Nutrition is the process of providing a variety of foods necessary for health and growth, the foods needed in our diets in general are fruit and vegetables (fibre), carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Following a diet rich in these areas, your body will have everything it needs to nurture itself. From good nutrition, your body gets energy, amino acids, calcium, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and antioxidants. All of these areas are necessary for a healthy lifestyle, and most importantly this will help you adapt and recover after workouts.
Fibre
Fibre is often recommended as part of a healthy diet for many reasons, from promoting digestive health and blood glucose to lowering bad cholesterol. In a study by the journal of international society of sports nutrition fibre can heavily shape our gut microbiota profile, which is the trillions of bacteria in your digestive tract that helps break down foods, which has shown to play a key role in controlling stress responses resulting from intense exercise. Insufficient consumption of fibre can negatively affect the gut bacteria and lead to inflammation/ longer lasting DOMS, Increased fatigue, and decreases the speed of recovery. Good sources of fibre include legumes, wholegrains and many varieties of fruit and vegetables. The general rule of thumb for fibre intake is 38g for men and 20g for women.
Carbohydrates
There is a common misconception that all carbs are bad, well in fact this isn’t the case, as carbohydrates in moderation can actually positively impact lifestyle, work, and training. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for our brains and bodies to function properly. They provide fuel for the central nervous system and energy for working muscles. Carbohydrates are very much like fuel for your car, we consume the fuel, which is then stored in our muscles for glycogen, then converted to glucose (energy) when we need it. This helps to delay fatigue sustaining you through prolonged workouts.
Carbohydrate Requirements When looking at the metabolic processes and their ability to supply energy for athletic performance, it is very clear that carbohydrates are an essential component of an athlete’s diet. Therefore, people who are physically active and have more muscle mass, can tolerate a lot more carbohydrates than those who are sedentary. It’s important to be aware of the amounts of carbohydrates in an active person’s diet, as it can have significant impact on the glycogen stores and therefore athletic performance. Metabolic health is also a very important factor, as for those with metabolic syndrome, obesity or type II diabetes, the rules change significantly. Those who fall into this category can’t tolerate the amount of carbohydrates as those who are healthy.
For those seeking fat loss and improved health (the majority improving their nutrition) a lower carbohydrate approach (meaning compared to the typical Western diet) appears to work well. Studies show that low carbohydrate diets reduce appetite, meaning overall caloric intake is lowered. Studies also show a low carbohydrate diet will provide better fat loss compared to low fat dieting. A low carbohydrate diet can also improve health markers such as lowering blood sugar, blood pressure and triglycerides. These recommendations are not for those who are endurance or strength training, and this is covered in a separate post.
High Carb Diet – 200g+ Per Day
Some people do very well on a higher carb diet, and some of my clients can eat 300-400g per day while still losing body fat. Most are not so lucky, and those who can, usually follow into the same category – young, General Recommendations of Average Intake lean, active lifestyle and metabolically efficient. If you do not tick all those boxes, the chances are you will not lose weight optimally eating this amount.
Moderate Carb Diet – 100-200g Per Day
This is a very common daily carb range for the majority of active and healthy people looking to cut the body fat. This still allows for some starch in the diet, yet limits the amount quite significantly. You still get all the benefits of having carbs in the diet (so we feel good and perform well), yet lower the intake and overall amount to therefore optimise fat burning (to look good).
Low Carb Diet – NO MORE THAN 100G PER DAY
This can be described as ketogenic diet, one in which no starchy carbs (or very little) are consumed daily. This is when the body is forced to use fat for energy. To do this, the person will go through a fat adaption phase, when the body releases ketones for muscle and brain fuel. This can be the most difficult part of such a diet as energy levels can significantly drop until this process is complete. This energy slump is also common for those transitioning from, for example, a high carb diet containing high sugar and processed foods to a moderate carb diet plan. Most people lose weight quickly on this type of plan, but it suits those who are inactive, diabetic or seeking that last bit of fat loss. A low carb diet also works better with females, as they carry much less bodyweight than men, meaning they require less energy as a result.
