4 PILLARS OF HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE

The 4 Pillars are the foundation of everything we’ve ever written and every Hammer product we’ve ever sold. These four truths are non-negotiable—and they will never change.

The 4 Pillars

1.   Avoid ALL processed foods — If it has a wrapper, comes in a package, or is in a can, it’s bad.

2.   Sugar — Unless it’s whole fruit, it’s bad.

3.   Eat whole foods — The way nature intended.

4.   Supplement — If you don’t, deficiency is guaranteed.

AVOID PROCESSED FOODS

By definition, processed foods contain one or more of these toxic, health-damaging, performance-sapping substances—so avoid them like the plague:

• Refined sugar — If it’s not a piece of whole fruit, it’s refined and toxic.
• Refined seed oils — These may very well be public enemy #1.
• High sodium — Some is good; more is not better.

While sugar remains the primary enemy of your health, salt and processed seed oils are in a virtual tie with sugar at the top of the “bad for your health” podium.

 

AVOID SUGAR

Yes, this overlaps with avoiding processed foods—but sugar is everywhere in the food supply and it’s extremely addictive. That’s why it must be repeated and given its own pillar. We’ve never been shy about calling out sugar as the heinous, evil substance in our diet.

From day one, our position has been to severely limit refined sugar. 50 grams per day is a great target. The health and performance problems caused by sugar are far too many to list here.

 

EAT LOCALLY GROWN WHOLE FOODS

The main reason to eat a wide variety of whole foods is the countless health-supporting phytochemicals that only fresh fruits and vegetables provide—along with vitamins and minerals.

Locally grown (unsprayed or organic) foods are typically picked at peak ripeness and spend less time between harvest and your plate. That means more of the beneficial compounds your body needs. Most local growers use organic-style practices, producing clean, pure food free of pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals.

 

SUPPLEMENTS – A MODERN NECESSITY

The idea of a “balanced diet” is a complete myth. It’s simply not possible to meet all your nutritional needs through food alone. Without smart supplementation, you’re living in a state of nutrient deficiency—and that will impact your health and physical performance.

Bottom line: If you want consistent high performance and—more importantly—optimal health and longevity, daily supplementation is a necessity, not an option.

Eat the best diet you can as consistently as possible, then back it up with sufficient vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and complementary nutrients using a product like Premium Insurance Caps, which provides 48 different vitamins, minerals, and branch chain amino acids.

This is the best way to cover your nutritional bases more completely—helping you train better, perform better, recover better, and most importantly, maintain superior health.