Nutrition basics – Part 1

Why is nutrition basics so important?  Well, do you have a friend or see that person that consistently works out really hard but never seems to change their body shape? Do you wonder what it is that they’re doing wrong?

No matter how hard you sweat, grunt and consistently work hard in the gym, without a proper nutritional plan, you will only go so far. If what you eat is really bad, there’s a good chance you will see no results to your body shape at all.

Everyone, whether they’re on a fitness program or not, requires information on nutrition and a good diet rich in macronutrients such as protein, carbohydrates and good fats.

This is the most difficult element of change to make when one embraces a fit lifestyle, mainly due to the fact that, for so many, changing your eating habits presents a huge change in lifestyle. To be successful, it’s important that women remember one thing:

Diets are temporary and so are the results. To change your body shape for life, you must make changes to your eating habits.

The noise of fad diets and conflicting information can make it difficult to know exactly what those eating habits should look like. The good news is that there’s a tried and true approach that works, it’s healthy, it’s sustainable and will change your shape and health.

Now, every person is different and their bodies will respond differently to food programs. It’s important to note that people should follow the basic principles here and in part two of this article, but may also require to tinkering and tailoring to meet the needs of your body and lifestyle.

To best understand nutrition, compliment your training and put together a plan that works for you, it’s important to understand the major nutrients, where they can be found and what they do.

The three main macronutrients are proteins, carbohydrates (carbs) and fats. We’re going a closer look at each in the following.

Protein

Protein is most often referred to as the building block of muscle, which is a good thing because muscle will speed up your metabolism resulting in fat loss. Protein is made up of amino acids and supply four calories per gram. Adequate protein is key in ensuring you increase your muscle and increase fat loss.

Of the 20 amino acids that make up proteins, 10 are essential and 10 are non-essential. The body produces the non-essential amino acids, but only good diet can provide the essential amino acids.

Why protein and amino acids are so important is that when we exercise and weight train in particular, we actually break down and create tiny little tears in our muscle fibers. This is okay and in fact it’s a good thing. But what’s important is that you consume protein to feed these muscles, repair and rebuild them to greater levels. This is why it’s important that the muscles get a steady supply of protein at all times to allow for the repair and generation of new muscle tissue.

To ensure optimal protein uptake, it is recommended that protein be consumed in regular, smaller portions which will enhance metabolic function and assimilation. These smaller feedings of protein will improve metabolic function and speed up metabolism, as well as increase protein uptake in the muscles. Protein also has the added benefit of helping you feel full, which will help ensure you make better food choices by ignoring other cravings.

It is most commonly recommended that people consume at least one gram per pound of bodyweight to ensure optimal muscle repair. However, different people require different needs and we’ll cover this in more detail in part two of the Basics of Nutrition.

Carbohydrates

If protein is the muscle building nutrient, carbs provide you the juice and energy the body needs, particularly someone who lives a fit lifestyle. Like protein, carbs also supply four calories per gram.

Although carbs have gained a bad rap due to fad and unsustainable diets like the Atkins diet, carbs are key in working with protein and fat to ensure an optimal fitness plan resulting in changes in the muscle to fat ratio through increasing the speed of your metabolism. Make no bones about it; if you exercise on a regular basis, you need carbs to fuel your workouts.

Now, not all carbs are created equally and like protein, should be consumed at certain times. The two different types of carbs we’ll discuss are complex carbs (the good carbs, for the most part) and simple carbs (carbs you’ll want to avoid with one exception).

Complex Carbs
Complex carbs will primarily be the carbs you will want to consume within your eating plan. They are called complex carbs mainly because it takes a longer period of time for them to break down, allowing you to sustain energy longer from their consumption. Complex carbs are great for fueling your workouts and limit fat gains that come with other carbs.

There are then two types of complex carbs – starchy carbs and fibrous carbs.
Starchy carbs that you will be familiar with include potatoes, brown rice, grains, whole wheat pastas and whole wheat bread. These starchy carbs contain good amounts of fiber, which can help with attaining good health and fat loss.

