Go figure: how working out your nutrition needs goes hand-in-hand with just working out

What we put into our bodies determines what we can get out of them. A healthy diet provides the fuel we need to get and stay in shape. The House of Gains’ very own nutritionist and dietitian, Matthew Cress, gives me some insight.

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So, you’ve decided this period of confinement won’t be like the last. You’re wary of the health hazards of lockdown life and have resolved to avoid the pitfalls that saw you put on weight during the Spring. You’ve opted to cut down on booze and exercise more before hitting the gym when it re-opens. Good for you. It’s a great start.

You’ve also told yourself you’re going to pay greater attention to what you eat. Because getting what you want from your body depends on what you put into it, right? Right. But how much do you really know about nutrition and a healthy diet? Most of the perceived wisdom seems like common sense: cut out the fat, sugar and carbs and go heavy on fruit and vegetables. Simple, surely? If only. The human body’s needs are far more nuanced than that.

As the science behind healthy eating becomes more advanced, the recommendations can become more complex, which is why it pays to get advice from someone in the know. Matthew Cress is a dietitian nutritionist from Detroit who now lives and works in Lyon. An elite gymnast himself (and former US national champion), he’s a regular fixture at the House of Gains gym, where he advises members on what fuel to put into their bodies to maximise their athletic performance. I asked Matthew about what constitutes healthy, nutritious eating.

Matthew Cress is a Dietitian Nutritionist focusing on ancestral diets and their therapeutic benefits.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to nutrition. Establish what you want from your future body shape before building your diet

around it.

“In the context of working out, it is imperative that athletes get enough complete proteins from animal sourced foods,” says Matthew. “Plant foods alone are not conducive to muscle growth. Weight loss needs enough protein to stop any muscle wasting away, as long as the calorie intake is less than maintenance calories, or the amount of energy an individual typically burns per day. Gaining muscle needs a diet to have an overall caloric surplus with enough muscle building protein and enough carbs and fat to fuel that building. Micro-nutrition is very important and depends on the individual’s goals.”

“The most common mistake I see is that people are too easily influenced (read: brainwashed) by what the government says is healthy. They are unaware of how much money “Big Sugar” and “Big Grain” uses and makes from influencing the general public. A whole foods approach is much better. I fix this by telling people to ‘eat as if they lived on a farm’. This limits them to locally raised animal foods and seasonal fruits and vegetables.”

"Daddy reminds you sugar is a plant"

Talking of "Big Sugar", here's a case in point: a recent ad campaign by Daddy (who sell table sugar) proved highly controversial and prompted calls by consumer groups for it to be banned. Daddy would have us believe that because sugar is a plant, it is therefore healthy (see image).

Sugar is not a plant. What we know as table sugar is actually sucrose, which derives from plants and is then processed. The World Health Organisation warns us that we, the human species, are consuming dangerously high levels of sugar. Our societal addiction to sugar is at the root of our societal problems with obesity, diabetes, heart disease and a host of other ailments. So say the scientists anyway. You can either believe them or the marketing guys at Daddy.

Matthew is a firm believer in ancestral eating (eating as our ancestors ate, not cooking their exhumed remains!) and is highly sceptical about some modern trends, such as the growing popularity of vegan diets, which by their very nature can lead to deficiencies in certain nutrients such as Vitamin B12 and Omega-3 fatty acids.

“I do not treat vegans or support their lifestyle. The vegan diet is the worst diet a human can possibly eat. If they are concerned about the environment, I suggest they read “Sacred Cow” to dispel any misconceptions that they may have about animal agriculture. Vegetarians I will accept, but they will be getting a lot of eggs and dairy to get in the necessary animal fats and proteins that are so ancestrally consistent throughout our history as humans. I tell meat-eaters to try and eat more locally-raised meats and to make organ meats a regular part of their diet. Liver is the most nutrient-dense food that exists on this earth, but sadly modern society has strayed from this kind of ancestral eating.”

For Matthew, one factor that’s often overlooked is the body clock. You could have the healthiest diet known to Man, but a chaotic eating schedule can undermine its benefits.

“Nutrient timing is very important. Nobody should ingest any calories less than three hours before bedtime, no matter who you are. Sleep is your body’s way of cleaning house after a full day of work and should not be burdened with extra digestion. Another important factor is that people eat way too much and way too often. Once I fix how much protein, carbohydrates and fats an individual is eating they will naturally not want to eat between meals and will eventually start intermittent fasting. It is incredibly important to give your digestive system a break from having to break food down all the time. Eating too much, too often always results in metabolic diseases like obesity, insulin resistance, or even type 2 diabetes.”

So, I guess (*looks guiltily at notes*) a midnight snack is not such a good idea then, even a healthy one?

“Healthy snacks do not exist. Snacking is not healthy and if you are snacking then you are not eating enough at your meals. Most people who snack do not eat enough fat and eat way too many carbohydrates.”

Nutrition is up there with Covid cures and parenting when it comes to the amount of (often contradictory) advice you'll find online. Many people have their own opinion and "Big Food" advertising à la Daddy only serves to muddy the waters. At the same time, there's a greater understanding today about healthy eating than there has ever been. There's greater knowledge about what is contained in what we eat and what food sources can do either for or against us.

Yet there is no universal miracle diet. Instead, an individual's nutrition should be personalised according to that individual's physiology and fitness preferences. And it's well worth trying to find a nutritional expert to advise you: get it wrong and you risk undoing all the good work you've been putting in at the gym; get it right and you'll be giving your body the chance to excel itself.