Nutrition for Runners (eBook)

Chapter 1:

Use Your Brain!

To Manage Hunger, Cravings, Energy, Fatigue, Fat

by Jeff Galloway

As humans, we can activate our conscious brain:

•Avoid mindless eating by managing our nutrition.

•Ensure we are getting adequate nutrients.

•Enjoy food without adding extra layers of fat.

•Mind and body can work together to achieve your goals.

Average Americans today are significantly overweight or obese. I hear from many every week who tell me how dedicated I am for exercising and how they don’t have the discipline to work out or eat right. My common response is “It’s not really about discipline and dedication but about mentally focusing on the enrichment and pleasure that exercise brings to life.” Many look at me like I’m crazy.

The fact is that all of us are capable of using our human, conscious brains to control what we do. In the process we discover far more joy throughout the mind-body network from making healthy food choices and exercising than we did eating potato chips, hot wings, etc. on the couch.

I also hear from thousands of talented runners every year who tell me that they tried to eat better but relapsed back into the “comfort foods” containing sugar, salt, and fat, which don’t deliver the nutrients needed for repair and performance. Some are not overweight and some are running quite well. I tell them in the short run they may not notice a difference when they transition to healthier choices.

But I’ve heard from thousands who have not had the performance capacity to stay ahead of the pick-up bus in their favorite marathon or qualify for the Boston Marathon, who found that a healthy dietary change became a catalyst during their improvement journey. Because they felt better with more energy, the workouts were better—especially on the tough days. A positive change in food choices has been shown to turn on brain circuits to improve quality in exercise.

By using the simple strategies in this book you can set up a cognitive eating plan that will put you in command of your food intake and feel better every day. This can significantly improve the way you feel when running and in your daily activities. When you combine aerobic, enjoyable running with mental focus on eating, you can feel better, prepare for performance better, reduce general fatigue, and burn more fat.

We have a powerful mind-body network that is interconnected. Eating influences mental activity and mental activity influences eating—all day long. But we have many subconscious eating patterns that are deeply embedded. In this chapter I will tell you about the exciting new research that shows how you can consciously activate brain circuits to give you control over subconscious eating patterns that lower our energy and reduce motivation for running.

Yes, you can harness this network to be the master of your nutrition, feel better, improve health while controlling diet, weight, and performance nutrition.

Who’s In Charge: Conscious Brain or Subconscious Reflex Brain?

At any given moment, you can choose one of two brain operating systems: 1) the more ancient subconscious brain (SBC) located in the brainstem or 2) the conscious brain (or human brain) located in the frontal lobe.

The challenge: subconscious brain gratification eating patterns. Most humans, most of the time, allow the subconscious “reflex” brain to choose what and when to eat. This is natural because the subconscious brain (SBC) conducts most of our activities throughout the day. Hardwired in this ancient and continuously upgraded brainstem are thousands of genetically embedded and learned behavior patterns that evolved millions of years ago in response to the constant threat of starvation. To enhance survival, our SBC developed many circuits that stimulate us to eat whenever food is available and make us feel good when we eat sugar and fat. Brain circuits keep rewarding us with a “joy” hormone called dopamine even when we’ve eaten far more than we need for the next day or two—without feeling satisfied.

Use Your Conscious Brain and Gain Control Over Eating

You can take control of your nutritional destiny by having a cognitive strategy for eating (or any other activity). This shifts control out of the subconscious brain and into the frontal lobe. As you focus on what you eat, how much and when the conscious brain overrides the SBC brain. This interrupts embedded emotional subconscious eating patterns and gives you a chance to choose foods that will keep you energized and healthy, while you avoid overeating. By having an eating plan, you can combine the foods you need to balance your nutrients, keep the energy supply flowing, and avoid dehydration.

You don’t have to give up the foods you love. But whether you want to ensure that you’re getting the right nutrients for health and strong running, or whether you want to burn some fat, an eating strategy will allow you to achieve your goals for eating and running.

How Subconscious Brain Circuits Work

1.SBC circuits are set up to eat when food is available. Most of the energy and eating circuits were developed over millions of years ago when food was scarce and starvation was common. For survival, our appetite circuit is turned on when food is available and is not turned off until we have eaten far more than we need for that day and often the next day or two (i.e., a visit to the buffet). The extra volume not only promotes fat accumulation as a hedge against starvation, but a wealth of vitamins, minerals, and protein for repair and body function.

2.Subconscious dopamine reflex eating—no accountability. Many of the subconscious reflex brain eating patterns are not healthy or beneficial for running. Take the dopamine reflex reward pattern, for example. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter—a hormone that delivers a more powerful sense of joy than most. When you eat a food that has sugar, salt or fat, such as a potato chip (which has all three), you get a happy dose of dopamine which feels so good and is gone so fast that you reach for another and then another. If you choose to stay under the control of the subconscious brain, there is no accountability as you pile on the calories. Such eating patterns produced greater fat storage by our ancestors, which gave them a chance to make it through the weeks when food was not available. You’ll find out more about this in the fat burning chapter of this book (chapter 13).

3.Stress stimulates subconscious eating patterns. Subconscious brain, when we allow it to be in control, will monitor overall stress. As stress level increases to (what it determines to be) overload, SBC will trigger the release of anxiety and negative attitude hormones. One of the most common circuits that is activated to counter this stress-negative attitude build-up is the dopamine reflex. Stress will trigger the release of negative attitude hormones. The simple subconscious fix, over millions of years, is to reach for sugar, salt, or fat and feel better quick (but only temporarily). Many runners justify “carbohydrate loading” by SBC snacking to counter the stress of an upcoming race or long run.

So it is common, when stressed or very tired, to subconsciously reach for sugary, salty, or fatty snacks to get a dose of dopamine. Unfortunately the reward is very temporary and then requires multiple doses, with no accountability. Again, the way you can gain control is to have a strategy which, will be presented in the fat burning chapter (chapter 13).

4.Damage from addictive eating patterns. Dr. Pam Peeke in her book The Hunger Fix, has noted the research showing how addictive eating patterns can damage the natural reward centers of the brain so that more and more junk food is needed for gratification. Ultimately there is no satisfaction and less and less dopamine when large amounts are ingested. She has also identified a detox program with exercise and eating plans that have helped thousands to enjoy eating healthy food. Here are some of the many insightful tips from this book:

•A diet full of unhealthy fat, salt, sugar switches on certain genes to cope.

•As one savors sugar, histones direct genes to increase insulin.

•Increased insulin, with excess unhealthy sugar calorie intake, increases fat storage.

•Regular, repeated insulin ingestions and secretions CAN result in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

•Too much food intake stimulates creation of fat cells.

•Higher levels of fat trigger hormones that increase pain in joints and “weak...