They call it a #FITFAM for a reason. People that are into health, nutrition, fitness...well they just kinda understand each other on a level that others may not "get." Although I've participated in a couple half marathons, the triathlon is a whole other animal. I have much admiration and respect for the triathletes I met this weekend!
I was there with MY fitfam, FASTER Pittsburgh, which represented with our smoothie company, BUILD BAR, 412 Performance Chiropractic, and our fitness experts, Kam Jamz Fitness and Pure Power Yoga.
At my nutrition table (pictured below), I had a small display of the sugar content of common sports drinks, as well as the sketchy ingredients hiding on the labels. As participants and attendees stopped by my table, there were some things I learned while speaking and listening...
My Table :)
Photo Cred: GP Productions
Photo Cred: GP Productions
The FASTER Set-Up: Build Bar, Nutrition, Fitness, Chiropractic
1. Sugar.
People don't understand sugar just from reading a nutrition label.
Of course, I made the sugar cube visual to make an impact, but the sad truth is that many people don't understand what "a lot" of sugar means when they look at a nutrition label. Here's a summary of the information I had:
GATORADE: 52.5 g per 32 fl oz bottle
POWERADE: 52.5 g per 32 fl oz bottle
G2: 17.5 g per 32 fl oz bottle
VITAMIN WATER: 32 g per 20 fl oz bottle
RECOMMENDED FOR WOMEN: < 25 g per day (According to ADA)
RECOMMENDED FOR MEN: < 37 g per day (According to ADA)
But here is a fact that'll blow your mind...one century ago, people only consumed <15 g of sugar per day (this is equivalent to 1 modern day APPLE!) 12 fl oz of Gatorade, Powerade, or Vitamin Water already puts you over that threshold.
As a general rule, 1 tsp of sugar = 5 grams....so if you take any nutrition label and divide the sugar by 5, this equates to the number of teaspoons of sugar in the product. (example: Vitamin Water: 32 g / 5 g = 6.4 teaspoons of sugar!!)
2. No, chemicals aren't better.
So inevitably, people then said "Ok, so I should drink the Vitamin Water Zero?" Unforunately, that's not the solution. Instead of putting sugar in these zero drinks, they use artifical sugars to sweeten them...which typically leads to even more chemicals (GMOs) and unnatural "natural" flavorings.
What should I drink? Well, Water! Or you can make your own sports hydration drink. If you are on my email list, I sent recipes in my latest newsletter! >> Sign up here.
3. Celiac Disease.
WOW, I cannot tell you how many people came over to our BUILD BAR smoothie table to ask if they were gluten free because they had Celiac Disease...it was shocking!
The whole gluten debate has really fascinated me. Dr. Tom O'Brien was on "The Health Bridge" Podcast show and it was a wonderful interview explaining gluten, celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, etc. He spoke about a Harvard paper that came out this year (2015) that tested 3 groups of people: celiac, gluten sensitivity, and non-gluten sensitivity. 100% of the tested people had a reaction to gluten that led to leaky gut. In every human, every time we are exposed to wheat, rye, or barley, we experience intestinal permeability. EVERY TIME! EVERY HUMAN! This isn't a fad anymore. The research and the science is clear.
SO why do some people feel it? Why do some people react and others don't?
We all have a threshold, and it is different for every single one of us. When you cross that imaginary threshold, you will start to have reactions..whether you are 2, 30, or 85.
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Well, that is probably enough to make your head spin for now!
Looking forward to my future events!
August 20th - South Fayette's Live Well Community Day at Pittsburgh Botanical Garden from 4 - 8 pm
August 29th - Montour Strong for Joe at Montour High School from 9 am - 3 pm