How to Build Healthy Meals for Longevity and Performance Ep 111

Coach Chris Newport shares a simple six-step process for creating healthy, high-performing meals and snacks. She emphasizes the importance of selecting powerful proteins, incorporating colorful fruits and vegetables, focusing on healthy fats, adding extra fuel when needed, boosting meals with herbs and spices, and ensuring proper hydration. 

Takeaways:
Pick powerful proteins to maintain lean muscle mass.
Aim for at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
Healthy fats are essential for mental focus and recovery.
Add extra carbohydrates if you're active.
Use herbs and spices to enhance flavor and health benefits.
Hydration is crucial for overall health and function.
Protein needs increase with age and activity level.
Eating a variety of colors in your diet is beneficial.
Simple meals can be just as effective as complex ones.
Monitor hydration through urine color.

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (01:00):
Hey y'all, and welcome back to the Find Your
Edge podcast.
I am your host, Coach ChrisNewport, and today's a shorty
but a goody, all about ournutrition edge meal creation
method.
That is a very simple six-stepprocess that you can use,
whether you're cooking foryourself at home, whether you're
putting a meal together at abuffet line, whether you're

(01:22):
eating out at a restaurant,whether you're traveling, no
matter what it is.
These are the six steps that weteach our clients to use so that
they can eat as healthfully aspossible based on what we know
about nutrition right now as itrelates to things like
longevity, health, and more.
All right, so buckle up, let'sjump right in.

(01:43):
Step one is what we like to saypick powerful proteins.
So, what do I mean by that?
High quality lean protein isabsolutely essential to being
able to maintain lean musclemass, if not gain lean muscle
mass, and this is key tolongevity, y'all.
If you are someone who is over40, you definitely need to be

(02:03):
thinking about this.
If you are a female and you areover 50, absolutely need to be
thinking about this.
And anyone who's 60 plus, youhave to be prioritizing your
protein.
The other cool part aboutprotein, and we talked about
this last week, is it supportsimmunity, helps create those
wonderful antibodies, and italso helps with appropriate

(02:25):
focus.
So anytime you are training fora sport, your protein needs go
up a bit, but it also depends onyour goal.
So there's a wide range.
The US government likes for youto get at least 0.8 grams of
protein per kilogram of bodyweight, but we like to see
somewhere a little bit more like1.2, maybe 1.5, even up to two,

(02:46):
sometimes maybe even two and ahalf grams of protein per
kilogram of body weight.
Remember, there are 2.2 poundsin one kilogram.
So you can kind of do the math.
We've got a whole process in ourlongevity nutrition coaching
program.
Uh, in fact, we have an app forthat, y'all.
We type in what your goal is andyour weight and your height and

(03:11):
your age and gender and all thatgood kind of stuff, and then we
create a whole meal builderbased off of that.
But even if you don't get that,these are important things to
know.
All right, so what of thoseproteins are we looking for?
So it could be any type ofseafood, in particular things
like salmon, oysters, shrimp, itcould be poultry like chicken
and turkey, it could be morevegan or vegetarian items like

(03:34):
adamame or tempeh or tofu, itcould be eggs or egg whites, it
could be a protein powder ifyou'd like, something like a
whey protein powder, egg white,or a mixed vegan protein powder.
And the reason why I say mixedis because with vegan protein
sources, unless it's soy, youneed at least two different
types of proteins in order tocreate all essential amino

(03:58):
acids.
So not just, let's say, peaprotein or not just rice
protein, but we want ideallysome sort of a combination.
So, like pea and rice, forexample.
And then things like Greekyogurt or skir or kefir.
So that was step one, pick yourpowerful protein.
So that should be the firstthing that's coming to mind
anytime you're creating a mealor snack.

