/protein/fat ratio of things. The key is everything in moderation. If you want to get fit, ot lose a little weight etc, you do not need to be as specific as this % carbs, this % protein etc, just reduce your portion sizes a little. Even if you want to add a little mass, again, this kind of thing is unwarranted, just eat more clean food. The only people who need to strictly control their calorie intake, to the point of counting the protein, carbs, fats they eat, timing meals and supplementing with protein shakes, creatine, etc, are those people who are already pushing their limits and who need specific nutrition to aid in getting past a plateau in gains (at a level that most will never be at in the first place).

There are plenty of people out there who will gladly tell you what you are deficient in (and sell you the supplement to help) if you're prepared to ask, but you'd be better off spending your time doing something else, like cooking some fresh veg, or picking some good fruit from your local market.

davyjose

If you eat a varied diet o healthy foods, you will get all the nutrients you need. I think the problem is that a lot of people don't. There's very much a case of people always trying to do things the easy way, rather than the right way (goes for exercise too), so, similar to buying an 'ab-trainer' or some other bull$h!t product, they take extra Selenium, because a quack somewhere told them they had a deficiency in it.