Amidst Michael Phelp's Olympic achievements this past week there has been much publicity and attention centered on his diet. Here is an article that lays out point by point what he eats at every meal & some commentary to his strange eating plan: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7562840.stm .
As people hear more and more of his high fat high calorie plan, we'd like to make sure no one misinterprets this info as a "free pass" to think that everyone who eats like Michael can be in the health of an Olympic athlete, as this is certainly not the case.
In fact, what it should make people think is: imagine just how much more this man could achieve if he fueled his body with good, quality, nutrient-dense food sources?
THAT is what the media should be talking about, instead of sending out the wrong message about the example Phelp's is not setting for people in the area of nutrition. It upsets me to no end that the media constantly needs to create drama, and in doing so they consistently choose to publicize negative topics to stir the pot.
If he eats that way, then NBC and other media sources should think about the number of people they have as a captured audience in this format & how they can HELP them to eat well through the message their sending, not patronize & confuse their viewers the way they are talking endlessly about Michael's junk food eating program. Have they never heard the phrase, "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all."?
This is the exact stuff that confuses people and is a detriment to the state of our public health both in adults and children. We may possibly now see a resurgence in the awful Atkins diet, which is basically filling your arteries with fat & unhealthy oils, based on the specifics they're putting out on tv about Michael's diet.
Keep in mind the frequency, length & intensity of
someone's training of Michael's athletic caliber can counter some of the junk
he is taking into his body for food. So what may APPEAR to not effect
him negatively is partially due to the counter effect of his exercise
schedule - but remember, you don't see his insides, and outward
physical appearance is not always indicative of inner health both short
& long-term.
That is how professional athletes sometime die shockingly from cancer or a heart attack unexpectedly every once in
awhile to everyone's surprise. People too often wrongly associate outward
appearance as synonomous with inward health quality. If he continued to
eat like this over time, regardless of his training, it would no doubt
take a negative toll on his health.
I'm rather surprised that an athlete of his level is not working with a nutritional consultant on a regular basis to support his training both in term of nutrient choices, meal composition, and nutrient timing to support his pre, during, and post workout periods properly with what he eats. The majority of athletes that compete at that level either are supporting their body with health nutrition through the consultation of a sports nutritionist, or through their own knowledge of being in and around the sport for many years.
I'd also like to mention his diagnosis of ADHA, which is important to note along with the correlation that he's openly admitted he's been eating this way for 20+ years. Why people don't connect what he's putting in his mouth in terms of loads of sugars, processed chemicals and foods, junk food, soda/caffeine, and high fats, along in direct relation to this exacerbated temperament as a child growing up to today leaves me speechless.
How we choose to support or not support our bodies nutritionally to do the work of their natural processes has everything to do with our resulting mood, ability to concentrate, ability to focus, to think, to have energy or not, to function, etc. For anyone who is diagnosed with ADHD or ADD, the absolute FIRST thing any Dr should do is assess the client's diet and rework it to put them on a whole foods paleolythic diet, by removing all processed sugars, all caffeine, all packaged foods, leaving only lean meats, decaf coffee or tea, loads of water and vegetables, and minimal fruit. Once that transition sets into their body over 4-6 weeks, then and only then should the client be reassessed for what type of possible additional medicinal support may or may not be needed at that point. Unfortunately, most Dr's do not even address the current diet and exercise program of the patient both in diagnosis and treatment.
In the article on Phelps, Barbara Lewin, a nutritionist who has advised international athletes on their dietary health for almost two decades, states "Health-wise, if he were eating like this long-term, he'd probably be having to see a cardiologist regularly," Mrs Lewin told the BBC.
It's too bad he has set such a stellar example on areas of physical health & achievement in sport for adults, childrens, athletes throughout the world, yet fails to set a similar good example of nutrition in this world at a time when it's SO needed by someone of his reach. Just like Mary Lou Retton was a unstoppable force and the athlete-to-inspire of my generation, Phelps is just this for figure for generation Y, which needs a lot more positive role models on the exercise & nutrition front today then we needed back then.
I'm hoping as his accomplishments set in that the realization the amount of kids along with that that look up to him will to, and he'll begin to see the tremendous amount of responsibility that comes along with that & therefore how he can use this platform to help others in these areas of health.
And yet someone who is using high performance nutrition to reach her Olympic goals at the age of 41, Dara Torres, & would prove a wonderful example for people throughout the world on how she approaches her training to get where she has both physically and nutritionally, gets called out by the media in her interview asking if she's using steroids.
Can someone please just release the media from their duties? They are the cause of so many problems in our society today with the drama they try to create. So the media immediately skews and ruins a potentially great example for people by asking Dara if she's taking drugs, automatically assuming she is. Of course she has to be, right? No, not right.
How about asking her how she does it...how she achieves such physical goals at her age? THAT again is what would HELP people watching the Olympics via encouragement, vs. the over-asked steroid question. Just because you don't understand how someone achieves something, doesn't automatically mean it's not possible to achieve or they cheated to get there; it just means she has had some experiences in controlling and developing her health in a manner through her life that you haven't in your own, and we'd benefit to learn from her.
But of course the drama will always be more important to the media than doing what's right to help better people's health in their lives. I do hope people do see through the drama being made over Michael Phelp's diet to realize that it's basically much to-do about nothing & not worth the air time it's getting, as most things the media harps on.
Let's just enjoy his wins for the amazing feat they are & hope that, should he return to future Olympic competition, he adds in a great nutritional program to support his future athletic goals so we can see him at his true best ... & how incredible that would be.
Heather Dubé - Health & Wellness Coach
Wellcoaches LWC Trainee, Group Wellness Coach, NASM CPT, BA Psychology
You & Improved Coaching - "Revitalizing Wellness in Health & Home"
www.youandimprovedcoaching.com
healthmatters.vox.com/
info@youandimprovedcoaching.com
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