Carbs, Fat and Protein - The Good, the Bad, and the Misinformed

Yep. You can no longer avoid it. I'm going to tell you that you SHOULD be eating carbs... and fat! It's all about consuming the right proportions of each nutrient, from the proper sources. Each "macronutrient" (Carbs, Protein, and Fat... some would add water) is essential to your body's proper functioning, and each serves a different and necessary purpose.

Carbs, Protein and Fat provide your body with calories, and although we often think of calories as our enemy, they are needed to maintain body temperature, and facilitate growth and repair of organs and tissues. We just don't want to continually consume more calories than our body needs to function.

Each macronutrient supplies a certain number of calories per gram of nutrient:
CARBOHYDRATES: 4 calories per gram
PROTEIN: 4 calories per gram
Fat: 9 (NINE) calories per gram
Therefore, if you eat the same sized morsel of fat as you eat of a carb or a protein, you are consuming MORE THAN TWICE the number of calories from the fat morsel. Hence, a weight gaining problemo.
FYI, Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram and does not provide any nutritional benefit.

Now, what do each of these macronutrients do for our body? In the (perhaps surprising) order of how much you should consume:

1. CARBOHYDRATES = 55% of your caloric intake
Uses in body: body's preferred source of energy (broken down into glucose), THE ONLY ENERGY SOURCE THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM CAN USE
Types: simple vs. complex carbs
- complex carbs (starches and fiber) take longer for body to break down, and provide fiber (keeps you feeling full longer by slowing the emptying of the stomach, reduces cholesterol and glucose, regulates bowel movements)
healthy options include: bread, rice, cereal, vegetables, beans, nuts
- simple carbs are rapidly digested and absorbed, causing you to have a sugar high and then a crash.
examples include: fruit, milk (good sources), soft drinks, cakes, cookies, candy (not great sources)
*You will want to get most of your carbohydrate nutrients from complex carbs.
*Try to make at least half of your grains whole (first ingredient listed says WHOLE grain or WHOLE wheat). Check on mypyramid.gov to see how many ounces of grains you should eat each day.
*Aim for 25 grams (women) - 35 grams (men) of fiber a day.
*All adults and children need at least 130 grams of carbohydrate a day to produce enough glucose for the brain to function (source: Hales, An Invitation to Health, p.148)

2. Fat = no more than 30% of your caloric intake
Uses in body: source of energy, fatty acids are necessary for growth and hormones, carries fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K) into the body, regulates body temperature, provides protection around organs, enhances the flavor of food.
Types: unsaturated vs. saturated vs. trans fat
- unsaturated (mono or poly) fats are known as the "healthy" fat. For the most part, they provide your body with the necessary nutrients without negatively affecting your cholesterol. Some unsaturated fats can actually help reduce the LDL (bad) cholesterol in your body.
Examples: vegetable oils such as canola, olive, soybean, safflower and sunflower oils, also nuts, seeds, wheat germ, fish
- saturated fats will negatively affect your cholesterol and can lead to heart disease.
Examples: animal fats (meat and dairy), coconut oil, palm kernel oil; saturated fats are often solid at room temperature
- trans fats are often processed (hydrogenated) in order to have a longer shelf life. They are thought to be TWICE AS DAMAGING as saturated fats.
Examples: many baked goods and fried foods. Look for words like "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredient list... it may say it has 0 grams of trans fat, but that is not true if either of those words are listed.
*Choose unsaturated fats for all of your fat intake.
*Saturated fats should be avoided as much as possible, but definitely should make up no more than 8-10% of your fat calories.
*There is no recommended level for trans fats, avoid as much as possible.

3. Protein = 15% of your caloric intake, or .8 grams per kg of body weight
Meat eaters have no problem achieving this amount and often eat more protein than their bodies can utilize.
Uses in body: provide amino acids our body is not able to produce on its own which are the body's major building material (repairs and decreases soreness of muscles after workouts), makes up our brain, muscles, skin, hair and connective tissue, needed to make hormones and antibodies, can also be used as a source of energy.
Types: Complete vs. Incomplete proteins
- Complete proteins each individually provide all of the amino acids your body needs. Examples: meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products (note they are all animal proteins)
- Incomplete proteins do not provide all of the amino acids individually, but may provide high levels of certain amino acids. Combining two incomplete protein sources usually does the trick in creating a "complete" source (note: this is necessary for vegetarians).
Examples: vegetables, grains, nuts, dry beans
*Vary your protein sources to make sure you are getting all of the necessary amino acids.
*Aim for leaner meat sources such as fish, turkey and chicken (limit red meat).
*Avoid red meat and processed meats (bacon, hot dogs, lunch meat) as they can increase your risk of colon cancer.

Each day, at every meal, check your plate to see if you are getting an adequate percentage of your calories from each of these nutrients. You will find that with certain meals/snacks, you may be consuming more of one nutrient than you should. Not every meal will be perfectly proportioned, but aim to balance it out by the end of the day.

You should not need to go on a special diet that limits or takes out any of these nutrients. If you eat the proper portions every day and increase your physical activity, that is the safest way to lose weight AND KEEP IT OFF.

Restrictive diets aren't realistic lifestyle plans, and eventually you are going to have to learn to work with life, and you CAN BE successful!

Have a HEALTHY day!
~FitBritt