“The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.” ~Thomas Edison
Macronutrients
Macronutrients account for the calories in food. They are essentially the three different types of food. We eat these foods in the largest amounts and they provide us energy.
Protein:
Carbs:
Protein:
- Protein is essential for muscle/tissue growth and repair. Additionally, our body uses protein for energy when its carbohydrate stores have been depleted.
- 1g protein= 4 calories
- Protein is found in meat, poultry, nuts, legumes, and dairy. Many starchy products and vegetables contains small amounts of protein, too.
- The best choices of protein are lean meats (like chicken), eggs whites, low fat dairy (like greek yogurt or cottage cheese), vegetables (like broccoli or spinach), and a high quality protein powder.
- Our body breaks protein into amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Some amino acids called nonessential amino acids can be made by our body. Those that cannot be made by our body are called essential amino acids and must be consumed in the foods we eat. Protein from an animal sources are complete proteins, meaning they contain all of the essential amino acids.
- The typical person would be best off eating a diet in which 25-35% of calories come from protein. However, as discussed below, body type and activity level can affect this percentage.
Carbs:
- Carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy.
- 1g carbohydrate= 4 calories
- Carbohydrates are categorized in two groups: complex carbs and simple carbs. Complex carbohydrates come from whole grains, fruit, milk, and some vegetables. Simple carbohydrates are found in most processed food like cookies and sugary cereal.
- The best choices of carbohydrates are minimally processed fruit, vegetables, whole grain bread, and beans.
- About 30-50% of daily calories should come from carbohydrates to maintain a balanced diet. But once again, body type and activity level can affect this percentage.
- Fiber...fiber is a type of carb that cannot be digested. There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and helps lower blood sugar levels and cholesterol. Good soured of soluble fiber include oatmeal, apples, and berries. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and helps move food through the body and relieve constipation. Good sources of insoluble fiber include wheat, brown rice, and cucumbers. Too little fiber can cause issues including constipation and hemorrhoids. But a diet high in fiber decreases your risk of heart disease and obesity and helps lower cholesterol. Aim for 20-30g of fiber a day.
- Fat is necessary for growth and development, energy (fat is the most concentrated energy source), absorbing various vitamins, cushioning organs, maintaining cell membranes...and making food taste good! ;)
- 1g fat= 9 calories
- There are several types of fats: unsaturated fat, saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, essential fatty acids, omega fatty acids, trans fatty acids and cholesterol. Your best choice is unsaturated fat, because it is shown to decrease your risk of heart disease. Alternatively, saturated and trans fat can increase your risk of heart disease.
- The best fat sources include fish, flax seed, extra virgin olive oil, avocado, and nuts. You should avoid fat from lard, butter, cream, and full fat meat cuts.
- Somewhere between 25-35% of calories should come from fat, but this range can vary depending on body type and activity level.
Micronutrients
Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals essential to body functioning, but they're only needed in small amounts. A varied and balanced diet should provide sufficient amounts of micronutrients. When diet alone doesn't cut it, your doctor may suggest a supplement.
- Vitamins K, A, C, D, E, and all the many B vitamins. Vitamin K, for example, which found in foods such as kale, spinach, and broccoli, protects you from bleeding to death when you get injured.
- There are 13 vitamins needed to stay healthy.
- Vitamins K, A, C, D, E, and all the many B vitamins. Vitamin K, for example, which found in foods such as kale, spinach, and broccoli, protects you from bleeding to death when you get injured.
- Essential minerals include but are not limited to:
Calorie Requirements
Calorie requirements vary depending on age, gender, weight, and activity level. To determine your individual calorie requirement, you must first calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Your BMR is the number of calories your body would burn if you did nothing for 24 hours. The BMR equation is below:
NEXT...
Apply the trusted Harris Benedict formula to factor activity level into your calorie requiremnt.
If you aren't good at math, don't worry. There are plenty of online sources to calculate your calorie needs for you.
CLICK HERE to calculate your calorie needs.
The calculations above give you the number of calories you need to MAINTAIN your weight. To reach maximum health, you may believe that you need to lose or gain weight and you can adjust your calculation accordingly. Healthy weight loss or weight gain come at .5 to 2 lbs a week. One pound of weight equals 3,500, so to lose a pound a week, you should subtract 500 calories from your diet a day.
- For women: (4.7 x your height in inches) + (4.35 x your weight in pounds) - (4.7 x your age in years). Add 655 to this total for the BMR.
- For men: (12.7 x your height in inches) + (6.23 x your weight in pounds) - (6.8 x your age in years). Add 66 to the total for the BMR.
NEXT...
Apply the trusted Harris Benedict formula to factor activity level into your calorie requiremnt.
- If you live a sedentary lifestyle or exercise very little, multiply your BMR by 1.2.
- If you do light exercise or low impact sports 1-to-3 days a week, multiply your BMR by 1.375.
- If you do moderate sports and exercise 3-to-5 days a week, multiply your BMR by 1.55
- If you engage in strenuous exercise or sports 6-to-7 days a week, multiply your BMR by 1.725.
- If you are very physical all day with your job or do 2-a-day workouts, multiply your BMR by 1.9.
If you aren't good at math, don't worry. There are plenty of online sources to calculate your calorie needs for you.
CLICK HERE to calculate your calorie needs.
The calculations above give you the number of calories you need to MAINTAIN your weight. To reach maximum health, you may believe that you need to lose or gain weight and you can adjust your calculation accordingly. Healthy weight loss or weight gain come at .5 to 2 lbs a week. One pound of weight equals 3,500, so to lose a pound a week, you should subtract 500 calories from your diet a day.
Body Type
Controlling your weight can be easily accomplished through calorie counting, but maximizing health requires that you pay attention to daily calories and macronutrient ratios. Your macronutrient ratios can be determined by identifying your body type as either ectomorph, mesomorph, or endomorph. Descriptions of each are below:
Ectomorph
Because ectomorphs have a high carb tolerance, an ideal macronutrient split would be 55% carbs, 30% protein, and 15% fat. |
Mesomorph
Because mesomorphs are less carb tolerant than ectomorphs, and ideal macronutrient split would be 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat. |
Endomorph
Because endomorphs store fat easily, they should limit their carbs. Their macronutrient split is 25% carbs, 35% protein, and 40% fat. |
If you're unsure of your body type, take this survey from bodybuilding.com.
Lets Apply What We've Learned!
A 21 year old male is 6'1" and weighs 195 lbs. We calculate his BMR...(12.7 x 73) + (6.23 x 195) - (6.8 x 21) + 66 = 2,065.15. And then we multiply his BMR by 1.725, because he is very active and get 3562. This tells us that to maintain his weight, he should eat 3562 calories a day. He has broad shoulders and gains muscle easily, so we would classify him as a mesomorph. Because a macronutrient split of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat works well for a mesomorph, he should eat 1,424 calories from carbohydrates (.4x3562) and 1068 calories from both protein and fat (.3x3562). We would advise him to eat lean meats and lots of veggies, to pick healthy carb sources like fruit and whole grain bread, and to eat healthy fats like avocado and olive oil.
With this information, he should be well on his way to maximizing his health!
With this information, he should be well on his way to maximizing his health!