Majority of plateaus that people face are most likely from nutrition-based. When someone can’t seem to lose weight, or can’t put on mass, or experiences any other plateau, there’s a big chance that tweaking his/her diet will offer a breakthrough.
MACRONUTRIENTS
The food we eat is measured in kilocalories AKA Calories which is a unit of measure used to express how much energy there is in a food. The calories in food come from three macronutrients:
- Carbohydrates
- Protein
- Fat
That is to say, all food is made up of some combination of these three things.
Carbohydrates
Body’s primary energy source, they’re the macronutrient that converts to glucose (blood sugar) and glycogen (the body’s backup energy source when it runs low on blood sugar) most readily.
When eaten in excess, they can lead to a host of problems. When the body gets too many, it stores them as fat. They can also overtax the insulin that converts them to energy, leading to type 2 diabetes. When eaten properly, they will fuel both your workout and your recovery.
Generally speaking, the key to proper intake of carbs is to slow their absorption, so they don’t overtax that insulin. Although a meal balanced with protein and fat will slow carb absorption, the best way to do this is to make sure you get plenty of fiber with your carbs.
Fiber is actually a carb as well, but it’s so dense that the body can’t absorb it, so it slows absorption of other nutrients. The best way to get fiber is from fruits and veggies, as well as whole grains, so if you’re getting most of your carbs this way, you’re in good shape.
Protein
Made up of various amino acids, which are the body’s primary building blocks. Your muscles, bones, and skin are all made of protein. This macronutrient can be converted by the kidneys into fuel, it’s crucial role is the building and repairing of muscle. Of the amino acids, there are nine essential ones—essential meaning that your body can’t convert them so they must be present in your diet. They’re all present in animal protein, including eggs and dairy. There are also plenty of no animal sources, but you need to be a little more strategic when you’re a vegan or vegetarian. Hemp, soy, and quinoa contain all nine. Grains are a good source of half of them and legumes are a good source of the other half, so a combination of the two works well. You don’t need to eat them both in the same meal; you’re fine if you just consume both over the course of a day. Fat (or lipids, as it’s sometimes called) is another source of fuel. It’s vital for almost every human activity, including brain and endocrine system function. Dietary fat does not instantly convert to body fat. However, it’s more calorically dense than carbs and protein, so you should practice a little moderation when eating it. Usually 20 to 35 percent of your diet should be from fat calories.
There are several kinds of fat, but the broad categories are:
- Saturated Fat
- Unsaturated Fat
- Trans Fat
Unsaturated Fat
Is good fat, particularly kind called omega-3 fatty acids, which you’ll find in foods like fish, avocados, seeds, and nuts.
Trans Fat
Is bad and has been shown to be a huge cause of heart disease. Although it exists in nature to some degree, the primary place you’ll find it is in processed foods, which is all the more reason to avoid them.
Saturated Fat
Until recently, it was almost universally thought to also be a cause of heart disease, but there are now several nutritional communities who feel the research indicating this isn’t valid. Whether or not to recommend it is one of those gray areas, but there’s no denying that unsaturated fat has a host of benefits.
There are 4 calories in a gram of protein or carbohydrates. There are 9 calories in a gram of fat. So while low-fat dieting isn’t something I tend to recommend, I do suggest people be mindful of fat intake, given that it’s more calorically dense.
For example, one tablespoon of peanut butter, which is primarily fat, has the same amount of calories as an entire apple or orange.
Leave A Reply