Doug Grant is a degreed nutritionist who has trained thousands of doctors, throughout the world. He is the President and founder of Optimal Health Systems, a custom health company offering an exclusive turnkey system created specifically for health professionals, in-depth training and certification programs, cutting edge therapeutic products with patented ingredients, and motivational tools to increase patient participation. In addition. Doug serves as the nutritionist for several teams in the NBA. including the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for Southwest Naturopathic Medical College, one of the only three accredited naturopathic medical colleges in the United States. In an interview with The American Chiropractor (TAC). Doug Grant (DG) discusses whole food vitamins, sports, and reaching peak performance through proper nutrition. TAC: How did you get involved in the nutrition market? What qualifies you as an expert in nutrition? DG: My passion for nutrition, health, and fitness began in 1989. As a young man, just twenty-three years old, I was involved in a terrible accident that landed me in a rehab center, and left me wondering if I would ever walk again. Despite my doctor's dim prognosis, I was determined to once again become whole. Driven to find answers that would somehow aid me in my goal, I embarked on my quest for health. While on my journey, I soon discovered that many people claimed to posses the "miracle cure". However, reliable, effective principles were often overlooked or overshadowed by clouds of misinformation. What began as my personal search for health has resulted in a complete recovery and return to the pinnacles of fitness, including a Gold Medal victory in the World Power Lifting Championships. My passion to find accurate answers for health also motivated me to study nutrition at Arizona State University, receive a Bachelor's Degree from the American Holistic College of Nutrition, complete post-graduate work at the American College of Sports Medicine, and receive five professional trainer certifications. Most of all, the knowledge I discovered on my quest has driven me to share true health with others by presenting my message on radio, television and in print, and creating a health and nutrition company that has brought health to numerous individuals throughout the world. The resulting company is the culmination of over ten years of work with more than 5,000 health professionals, countless personal trainers, professional athletes, and hundreds of thousands of indi- viduals from every walk of life. Along the way, I have surrounded myself with experts in their own right, with a Professional Advisory Council of doc- tors, and with writers, researchers, managers, sales staff, and customer service representatives who share my beliefs and determination. Each indi- vidual has his or her own story of how applying proper principles has led to optimal health. Together, we are committed to furthering our mission, which is: To raise the standard of health and fitness by providing superior systems of extraordinary service, motivational support, and customized nutrition, exercise, and specific supplementation: thus creating, for every individual, the expectation and ability to achieve optimal health. TAC: What role does nutrition play in professional sports and how does this relate to those doctors who are not treating professional athletes? DDG: Proper nutrition not only increases athletic performance, but also prevents sickness and disease. It is much easier and less costly to pre- vent a person from becoming than it is to attempt to rid them of an illness after they have become afflicted. However, motivating individ- uals to follow preventative health guidelines can sometimes be quite difficult. The way you motivate people from all walks of life to follow the principles of proper health and nutrition is to provide prod- ucts and programs which easily*! and effectively improve their health and well being. Then, too, you should provide periodic-testing, which will demonstrate the patients" progress, and motivate them to stick with your program. This is an often over-looked part of the treatment process. It allows you and your patients to see if the supplements you're using and the recommendations you're making are actually working. This is what separates the amateurs from the professionals in nutrition. TAC: How did you get involved working as the nutritionist for the Phoenix Suns basketball team? DG: In 1992. Danny Ainge. former Suns' coach and player, was suffering from some serious health problems. After undergoing numerous tests, it was obvious that he had liver damage. In fact. Danny had the liver of an alcoholic, though he had never drunk in his life. Perplexed, he asked what had caused the damage to his liver. Obviously, it was the result of his prolonged use of anti-inflammatory drugs. Danny was determined to regain his health, so his agent referred him to me. After taking Danny completely off anti-inflammatories, replacing them with a safe and effective natural pain and inflammation formula which I had made, and designing a nutrition program specifically for him, he achieved tremendous results and was feeling better than he had in years. His coach and teammates soon began noticing Danny's remarkable improvements and were curious as to what he was doing to achieve such great results. Their curiosity