(04:18):
Always keep that in mind.
All right, next up, choose whatI like to say your color or your
color fuel.
So fruits and vegetables, and ofcourse, these are good sources
of things like fiber, arehonestly nature's most potent
multivitamin containing amazingamounts of polyphenols and
compounds that are beingisolated specifically for their

(04:43):
power, and you can get them alljust by eating your fruits and
vegetables.
So they are so crucial topreventing things like cancer
and heart disease.
So the goal is to try to get atleast five servings from this
category.
And I mean fruits and vegetableskind of combined, but can you

(05:03):
get at least four to five plantsjust in general?
It doesn't have to be isolatedjust from fruits and vegetables,
but darn it, wouldn't it belovely?
And there's so much researchthat points to the higher the
consumption of fruits andvegetables, the lower your risk
of certain cancers and improvedlongevity.
So I like to divide these intothree different categories.

(05:26):
So can you get one of these fromeach of these different
categories on a daily basis?
Leafy greens like spinach,spring mix, arugula, collards,
kale, and bokchoy.
The other category, and here'swhere you can knock out two
birds with one stone, are yourcrucifers, things like broccoli,
cauliflower, brossel sprouts,but then you also have some

(05:48):
leafy greens in this categorylike collards, kale, and bok
choy that I already mentioned.
So kind of like getting kind ofa double whammy.
Crucifers are so powerful fortheir sulfurifane compound that
helps us in the detoxificationprocess and more.
And the other category I likefor people to shoot to get at
least one from this category ona daily basis is something from

(06:11):
your red and orange fruits orvegetables.
We see with increasedconsumption of those colors, we
see decreased risks of certaindiseases.
So think red, yellow, orangepeppers, think of orange
carrots, think of red tomatoes,and more.
All right, so that's step two ismaking sure that you're choosing

(06:33):
your color.
All right, so step three is whatwe like to say is focus on
healthy fats.
And the reason why we say focusis because fat is necessary to
maintain mental focus throughoutthe day.
It aids in recovery on acellular level, helps better
absorb certain vitamins, andhelps regulate your blood sugar.

(06:55):
So, typical amount of totalcaloric intake from fat usually
is somewhere between 20 and 35percent, might be even a little
bit more than that.
Something we may need to be alittle bit more conscientious
of.
And I had mentioned this beforewith anybody who has the APOE4

(07:16):
genetic SNP, may need to be alittle bit more conscientious of
their saturated fat intake.
And we've got a whole categoryof cholesterol-related genes
that we look at in our genetictesting and our longevity
coaching program.
Those are the things that we mayneed to eat a little bit less

(07:36):
of, ideally, and focus more onthings like plant-based fats,
like avocados, guacamole.
If you use oils and things, youcan try avocado oil, dark
chocolate, one of my favorites,olives, olive oil, nuts and nut
butters like almonds and cashewsand walnuts and seeds like

(08:00):
pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, andsunflower seeds.
So that is focus on healthyfats.
So as you're building your mealand snack, let's recap one more
time because these are reallyimportant.
So pick your powerful protein,choose your color, and then
focus on healthy fats.
All right, so step four is whatI like to call add extra fuel.

(08:24):
So oftentimes, if you are anathlete, which many of you are,
you may need extra energy.
So I say add extra fuel when youneed additional carbohydrates
from things like grains andstarches.
This is also a wonderful way foryou to increase your fiber
intake.
So things like sweet potatoes,quinoa, buckwheat, brown or wild

(08:50):
rice, oat bran, oat meal, thosetypes of things that are
additional carbohydrates whenyou're doing additional exercise
from high-intensity intervaltraining, from running, from
cycling, trathon, whatever itis.
So that's the fourth step in themeal building process.

(09:11):
All right, so now let's jumpinto the fifth step.
This is a fun one.
What I like to call boost yourfuel.
So here is where herbs andspices and being playful and
having some fun with your foodcomes in.
So giving not only your food aflavor boost, but also spicing

(09:32):
it up with especially thingsthat have been well researched.
For example, here's yourwonderful list: turmeric.
You may see this on a label ascurcumin.
So that's the active ingredientin the spice turn, that
wonderful orange spice thatturns everything orange.
It has that powerful compoundcalled curcumin in it, which is

(09:55):
a powerful anti-inflammatory,especially when it's combined
with black pepper, with itspowerful compound called
bioprene.
Then, of course, we have otherthings like garlic, which of
course is a wonderful prebioticin addition to having other
health supportive benefits.
Spices like oregano and basilhave well-researched benefits in

(10:18):
addition to things like cayennepepper, and again, one of my
favorites, cocoa.
All right, so number six, lastbut not least, on the list of
building out your meal or snack.
Where is your hydration going tocome from?
So, oh my goodness, how manytimes have I talked about this?
And how many more times will Italk about this?