The fibrous carbs you can include in your meal plan include asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, and spinach. These carbs are very beneficial as they can add more volume of food due to their nutritional density without the excess calories. They contain many of the vitamins and minerals needed to ensure your body responds well to an active and healthy lifestyle.


Simple Carbs
Simple carbohydrates, or simple sugar carbs, include sugar in various forms such as honey, milk, white bread, white pasta, etc. This form of carb does not contain the natural nutrients found in complex carbs.

What’s important to remember is that simple carbs can be more easily converted to and stored as fat. Additives are usually included in many of the forms of simple carbs found in the foods that we eat. These can contribute to some health issues and limit your fitness gains.

Simple carbs will cause what is referred to as a spike in insulin levels, which promotes fat gain, as the body's fat mechanism is shut down to accommodate the rapid storage of the excessive simple carbohydrate intake. When released into the bloodstream in excessive amounts, insulin takes and stores as much energy as it can find which leaves us feeling tired and lethargic (think of that big white pasta meal you have at lunch and the crash you experience afterwards).

That said, not all simple carbs are bad and you should consume some immediately after your workout to replete glycogen stores (which we’ll cover in Part 2 of this article).
Some simple carbs are even lower in sugars, including fruits such as oranges, apples, raspberries, blueberries, etc. If you are to eat simple carbs, it is recommended to eat this form of those with less sugar.

So although they have unfairly been demonized, carbs are not only a good thing but a necessity. What’s important is to remember that it’s important to eat the right carbs at the right time. As a rule of thumb, be sure to focus on complex carbs and avoid simple carbs with the exception of after or during a workout. Be sure to fuel your body to get the most of each and every workout.

Fats

Fats, like carbs, also get a bad rap but are also essential to a healthy lifestyle and changing your body shape. Also like carbs, there are various types of fats and some you want to avoid and others you want to include in your eating plan.

Along with carbohydrates, fats provide energy. However, they will not provide any sustainable energy like carbs do, particularly complex carbs.

It’s important to note that at nine calories per gram, there’s a reason why you need to be careful with the amount of fat you consume. It’s not difficult that if you eat an excess of fat, it will also be stored as fat. Obviously, this would result in some health concerns, such as obesity and heart disease.

As mentioned above, there are good fats and bad fats and your optimal eating plan should ensure to include the good fats. These include saturated fats and trans fats, as detailed below.


Bad Fats

Saturated Fats
Saturated fats are primarily found in meat, seafood, dairy products, and most other animal products. found in animal products. Due to the excess calories in animal fats, they are easily stored as fat which can increase blood pressure, promote obesity and contribute to heart disease. The key deterrent in saturated fats is primarily around the calories each gram includes. If consumed in a limited manner, saturated fats may not necessarily be a bad thing.

Trans Fats
Trans fats are essentially added to foods for adding to the shelf life of the product. Trans fats have almost no dietary benefits and should be avoided whenever possible.


Good Fats

Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats make up the two ‘good fats’ that you will want to make part of your daily eating plan.

Monounsaturated fats are found in foods like avocados, olive oil, nuts and corn oil. Monounsaturated fats can thin the blood and enhance metabolic function.

Polyunsaturated fats are found in oils such as fish oils, sunflower oil and vegetable oil. These fats, particularly taken in an omega-3 form, can reduce inflammation in the joints , which is often common after exercise, and even strengthen joints.

Try not to rule out fats from your diet. In fact, they are quite important. They are a good source for energy, but also provide protective nutrients for joints and enhance metabolic function. To figure out daily consumption of fats, be sure to read part two of our intro to nutrition article.

This article should provide you with the knowledge about the key macronutrients required for your eating plan. Understanding the different foods to eat with each macronutrient will give you the knowledge to ensure your eating and fitness plan gives you the results you’re looking for.

For information on how much and when to consume of each, be sure to take the time to read part two of our introduction to nutrition.