Local Expert: Graeme Thomas of the Nutrition Academy (pt. 1)

This week I met with Graeme Thomas of The Nutrition Academy at Angelo’s Bakery in London, Ontario.

Graeme is a smart guy, having done his Master’s degree under Dr. Lemon at University of Western Ontario. He is also passionate about fitness and the general health of our nation.

Read on to learn more about what health expert Graeme Thomas has to say, as well as The Nutrition Academy’s services, diet, health, and exercise.

ON-Fit: So, Graeme, tell us about the goal and focus of The Nutrition Academy.

Graeme Thomas: Well, we like to focus on education and group education in classes. We also offer one–on-one services, but our focus is mostly on group classes.

Basically, there is a huge disconnect between what science knows and what people are told in terms of fitness. Analyzing the science will point you in one direction, how the government interprets the science is totally different, and what people are actually doing is different still.

At The Nutrition Academy, what we are trying to do is use the information science has told us in order to make people healthy.

OF: Sure, and people certainly don’t seem to have a clue! Is the situation really that grave?

GT: Here is the reality: as a culture, we are eating in a way that is not based on our physiology.

We can choose to persist and complain about all of the illnesses we have created and allowed to continue, or we can start doing something. You can tell people what to do, but without understanding why they are doing it they will not make a behavioural change. Typically, after a month or two, people start complaining about diets being too rigid, they don’t know why they are doing it, results taper off; and they stop.

People must learn how food works with body composition and health and then analyze for themselves what changes need to be made.

OF: How might individualization play into fitness education?

GT: We are learning that there is so much genetic variation in a population, and even families. You might have to eat differently than your husband, wife, or kids. The way we have constructed meal times in our society is that everyone I supposed to eat the same meal at the same time, often in the same portions. Our culture has evolved to treat meal time this way, but it just does not make sense.

We have to impress on people that nutrition is individualized.

Unfortunately our diagnostics are primitive at best in discerning what people should eat. There are so many factors to consider, including environment, that I don’t know if we will ever know what is going on completely. For now, designing a healthy diet consists of trial and error over a lifespan. If you have an educated approach to diet experimentation you are far more likely to succeed. Essentially, we can say “more often than not, people will succeed on this type of diet. Try it to see if it works. If it doesn’t, here are some changes that can provide the biggest bang-for-your-buck.” It’s a process of elimination.

OF: Why do people repeat ineffective strategies in dieting?

GT: People repeat ineffective strategies because they have been perpetuated for years. The idea that fat and cholesterol are bad for you has existed for 40-50 years. Now, the general public is just starting to realize that fat is not bad for you. [editors note: Graeme also mentioned that there is little-to-no link between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels. Eggs are safe, people!]

Part of the problem is also in marketing. An example could be something like apple sauce in a grocery store. You will see apple sauce that touts “cholesterol free” on the label. Apples, however, never had any cholesterol in them to begin with. One company is trying to promote their product over another company’s product, and in the process they are perpetuating a myth.

While 2% of the population knows this and do not bat an eye lash, 98% of the population may buy “cholesterol free” apple sauce and be proud of themselves. We also know that when a food label reads, “fat free” it usually means “replaced with sugar.”

Somewhere along the line the ‘message’ has been warped. Quite often we are too quick to jump on one positive finding.

Where 1 study will determine that cholesterol can be bad for you, 9 others say the opposite – but that’s not sexy.

How about if people paid attention to the effects of low cholesterol? Low blood cholesterol levels can lead to cancer, as well as other chronic disease. Whether your cholesterol is too high or too low there are massive health defects.

We should strive to be at an optimal level of everything, but of course, society preaches extremes. “You want to be thin? You have to be SUPER THIN.” We are so geared to do everything at 100% and push the envelope. If people think one thing is good for you, then 100 times that amount will be even better. It does not always work like this.

OF: So people should strive for some type of balance, correct?

GT: Sure, but people do not understand balance and moderation. Does moderation mean 2 desserts per day instead of 4? Dessert in moderation might mean once per week, whereas fruits in moderation could mean twice per day.

People need real world examples. I always get questions like “is low fat/carb/sugar/etc a good approach?” Low means nothing. Intake is dependant on your activity level, for example, an Olympic athlete may ingest 300g of carbohydrates per day. For him or her, this could be a low number. For the average person working at a computer all day, however, 300g of carbohydrates is extremely high.

Activity level is an interesting topic, because humans are lazy as a species. Now, there may have been an evolutionary benefit to this somewhere down the line, but it has taken a turn for the worst. Now, it’s hard to get people to do the recommended minimum –which we know is not nearly enough anyways! People will not even do 30 minutes a day of fast paced walking. How about walking the dog?

Now our pets are obese, and the $64,000 question is how do you make a society healthier instead of just giving them tidbits of information as seen in Cosmo or on Oprah.

It’s easy to eat poorly and avoid exercise, usually under the guise of being more productive. With increased productivity comes increased stress, however.

There is never one definitive problem when it comes to health. Stress levels, lack of exercise, diet – they are all to blame. There are things we haven’t even measured yet that are probably partially to blame as well.

It usually takes science several years to figure out what is problematic.

OF: Very true – people should know this!

This concludes part 1 of my interview with Graeme Thomas. Look for parts 2 and 3 in the near future!!

Also, make sure you check out The Nutrition Academy online, and a big “thank you” to Graeme Thomas for participating in the interview.