Nutrition is a complex area and it can sometimes feel overwhealming and confusing. Basic knowledge in the field is absolutely crucial if you want to eat healthy, there are just to many "traps" out there and unfortunately the food industry isn't always clear and "honest" in the communication with it's customers (ingridients lists, labels, etc). But don't feel discouraged if you're not a registered dietician or have a PhD in nutrition. There's no such thing as a "right" way to eat - be critical to what you read and hear, learn as much as you can about the basics of nutrition, try different eating philosophies and figure out what works best for you and use your knowledge to attempt to understand why it works. I think this can take you very far and again, no matter how much you know about nutrition there's always going to be someone else (dieticians, nutritionists and average Joe's) with different opinions and believes, or else there woudn't be an Atkins diet, LCHF diet, low fat diet, South Beach diet, etc, etc.
In a previous blog posts (INCREASE YOUR FOOD IQ), I promoted www.FitDay.com, a free online diet journal where you can enter food intake and exercise. I think the idea of keeping track of your food/drink intake and physical activities is a great way to learn what food and nutrition is all about and how it effects performance. I've done it several times and it really helps me to eat healthy and make smart food choices (with this said, I'm not promoting a constant, manic, calorie counting lifestyle).
In the picture below you can see summary charts and pie's of my own nutrition stats from 3 days recorded, using FitDay's food journal.
Here are some of the cornerstones in my diet that helps me stay lean, healthy and alert:
My eating habits are quite strict and structured, I eat every 3-4 hours, trying not to overeat nor starve myself and by doing so I maintain the weak burning flame of the metabolism alive throughout the day. This eating pattern prevents feelings of tiredness from heavy digestion and doesn't trigger food cravings as a sign of low glucose (blood sugar) levels.
I start my day with a large amount of complex carbohydrates and protein (usually oatmeal with a mix of old fashioned rolled oats, milled flax seeds, wheat germ, cinnamon and banana or raisins + 1-2 slices of whole wheat crispbreads with either fat free cream cheese or natural peanut butter). This is a dense, energy rich breakfast for a physically active day and a great way to kick starts my metabolism, giving me long lasting energy.
Today's breakfast - about 600 kcal (rolled oats, flax seeds, wheat germ, sunflower seeds and one banana)
"The human genetic makeup hasn't caught up with the rapid increase of processed carbohydrates consumed in the modern society”.
I avoid food and beverages containing simple, processed carbohydrates whenever I eat/drink/grocery shop (to avoid an insulin spike and all of the negative effects it brings). I follow the GI-index as mutch as I can and although I'm not a strict follower of the "Paleolithic diet", or “caveman-diet”, it definitely brings up some interesting points.
“Eat breakfast like an Emperor, lunch like a King and dinner like a poor man”
"Calorie-timing" is crucial and one of the most important factors when it comes to healthy and smart eating = weight control. In other words, your body needs food/nutrients when it's storages are depleated - in the morning, after a vigorous workout, etc. I usually eat a complete meal no more than 30 min after a workout and adjust (estimate) calorie intake and macronutrient distribution depending on intensity of the workout/time of the day.
Typically, my macronutrient distribution is divided up like following: 40-50% carbohydrates, 25-30% protein and 20-30% fat. This calorie ratio balances my active lifestyle and weight well.
I drink water as my the only beverage I consume because water is essential for body funcitions and it helps me "save" calories and save money. So whenever I for some reason need to increase my calorie intake there's a simple solution...one large glass (2 cups) of skim milk contains about 170 kcal, therefore substituting 3 glasses of water with skim milk increases my calorie intake by 500 kcal/day. Note that this fact also applies the opposite way = if a reduction in calorie intake is desired. Therefore I recommend anyone that's looking to loose weight to first of all review and cut back on the amount of calories consumed in beverages. Calories in liquid form will in most cases not give you the same sense of satiety as calories in the shape of solid foods.
I will end my informal lecture on nutrition for now but will most likely find reasons to get back to this topic in future posts. I hope you found at least some parts of this post interesting and please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions...or just leave a comment below!
/Henrik
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