eventually led to my current position as nutritionist for the Phoenix Suns. San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, and others. TAC: Did you have any difficulties getting your nutritional advice accepted by the NBA? Did you need to prove the validity of your recommendations? DG: Yes. Because of my success with Danny Ainge. the first NBA team I began working with was the Phoenix Suns. However, it was a long and difficult process to have my nutritional recommendations accepted by the Suns organization. This was mainly because the strength coach and the president of the Suns were both sticklers for solid research. Consequently, it took over a year for me to convince them of the benefits proper nutrition and supplementation could have on their players; and. then, it took even longer to demonstrate the necessity for them to use only whole food supplements. Fortunately, each of our products is backed by years of hard-core research ] studies: so. I was able to provide the ! Suns with proven facts to validate my I claims, rather than just giving them my : opinion. This is very important i because, when a million-dollar athlete j entrusts you with his health, he does not want to be used as a guinea pig. He wants products and programs that are guaranteed to help him achieve success. Patients also want this same guarantee from their doctor. That is why it is vital for health care professionals to make sure, when incorporating nutrition and supplementation into their practices, that the products and programs they are recommending are based on the research, not the current fads. It the company you're dealing with will not send you the research on every nutrient in each formula and a certificate of analysis from the laboratory, then don't buy their products. TAC: Can you tell us your thoughts on whole food and synthetic vita mins? j D(J: Vitamins, as found naturally in | foods, consist of many different com- j ponents. In order for vitamins to be j bioavailable, or absorbable and usable ! to the body, all of these components must be present. If any one of these factors is missing, a supplement can not perform its intended function, and can even be extremely harmful to one's health. Synthetic, or artificial vitamins, do not contain all of a vitamin's naturally occurring factors, and are, therefore incomplete. These incomplete supplements are categorized into two types. The first, called synthetic vitamins, are produced (as their name implies) artificially by chemical means. They are synthesized, primarily from corn sugar and non-food compounds, such as coal tar. The second type of artificial vitamins, called crystalline vitamins, are derived from foods, but are distilled, diluted, and fractionated so much that all of the co-factors found in the original food sources are processed out or eliminated. In this fractionated, incomplete form, the so-called "vita- min" becomes a non-food and, rather than having a nourishing, sustaining effect on the body, acts like a drug instead. For example, alpha tocopherol— which is commonly sold as "Vitamin E"—makes up only a portion of the complete vitamin E complex, and loses up to 99% of the potency or function of the whole food form of vitamin E. After consuming a supplement made with alpha tocopherol, the body is, then, forced to use up its own reserves to create the entire vitamin E complex. In its whole food form, vitamin E supports bone health and strength. However, large doses of alpha tocopherol actually weaken bones by causing them to release minerals to compensate for this incomplete source of vitamin E. Similar negative consequences result from consuming other artificial vitamin supplements, as well. Whole food vitamins, on the other hand, have no harmful side effects. These vitamins are taken directly from a food source. Nothing is added or taken away from these supplements that will compromise the vitamin in any way. Thus, they are the only form of vitamins that are completely absorbed and used by the body. No matter how much time or money is spent in an attempt to "recreate" a vitamin, mankind will never be able to produce a better substitute for the nutrients found naturally in foods. This truth is evident when we consider the fact that, as of 1996. over 3,800 different compounds have been identified in foods as having nutritional significance. However, in a laboratory, twenty nutrients is about all that modern science can reproduce and put into a vitamin product. That is why whole food vitamins are the only true vitamin supplements available, and, thus, the only supplements that I recommend. TAC: Any final comments to our doctors about the use and incorporation of nutrition in the chiropractic clinic? DG: As those involved in chiropractic care are aware, subluxations occur for many reasons. Many of the factors contributing to subluxations stem from lifestyle, with improper nutrition at the forefront of the problem. Having a solid nutrition and whole food supplementation program available to patients is a vital part of being a doctor of the future. By utilizing sound products and programs, health care professionals can easily and effectively recommend nutrition and supplementation protocols that are a snap for patients or professional athletes to follow, to greatly improve their health and well-being. Doug Grant can be reached at www.optimalhealthsystems.com or by calling (800) 890-4547.
