In my previous column, I wrote about how professional athletics coach Jim Lafferty drastically changed the diet of Olympian long jumper Marestella Torres. Now I do not claim to be an expert on nutrition, but through the years, I have benefited from research done on the subject.
Coach Lafferty had Marestella on a strict no-rice policy. You may scream. “Wait a minute… You mean to say, she can’t have any rice at all? But she is Filipino! Filipinos can’t live without rice!? Will she be able to survive?”
Even in the US, rice is a major component of the diets of Filipinos living there. You can take the Filipino out of the country, but you can’t take the rice out of the Filipino.
So why is Marestella on such a strict diet? First of all, rice — whether brown or white — is very high in carbohydrates, ranging anywhere from 85 to 90 percent. These carbohydrates will keep her body fat at a higher percentage, keeping her from performing at a much higher level if she wishes to compete against the world’s best.
At present, Marestella’s fat content ranges from 15 to 17 percent. With a strict no-rice policy, it is hoped she will be able to compete at a range of 9 to 11 percent body fat.
You would be amazed at the diets of certain elite athletes, and the sacrifices they endure just to be the best in the world.
So for athletes, it is important to be vigilant on what you consume.
Even on the local and regional level, food intake is so critical for improving performance. Whether you are an athlete or just someone who is concerned about health, knowledge of what you put into your mouth is very important.
As much as possible, I try to eat brown rice because of its far greater nutritional value. White rice is not even close to brown rice. (In the next column, I will go further into the major differences between white and brown rice.)
Let me take you back 2,500 years ago to a Greek physician who gave us much truth about health. He is best known as Hippocrates and he professed: “You are what you eat. Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food”.
What a profound statement then, and still applicable now.
Hippocrates also prescribed diet and exercise for the treatment of diabetes. He also stated that walking is man’s best medicine, and to eat when sick is to feed your sickness as he prescribed fasting to many of his patients.
There is so much to learn about health. If one is really concerned about his/her own health, he/she needs to take charge, and learn as much as possible. God bless, and good health to all.
