So now that you know the basics of what goes on in your body when you eat, we can move on to eating healthy.
We know that each meal you eat requires a correct balance between Proteins, Carbohydrates and Fats.
But even when you eat such a meal, you need to make sure that what you are eating is healthy and good for you. There’s no point in eating a balanced meal if you end up eating the wrong types of Carbs, Proteins and fats.
Difference between Healthy and Unhealthy Nutrients
Our bodies need a certain amount of energy to sustain.
It includes energy to sleep, eat, digest, work, sit and walk – you are constantly burning energy just like a car burns fuel. Calorie is the unit of energy. Any food you eat has a certain amount of calories.
How many calories you need depends on your lifestyle, body structure, age, and activity levels. An average male needs about 1800-2000 kcal (kilo calories) and for females it is about 1200-1500 kcal.
These calories come from both healthy food and junk food. So ultimately you could be either eating healthy calories or junk-food calories.
You will feel a lot hungrier if you consume a lot of bad calories as they tend to be less filling.
For example, 200 calories of a salad will be much more filling than 200 calories of French fries.
Another outcome from eating unhealthy nutrients is the rise in blood sugar levels.
Unhealthy food items contain large amounts of sugar levels. The healthy food on the other hand create a balanced and steady sugar level that is balanced out with the rest of your meal.
Here is a list of some healthy sources of Macronutrients;
Proteins (one gram has 4 calories)
Not all sources of protein have a positive impact on our bodies. To help you consume healthy and more balanced diet, here are some healthy protein sources.
- Milk
- Cheese/ Yogurt/ Cottage cheese/Goat cheese
- Meat
- Seafood
- Beans ( Soya beans )
- Eggs
Carbohydrates (one gram has 4 calories)
Low carb diets are trending all over, and due to this, a large number of carbs have been unfairly blacklisted. But in order for you to have a healthy lifestyle, there are some good carbs that need to be consumed. Here is a list of some of these healthy carbs.
- Corn
- Bananas
- White potatoes
- Green Peas
- Barley
- Chickpeas
Fats (one gram has 9 calories)
Fats provide you with the right amounts of energy needed to fuel your body. But eating the wrong types of fats will leave you with nothing but high cholesterol. Here are a few healthy fats for your meal!
- Oils (Olive oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil)
- Nuts (Walnuts, Cashews, Pistachios)
- Butter
- Olives
- Dark chocolate (YESS!!)
In short, as we say in Crossfit – Eat meat & vegetables, nuts & seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise, but not body fat.
When a person starts dieting, they tend to lower their calorie intake.
For example if a person’s ideal calorie intake is 1200, when dieting, they lower their intake to about 1000. This goes on for a few months. When they feel they have lost enough, they go back to their earlier diet with a calorie intake of 1200.
But at the end, just as our body adapts to overeating, it will also adapt to going on a diet.
Your body will have been so used to the diet, that going back to normal will cause a lot of problems such as stomach pain, nausea and gas problems.
Why go through all this when you can easily change your lifestyle to a much healthier and Pain-free one?
Bottom line is;
1) Eat healthy nutrients
2) Don’t choose a hardcore diet because your body will get used to it.
Of course, there are many more factors that affect weight loss such as meal times and splitting your meals.
But all of that is for another article! Coming soon…
Until then, stay healthy, think healthy and feel FIT!
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