Protein
Protein is one of the main nutrients in our diets along with carbohydrates and fats. Proteins are made up of amino acids, which are the building blocks that can be broken down and reassembled in different ways. When we eat protein, our bodies break it down into individual amino acids during digestion and then uses the amino acids to create new proteins when needed. If we don’t eat enough protein, our bodies will start to break down muscle tissue which over time reduces our muscle mass and strength. Eating adequate amounts of protein helps maintain your muscle mass and prevents muscle wasting. Not only does eating protein help prevent muscle breakdown, but it can also help build and strengthen muscles.
The average intake for a healthy person of a healthy weight who is mainly sedentary and is not seeking changes in body composition – then an intake of 0.4 – 0.6 grams of protein per pound body weight is sufficient. When losing body fat, Protein has a high thermic effect, meaning it boosts our metabolic rate in the process (we burn more calories) and reduces our appetites (we eat less calories). This increase in metabolic effect has been shown to be most effective when protein is set to 25-30% of daily caloric intake. Having a high protein intake during a calorie deficit is also important, as it is very anabolic, meaning we are more likely to preserve lean body tissue in the process. When building muscle, the key to building muscle is protein synthesis. A higher protein diet will up regulate protein synthesis (providing you have evenly spaced meals), which creates a net positive protein balance, resulting in that anabolic (building) environment. The studies that look at muscle mass and protein intake tend to vary from 0.8-1.0+ gram per pound bodyweight, so it’s safe to say a balanced approach would be most beneficial, so around 1g per pound bodyweight is highly effective.
Fats
Fats play a vital role in our health. Joint structure, cell membranes and hormonal production are all dependant on adequate intake of healthy fats. There are also many vitamins including vitamin A, D, E, and K that are fat soluble, meaning they require fat to be absorbed fully into the body. Muscle growth is also dependant on a fat-based hormone, so if adequate intake is not met, you will reduce the amount of muscle you can build. Almost all fats are healthy except trans fats (baked goods, fast food). Mon unsaturated fats (avocado, olive oil, nuts) and polyunsaturated fats (vegetable oil, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds) are considered healthy as they help to decrease HDL (high density lipoproteins) cholesterol and decrease the unhealthier LDL (low density lipoproteins). Foods containing omega 3’s and 6’s (salmon, trout, tuna, seeds, nuts, and oils) are considered essential since the body cannot make them from other nutrients. Saturated fats (processed foods, bacon, eggs, beef pork, butter, cheese) have healthy and body composition benefits, but it is common to overeat this type of fat and should be limited.
Fat that is typically found in fish contains the essential omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which are known to provide a number of health and performance benefits due to their highly anti-inflammatory properties. From a health perspective these fatty acids appear to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, while from a performance aspect they can help to prevent muscle breakdown, enhance joint healing, improve brain function and achieve greater fat loss. Reducing inflammation within the body is one of the best things you can do when seeking optimal body composition and health. It ensures you are working with the body, and not against it. It has now been proven that dietary cholesterol, such as that from fat, has no effect on cholesterol levels in the blood. In fact, quite the opposite can occur as fats can actually improve our good cholesterol readings (HDL) by converting the bad (LDL). The benefits are clear and even the health authorities are accepting that monounsaturated fats can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and that essential fatty acids (Omega 3 & 6) are required for life itself. Even the once vilified saturated fat is now being re-classified as ‘not so bad after all’, which is great as it’s necessary for proper cell membrane function. Many fats contain high levels of fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K2. These vitamins are typically seen to be lacking within a low fat diet yet are essential for maintaining good health and performance. Fat is also required to properly digest and assimilate these fat-soluble vitamins. Fat is required for optimal cell function and is a structurally integral part of every single cell membrane within the body.
For a healthy individual seeking a balanced macro nutrient diet, then 30% of daily caloric requirements should come from healthy fat. This can be broken down into the three different types:
10% should be consumed from monounsaturated fat
10% should come from polyunsaturated fat (omega 3 & 6)
10% should be from saturated fat
Hydrogenated fat should be avoided This means an intake for a typical 2500kcal diet would equal 83g of dietary fat per day.