Stop Majoring in the Minors
Many people care more about finding the best new supplement or latest diet fad to get them to their goals when they aren’t doing the basics well. Most of us want to find the easy way or the secret ingredient no one has used until now. That must be the reason we’re not reaching our goals.
This is called majoring in the minors, when we spend more time and energy focusing on the little things that don’t make much difference and spend little time getting better at the essential things.
The Minors
There are probably hundreds of things that could be considered of minor importance when it comes to nutrition, and many people make them much more important than they should be. Let’s look at a few.
Supplements
Quality of whole foods
Meal Timing
Specific foods
Supplements
In short. Most people DO NOT need any supplements. Most supplements are not proven effective at anything, nor are they regulated, and can cause more harm than good.
You should be paying attention to eating various foods, including different protein sources, carbohydrates, and fat. Those foods should be whole foods with many naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. You'll not need supplements if you’re eating at least three of these meals a day.
Some larger athletes find it easier to get enough protein by adding a protein powder supplement, but that doesn’t make it necessary. If you take a protein powder, don’t get bogged down in the weeds about everything in it. It’s more important that you get enough protein in your diet than criticizing all the ingredients in your protein powder. As I mentioned earlier, the content and consistency of a supplement aren’t regulated. So even if the package says it doesn’t have some ingredient, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t. If you’re concerned, make a stronger effort to get your protein from food. ;-)
Quality of Foods
You don’t need certified organic foods. Are their benefits to them? Maybe. But most of us may not see or feel any differences. Something that many people don’t realize is that the cost of getting a product marked as “certified organic” can cost tens of millions of dollars. Many small producers have very healthy and “clean” products that can’t afford to pay for that certification.
Don’t get bogged down in these details. You will see more benefit from eating more unprocessed foods than you will from ensuring that the unprocessed foods are organic.
Meal Timing
Very little evidence supports that nutrient or meal timing makes any difference. It is more important that you’re getting the proper amount of food and adequate protein and that most of your food is from whole and unprocessed sources.
Some incredibly high-level athletes feel they notice some increased performance when timing their meals, specifically around their workouts. There are some things we regular people need to understand
We’re not training to do what they do; their training looks much different than ours, as it should.
They are already eating the proper amount of food, mostly from whole food sources. They are experimenting with the details to get the most out of their body. But the timing wouldn’t mean a thing if they weren’t doing the basics correctly.
They are more than likely not experiencing any benefit from the nutrient timing itself. If they are experiencing performance improvements, it’s probably a placebo effect from genuinely believing that the nutrient timing matters. As a professional athlete, you must believe that everything you’re doing makes you the best you can be. There isn’t enough scientific evidence to show that nutrient timing improves performance.
Specific Foods
Whether it’s eating something specific because it has unique properties or if you don’t eat something because of its supposed harmful effects for most people, this isn’t necessary. This falls into the camp of some secret nutritional code that you'll reach all your health goals if you eat the right foods and remove the wrong ones. This secret does not exist. No single food is inherently best, nor is one the worst. All foods can exist in a healthy diet, but depending on your goals, the amounts of those foods can be vastly different.
Don’t get stuck trying to figure out the right and wrong foods. Just get good at eating whole foods with lots of fruits and vegetables and adequate protein. You’ll be healthy. If you want to lose body fat, reduce your calories a little and add more movement to your day. Then, do that consistently for six months to a year. Spend more time on doing the major things correctly and no time on these minor things. They are distractions that are keeping you from reaching your goals.