(10:39):
A lot.
This is one of the things thatit's not like you can just set
it and forget it.
It is one of those things thatyou have to do every single day
to survive is hydrate.
Water performs so many amazingfunctions in the body, including
delivering oxygen, coolingthrough sweating, lubricating
your joints, and it's well overhalf of the human body.

(11:02):
So, yes, hydration is basedlargely off of your activity
level, your stage of life, whatenvironment, but most men need
about three liters, which isroughly about 100 ounces per
day, and most women need abouttwo liters, which is about 64
ounces a day.
Of course, that is highlyvariable.

(11:22):
Things that you can get for yourhydration are things like good
quality filtered water, maybesome seltzer, perhaps some
herbal teas.
Those are all good sources forbeing hydrated.
And of course, you're gonna getsome from your fruits and
vegetables as well.
Urine color is one of your bestways to monitor hydration
status, and we like to use ourlittle color chart on our

(11:46):
hydration guide so that you havean actual picture of what your
urine should look like, and itshould be nice and light, light
color yellow.
Alright, so let's go throughthese steps one more time just
to put it all together.
So, just as a reminder, anytimethat you are creating yourself a
meal or a snack, these are thethings that you should be going

(12:09):
through.
This is the mental checklist youwant to go over.
In fact, we have one of ourfolks in our longevity nutrition
group who has taken this andhe's put it into Excel
spreadsheet, and he has put allthe foods that he likes from
each of these categories, andthen he filters it out.
He goes super full-onscientific.
I love it.
That may not work for you, andthat's totally fine.

(12:31):
But that's a great way for himto say, okay, how can I make
sure that I get all of thesepieces satisfied so that I can
create the best meal for mygoals?
All right, so step number one,just as a recap, pick your
powerful protein.
We need that good qualityprotein at every single meal and
snack to get those essentialamino acids to maintain or even

(12:53):
gain our lean muscle mass,support your immunity, and
sustain your focus.
So prioritize that no matterwhat.
Number two, get your color.
So choose your color or yourcolor fuel, nature's most potent
and amazing multivitamin.
Try to get at least fiveservings per day if you can.

(13:14):
But if you can't quite getthere, try to get at least one
from each of those categories ofleafy greens, crucifers, and red
and orange colored vegetables.
Number three, do you have somehealthy fats in this meal or
snack?
So you may already get some fromyour protein source.
Let's say you're doing some nutsand seeds and an apple.

(13:36):
You may already have those fatsincorporated in there, but you
may not.
So let's make sure we've gotsome good quality, maybe avocado
or olives, olive oil, nuts, andseeds, so that we've got that
good quality, healthy fatincorporated for mental focus,
for aiding in recovery, and forbetter absorption of certain

(13:56):
vitamins and regulating thatblood sugar.
Number four, add the extra fuelif you need it.
If you are doing plenty ofexercise, then yes, you're gonna
need your carbs.
So can you get them from wholefood sources, things like sweet
potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, oroats.
Number five, play with yourfood, have some fun, give it

(14:17):
some boosts, give it a flavorboost, especially aiming for
things like basil, turmeric,cocoa, garlic, etc.
And last but not least, yougotta focus on your hydration.
So another thing I really liketo do for meal and snack
creation is just to encouragepeople to try to get at least
two foods for a snack and threefor a meal.

(14:39):
All right, so hopefully that wasa nice, quick, and easy six
steps to help you create yournext meal or snack.
And remember, sometimes simpleis better.
So I hope you will enjoyed it,and I will catch you next time
on the Find Your Edge podcast.