The “Geek Bar” above can be found on every page that contains more advanced nutritional information. Sliding the marker from green-to-yellow-to-red will increase the amount of detail provided on each topic.
This program is designed to maximize athletic performance using the latest in nutritional science. All of the ingredients we use are selected because of the contribution they make to building muscle, losing fat, and maximizing recovery. Every ingredient in every meal is weighed on a gram scale to the exact value that YOU need based upon some very advanced calculations made by our software. On your end, the program is easy to follow because the meals show up ready-to-eat and require no preparation or clean-up. Just heat it up in a microwave, eat the meal, and throw the container in the recycle bin!
The “Geek Bar” above can be found on every page that contains more advanced nutritional information. Sliding the marker from green-to-yellow-to-red will increase the amount of detail provided on each topic.
This program is designed to maximize athletic performance using the latest in nutritional science. Every effort is made to include nutrient-dense ingredients that complement each other. The quantity of each ingredient is adjusted by our proprietary software based upon its protein, carb, and fat values, as well as its micronutrient content. Many athletes ignore the protein found in vegetables, grains, and dairy products. Because of this, we find that most athletes end up taking in more protein than they need in each meal. Our software calculates the actual quantity of complete protein available to you from each meal, minimizing the load on your kidneys, reducing fat storage, and minimizing the quantity of water that you’ll need to stay adequately hydrated. Carbohydrates are selected based upon their glycemic index value, complex carbohydrate content, and fiber content. Because you’ll end up running to the restroom a lot if you take in TOO much fiber, athletes have to watch their fiber intake when consuming “healthy” food. Our software insures that you won’t run into that issue, as each meal will be adjusted to contain the correct number of grams of fiber. Saturated fats are kept to a minimum, while mono- and poly-unsaturated fats are used more liberally. The fat content of each meal will be consistent down to the gram as well, so you’ll find that each meal will be equally filling and you won’t find yourself hungry quicker than expected.
Each athlete’s needs are unique because of the demands they place upon their bodies and minds (we’ll stay out of the “spirit” in this discussion, as we’re only reviewing what’s been scientifically studied). The main areas of concern are training hard enough, recovering fast enough, and insuring that you’re “healthy” as well as “athletic”. There’s a school of thought that overtraining doesn’t exist…just under-sleeping and under-eating. While that might be a little bit of an overstatement, there is some truth to the concept. Most of your progress from training is made between training sessions…not during the session. If you take in enough nutrients during your waking hours and get a lot of quality sleep, you’ll insure that you maximize recovery to the greatest extent possible.
As a side note: There are specialists that study the sleep side of the equation, so you may want to spend some time researching that field if you haven’t looked into it. We’ve seen quite a few athletes who train and eat properly, but have horrible sleep patterns. They usually see a HUGE improvement when they address this realm. Two products that we’ve seen work well are the Lark and the Zeo sleep monitors.
When it comes to diet, this is the area that we specialize in. When combined with nutritional blood/urinalysis, simple dietary adjustments become even more powerful. The meals can be prepared to match your EXACT nutritional needs…not just a one-size-fits-all “athlete” program. The micro- and macro-nutrients within the meals will be set to the unique needs of the athlete. For example, if an athlete needs 38 grams of protein, 74 grams of carbohydrate, and 11 grams of fat per meal, we’ll prepare meals meeting that exact specification. In addition, the ingredients utilized will be adjusted to make up for the deficiencies detected through the blood testing (if available). If someone needs walnuts to insure they receive enough Alpha Linolenic Acid (an Omega 3 fatty acid), their meals will incorporate more walnuts than an athlete who doesn’t have this need. Obviously, all of this technology has to be incorporated in some manner that tastes better than cardboard. It doesn’t matter how nutritious a meal is, nobody is going to eat it if it doesn’t taste good! If you already eat healthy on your own, you won’t have any issue with the meals we serve. If you’re eating at a fast food establishment on a daily basis, there might be a little adjustment to the taste of “healthy food”.
Among the performance characteristics we look to improve in an athlete, the field of recovery is one of the highest priorities. The carbohydrates that you take in immediately after a workout can significantly influence the next workout, so proper planning is a must if you’re aiming to have Elite recovery ability. The type and quantity of protein that you take in before bed can influence what amino acids are available to your muscles during the night. You want these amino acids to be available when your body goes to adapt to the demands that were placed upon it during the training session of the day. The vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients that you took in during the day are equally important. Remove some of the nutrients essential to the repair of tendons/ligaments or those required to build muscle and you’ll find that your progress will be seriously affected. By insuring that proteins are properly complemented, you’ll minimize the load on the kidneys and insure that a large number of the amino acids from beans, rice, and vegetables are put to good use (in a manner similar to animal protein). Protein complementing is done automatically in our software, as taking in incomplete protein doesn’t do an athlete any good.
Many athletes also notice the benefit of eating a more alkaline diet, as the loads placed on the lungs (where the pH balance of the body is controlled) are minimized. Some athletes even find that pH buffering takes place to a small extent, allowing you to push further before you hit your lactate threshold. From a health perspective, there’s a lot to be said about the benefits of eating more alkaline foods. These benefits have more to do with overall health/longevity than preventing you from catching a cold, but nobody wants to be the “former athlete” who dies at an early age.
When it comes to supplementation, there’s a tendency to either avoid them entirely or take everything on the shelf with the hopes that something is going to help. The proper perspective is to keep supplementation to a minimum, while making sure that the supplements that are taken are a) supplements that are actually needed and b) from a source that is trusted to be free of anything that would cause an athlete to test positive for performance enhancing drugs. Nutritional blood/urinalysis is an exceptionally elegant way to determine what each individual’s needs are. The testing reveals exactly which nutrients are depleted, as well as heavy metal toxicities, gut microbial imbalances, neurotransmitter production concerns, as well as food sensivities that could be using up valuable resources in the production of unwanted antibodies. Feel free to contact us if you have specific questions about this type of testing and we will answer your questions ASAP.