Category: Nutrition

Nutrition

The Wellness System Structures

The Wellness System is the mathematical underpinning for the calculators on this site. Structures are what give The Wellness System meaning. When you use the calculators, you are creating structures, namely a formation or a grid. By creating structures, you are able to organize and understand information with regard to your eating habits. There are 6 types of structures and each serves a purpose and bears a mathematical underpinning.

  • The Resource – the most basic structure, used as a building block
  • The List – the simplest multi-resource structure, used for resource access or analysis
  • The Formation – the structure intended for tracking
  • The Definition – the structure used to nest resources and save space
  • The Grid – the structure used for daily tracking and grazing
  • The Map – a double list structure organized by W and E used for resource reference and importation

Structures also have a behavior that allows us to analyze them in an organic manner. We can analyze lists and make generalizations about their contents. We can analyze formations which allows us to balance the composite. We can analyze grids which helps us to understand daily habits. We can analyze maps that tell us the nature of its resources.

The Resource Structure

“Resource” is a convenient way of saying “food” or “drink”. It is also the simplest, lowest-level structure in TWS. If the system is your body, the cell is a resource. Even though it can be divided into pieces, the resource is considered to be fundamental. The resource is an axiom. It is considered to be true since it is made of basic parts. The parts of a resource are:

  • Designation – the name of the resource
  • Components – the amounts of mass, Calories, fiber, and protein
  • Expression – the 4 metrics derived from the relationships between the components

A resource looks like this (open in new tab):

Resources are generally not accompanied by a header row, because they are never seen out of the context of a higher structure. However, for the sake of clarity, this graphic shows you the header information.

The List Structure

The list is a structure used for grouping resources and analysis. It is the simplest way to piece resources together and create a form of analysis through sorting. A list can reveal which resources are better with certain parameters. For example, a map sorts according to the W and the E. A list is most commonly used to group resources together. It is also used to create studies and proofs. The parts of a list are:

  • Header – designation (named or unnamed) and list parameters
  • Collection – a group of resources
  • Sort (optional) – parameter used for organizing the list

This is what a list looks like (open in new tab):

The Formation Structure

The formation is a structure designed for tracking. It is similar to the list, however it has a row at the bottom called the “composite” that is an aggregate of the list above. A formation tells you the estimated overall impact a group of resources has. It also serves as a form of analysis. If your composite is unbalanced, you should go back and analyze the collection, fixing problems until the composite is balanced. The parts of a basic formation are:

  • Header – designation (named or unnamed) and formation parameters
  • Collection – a group of resources
  • Composite – a row used for aggregating the collection and analysis

A formation is generally not sorted. This is what a basic formation looks like (open in new tab):

There are two other types of formations that are used for portioning and meal planning. A portioned formation has any number of “tags” that apply a factor to the formation’s composite. This is useful for portioning a recipe like cookies. The parts of a portioned formation are:

  • Header – designation (named or unnamed) and formation parameters
  • Collection – a group of resources
  • Tags – any number of factors applied to the composite (usually scale down). They live right under the composite.

This is what a portioned formation looks like (open in new tab):

Second, a portioned list formation is a formation with a repeated set of components. The components are copied under the composite and the factor is applied to each component. This is useful in portioning for multiple people. The parts of a portioned list formation are:

  • Header – designation (named or unnamed) and formation parameters
  • Collection – a group of resources
  • Composite – a row used for aggregating the collection and analysis
  • Portion Row – a row that declares the portion amount
  • Portioned Components – the components that have been multiplied by the portion amount

This is what a portioned list formation looks like (open in new tab):

The Definition Structure

The definition is designed for nested resources and reuse. If you find yourself copying and pasting large numbers of the same resources, creating a definition makes sense to save space and effort. The parts of a definition are:

  • Header – designation (named or unnamed) and definition parameters
  • Collection – a group of resources
  • Composite – a row used for aggregating the collection and analysis
  • Seed – a row designed for copying and pasting into other structures

This is what a definition looks like (open in new tab):

The Grid Structure

The grid is a structure designed for tracking daily resources. It also simplifies the composite by aggregating the whole day into one global composite; formations, on the other hand, must be tallied in order to determine the global composite. Also, the grid has spaces between resources and resource groups signifying the passage of time. Therefore, it helps you analyze your habits by being organized chronologically. The parts of a grid are:

  • Header – designation (named or unnamed) and grid parameters
  • Collection – a group of resources, resource groups, and spaces (sorted chronologically)
  • Composite – a row used for aggregating the collection and analysis
  • Seed – a row designed for copying and pasting into other structures

This is what a grid looks like (open in new tab):

The Map Structure

The map is the largest-scale structure, organized as a double list. The first is sorted by W and the second by E. The map is designed for reference. Those at the top are complete because they do not have division by zero. Those at the bottom are incomplete because they have natural division by zero. One list isn’t better than the other. We need complete resources and we need incomplete resources. The parts of a map are:

  • Header – designation (named or unnamed) and map parameters
  • Collection 1 – a group of resources organized by W
  • Collection 2 – a group of resources organized by E

The resources map is designed to be read-only which means you can copy but you can’t modify. The personal resources map is designed to be modifiable.

This is what a map looks like (open in new tab):

The Wellness System and Calculators

Once you understand the map structure, you will be able to use the smart and the energy calculators. These calculators are sorted according to the W factor or the E factor or both so you will be able to use the sort range as a means of choosing the resources you want to consume. If you want to use The Wellness System in addition to the calculators, you can find it at https://www.thewellnesssystem.org/ It is more powerful than the calculators but it is also more work.

