What the vertical diet entails.
Recently, there have been some intriguing diets, eating habits, nutritional philosophies, and protocols developed by the powerlifting and CrossFit communities.Their primary goal is to support both elite athletes and fitness enthusiasts in achieving higher levels of performance.
Some of them, like intermittent fasting (IMF), are supported by science, while others, like IIFYM and flexible dieting, lack clinical studies to back up their health claims, performance results, and health efficacy. Stan Efferding’s Vertical Diet is the most recent one.
How Does the Vertical Diet Work?
The Vertical Diet is centered on maximizing micronutrient intake to fuel athletic performance and increase lean muscle mass. High-level athletes who want to enhance their strength, performance, and recovery should follow the diet. The vertical diet is a, according to the diet’s creator, Stan Efferding.
Performance-based nutrition comprises a structure of easily assimilated macronutrients that can be customized to meet your body’s needs, supported by a strong foundation of highly bio available micronutrients.
For better understanding, see this image. The name of the Vertical Diet comes from its unique food pyramid, which is shaped like an upside-down “T.”. Starting at the bottom, the base layer offers a strong foundation of micronutrients that are incredibly bio available.
The vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables are referred to as micronutrients. These micronutrients support the structure of easily absorbed macronutrients, which are symbolized by the vertical portion of the upside-down “T” and include white rice and steak. Just steak and white rice, that’s correct. To me, it sounds a little bit like bro science, but let’s go on.
How Does The Vertical Diet Work?
Steak and white rice make up the two main food groups of the Vertical Diet. Stan emphasizes the distinction between ground beef and steak, stating that it is simply steak and rice, and a lot of it. Since the center cuts (roast, sirloin, and filet) are made from animal parts, such as scraps, ground beef does not meet the definition of “Quality Calories.”.
The only food that should be regarded as a “Super Food,” in Efferding’s opinion, is steak. Steak is always preferable to ground beef and is not a suitable replacement because your diet should concentrate on consuming the highest quality calories.
However, he adds that there is little to no nutritional difference between beef that has been raised on grass and beef that has been raised commercially, so the price difference is not justified. You decide if the price is worth the inflammation caused by hormones.
The Quality of Calories in The Vertical Diet Nutritional Protocol.
The Vertical Diet emphasizes the fact that not all calories are created equally in the first place. Not all of the nutrients you consume are utilized by your body. Some food is wasted while others are digested.
Consuming those calories, which your body is most adept at processing so that nothing you eat is wasted, is the focal point of the vertical diet.
Carbohydrates are the essential macronutrient for improving athletic performance, according to Efferding. He emphasizes that protein and fat can only provide your body with so much benefit, and that carbohydrates are essential for sustaining physical activity, building muscle, and enhancing recovery.
The Digestive Health Nutritional Protocol in the Vertical Diet.
In order to maximize the body’s absorption of macronutrients, the Vertical Diet places a strong emphasis on micronutrient optimization. The Vertical Diet’s foundation is digestive and gut health because it helps to reduce bloating, maximize nutritional absorption, and produce better results for athletic performance.
Efferding claims that for proper micronutrient absorption, the stomach must have the right amount of acidity. The goal is to maximize digestive effectiveness.
Efferding claims that the body will eventually adapt to the way you eat and become more effective at digesting the steak and rice. Your body adapts by eating more once it becomes more adept at utilizing those macronutrients, which happens gradually. Also referred to as “going vertical.”. In essence, everything you eat will be utilized to build and repair muscle mass.
The Vertical Diet is for high-performance athletes who train frequently, it’s important to keep in mind. 6 ounces of steak and 1 cup of white rice will typically be consumed at 4-5 meals per day by elite athletes. It also depends on how frequently and intensely you train.
But if you work out several times a day, you consume a lot of food. In the end, the vertical diet requires that you constantly increase the number of calories you consume from quick-acting carbohydrates. According to the reasoning, eating more leads to quicker recovery, increased training volume, and enhanced gains.
Efferding further asserts that a diet high in protein and quick-digesting carbohydrates will improve gut health, address nutrient deficiencies, and improve athletic performance.
However, it has been established that giving your body a rich and sufficient amount of probiotics and prebiotics is the best way to improve your gut health.
Nutrient-Dense Bio-Available Foods.
Butternut squash, carrots, celery, parsley, zucchini, eggplant, bell pepper, spinach, and sweet potatoes are some examples of low-gas vegetables that Efferding advises you to eat to prevent bloating. However, foods with a good micronutrient profile should only be used to fill in the gaps;
the Vertical Diet should not be based solely on these foods. Stan suggests completing the nutritional gaps with the easily digestible micronutrient-rich foods listed below because when you’re only eating steak and rice, it’s difficult to build a base consistent of highly bioavailable micronutrients.
- For healthy fats, eat eggs.
- Baby carrots for dietary fiber.
- For pre-biotics, eat sweet potatoes.
- Spinach’s high concentration of micronutrients.
- due to fruit’s ability to stimulate the liver.
- For calcium, consume milk, hard cheese, and yogurt.
How Effective Is The Vertical Diet?
When it comes to enhancing gut health and micronutrient intake, the Vertical Diet unquestionably offers some insightful advice. I do concur that developing a diet with a foundation based on maximizing digestive health through highly bioavailable micronutrients is in fact essential for structuring a well-balanced healthy lifestyle.
