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To most, nutrition is confusing. The ‘diet’ industry is a multi-billion pound juggernaut that cannot be stopped. The abundance of ‘special diets’ within it is staggering. They have their place in the market, hence why they make money. They work for some, but not for all. Those some are the ones who turn that ‘diet’ into the next big thing. The Hollywood must have. The magic pill. The rabbit hole you need to go down to achieve successful weight loss.

Now…..

Let’s go back a line. Weight loss is not what we desire. Weight can mean many things. It’s just a term lazily bandied around by millions of treasure hunters seeking the key to open the chest to where success is lying. The term was used above purposely. Fat loss is what we are truly reaching for. A change in body composition. That’s the holy grail that we all desire, but we so often get confused with it’s more generic terminology.

This blog will trim the fat, so to speak. It’s written to give you an easier understanding of basic nutrition. We’re not going to throw a lot of scientific terms at you. We’ll look at some of the basics and break it down into easy to digest (unintentional pun) information.

So, here goes…..

Firstly. What is a calorie? A calorie is the energy the body requires to increase the temperature of one gram of water by one degree celsius. In modern times, the term kilocalories are often seen on nutrition labels. This is the energy it takes to raise the temperature of one kilo of water by one-degree celsius.

Secondly. How many calories are found in the three macronutrients? Well. There are four calories in one gram of protein. The same applies for carbohydrates. One gram of fat contains nine calories. In order to achieve fat loss, we need to burn more calories than we consume. So how does that breakdown?

In simple terms…..

1lb of body fat contains 395g of fat. There are around 9 calories of energy per gram of fat. This equates to 3,500 calories per pound of body fat.

So…..

In order to lose 1lb of body fat, we must expend 3,500 calories more than we consume. To gain body fat, we reverse that number.

Let’s look at your body as a house. All three macronutrients are essential to building optimal health. Just as tradesmen, materials and foundations are crucial to building a strong house. If we have a deficiency in one, the others can’t perform the same job as the missing link, hence the reason why we need all three in our diet.

The foundations are protein. They are used to build and repair tissue. A stronger structure. The tradesmen are carbohydrates. Carbs are the engine room that supply energy to function more efficiently. To build the house. The materials are your fats. Essential to a well-balanced diet, as well as holding it all together with the other two elements. 
Nutrition 101

Let’s take a look at protein in a little more simple detail….. 

Protein is the building blocks of the body. Protein provides the body with the dual ability to build and repair muscle. Protein is made up of chains of amino acids through the process of digestion. Nine of these amino acids are essential to the human body and cannot be synthesised by the body and must be obtained through our diet. This blog is going to be kept in its simplest terms, so we’re not going to go into all the amino acids here.

For this purpose, we’re keeping it simple. There are five that can be synthesised by humans, and a further six that can be synthesised but only in a limited capacity.

Many of you may have heard or seen the term ‘BCAA’. This stands for branch chain amino acids, or the nine essential amino acids spoke about above. These are also known as ‘complete’ proteins and are the gold standard.

So…..

Where do we find the best sources of proteins? Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, grains (some), legumes and soy. Of these, meat, fish, poultry, eggs and soybeans are complete proteins.

Protein also helps with satiety. The feeling of being full. One the key factors in gaining body fat are due to the lack of the above. Many people eat foods that leave them hungry for more, which leads to snacking, which if done consistently over a sustained period of time, will lead to a gain in body fat %. Protein also helps to regulate our metabolism through the production of hormones as well as cell building.

Want A Little More Information On Nutrition? Get In Touch Today.

 

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