Calories or Carbs
Calories do count, but where they come from counts more. Think of your body as a chemistry lab, not a bank account. It is not as simple as: calories in= calories out. If only it were that easy. At the end of the day you need to be burning more calories than you store if you want to lose weight, which means for most of us eating less and moving more. But that is not the end of the story, it is merely the beginning. Different foods have different hormonal and physiological responses. Also, depending on your health and fitness goals, your calories should be coming from specific places.
You can use proteins, fats and carbohydrates to balance these hormonal responses.
How much protein should you eat? What are the best types?
Your protein needs should be based on your lean body mass, determined from your body comp test. This amount should be divided into 3-5 servings depending on how often you eat. Your body can’t store extra protein so once you’ve used what you need to make your own proteins, you will convert the extra protein to sugar to be stored as glycogen and fat. The best sources of proteins are wild fish, organic eggs, Organic chicken or turkey, and other animal meats.
What is the role of fat? What types should you eat?
When we talk about fat we usually talk about “good fats” and “bad fats”. The “good” fats are monounsaturated and omega3 (polyunsaturated) fats. Good fats sources in your diet are olives, olive oil, avocado, coconut oil, grass-fed butter or Ghee, Grass fed meat, omega3 eggs, cold water fish and raw nuts and seeds. These good fats help with cell membrane fluidity (which improves hormone binding, such as insulin), make you feel fuller longer, help absorption of at soluble vitamins, aid with regulation of your inflammatory response, and thus reduce the risk of chronic diseases. These fats also increase your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Be sure to include fat soluble antioxidants in your supplement regimen as these fats easily oxidize. Remember that oxidized or damaged fats are worse than not including the “good” fats in your diet.
What about carbs? How does fiber figure into it?
You should eliminate all refined, low fiber and processed carbohydrates. These foods have little or no nutritional value and cause an exaggerated insulin response that leads to the blood sugar swings and more carb cravings at best and development of a damaged metabolism and health problems such as Type II Diabetes and heart disease at worst. Focus on high fiber carbs like non-starchy vegetables and limited amounts of whole grain and sprouted grain products. Fiber is a carbohydrate that is not absorbed so it does not have an effect on blood sugar. When reading a label you can deduct the grams of fiber from the total carbohydrate number to get your “net carbs” that will affect your blood sugar.
How about fruit? Is this a healthy sugar?
A small amount of fruit, one small piece or ½ cup serving per day is a good amount of fruit. Fruit is sweet because it contains the sugar fructose, this is different than other sugars in some ways but it is still a sugar. Limit your fruit intake and focus on vegetables for fiber. When choosing a fruit, berries due to their high fiber content and great antioxidant profile are your best choices then on to pears or apples. Eating fruit with a small amount of protein and fat slows the blood sugar effect. Try eating your fruit with a piece of low fat cheese, nuts or nut butter.