Nutrition - do you know your macronutrients?
Nutrition - Do you Know your macronutrients?
Fats - Friend or enemy?
Fat is an important part of our diet, we need it.
Over the years fat has had a bad press particularly saturated Fat. Thought to be the main cause of heart disease and the related illnesses associated with it, it quickly became the number one Enemy and as the health warnings from the Government and nutritional bodies backed up the so called damming evidence against fat, we all embarked on low fat diets. Unfortunately they weren't right! continue reading here to see a published report by Richard Smith, chair, Patients Know Best
Understanding which fats are our Friends will help you maintain a balanced body.
Healthy fats are generally the naturally occurring ones for example olive oil and butter oily fish, avocado.
Protein - Greek meaning "Of first / prime quality" very fitting as protein is necessary for growth and repair of tissues and cells in our body.
Protein helps us remain satisfied for longer, keeps cravings at bay and raises the metabolic rate.
Plant based protein includes Quinoa (pronounced keenwa) pulses tofu, soya beans sunflower seeds)
High quality meat and fish (the best you can afford)
Eat protein with every meal to ensure you blood sugar levels remain stable and you are satisfied.
Carbohydrates - We all need carbs in our diet glucose is the preferred fuel for exercise ...the latest fad was to reduce or eliminate carbohydrates with the aim of losing weight. It worked! unfortunately as with any fad diet the effects do not last.
Carbohydrates aren't equal and for some a reduction in carbs is necessary if losing weight is a priority. The key is to get most of your carbohydrates from Vegetables and fibrous carbs and less from sugary starchy carbs i.e bread pasta, sweets and processed foods.
We are all different and no one diet fits all, you have to experiment and monitor. Ask yourself
How do I feel?
Am I losing weight/gaining muscle?
Is this a satisfying meal?
Do I have more energy?
Am I sleeping better?
Is this sustainable?
Having the right quality and amount of all 3 macronutrients is important at every meal. However reviewing the literature, studies and research papers its clear NO ONE has the answer as to the correct % for each one.
Most people fall down with protein and often find they are having too many carbs.
The percentage that appears to consistently work well is:
40% carbs (complex)
30% protein (lean)
30% Fat (the healthy fat)
Try it for a month and tell me how you've got on.
Want to learn more - Focus and Change is perfect.