Sports Nutritionist

Named after the Paleolithic era, the Paleo diet is grain free, dairy free (including butter and yogurt), free of artificial sweeteners, processed meats and does not include any processed foods. It promotes grass fed meats, fatty fishes, eggs, olive oil, nuts and seeds.

This diet is very similar to the Mediterranean diet.

It’s good for individuals with autoimmune disorders, gluten-free individuals, people who have to avoid grains, processed food or sugar such as a diabetic, or anyone with pre-diabetic conditions.

Inspired by the eating habits of Greece and Italy, this diet takes the food of the land and incorporates it into the only diet proven to lower blood pressure, cholesterol and heart disease.

This primarily plant based diet incorporates fatty fishes, whole grains, antioxidants, vegetables, legumes, seeds, olive oil, yogurts, and limited red meat + red wine. It’s a delicious and easy diet for many people to follow and highly recommended for those who have been warned about heart disease, high cholesterol or blood pressure.

The main difference between this and the paleo diet is that Mediterranean allows for dairy and whole grains, whereas Paleo promotes eating more red meats.

The Mediterranean Diet is good for athletes because it incorporates anti-inflammatory foods and plenty of carbohydrates. It’s also good for anybody who has signs of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure or metabolic syndrome.

However, this diet is not suitable for vegans who are gluten free.

This diet is a form of calorie restriction that is used for weight loss and possible life longevity. There are various ways to do IF, which range from alternate day fasting to fasting specific hours of each day. The most popular style of IF is a 8:16, which is when you eat 8 hours of the day and fast 16 hours of the day. This 8 hour period is called your eating window. The other type of common fasting is alternate day fasting, or when you eat your normal caloric intake 5 days a week, and then 2 days a week you have a severely restricted calorie intake ranging anywhere from 500-1200 calories. Some people have the ability to do a complete fast taking in no calories on these days. This is much easier when your body is producing ketones. A few others people usually incorporate IF into their ketogenic diet because ketones will stave off hunger and fasting produces ketones. This synergy makes these two protocols work symbiotically.

IF is good for people who like to eat larger meals less often, people who travel a lot, and people who don’t have time to eat often or don’t find themselves hungry often.

IF is not good for people who are always hungry, people who workout twice a day, high level athletes, people who have a history of eating disorders, or anyone with digestive disorders such.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat products, which can not be digested by people who have celiac disease (celiac is an allergy to wheat). Additionally, there are people who are gluten sensitive and they similarly have problems digesting gluten.

People with autoimmune disorders and leaky gut need to avoid gluten. The protein in gluten is mistaken by our body as a foreign antibody triggers the release of zonulin and sets off autoimmunity. Zonulin is the molecule that breaks down the tight junctions (or the glue) that hold our intestinal lining together causing leaky gut. When foreign particles get into our bloodstream through tight junctions, your body creates antibodies to break down that particle. This is part of a process called molecular mimicry, which sets off a series of antibodies to destroy that molecule (which is really just gluten) and this whole process exacerbates autoimmune disorders. This also leads to leaky gut, swollen joints and nervous system problems. Oftentimes when somebody is having a problem with gluten it will manifest itself in their skin and joints as well as their stomach.

People who should be gluten free include people with celiac disease, anyone with IBD (leaky gut) IBS-D, IBS-C, as well as anyone with an autoimmune disorder. There are over 100 autoimmune disorders. Some of the more common autoimmune disorders are thyroid disease, celiac, lyme, lupus, colitis, Chrons, endometriosis, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, Raynaud’s, rheumatoid arthritis, sjogren’s, type 1 diabetes, and vitiligo.

Keep in mind “gluten free products” are just as bad as eating gluten. It is best to eat foods that are naturally gluten free rather than alternatives to gluten, such as tapioca and potato starch, which can also cause inflammation in the gut (They also have very little fiber or nutrient density.)

FODMAPS pull water into your intestinal tract and cause fermentation of bacteria. A FODMAP diet works through a two phase process. The first phase is eliminating all FODMAP foods for 4-6weeks and the second phase slowly reintroducing FODMAP foods into your diet.

Common FODMAP foods are fructose, lactose, fructans (wheat, onion, garlic), galactans (beans, lentils and legumes), polyols (sweeteners with sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, & maltitol), and stone fruits, such as avocado, apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, and plums. Many people find the FODMAP diet to be overwhelming when reading about it, however, with proper guidance from an educated nutritionist this diet is very easy to follow and adhere to.

Also known as IIFYM or If It Fits Your Macros, this diet uses set calorie and macronutrient protocols which are specific to your age, weight, height, activity level and lifestyle. In other words, this diet breaks down your calories into macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat) and allows you to be flexible in your food choices throughout the day (as long as you stay within your set calories and macros).

As with all nutrition plans, we always recommend whole, non-processed foods which are organic, non-GMO and anti-inflammatory. Flexible dieting is not an excuse to eat chocolate cake all day.

Working with Athleats Nutrition , you will learn about nutrient dense ideal food choices, nutrient timing, macronutrient balance and meal planning to reach your specific goals.