By Alexander Crown
Sports nutrition is a massive industry catering to body types like those of slender, long-distance runner to a muscular, bodybuilder and everything in between. These athletes train for a specific type of event and their diet reflects that. We are all familiar with concepts like “cutting” or “bulking” where an athlete manipulates their diet to lose weight or build up muscle and body mass and this is a perfect example of why diet plays such a huge role in performance. Let’s dive into how this relates to the prepared individual and what makes Nutrient Survival’s Special Ops grade food the right choice to feed your freedom.
TDEE
We want to let you in on something you should be aware of, your Total Daily Energy Expenditure or TDEE. Your TDEE is essentially how much energy you expend in a day going through your normal routine, and you can calculate this with an online calculator. This takes into account your height, weight, age, and lifestyle. If you sit at a desk most days and do little to no exercise, you expend less calories in a day; workout twice a day, and you will use more energy. If you want to lose weight, you will need to eat fewer calories than you expend in a day, or if you wish to gain weight you need to eat more calories than expended. Simple enough, right? Well, we are not necessarily talking about weight control, we are thinking more in terms of survivability. If you are under stress, both physically and mentally, AND consuming less calories or less nutritious calories you will not be performing very well and will lose weight rapidly, both fat and muscle. This will cause fatigue, confusion, and a myriad of other problems.
With sports nutrition, everything athletes consume has a purpose, for hydration, muscle repair and building, nutrient replacement, the list goes on. During the training season, empty calories simply are not part of their diet. We present you with the same notion, but for the everyday prepared citizen. Why not make everything you put in your body have a purpose beyond calorie intake? A survivalist isn’t training for the big game or the weekend race, we must be ready every day for an unknown event. We need our bodies to perform at maximum level at a moment’s notice, like Special Operators do. Consider the nutritional value of a fast food burger which is mostly carbs and fat, with little to no vitamin and mineral content - and compare that to our Hearty Lasagna Single packed with 40 essential vitamins, minerals, proteins, omegas and fiber. We admit the burger is convenient but so is heating up water and mixing it in. One of these is obviously way better than the other and your body will thank you.
Hydration
According to a recent study, up to 75 % of American adults and about half of children and adolescents are dehydrated daily. We simply do not drink enough water in a day, usually because we are consuming other beverages that are empty calories like soda and energy drinks. These liquids do not provide the body with very much, if any, benefits. Water is the best option for staying hydrated and should be consumed at half an ounce per pound of body weight each day. For adults that are active, a rehydration supplement could be considered like our Liquid Nutrient packets. These packets not only taste great, but they also provide 13 essential vitamins and Branch Chained Amino Acids (BCAA), which aid in muscle recovery. These packets are also sugar free unlike most sports beverages. Even if you are not actively sweating, you should still be consuming water.
Macros
If you ever hear people talk about their “macros” they are referring to fats, carbs, and protein. These three (while there are others that are also important) are the ones many focus on when training their bodies for performance. Using your TDEE, you can break down into percentages what amount of each you need. Carbohydrates are your energy source, so “carbo loading” is getting in energy before a long hike or a big game. Proteins are responsible for muscle growth as well as maintenance and recovery. Fats perform many jobs like energy balance, hormone regulation, and helping muscles grow/ recover. All three should be considered when making choices about food and at what amount you should consume each one.
Final Thoughts
Your mind and body are your greatest assets in an emergency. Treat them with respect. Stay hydrated every day, exercise your mind and muscles, and eat right. Think about the things going in your body, good stuff in means good stuff out. You probably don’t need 5,000+ calories a day like an endurance athlete, but 2,000 dead calories of fast-food vs 2,000 nutrient packed calories of Nutrient Survival is a big difference your body will be able to immediately notice. The bottom line is Special Ops grade nutrition will fuel you like a warrior athlete to perform when you need it most.
Alexander Crown is a former U.S. Army Paratrooper who spent time in a scout/sniper platoon in OIF. Alexander spends his time exploring Idaho, hunting, fishing, and camping. He’s a lifelong practitioner of preparedness, emphasizing self-reliance and organic gardening.
