Catered Fit Fam,
March is “Nutrition Month”! Nutrition is so important in my life. One of the main reasons that I started Catered Fit was because I wanted to help provide people with a healthy lifestyle alternative in a fast paced world.
America has the highest rates of heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, hypertension, obesity and childhood obesity in the world. America currently spends more on health care than any other nation on Earth. Japan is second on the list and we spend twice as much as they do! That would all be well and good if we were healthy, however we are number 50 on the list of healthiest countries and some of these countries barely had clean drinking water before we had Internet. Heart disease is the number one killer in the US. LDL Cholesterol (only found in meat, fish and dairy) is the main culprit contributing to the plaque build-up in our arteries which eventually leads to heart failure. Well, in this CEO Note, I will dispel one health myth that has victimized me and so many of you for a decades.
CARBS ARE NOT THE ENEMY! In 2014 I was 225 lbs with a solid barrel belly but hardly overweight (or so I thought). I decided I wanted my teenage waist line and a couple abs back so I did what millions of us have done and went on a “low carb diet”. It seemed logical at the time, just reduce my carbs, which is where most of my calories are coming from (or so I thought), and viola, I lost weight! In 120 days of low carb dieting I lost about 20 lbs, lost my belly and burned every shirt in my closet (just kidding). My flat stomach and toned abs made it easy at the time to look past my total lack of energy, irregular bowel movements, occasional constipation, regular migraines and bad breath. Ninety days from there the weight began to come back even though my “low carb lifestyle” remained, as did all of the aforementioned side effects of only consuming meat and veggies. Within six months of my shirt burning episode all of the weight was back. My waist went from temporarily tight to distended and pregnant in appearance. The “diet” was no longer feasible and my loved ones and staff were surely noticing my irregular moods and overall lack of “pep”.
Now fast forward to the present day. Over the last six months I have totally immersed myself in studying peer reviewed science as it relates to food and human health. Here are some facts: complex carbohydrates (I’m not talking about Wonder Bread or Fruit Loops) are where we get all of our energy from. They regulate our mood, promote healthy brain function, increase metabolism, aide in healthy digestion (ask someone on Atkins how comfortable they are on the toilet) and most importantly, for all my muscle heads out there, they are the building block of all muscle growth. Today I am 35 years old, 205 lbs (down nearly 30 lbs in 6 months) and I look and feel better both mentally and physically than I ever have in my life. All of this while eating more carbs than I ever have in my entire life. So, stop watching your complex carb intake. Instead, I challenge you to increase your fruit intake, eat a little less meat and dairy for a few weeks, and watch what happens to those stubborn pounds above your belly that never seem to go away and stay away. Much of the science I have shared may be contradictory to what we have all been taught or led to believe. For any of you that have questions or concerns regarding any of the facts I have shared, please email them into us and I will respond to them personally! If you’d like to research more on this topic for yourself, I suggest starting with How Not To Die by Michael Greger, MD. I’m currently reading Proteinaholic by Garth Davis, MD and would recommend it to you as well.
I am honored that so many of you take the time out of your insanely busy days to read these letters and I hope some of you find real value in my writing.
Health is Wealth,
CEO / Adam Friden