Reading Nutritional Facts:
Macronutrients
Protein
Functions:
-Lean Meat
-Fish
-Eggs
-Dairy
-Protein shakes
-Tofu
- Adequate protein intake will help build muscle and/or prevent muscle loss if you are in a calorie deficit.
- Controls appetite and prevents hunger better than fats or carbs as it causes you to feel full longer.
- It also requires more energy than other macros for your body to digest, thus effectively burning more calories gram for gram through the digestion process.
- All of these reasons make high-protein diets great for fat loss.
- They provide for the transport of nutrients, oxygen and waste throughout the body.
- They provide the structure and contracting capability of muscles.
- They also provide collagen to connective tissues of the body and to the tissues of the skin, hair and nails.
- Proteins contain 4 calories per gram.
- Depends on your weight, bodyfat % and goals
- It can be as low as 0.5 grams per pound of lean body mass (per day) and as high as 1.0-1.5 grams per pound of lean body mass.
- Lean body mass is your total bodyweight minus your fat.
For example, if you weigh 200 pounds and are 20% bodyfat, your lean body mass is 160 pounds, or 200 – (200*20%).
You can use the body fat calculator HERE!
So, if you weigh 200 pounds and have 160 pounds of lean body mass, 0.5 grams per day would be 160*0.5 = 80 grams of protein. - If you workout or exercise often, you protein intake should be at the higher range for maximum efficiency. If not, a lower protein intake is fine.
-Lean Meat
-Fish
-Eggs
-Dairy
-Protein shakes
-Tofu
Carbohydrates
Functions:
-Fruits
-Vegetables
-Any kind of grains
-Milk
- Carbs are stored in the liver, brain, blood and muscles as glycogen.
- Our bodies use carbohydrates for energy.
- They are necessary for the digestion and assimilation of other foods.
- They help regulate protein and fat metabolism, and fats require carbohydrates to be broken down in the liver.
- They also provide some of the structural components necessary for the growth and repair of tissues.
- All carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram.
- Depends on the individual
- Technically, you can live on zero carbs.
- 0.5-2 grams per pound of lean body mass is probably a decent range, again, depending on activity level, weight, body fat percentage and goals.
- If you are aiming for weight loss, eating less or no carbohydrates would be the quickest way.
- If you are doing a lot of high intensity exercises in a day, expanding your carbohydrate intake is recommended
- Again, you can use the body fat calculator as above
-Fruits
-Vegetables
-Any kind of grains
-Milk
Fibre
Functions:
- There Are Two Types Of Fiber: Soluble & Insoluble
These are often found together in the same source.
Insoluble fibers
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Soluble Fibers
|
Sources:
- Broccoli / Cauliflower / Cabbage
- Celery / Lettuce / Spinach / Watercress
- Mushrooms / Onions / Carrots
- Green Beans / Peas / Asparagus / Kale
- Bean & Vegetable Sprouts / Beetroot / Leeks
- Cucumber / Zucchini / Aubergine
- Tomato / Capsicum / Silverbeet
- Frozen Mixed Vegetables
- Any Other Non-starchy Vegetable (or similar) of Any Colour
- Any Grain or Grain Product
- Fruits & Berries
- Broccoli / Cauliflower / Cabbage
- Celery / Lettuce / Spinach / Watercress
- Mushrooms / Onions / Carrots
- Green Beans / Peas / Asparagus / Kale
- Bean & Vegetable Sprouts / Beetroot / Leeks
- Cucumber / Zucchini / Aubergine
- Tomato / Capsicum / Silverbeet
- Frozen Mixed Vegetables
- Any Other Non-starchy Vegetable (or similar) of Any Colour
- Any Grain or Grain Product
- Fruits & Berries
Fats (it isn't that bad after all)
Functions:
Amount for consumption:
-Meat
-Fatty fish
-Nuts
-Nut butters
-Oils
- Fats are required to produce and build new cells.
- They are a source of energy and are critical in the transmission of nerve impulses and brain function and development.
- They are also involved in the synthesis of other essential molecules such as hormones.
- Fats contain 9 calories per gram.
Amount for consumption:
- Again, it depends on your weight, bodyfat percentage and goal – probably somewhere between 15% and 45% of your total calories.
- However, it can vary based on your total calories consumed and whether you are in a caloric surplus or deficit.
- Somewhere between 0.35-0.7g per pound of lean body mass is a good range.
-Meat
-Fatty fish
-Nuts
-Nut butters
-Oils