Christopher Vlaun’s simple whole food nutrition tips

Why I skip breakfast.

Why I skip breakfast.

Over the years I have gone through various phases and dietary habits to find the ones that best work for me. One habit that I adopted about 5 years ago is skipping breakfast. You may have heard of this concept, but am sure that you have heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Opinions are pretty strong and studies are quite divided on this, but form me it works.

So how does it work for me and why?  Is it for my performance? Yes. Is it to stay lean? Yes. Is more convenient for my lifestyle? Yes. Is it because it offers a range of health benefits? Sure does. Does it just work for me? Once again, yes.

With that said I wanted to share with you my top 5 reasons why I don’t eat breakfast. Keep in mind that there are studies

and views that are divided. Some outcomes may be correlated to lifestyle and habits that may not be exactly causation.

1. Being full while training is uncomfortable – Since I’m in the fitness/wellness business my days start pretty early and are often active in the early part of the day. I am often working with clients in a very interactive way demonstrating bodyweight exercises and techniques of our training system Aeroga Movement. This work often entails a great deal of full spectrum movement, twisting and exercises that would feel quite uncomfortable on a full stomach.

2. Fasting BenefitsIt’s a good time for me to take advantage of the benefits of being in a fasted state. Since it has been over 12 hours since the last time I have had a meal, I am generally entering a fasted state. Do I consume anything when I wake up? Yes. I am all about the “Bulletproof Coffee” thank you Dave Asprey. I have always enjoyed coffee although I have always been a little sensitive to caffeine – the added butter and coconut oil tempers the effect of the jitters while giving me laser like focus. More on that later.

A few added benefits of intermittent fasting;

a. It promotes stronger insulin sensitivity and increased hormone secretion, both are good for weight loss. If your skeptic, I’m not the only one telling you this. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting/

b. Immunity Boost – When you cut food out for 15 or more hours your body is not under attack by the germs and bacteria from the food you eat.

So you are actually giving your immune system a break, as a result your immunity will be boosted thanks to the fast.

c. Digestive Reset – It takes energy for your digestive system to process the food you eat. During this fasted state you are giving your digestive system a rest so energy can be more put to use in activities. When you eat again your digestive system will be able to pick up and start working at full speed again.

d. Cellular repair: The body induces important cellular repair processes, such as removing waste from cells

3. It simplifies my day In the morning there are to many tasks with getting the kids ready for school, preparing for my training/work day. Rather that spending the time preparing a quality breakfast and cleaning up after, I can enjoy my coffee, connect with my kids and quickly mix my green tonic drink that I will sip on for the next few hours during training hours. More on that at a later time.

4. Prepared for survivalWhile fasting is like tapping into my primal being, I feel more prepared for uncertainty whether feast or famine and not really stress myself out on exactly when I am have my next meal. People can often spend quite a bit of energy on wheat and when to eat next. I know I spent some time and energy over the years when really trying to dial in my nutrition to perform better and it didn’t always pay off. In the end I was stressed and unsatisfied.

5. I enjoy working out in a fasted stateWithout a sufficient amount of glucose and glycogen to pull from (since it has been depleted in the fasted state) my body release of the only source of stored energy available – the fat stored in the cells. Great for staying lean!

What happens when you work out in a fasted state? As the glycogen stored in your muscle and liver so your body can burn as fuel when necessary is depleted during sleep and even more while working out or training, also increases insulin sensitivity. This means that what you eat immediately following a workout will be stored most efficiently. Most of the energy stores as glycogen for muscle stores, burned as energy quickly to aid recovery, at the same time a minimal amount is stored as fat.

Bonus Tip: I actually feel more focused and alert on the morning for a couple of hours. Makes sense since intermittent fasting helps brain function

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting-brain-function/ 

Here’s my morning routine:

  •  Get out of bed do a short wakeup movement routine.
  •  Crank up some organic morning brew (coffee) make my Bullet Proof concoction. Sip on that while I prepare my green tonic. Recipe Below:

Ingredients

  • Macro Greens – 1 scoop
  • Fresh sliced ginger – size of my thumb
  • 1 whole fresh squeezed organic lemon
  • 16 oz of artesian spring water

Directions

Peel and slice up a thumb size of ginger root, cut a whole lemon in halves, squeeze into 16oz of water, blend and serve over ice. Sip and enjoy.

BONE BROTH – SUPER NUTRITION

I am delighted to share with you this great blog post from my Friend Shantih is a great inspiration and self healer.

Homemade bone broth is absolutely amazing and your friend has a very good point to make. All broths are great for us. It is easy to absorb a good broth, meaning we can easily access all the nutrients inside it. Chicken broth, for instance, is known as Jewish penicillin.

“It plays a critical role in soothing the gut and allowing the body to absorb critical nutrition in the most assimilable way. Loaded with minerals, one of our nation’s epidemic health issues, bone broth is a great way to replenish the body’s likely depleted mineral reserves.”

The benefits of bone broth are too many to mention. It comes from an age old recipe, from the times when people really struggle to access sufficient calcium in their diets. They therefore turned to bones, a cheap alternative to meat, which also increased their calcium intake. However, just because we are no longer so poor that we have to nibble on carcasses doesn’t mean we shouldn’t consume bone broth anymore.

“Bone broth provides our bodies with bio-available (very easy to consume, digest and absorb) forms of calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and other trace minerals that are so lacking in our diets today.”

For people with digestive problems, bone broth is even more beneficial. It isn’t only about the calcium and other minerals, but the understanding that the high levels of collagen are what make the broth so suitable for people with issues of the gut.

“Collagen has been found to help heal the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, which includes the stomach and the intestines. This means that heartburn or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and many of the conditions associated with intestinal inflammation can be helped with bone broth.”
“Besides collagen, cartilage contains something called glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Studies have found an underlying deficiency of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in people with digestive problems. Correcting a deficiency and helping to repair a compromised gut wall is another good reason to consume bone broth regularly.”

Bone broth has many other health benefits as well. It is no surprise that it has been used all over the world for thousands of years. Believed to have originated in ancient China, it has taken the world by storm and for good reason. Unfortunately, in recent years, it has fallen out of favor slightly, mainly because it does take quite some time to cook it. However, it will keep and you can make quite a lot of servings out of single pan of soup. When you understand the benefits of bone broth, you are likely to give it a go yourself.

Shantih Coro CFMP, GAPS

  • Registered dietitian in Italy, he is working through transferring his credentials through Eastern Michigan University, which has one of the top dietetic programs in the USA to become a Registered Dietitian
  • Extensive training in functional medicine
  • Certified in Sports Nutrition
  • Certified GAPS Practitioner
  • Professional mentorship in Clinical Nutrition with best seller author of “Digestive Wellness” Dr. Elizabeth Lipski, PhD, CCN
  • Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist