Reynolds - The Fittest Food Lovers

What is the purpose of this book?

The Fittest Food Lovers is a source of information and inspiration for anyone who wants to improve their fitness while building a healthy relationship with food. Contrary to popular belief, being fit and loving food are not mutually exclusive. In fact, these are two of the best things you can do for your body. Food is necessary to live, so why not enjoy it? Exercise is vitally important as well, so why not enjoy that too? Finding ways to make the necessary things in life fun and enjoyable makes them sustainable, reduces stress and increases happinesswhich is a primary contributor to a healthy life too.

As you may know, there is not one bulletproof method of eating and working out that will yield the absolute best results for everyone because every single body is different. This book covers those with a wide range of body types and ethnic backgrounds, so certain featured individuals may naturally be more relatable to different people. You can read about what has decidedly worked for specific types of people and you may have the best success emulating those whom you relate to the most.

Some of you might be questioning, What do I have in common with these world-class athletes and public figures? Im not sure I can relate to any of them. Well, dont be so quick to judge. Maybe you have similar taste preferences as someone in this book and can learn about healthier dining alternatives that you may not have known about. Perhaps you may come across a method of eating that works well with your lifestyle or simply piques your interest. Or, maybe someone you didnt initially relate to opens your eyes to a type of physical activity that you find interesting and it ends up becoming part of your regular workout routine. Also, consider a scenario in which youre looking to build your wealth. Would you want to learn the mindset and tactics of a successful billionaire (someone who doesnt closely resemble your current situation), or someone making a slightly-above-average income (someone who more closely resembles your current situation)? Dont sell yourself short. You deserve to learn from the best.

You can gain new perspectives. Or, you may find helpful nuggets of information from multiple people that you can apply to your life. The insights and tips dispensed in this book are not one-size-fits-all, so read through it to discover what is most effective for you.

Weve included the knowledge and wisdom of top certified professionals in the nutrition and fitness worlds. These experts help dispel any sort of misinformation about food and fitness proliferated in the media and on the internet.

This book was also written to help fight world hunger. We released the initial version of this book on Thanksgiving 2019, the biggest holiday in the United States revolving around food and gratitude. A portion of the proceeds of each new book purchased will be donated to select charitable organizations dedicated to fighting hunger.

Note: The majority of the content in this book came from 1-on-1 interviews between the featured individuals and the author, Kristina V. Reynolds. The language used by each person is kept as accurate as possible, whether or not it is grammatically correct. (So put away your whistles and relax, grammar police.)

What are the qualifications to become one of the fittest food lovers?

First of all, lets break down the terms fittest and food lover.

The fittest refers to those in the highest levels of physical health and condition for their respective fields. They are functionally fit, not just aesthetically fit. In other words, these people can physically perform at elite levels in their professional fields and dont simply look the part. For example, bodybuilders may portray the image of Greek gods with their chiseled muscular physiques, but because they primarily train for aesthetics, some of these competitors encounter major side effects that negatively impact their health physically and psychologically. Other athletes or performers may purge their bodies of essential liquids or nutrients to get that perfect look. Looking extremely fit doesnt always equate to being healthy and vice versa. Those who are considered to be the fittest are healthy inside and out.

Food lover is an all-encompassing term for food enthusiasts of all types. (I broke down the meaning of food lovers, foodies and everything in between in an article for my company blog, Glutto Digest, called Foodies vs. Food Lovers - Whats the Difference? Google it.) If youre asking, Well, isnt everyone a food lover? Frankly, the answer is no. Not everyone finds joy in food and eating. Some people see food as mere fuel and force themselves to eat only what they think will benefit their bodies. Others who may appear to enjoy food have an unhealthy obsession leading to excessive weight gain and other health issues. Some have other eating disorders and have not yet found a method to enjoy food while maintaining a healthy body and mind. Those who are featured in this book have not lost that joy and have learned to embrace their love for food in a healthy manner.

When my team and I selected the individuals for this book, we wanted to provide a solid representation of people from distinct backgrounds who have: 1) shown a great appreciation for food and 2) are well-known for maintaining an elite level of physical fitness. When it comes to enjoying food and staying fit, these people have figured out what works best for them.

Whether or not an individual meets these qualifications is subjective since it is highly implausible to get access to medical records and vital signs of everyone nominated to objectively select candidates. Also, no specific body type was required to meet the aforementioned criteria, just a superior level of overall health and physical capabilities. Everyone has different bodies and each persons physical appearance is different at their peak levels of health...You wouldnt expect a world champion weightlifter to have the same body type as an Olympic gold medalist figure skater, would you? Yet, the fitness levels of both these individuals would be off the charts.