Hi all!
For many this will be far too basic, but its surprising how many people don't have a basic understanding of the main food groups and what we need them for, so for those, here ya go...
Dietary components
Food consists of 4 main components. This first one is water, which I will deal with quickly by saying DRINK LOTS OF IT!! Aim to build up to 2 litres a day if not more.
The other 3 are Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat.
1. CARBOHYRATES
These are the foods which contain sugars and starches which provide energy, so they are our fuel source. These would be cereals, bread, rice and potatoes.
For anyone who has tried the high protein, low carbohydrate style diets, you wouldn’t expect your car to work effectively, if at all by filling it with water, so why do a similar thing to your body!
There are 2 types of carbohydrate
1) Complex Carbohydrate (GOOD)– take longer to be broken down by the body. It is broken down into a substance called glycogen, which is stored in the liver until your muscles need it for energy. These would be your wholegrain rice, jacket potato, wholemeal bread, oats etc.
2) Simple Carbohydrates (BAD) – These break down extremely quickly and are released into the blood stream really fast – causing blood sugar levels to spike quickly. This causes your body to release a substance called insulin which takes the sugar out of your bloodstream and, if it’s not used immediately, it will be stored as fat! Sorry, but as you guessed, these would be your sweets, chocolates, white bread, crisps.
So, with carbohydrates, the key to success is getting the correct amount of GOOD Carbohydrates, and eating the majority of them when you know you will need energy (to start off your day, and at regular intervals throughout to keep your energy balanced).
2. PROTEIN
Where carbohydrates are the fuel, protein are the building blocks. They are essential components of living cells – your muscles/organs are MADE of protein.
During exercise, you cause microscopic tears in your muscle fibres. With good nutrition and rest, these repair and are able to handle similar, if not more intense exercise with less damage in the future.
Protein is essential to maintaining your muscle mass and repairing muscle fibres following exercise - and as you now know, the more muscle fibres you have/make, the higher your metabolism is!
White meat and white fish are both high protein and low fat. Red meats and oily fish tend to be higher in fat so are not ideal for daily intake.. However, once a week for red meat, and 2/3 times a week for oily fish is recommended. Day to day, chicken, tuna, turkey and prawns are great! Eggs are also good – there is a hell of a lot of good nutrition in the yolk, but you can keep the calorie intake down by only eating 1 yolk per day (the egg yolk is around 60 calories, while the white is only around 15 calories!)
Cheese, while high in protein, is also high in fat so limit the amount you eat.
3. FATS
Never completely eliminate fats. It is an essential part of your diet! It is crucial in the body, acting as a fuel source and is needed to break down certain vitamins and minerals essential to daily functions. However, as you probably already know, too much is not good for your health or your waistline.
Unsaturated fats/oils are needed to encourage the body to use/metabolise its stored fat for energy. There are numerous healthy oil sources/essential fatty acid supplements available, but trying to incorporate oily fish (salmon, mackerel) a couple of times a week is better- if you can get it from real food, then do so! Ill touch more on supplements at a later date.
Remember, you can’t out train a bad diet!
SC xx
No comments:
Post a Comment