Logical: Eat to Aid, Not Inflame Your Body

By Kevin Kolodziejski 

It defies logic to think watching the best road cyclist in the world win yet another race is boring.  Yet because of the way in which he dominates the pro peloton, many who follow the sport feel that way.

Including the cyclist himself.

In an interview that Stephen Farrand cites in a Cyclingnews article about Tadej Pogačar renegotiating his contract with UAE Team Emirates (a contract that will pay him the current equivalent of 53 million U.S. dollars over the next six years), Pogačar says he’s watched no more than highlights of his wins from last season “because I don’t know how much fun it is to watch a rider ride 50km alone…”

Pogačar’s Logic-Defying Yet ‘Perfect’ Season

Let’s stick to the logic-defying theme and consider why Pogačar called his past season “perfect” when asked about it at the eSports World Championships. In a total of 58 racing days, he won 25 times.  While you may not race, who amongst us isn’t in search of the non-racing equivalent, the oh-so elusive perfect ride?  Wouldn’t it blow your mind — and defy logic — if you could have one 43.1 percent of the time you mount the bike?

Talk about a rhetorical riding question. Unless, that is, you’re Eddy Merckx and the year is 1970, ’71, ’72, or ’73.  But you’re not the Cannibal, the year is 2024, and there’s no arguing about either. But I could see you arguing with me over the following statement. That most medical doctors lack the knowledge necessary to advise patients about nutrition.

The Logic-Defying Statistic About Doctors

That argument that never happens, however, if you become as spellbound as I am by a statistic about doctors as logic-defying as Pogačar’s rides-to-wins ratio. In a 2021 Medicine in Motion survey of more than 1,000 soon-to-be ones, 58 percent reported receiving no formal nutrition education in four years of med school. And how’s this for an equally entrancing stat? The amount of instruction the other 42 percent received averaged out to be 2.9 hours per year.

So if you ask a doc a really tricky nutrition question, you’ll probably be told to consult a nutritionist. It’s the only logical thing the doc can do.

But what if you’re really healthy, really busy, and only asking tricky nutrition questions with the hope of enhancing your cycling? Then, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll do what seems to be a logical time-saver. Skip the suggested consultation, pull out your smart phone, and search for answers via social media.

The ‘Worst Possible’ Thing to Do

It’s a move that Nathaniel Johnson, Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of North Dakota, and med student Madeline Comeau call in an article for The Conversation — “Diet-related diseases are the No. 1 cause of death in the US” — the “worst possible” one. They support that statement by citing a study published in the February 2022 issue of Healthcare that found 94 percent of posts about nutrition and diet are “either inaccurate or lacking adequate data to back up the claim.” So what’s the alternative to getting your nutrition knowledge from social media? This three-step process.

One: Read about the results of significant studies.

Two: Decide if the findings apply to you.

Three: Create a course of action if they do. One that logically takes into account all those things you already know about yourself and your current situation that could make you different from those in the study.

Using this three-step process makes far more sense than the typical doctor’s dearth of nutritional coursework — or the fact that the majority Americans eat a diet that encourages inflammation, according to a study published in the September 2024 issue of Public Health Nutrition.

Most American Diets Encourage Inflammation

In the study, researchers measured the inflammatory potential of about 60,000 one-day, self-reported diets of American adults garnered during the 2005–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and found 57 percent eat in a manner that encourages inflammation. String enough of those eating days together and the inflammation can become chronic. And your health can take a serious hit.

Chronic inflammation has been linked to an increased risk of developing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease, as well as autoimmune and neurodegenerative disorders.

While it should be stressed that the diets assessed in the study were self-reported and limited to a single day, so should the importance of you now doing what’s listed above as step number 2. Regularly eating processed meats; fried foods; sugary drinks; white bread and traditional pasta; vegetable and soybean oils; processed snack foods, such as chips and crackers; desserts, such as cookies, candy, and ice cream; margarine, shortening, and lard; too many simple carbohydrates; and anything more than a bit of alcohol creates the sort of inflammation that can become chronic and lead to disease. So you need to ask yourself — after considering how you’re currently feeling and how you want to feel in the future — if you’re consuming one or more of these foods a bit too regularly.

Eating To Aid Your Body Is Logical

If so, do step number 3, the one that also could be called doing what’s logical. Reduce the amount or possibly eliminate the offending food or foods. But don’t leave it at that. Create a comprehensive plan.

One that has you eating more of the foods known to fight inflammation. Green leafy vegetables, like spinach and kale; nuts, like almonds and walnuts; fatty fish, like salmon and tuna; and fruits, like oranges and blueberries. One that has you replacing salt with spices, processed grains with whole grains, and saturated fats with olive oil.

To make your plan truly comprehensive, also consider how much exercise, sleep, and how much water you get each day. Sufficient amounts of all also help keep inflammation at bay.

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Kevin Kolodziejski began his writing career in earnest in 1989. Since then he’s written a weekly health and fitness column and his articles have appeared in magazines such as “MuscleMag,” “Ironman,” “Vegetarian Times,” and “Bicycle Guide.” He has Bachelor and Masters degrees in English from DeSales and Kutztown Universities.

A competitive cyclist for more than 30 years, Kevin won two Pennsylvania State Time Trial championships in his 30’s, the aptly named Pain Mountain Time Trial 4 out of 5 times in his 40s, two more state TT’s in his 50’s, and the season-long Pennsylvania 40+ BAR championship at 43.