Nutrition FitnessGood nutrition is necessary for keeping the body functioning optimally, whether you want to maintain a healthy weight, lose weight the healthy way or provide fuel for high-level physical activities. Good nutrition is the foundation for good physical health and preventing disease for lifelong health. A healthful diet is a plant-based diet with a small amount of animal protein, which provides all of the calories, vitamins and minerals that the body needs for optimal performance. (Aside from green M&M's, your food should be colorful and encompass all the colors of the rainbow!) Balancing physical fitness and a healthful diet is the best combination for managing your weight and promoting overall health and fitness. I’m not going to bog you down with a lot of nutrition science (yawn…), we’ll stick with the basics and go over a few concepts that I think you already know --- the nutrition building blocks: Carbohydrate, Proteins, and Fats.
Carbs=4 calories per gram
Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are your body's primary energy source. Most people need about 100-150 grams or 400-600 calories of carbohydrates every day just to supply fuel for their brain and central nervous system function. Carbohydrates are used right away for your energy needs or your body can convert them into fat as stored fuel to use later. The three types of carbohydrates are sugars, starches and fiber. Contrary to the “carb hysteria”, not all simple sugars are unhealthy. These sugars are also found in nutritious foods like fruit and milk. Complex carbohydrates are chains of three or more single sugar molecules which are found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains. The body is able to easily digest the simple sugars but complex sugars are harder to digest. Keep in mind as you create your meal plans that foods high in complex carbohydrates are often lower in calories and are more satisfying. Research shows that a diet comprised of 55-60% of total calories from carbohydrates is healthy and reasonable for most physically active people. Protein Next to water, protein is the most abundant substance in the human body. Protein is in the make-up of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood; essentially a component of all body cells. Protein is an important substance needed to fight against infections and to carry oxygen in our blood. Protein is in many foods that we eat on a regular basis and a complete protein source is one that provides all of the 9 essential amino acids. Examples of a complete protein source are animal-based foods such as meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs. Good protein is also found in foods rich in soy such as tofu, textured vegetable protein, and seitan or wheat protein. Other plant-based sources of protein are found in seeds, nuts, and beans. Vegetarians have to combine vegetable proteins together like rice and beans, or a rice cake with hummus or peanut butter to make a single complete protein source.
How much protein do you need to consume for good health, or to help you to both lose weight and build muscle? It can get a little confusing with all the info out there and individual needs do vary. You will need to identify what “type” of exerciser you are and plug in the recommended protein requirement. (See Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook.) Generally, between 10 percent and 15 percent of your total calories should come from protein, in fact, medical research shows that protein consumption more than 30% of your total daily caloric intake could be harmful.Fats Dietary fat is a vital nutrient necessary for our bodies in the absorption of vitamins (A, D, E and K) and nutrients for health and daily functioning. Most foods contain several different types of fats and some kinds are better for your health than others. So… you’ve got polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, saturated and Trans fats (“the good, the bad, and the ugly”). You don't need to, and you shouldn’t, completely eliminate all fats from your meals; the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommend that your fat intake make up no more than 35 percent of your daily calories. For heart healthy, and weight reduction, choose the healthier types of fats and enjoy them in moderation: Monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, canola oil, avocados, nuts and seeds; Polyunsaturated fat in nuts and seeds, and the types of vegetable oils such as safflower, sunflower, and cottonseed oils; Omega-3 fats in cold-water fish such as salmon, and mackerel; walnuts, flaxseeds and flax oil.
Minimize your intake of less healthy kinds of fats. Saturated and Trans fats can increase your risk of heart disease by increasing your total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, lard and butter, and coconut, palm and other tropical oils are sources of saturated fat. Trans fats are the partially hydrogenated vegetable oils; shortening and margarine. You will also find trans fats in commercially baked goods such as crackers, cookies and cakes, and fried foods such as french fries.
Another key to this nutrition discussion and adopting a healthy diet is moderation, taking in the right amounts of foods for achieving and maintaining proper weight. Again, you pretty much know all this stuff or at least the basics… my job is to nudge (or PUSH) you in the right direction to get the weight off and get to a healthy balance.
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