Immunity is right in the centre of healthiness, success, performance … one name it. Without immunity death is the only perspective you have got. This sounds rather drastic, but it is just a reality.
During the last weeks I did a lot of things that were in the name of Biestmilch, but were not focusing on biestmilch as a substance, as precious food that should be part of your diet. Today I read an article in the Irish Times about sports nutrition and the controversial relevance of food supplements. This publication is very much in line with our way of thinking at Biestmilch Seven and so, it stimulated me to add my thoughts to this topic.
Since 2002 Biestmilch and so am I involved in triathlon. Coming from the medical field Biestmilch was really starting from scratch there. My understanding about the effects of biestmilch in an athlete’s body was and is growing slowly since then. And I am very happy to notice that the awareness of the importance of immunity for performance and recovery increased tremendously. Today immunity is right in the centre of concern in sports.
There are so many athletes out there who are troubled by impaired immunity. The symptoms pronounced can be manifold (infections, allergies, asthma, injuries, infammations out of various reasons).
What can be done to achieve and maintain optimal immunity?
This is exactly the point where biestmilch comes in. For me as a biestmilch evangelist 😉 it is amazing in many ways that one of the most natural and life-saving substances is so very much underestimated and meets so many doubts while the sports nutrition and supplement market is increasing all along the line.
On top of trying to figure out the optimal balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins in their diets, athletes are being bombarded by the sports nutrition industry with a range of products that claim to boost performance, improve endurance and aid recovery which means improve and stabilize immunity. The market for dietary supplements and ergogenic aids such as sports drinks and bars, protein powders, weight-gainers, fat burners, meal replacements and caffeine tablets is simply enormous. The Irish Food Board estimates that by 2010, global consumer spending on sports nutrition will reach €5.4 billion, with sales in Europe rising to €1.6 billion (I quote the article from the Irish Times). Internet search engines present an array of online retailers offering a bewildering mix of chews, powders, sachets, drinks and tablets.
Good nutrition at all the time should become a habit
The article quotes Prof Niall Moyna, a lecturer in exercise physiology at Dublin City University, who underlines that young athletes should stick with the basics:Â a well-balanced diet, then you may not be in need for supplements. He says that there is no evidence that these supplements increase performance. Moyna says and that seems very interesting to me that 95 per cent of the recommendations are based on studies in people cycling on bikes in laboratory conditions for three hours and have no relevance whatsoever for sports in the wild.
The reality is that there is no conclusive research to tell us what happens in and to the body of an athlete. Every individual is different and every individual needs tailored nutrition advice. The emphasis is still (there is no other new breath-taking knowledge) on a well-balanced diet and taking in clean protein, clean carbohydrates and clean fat. And very important: There’s no point in focusing on nutrition a week before a race or a game. Good nurtition has to be an every day practice.
Further on the article quotes Crionna Tobin, a consultant sports nutritionist. Tobin says, that the impact of poor nutrition on sports performance is considerable, that the first thing that’s affected is race or match performance respectively. But the impact on training follows quite naturally. The other impact is with general health. The immune system becomes vulnerable and the athletes are more likely to get colds and coughs etc.
To find ones way through the jungle of sports nutrition and diet advices is not easy as the number of mixed messages coming to athletes from dieticians and nutritionists is huge and the amount of conflicting information is piling up out there.
But the conclusion again is: Every sport is different and every athlete is different and what works for one just won’t work for others. And, no supplement has all the nutritional benefit of food. If you compare a vitamin tablet, for example, with a bowl of vegetables – the bowl of vegetables is dense in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that react so uniquely with each other. This composition cannot be replicated in a tablet.
Do you doubt the power and life-maintaining role of food?
If, no, why do you doubt biestmilch, one of the most powerful foods in the world? Biestmilch makes babies survive birth and boosts them for the life ahead of them. You hear the evangelist in me talking to you now 😉 …
I don’t want to go further into diet details here. I only wanted to show you how controversial the field of sports nutrition is structured. But what all the products do have in common is the statement that they improve performance, recovery and health, which simply translates into the fact that they are capable of balancing and strengthening immunity. Biestmilch is all natural, it is food stuff and contains molecules that one could call an immune serum. It is not a drug designed by humans. It can strengthen immunity in an incomparable manner.
Wonderful website. Lots of helpful information here. I’m sending it to several buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious. And certainly, thank you for your sweat!