Eat Plant-Based for Your Best Immune System

This blog is called “The Plant-Based Plodder”, but to be honest I have seldom mentioned diet. There were a few times early on when I mentioned it: My First Post; Switching To Vegan; and as a stretch, Running With The Bull.  Well, now seems like a very good time to bring this up again.

Not all vegetarians – not even all vegans - are necessarily following a healthy diet. There is plenty of vegan junk food available; Oreos & potato chips come to mind. For that reason, and because the word “vegan” has political connotations, I like to use the term “Whole -Food Plant-Based” (WFPB) to describe my diet. To me, that means that I rely on plant-based foods with a minimum amount of processing. Think avocados instead of guacamole & olives instead of olive oil.

There is research that shows vegetarianism can have many benefits for health. One we’re learning more about is its potential to strengthen our immune systems¹. According to this year-old Australian article², there is still some mystery whether this is due to avoiding meat or eating more vegetables. But it’s safe to assume that the higher volume of foods including fruits, vegetables, and legumes seen in vegetarian diets is likely to have a lot to do with associated health benefits. And, studies show that balanced vegetarian eating patterns could be good for our immune system and the related response of the body, “The enhanced natural cytotoxicity may be one of the factors contributing to the lower cancer risk shown by vegetarians.”³

In addition to helping the immune system directly, vegetarian diets may also help our body by reducing a related process called inflammation. Vegetarian diets have been shown to prevent inflammation due to the antioxidant components within the foods. Inflammation occurs when the body releases chemicals such as C-reactive Protein (CRP) and fibrinogen to attack unwanted pathogens or respond to injury. Many people take NSAIDs (non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory drugs) such as naproxen and ibuprofen when they are injured or sore after a workout. However, studies⁴ have shown that people who follow plant-based diets have lower levels of some of these chemicals compared to people following a non-vegetarian diet. Inflammation is part of the body’s natural reaction to injury, but sometimes it can get out of control. But, people maintaining a vegetarian diet long-term are at a lower risk of getting Type-II diabetes, heart disease and even some cancers.

Diving a little deeper into diet details: to function at full capacity, cells need the essential micro-nutrients - not just carbs, proteins, and fats, but vitamins A-K, magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium, boron, and more. The Standard American Diet (“SAD”! coincidence? I think not!) - along with popular diet trends such as Keto and Paleo - relies on foods such as meat and dairy that are severely lacking in these micronutrients. Plant-based foods, on the other hand, tend to be extremely high in these essential nutrients that support healthy cell function. Think of it this way: when one consumes a dairy product, such as cows’ milk, they are likely opting out of a more nutrient-dense option, such as pea milk.

While it’s true dairy does contain some nutrients - mainly calcium, protein, potassium, and fortified vitamin D - it also contains harmful⁵ trans and saturated fats, artery-constricting cholesterol, natural bovine hormones that may stimulate unregulated cell growth, and inflammatory properties. When there are ample amounts of foods that offer the same nutrients without the side harmful side effects, there is no reason to consume dairy for the sake of meeting nutrition needs.

I could keep going. But I’ll end with this. In addition to micro-nutrients, antioxidants are key. These compounds are mostly found in plant foods and help fight inflammation—the nexus for disease. In fact, a WFPB diet contains 64-times the amount of immunity-boosting antioxidants compared to a diet that includes meat and dairy.

What have you got to lose? Right here, right now, in April 2020, immunity is key. Cut out the antioxidant-depleted animal foods and incorporate these nutrient-dense, antioxidant-rich plant foods into your diet⁶:

·       Berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc)

·       Beets

·       Cherries

·       Raw cacao (in powdered form, mixed into oatmeal or smoothies)

·       Leafy greens (kale, collard greens, bok choy, chard, etc)

Even if you are wary to switch “cold-turkey” (pardon the animal reference here), NOW is a good time to just TRY this. For example, why not try “Meatless Mondays”? At the very least, it will give you something to do while you are shuttered up in your home.

References:

1.       Impact of a 3-Months Vegetarian Diet on the Gut Microbiota and Immune Repertoire

2.       Eat your vegetables – studies show plant-based diets are good for immunity

3.       Natural killer cells, vitamins, and other blood components of vegetarian and omnivorous men.

4.       Vegetarian-Based Dietary Patterns and their Relation with Inflammatory and Immune Biomarkers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

5.       Why Ditch Dairy?

6.       Ways To Support Your Immunity On A Plant-Based Diet

Strength Training to be a Better Runner

I was reading a book earlier this week and came across an intriguing analogy explaining the necessity of strength training for runners. It went something like this:

Consider your runner’s body is like a race car. Your heart & lungs are the engine. We can upgrade our “horsepower” by running & cross training. This aerobic exercise help our hearts pump more blood more strongly, develops a better vascular system to deliver that blood, and stronger lungs to move more air.

Sometimes as runners the only training we do is to “upgrade our horsepower.”

Now consider the car. Let’s say it has a powerful engine. Even so, you can “run easy” with that car by taking it slow on the gas pedal and slowing down in turns. The tires, brakes, transmission, and suspension can handle that.

But let’s say you drop a Corvette engine into a Honda Fit. Too much power can overwhelm the system, for example:

·        Go too hard on the gas pedal and you can spin your tires

·        You could go too fast and overwhelm the suspension in a corner

·        Too fast to stop soon enough, overwhelming the brakes

·        Sometimes the car can overheat if you run it too fast for too long

But in the actual Corvette, a high-performance car through ad through, all of the parts of the car have been upgraded for better performance.

