Today I want to discuss nutrition and it’s role in maintaining a properly functioning machine. Your body is a calorie eating, energy generating organism that twill devour just about anything you put into the intake duct (your mouth), and is designed to use this fuel to generate energy, repair tissue, deliver nutrients, and even fight diseases.
Obviously we all have a different style machine – some are slim and fast, while others are larger and more powerful. The type of machine that you have is largely determined by genetics, but that is not to say that we can’t change out some of the rounder, less streamlined parts for more efficient, aerodynamic accessories by using nutrition properly.
The shape and performance of our machine is largely dependent upon the type and amount of fuel that we feed it. I want to give you some guidelines that you can use to properly fuel your particular machine and keep it running as efficiently as possible.
Let’s start with some basics. There are three basic types of fuel, or food that we have access to: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Let’s look at what each of these food types do so that we can understand how much of each one we need.
Carbohydrates
These hydrates of carbon are the main elements that the body uses to store and deliver energy. There are two types of carbohydrates, the simple and complex. Examples of simple carbohydrates are sugars such as glucose and fructose. The other more, complex carbohydrates we recognize as things like starches, cellulose, or glycogen. We get both of these elements in foods such as grains, flour, cereals, pasta, potatoes and other vegetables, as well as things like sugar, honey, syrups or candy. The body uses both to store and generate energy.
Fats
Fats, or more accurately, fatty acids, are basically chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms and are found naturally in most plant and animal compounds. There are three varieties of fats: saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated. Then of course we have the evil trans-fatty acids are basically chemically altered polyunsaturated oils like margarine and shortening. Saturated fats are found mainly in animal products like dairy and meats. Polyunsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils (corn, safflower, sunflower) as well as fish oils. These are good and may lower total blood cholesterol. Monounsaturated fats are in other vegetable oils like olive, peanut, and canola, and can reduce LDL levels in the blood.
Proteins
Proteins are large molecules made up of amino acids and are found primarily in meats, dairy foods, and some vegetables such as legumes. Proteins are not only the building blocks of muscles and organs, but also create hormones, assist in blood clotting and keep fluids and pH levels balanced in the body.
Balance
So now that we have a basic understanding of the main food types, how much of each one do we need and maybe more importantly, what quality of each do we want to consume? You’ve heard it before, but we want to have a well rounded diet that combines all of these food groups in a balanced fashion. Although the exact ratios of these three food types is widely debated, I don’t think you can go wrong by following some basic guidelines. A balanced diet should consist roughly of 40-50% carbohydrates, 25-35% protein, and 20-30% fats.
First of all, eating high quality ingredients is the most important aspect of proper nutrition. Diets high in natural, unprocessed foods is best, as that is what the body was designed to process. The trend toward more organic eating in the United States is going a long way towards correcting some of the accepted trends that have come to characterize the food industry today. Limiting processed flours, sugars, and even meats is a good idea because it limits the extra, often unhealthy additives that accompany these ‘refining’ processes.
So what does this look like in real-life terms? Let’s take a sample meal for example. A typical lunch should be a good blend of whole grains, high-quality protein, and fat. This could be a nice tuna sandwich on whole grain bread with some mayonnaise, some raw vegetables or maybe nuts on the side, and a glass of water, juice or milk. The idea is to have an element of each of the food groups in the basic ratio outlined above. Does every meal or snack have to meet this ratio? No, but your total daily intake should. You don’t want to have a high protein meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner without adding in the proper ratio of fats and carbs throughout the day.
Caloric intake should largely be dependent upon your activity level. Did you hear that? LARGELY dependent upon activity. It’s real simple – we want to put in roughly the SAME amount of calories that we are expending. Active folks need more calories. Sedentary folks need LESS! Part of our problem as Americans is the ready, almost instant access to food. Pair that with the idea that if we are not ‘full’ we need to eat something, and you have a recipe for dietary disaster.
I hesitate to give anyone specific caloric guidelines, but I will say that virtually all of consume too many calories when we sit down to eat. Think about the average portion size at any restaurant you go to. Cut it in half, save the rest for later – you’ll still be full. I promise. Really. The key to maintaining a good energy supply is regular eating. If you were to eat a small meal or snack every few hours instead of waiting until mealtime to gorge yourself, your metabolism will be more well regulated and your digestive system will have the opportunity to break down all the fuel you just dumped into it.
I have recently made a concerted effort to cut down on my portion sizes, and I’m finding that I’m still satisfied after enjoying a smaller meal. It takes the brain about twenty minutes to get the message from the stomach that it is full, so eat slower and give your brain time to catch up.
I hope that this look at nutrition has been helpful. Remember, the body is a machine that produces results based on the quality and quantity of food that you put into it. If you want to have a well running machine, give it the right amount of good, quality fuel, and you will find that it runs and performs better.
