When you read a food label, is the first thing you look at
the calorie count? Did you know not all calories are created the same? Do you
realize you could be eating 3000 calories a day and still be starving yourself?
What? When your daily food intake is
void of nutrients you are literally starving your body. It is called
nutritional bankruptcy! If you are starving your body of essential nutrients,
not only will you sabotage your weight loss efforts, but you will feel deprived,
miserable, and increase your risk of gaining the weight back or worse yet-
falling prey to illness and/or disease.
The RDA of protein for the average healthy adult is .8 grams
per kilogram of body weight. To calculate your RDA of protein, multiply your
weight in pounds by .36. This is the minimum recommendation for your body to meet
its basic needs. Many people do not get enough protein in their daily diet, and
it is essential to maintaining lean muscle,
improving bone health, boosting metabolism,
and helping your body repair itself after an injury.
Here is a list
of both animal and plant based protein sources:
- 3 oz of
tuna ..................................21 grams
- 3 oz
cooked turkey or chicken......19 grams
- 6 oz plain
Greek yogurt................17 grams
- 1
egg...............................................6 grams
- 1 cup
cooked lentils......................18 grams
- 3T hemp
seeds..............................10 grams
- 1 cup cooked
beans.......................15 grams (approx.)
Another
essential macronutrient we need to maintain a healthy body are carbohydrates.
Carbs are the preferred source for energy and for maintaining a healthy body weight.
Consuming too many carbs, or processed carbs can lead to weight gain, but
consuming too few carbs can lead to headaches, nausea, and fatigue. The RDA of carbohydrates for someone who
engages in light to moderate exercise daily (30 min brisk walk, 30 min bike
ride, 30 min yoga session) is 2.3-3.2 grams per pound of body weight. However, how your body converts those carbs
and uses them for energy is a formula that is best discovered by each
individual. While we need the minimum to
maintain optimal energy and health, we want to be sure to choose those carbs
wisely. Avoid sugary beverages, processed foods, and refined grains such as
white bread and white rice. Choose carbs that are nutrient rich such as:
- sweet
potatoes
- winter
squashes
- zucchini
- red,
yellow, green peppers
- broccoli
- leafy
greens
-
blueberries
- whole
grains (in moderation)
One more macronutrient that is very important to our health is
a good dose of healthy fats. We have
come a long way since the "fat-free" craze! It is one topic that has
created a lot of nutritional confusion over the years. There are many benefits
of making healthy fats part of our daily diet and these include:
- helping us
to feel satiated longer
- helping reduce
inflammation
- helping
reduce belly fat
- decreasing
your risk of heart disease
- helping to
burn fat
The RDA of
healthy fats is about 20%-35% of your daily calories. Consider adding some of the following to your daily diet in moderation:
-avocado
-walnuts
-salmon
-peanut
butter (made only with peanuts)
-olive oil
-flaxseed
Bottom line
is that not all calories are created equally. Too often people are focused on
just cutting calories when they want to lose weight/fat. There is a big nutritional difference between a
prepackaged, highly-processed, 100 calorie bag of cookies vs 100 calories from 22
pistachios. We will have a much better chance of achieving optimal health if we
focus more on the nutrients we get from our food rather than the number of
calories it contains. This will encourage better choices overall which will
help us to look and feel fabulous!
Best in Health!
Carol Keller
Holistic Health Coach and Fitness Trainer
My Healthy Friends Fitness
myhff.blogspot.com