Back to the runner’s body:

·        Our feet are like a car’s tires

·        Our legs and hips are like a car’s transmission

·        The tendons and ligaments in our legs are like the car’s suspension

·        And so on

If we make a habit of only training our “engine” then that part gets stronger more quickly than the rest of our “running machine.” When we have a strong engine (heart & lungs) it’s easier to run too hard and overwhelm the other parts of our machine.

We need to train the entire body. Running-oriented strength training allows us to “upgrade” the other parts of our running machine so that our tires, transmission, and suspension all become the high-performance parts we are looking for.

What’s your favorite strength training routine to enhance your running?

Consistency is Key!

Happy Second Week Of January 2020!

Yes, that's right, it's January 8, so that means we have passed the first full week of the new year. We are almost halfway to "Quitting Day"; that is January 17. Yes, "Ditch New year's Resolution Day" is considered to be the day when a large number of people abandon their New Year's resolutions. If you are so inclined, I found a link that lists some ways you can celebrate:  https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun/ditch-new-years-resolution-day. So, if you followed that link, just go ahead and quit reading now too. In other words - as Survivor host Jeff Probst says to the loser's at the end of a challenge - "I've got nothing for ya."

If you're still here, let's talk about consistency. Consistency can be loosely described as dependably doing "A thing" at a regular interval. For example, I made a commitment to myself to start my new online coaching group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealisticRunning on January 1. But that's not really a commitment because I only CREATED the group once. The true commitment is that I promised myself to do a Facebook Live (FBL) video every single day for the month of January after creating the group on 1/1. So, day one, create the group; days two through eight, FBL. So far so good.

Some interesting things have happened in only 7 days of FBL-ing:

• I learned how to do Facebook Live! I had never done one before. January 2, 2020 was my very first time. It could have been worse, but it didn't go well.
• Day 2 didn't go much better. By Day 3 I was figuring things out. I've learned to NOT hold my phone in my hand while recording. I've learned that sometiems the celluar data connection is better for uploading videos than my wifi signal. I've learned how to talk to no one in particular for more than eleven minutes in a row (new PR today!)
• I no longer worry about remembering to do a daily FBL; now my concern is when I can fit it in. I started out doing them at the start of my lunchtime runs. Then the weekend came and my schedule changed. Then my day job got in the way and I had to get creative. 
• I've learned that committing to doing something every single day changes your mindset. (Have you noticed that I've actually written two blogs within a week of each other for the first time in a very long time?)

If you want to be consistent, you need to set boundaries. Set a start date and an end date. Then go make it happen. Don't worry about the details, just start. As Yoda says, "Do or do not; there is no 'try'." Take a leap of faith, believe in yourself, and start that new habit. Try it for 30 days. It's only THIRTY DAYS! You can do it. If you can't bear to think about such a "long" time period, start by committing to a week. Set a boundary that seems achievable to you. Then go do it. It doesn't have to be pretty. You don't even have to really know what you're doing. Go do it. 

Do yourself a favor, and commit to something. Do it soon. I'm betting that when you get to the end of your boundary, you'll want to keep going. Good. Set another boundary. If you just did one week, go for two! Hopefully, if your commitment was to something you actually wanted to do, you'll  learn by the end of your commitment how to keep on going, maybe forever!

Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction!

Here's todays FBL from my Online Coaching Page:
Consistency is Key!



If you're a person who listens to podcasts, here's a link to the one that motivated me to do a FB Live every day. The idea is that committing to doing something Every Single Day changes your whole mindset. It completely changes the way you start thinking. (FYI, you have to get to about 33 minutes in before he gets to this specific point. The first 11 or so minutes is traditional random banter he does with his co-host & the rest is build up to this point.
No Meat Athlete Podcast on Consistency

Be Your Own Best Friend

Happy New Year!

In 2020, promise yourself that you’ll be your own best friend.

I see many people posting online or saying in person things about themselves that would be considered rude if another person were saying such things about them. For example: “I’m too fat (or too old or too slow);” “I’m not a real runner because...;” I could never do THAT because;" and the list goes on.

At one time or another, you've probably been guilty of this yourself. I know I have. Stop and reflect for a moment on some of the things you've told yourself that have negatively impacted your running: "Such a long day at work;" "I just can't run in this wind;" "I can't breathe in this cold weather;" "I just wilt in the heat." THIS list is nearly endless. These obstacles are not real, they are in your mind! Plenty of people run after work, run headlong into the wind,  run in the wintertime, run during August afternoons. You can, too!

This year, promise yourself that you’ll be your own best friend. Don't be rude to yourself. Don't tell yourself things that will get in your way, that will bring you down. STOP thinking these dream-taking, hope-crushing, performance-stealing thoughts. Instead, START being your own best friend. Start speaking words of positivity, support, and encouragement to yourself. I mean this literally. Say them out loud! (Go ahead, try it now. You know you want to.)

Negative thoughts can drain your inner strength, but positive words can make you stronger. Do yourself a favor and try this: when you have a negative thought ("Ugh, this hill is so steep"), immediately overcome it by speaking positive words aloud to yourself ("You are going to crush this hill!") It's ok if you only whisper, just make sure your lips are moving and air is crossing your vocal cords.

Studies have shown that a second-person point of view works best. Choose a phrase that starts with "You are" or "You will." Then say it aloud to yourself. Repeat it like a mantra until the negative thought has been purged from your brain. (Studies also show that swearing makes people stronger and increases their pain tolerance so if you're so inclined throw a naughty word into your mantra, but keep your voice down!)


This is real, folks. It's also January 2020, so make this year's resolution one that will improve your running almost immediately! YOU are going to crush this year!

Here are a few links for those of you who enjoy the details:

7 Responses For Common Negative Thoughts

Self-Talk Study

Swearing Really Can Make You Stronger