Smaller Portions, Larger Variety

For most people, a meal consists of 3-4 resources either mixed together in a sauce, baked, or eaten separately. In my experience, the problem with this approach is getting enough food variety especially when eating the same things over and over again. Also, I tend to eat larger portions to compensate for the fewer resources. So what can be done about it?

Smaller Portions

Instead of eating a whole sweet potato, I cut it into 3rds and only eat 1/3 for a reduced portion size. I did this with everything on my plate and I found that I needed to eat more. However, instead of increasing the portion size to eat more, I increased the variety of resources on my plate.

Larger Variety

Eating a larger variety of foods brought me a greater array of micronutrients. Instead of just eating more, I was increasing the quality of my meal by choosing resources from different resource groups. Soup or salad is a great vehicle for variety. Below is a list of resources from various resource groups.

Grazing vs. Meal Eating

Meal eating can be problematic when maximizing variety because of the need to buy, cook, and portion a larger number of ingredients. By spreading out eating over time, it becomes easier to increase resource variety and reduce portion sizes. Is one approach better than another? No, whatever works for you is what you should do. If you’re a meal-eater, try grazing for a week or two and see if it works for you. If you’re a grazer, try meal eating for a week or two and see how you like it.

Probiotics and Prebiotics

Most people have heard of probiotics: tiny micro-organisms that live in your colon. They are essential to a healthy GI system. But many people may not have heard of prebiotics. We’ll go over both in detail so you’ll know exactly how to supplement and eat for maximize gut health.

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are tiny microbes (bacteria) that live in your colon and help break down fibers that the digestive system can’t break down on its own. Think of your gut as a fish tank; the fish tank is your gut and the fish are the probiotics. The good bacteria help keep the bad bacteria in check. There are over ten times the number of bacteria in your gut as there are cells in your body! Some examples of probiotics are:

  • Yogurt
  • Kefir
  • Kombucha

What are prebiotics?

Prebiotics are soluable fibers that travel to your colon where they are fermented and turned into energy for the good bacteria. If your gut is a fish tank, the fish are probiotics and the fish food is prebiotics. Prebiotics are essential to feed the probiotics in your gut. Some examples of prebiotics are:

  • Chicory Root
  • Dandelion Greens
  • Jerusalem Artichoke
  • Garlic
  • Onions
  • Leeks
  • Asparagus
  • Bananas
  • Barley
  • Oats
  • Benefiber

Resistant Starches

Resistant starches are foods that function as prebiotics. They are not absorbed by the small intestine and travel to the colon where they are fermented and turned into short-chain fatty acids. Then, they are used as a booster for the bacteria in the gut. Resistant starches are considered prebiotic if they satisfy these three criteria. Some examples of resistant starches are:

  • Plantains and Green Bananas
  • Beans, Peas, and Lentils
  • Whole grains and Barley
  • Cooked and cooled Rice, Potatoes, Beans, Pasta
  • Overnight Oats

Understanding how to supplement your gut with prebiotics and proboitics is key. Now try out some different strategies. For example, drink a kombucha every day and take Benefiber. Or eat yogurt with sliced green banana. Your microbiome will be rejoicing!

To Bean or Not to Bean

Beans have a lot of good things about them: they are high in nutrition and full of energy (carbs). One of the biggest problems is the presence of what are called Lectins, chemicals that are found in nature to prevent the beans from being foraged. In order to get rid of the toxic Lectins, beans must be thoroughly soaked and cooked before eating.

In my experience, beans are too much work for not enough reward. I can eat other vegetables and get much more nutrient density than I do with beans. Therefore, beans are nice to eat once in a while but they contain too many carbs for someone who wants to become fat and keto adapted. If you are going to eat them canned, stick to plain beans, like black beans.

Sweetness

There really isn’t much of a difference when it comes to sugar, artificial or natural. They are calorie dense and have little to no nutritional value. The all-natural sweetners (the ones that contain nutrients and other molecules than just sugar) are honey, maple syrup, and molasses. When it comes to the best overall choice, it’s between Allulose or Stevia. Both are natural but are refined. Which to choose? It depends on your preference: Stevia is significantly sweeter than sugar so you can use much less of it, making it cheaper. Allulose is only 70% as sweet as sugar so you have to use more of it making it more expensive. However, Allulose has a better flavor and is better for baking than Stevia. I prefer Allulose because of the superior flavor.

Carbs (Harm Reduction)

Carbs, especially refined carbs contain anti-nutrients like gluten that are difficult to digest and have little nutritional value. When eating carbs, remember 2 things: 1) Whole wheat/sprouted grain does make a small beneficial difference. 2) Pasta tends to have more nutrition than bread or rice. I recommend finding creative ways to replace wheat-based carbs for example veggie noodles, black bean pasta, or Konjac rice or noodles.

Whole vs. Empty Calories

When it comes to calories, it is important to remember that not all calories are the same. The calories that come from whole, fresh fruits and vegetables (whole calories) are far superior than calories that come from ultra-processed foods (empty calories). Also, some foods have naturally empty calories like white rice. When faced with a decision, choose foods with the lowest W factor and avoid empty calories.  The only exception is when you are trying to boost the energy in your meal to create balance.

Reinforcers

A reinforcer is a special kind of resource that is extremely nutrient dense. Use them to augment and boost the nutrition in your meals. A typical meal might need whole wheat tortilla (fiber value and protein value), blackberries (fiber value), or water (energy value) in order to be below threshold. You can see the list of reinforcers on the site here:

https://elementalnutritionandwellness.com/reinforcers.php