To be honest, the Vertical Diet is just a bunch of bro science and deceptive marketing because there isn’t any strong clinical evidence to back up its claims of enhancing athletic performance. No evidence can be based solely on anecdotes.
The Vertical Diet severely restricts a number of foods that are high in nutrients and micronutrients. You should attempt to include as many high-quality foods in your diet as possible rather than restricting and avoiding them. High-performance athletes already consume diets high in protein and carbohydrates,
so limiting them to white rice and steak seems a bit extreme and honestly unrealistic. I adore rice and steak. Seriously, I love them both a lot. But let’s not forget that consuming a lot of red meat—especially at this level—has been linked to a higher risk of developing chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
Not to mention, the Vertical Diet only recommends carrots for fiber and prohibits oats, beans, and whole grains, despite the fact that fiber is one of the most crucial factors in digestive health.
Because your body digests food more effectively, the Vertical Diet’s entire goal is to make you stronger by allowing you to eat more. The Vertical Diet offers meal preparation for a great price that starts at about $60 per day, which works out to about $420 per week, or $1680 per month, for steak and rice.
Don’t forget that you eat even more as you get used to digesting your food. To me, it practically screams robbery.
White rice is particularly deficient in nutrients, which is the biggest issue with the Vertical Diet.
Rice’s husk, bran, and germ are eliminated during milling. While extending the shelf life of white rice, this process also removes most of its fiber, vitamins, and minerals. White rice is fortified with nutrients artificially to combat this. The polished grain is also refined to make it look more appetizing.
Describe a FODMAP food.
Not to worry. You won’t be using a real map. Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides, and Polyols, or FODMAP, are short-chain carbohydrates that can cause issues for a wide range of people, particularly those who have digestive issues. Simply put: after consuming an excessive amount of beans, these compounds are what cause certain “problems.”
High-FODMAP foods contain fibers and carbohydrates that pass through your system undigested and are used as fuel by your gut bacteria, which results in the production of hydrogen gas. And when that occurs, well, let’s just say that people might be socially avoiding you for a while.
However, eating too much of these foods can cause much more than just a little gas. They may cause diarrhea in some people by drawing liquid into the intestines. A high-FODMAP diet can also result in leaky gut syndrome.
So low-FODMAP diets can really help those with sensitive stomachs. And if you’re a top athlete who needs to consume thousands of calories per day, it can stop some major issues from developing later on.
For everyone, from strength athletes to the average Joe, optimal digestion is achieved by eliminating foods high in FODMAPs from the Vertical Diet.
“Antinutrients,” phytic acid, and lectins.
One more issue needs to be covered before we finally get to the Vertical Diet’s list of permitted and prohibited foods: “antinutrients,” which are merely substances that hinder the body’s ability to absorb vital nutrients.
For instance, lectins and phytic acid bind to and obstruct the digestion of minerals like magnesium, iron, and zinc.
Remember that the purpose of the Vertical Diet is to consume foods that are bursting with micronutrients, so it makes sense to avoid anything that might prevent the body from absorbing those vitamins and minerals.
Or does it?
The truth about these substances is a little more nuanced than people would like to acknowledge. Lectin has been linked to lower cancer risks, and phytic acid is an antioxidant that has been linked to lower risks of cardiovascular disease and kidney stones.The main issue with most antinutrient studies is that they isolate the substance and focus on how it affects the body.
In other words, scientists take lectin in its purest form and investigate how it interacts with specific cells. But that’s not how the human body functions; lectin is frequently consumed along with nutrients like Vitamin C, which can counteract the compound’s adverse effects.
The Vertical Diet does permit the consumption of foods high in these “antinutrients,” but only after they have been soaked and fermented, which helps to lessen the potential side effects of these substances.
The Vertical Diet Allowed Foods.
The Vertical Diet has a list of permitted and prohibited foods, like the majority of other diets. But the list of things you can eat is shorter, so we’ll start there. .
White rice and red meat will be staples of your daily diet, as we already mentioned. White rice is as clean a carb as they come; it is easily absorbed and contains almost no fiber, fat, or antinutrients. Because it has a high antinutrient content, brown rice is off the menu.
Red meat is the preferred protein because, according to Efferding, it is the type of meat that is most nutrient-dense, being “loaded with heme iron, B-vitamins, zinc, magnesium, creatine, and healthy fats.”. “.
The Vertical Diet raises a number of issues, one of which is found here. Since red meat has been associated with an increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, dietitians and nutritionists have urged people to eat less of it recently.
According to recent recommendations, you should limit your consumption of red meat to 18 ounces per week, but if you eat it every day, you’ll go over that limit. Once more, before beginning the Vertical Diet, consult your doctor.
If you choose to follow this route, you will primarily consume calories from these two food sources. There are many places to get red meat.
- Beef.
- Bison.
- Buffalo.
- Lamb.
There is a broad, flat base of plant material beneath the soaring pillars of red meat and white rice, including fruit, potatoes, spinach, red peppers, carrots, juice, and a few Butter, broth, and fatty fish are additional animal products.
Read More: Water Aids Weight Loss
Leave a Reply