A blog to help you optimize your full-body and life performance

Did you know that March is National Nutrition Month? As a result, while we strive to keep you up-to-date on the latest and greatest in nutrition and health year-round, we’re putting an extra emphasis on it this time of year.

Right now, an interesting topic is buzzing around Capitol Hill with regard to the labeling of non-dairy plant products as milk, cheese, or yogurt. By definition, “milk” comes from the mammary glands of mammals. Since plants (1) aren’t mammals and (2) don’t have mammary glands, technically they can’t produce milk.

If passed, this new legislation will require the FDA to enforce labeling laws for milk, cheese, and yogurt. As proposed, the legislation states that “mislabeling” non-dairy products is misleading to consumers. With so many different types of “milk” out there, it’s no wonder people might be confused on the nutrition properties of each type. Here, we will lay out some facts about the different varieties of milk so you can make the most educated decision at the supermarket with your biomarkers and goals in mind.

Did you know that 1 out of every 2 women and 1 out of every 4 men over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis? Roughly 10 million Americans have osteoporosis and another 44 million are at risk of it due to low bone density.¹ May is National Osteoporosis Month - so there’s no better time to talk bone health! A broken bone can seriously sideline you from living a healthy lifestyle, and like many other diseases, prevention is the best way to protect yourself. While proper nutrition is a major component, calcium plays a critical role in developing and maintaining your overall bone health.

Are you getting your greens? The USDA recommends that adults should eat 1 ½ - 2 cups of dark green vegetables each week, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly three-quarters of Americans miss the target for vegetables. This is a major problem because these green, leafy veggies provide a bonanza of phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals that help provide the nutrients that you need to stay healthy and perform at your peak. An InsideTracker blood analysis can tell you if you’re missing any key nutrients from dark, leafy vegetables, but it’s up to you to eat them!

If you want to become faster, stronger, and more flexible, pay attention to the food that you eat. Optimal nutrition is the key to peak performance on and off the field, because food provides essential nutrients necessary to build and maintain a strong body.

“Biomechanical changes take time and persistence, but changes in diet can be made quickly and can have an immediate effect on how your body works,” says US Olympic triathlete Jarrod Shoemaker.

 Want healthy bones? Be sure that you are getting enough calcium! Many people—both men and women—fail to meet their recommended dietary intake of calcium. In fact, some studies show that 90% of women and 70% of men don’t consume the recommended daily allowance of calcium. To maintain optimal health, men and women aged 19-50 need 1000 mg of calcium each day; women over 50 and men over 70 need 1200 mg per day. This is especially important for women, who are at a greater risk for bone-related disorders like osteoporosis. Athletes are another group who need to pay close attention to their calcium since they need to have strong bones in order to compete at their peak!

If you live in a temperate climate, or you don’t get outside for at least 15 minutes each day, you may have low vitamin D. Why? Because your body actually makes most of its vitamin D from sunshine, and if you don’t get enough sun, you are likely to have low vitamin D. Known as the “sunshine vitamin,” vitamin D provides several important benefits to our bodies, but it can be difficult to get your daily requirement of the vitamin since few foods are naturally rich sources. 

And if you don’t get enough vitamin D, it can affect the way you feel and how well you perform. An InsideTracker blood test showed that an Olympic track cyclist had very low levels of vitamin D. InsideTracker gave this athlete and her coach a set of simple interventions to increase her vitamin D. That helped to make a measurable difference in her performance. And it contributed to her success in at the 2012 Olympics in London where she won two silver medals in track cycling!

White blood cells play an important role in your body’s immune system, searching the blood for invading viruses, bacteria, and fungi. When a foreign virus or bacteria enters your blood, the white blood cell, or leukocyte, recognizes and destroys the invading particle before it can cause disease. There are several different types of white blood cells, each with their own function. Some directly destroy the foreign bacteria, while others attack cells that are infected by viruses. Other types of white blood cells can even play a role in allergic reactions!

Have you been buying more “natural” foods lately? Because the word “natural” has become synonymous with safety, health, and wholesomeness, marketers have been labeling more foods as “natural” to imply the superiority of their products over more “artificial” foods. But does “natural” equal better?

Are you lactose intolerant? Are you vegan? If you follow a low- or no-lactose diet, there are some key nutrients that you might be missing as a result of excluding dairy foods. To find out what nutrients you should increase, you can sign up for InsideTracker blood analysis and get dietary recommendations that benefit your physical performance and overall wellness while simultaneously helping you avoid lactose.

As an athlete, you want to put the highest-quality fuel into your body to get the best results from your training and competition.  Yogurt is a great food to add to your diet. The active bacteria cultures can strengthen your immune system, and yogurt provides both calcium and protein.