Blog Two: All About Food
What is food? Let’s start from the beginning. Food is divided into three categories, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. All three of these macronutrients are essential for our well-being and health.
Proteins: Proteins are made up of amino acids. Amino acids form chains that link together, known as a proteins. Proteins provided structure for cells and tissues, as well as making up hormones and enzymes. Proteins are essential for immune function, muscle contraction, support and regulation of DNA and RNA expression, digestion, chemical reactions, and so much more. Protein can come from plants or animals, both of which are equally important. Food that is high in protein is: beef, chicken breast, salmon, eggs, cheese, beans, nuts, quinoa, and oats. It’s important to incorporate different protein sources, plant and animal.
Fats: There are two types of fats, saturated and unsaturated. Both are essential for body function, in healthy amounts. Fats help absorb fat soluble vitamins, like vitamin D, E, and A. Any fats that are not used towards energy, can be stored in fat molecules, just like excess proteins and carbohydrates. Saturated fats are in meats, cheese, and butter. Unsaturated fats include avocado oil, olive oil, nuts, and salmon.
Carbohydrates: Carbs are a main energy source for your body. Carbs include starches, sugars, and fiber. There are two types of carbs, simple and complex. Again, both are ESSENTIAL for your body, in the right portions. Simple carbs digest quickly, spiking your blood sugar. These would include candy, honey, and white rice. Complex carbs digest slower, providing you with longer lasting energy. These would include legumes, fruits and vegetables, and whole grain bread.
What this means: All three macronutrients are essential for your body function and well-being. It takes some time to realize how your body to reacts to everything. Every BODY is different. Do what feels best for YOU. Try cutting back on certain foods and try incorporating new ones. It has taken me years to find what works best for me, and I still struggle. Keeping a journal on what foods make you feel slow, energetic, happy, bloated, etc can be beneficial. You can also try new meals, find a cookbook or a food post. When I looked in my fridge a couple years ago, I saw a lot of what I was eating was wrapped in plastic. Genuinely look around the grocery store next time you go, find all the foods that are wrapped in plastic, are inorganic, processed, high in sugar, etc. The grocery stores are FILLED with them. Skip them or minimize what you buy. A good rule of thumb is to stay on the “outside isles” in the grocery store. I do my best to get organic and whole foods. I look at the ingredients on EVERY food item I buy. I’ve started to make a lot of my own dressings and sauces. The majority of my diet is homemade foods rich in nutrients.
For me, I try to incorporate 20-30 grams of high quality protein per meal. This includes grass fed beef, wild caught fish, grass fed yogurt, free range chicken and eggs. I use fats like extra virgin olive oil, grass fed butter, goat cheese, avocados, and some nuts/seeds. I love carbs like quinoa, brown rice, sweet potatoes, and fruits and veggies. A healthy diet will make the biggest difference in mood, energy, attitude, and lifestyle.
My plate: I typically have three meals a day with snacks in-between. For breakfast I have warm lemon water, AG-1 greens, and a bowl of 3 eggs with a bed of microgreens. I will sometimes incorporate turkey slices or other veggies (peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, etc). For lunch I typically have a protein source with veggies. I’ve noticed that too many carbs at lunch slows me down and makes me feel “sleepier”. My favorite recently has been cowboy caviar with quinoa, black beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, peppers, lime juice, and salt and pepper. For dinner, I have 70% veggies with 30% protein. I do this because I feel the best and digest the best with a large amount of veggies for dinner. I have loved sirloin steak with a bed of arugula and homemade sweet potato fries. For snacking, I like to stick with fruits and veggies, apples, oranges, or guacamole and chips. Everything is up to you, how you digest, what feels best, which foods you love and hate, and how to incorporate all of this into the best “diet” for you.
Baby Steps:
Start a journal or a phone note on what you eat, how you feel emotionally, and how you feel physically after. You can start to narrow down foods that make you feel good or bad. Like I said, I like to have 70% veggies and 30% protein for dinner (after many trials and errors, I finally found what worked best!). Find which balance works for you in every meal.
Next, start to prioritize protein, carbs, and fats! And use good ones (I’ll make another blog about quality food and how to find it). But start by looking for grass fed beef, wild caught fish (NOT farm raised), free range chickens, extra virgin olive oils, avocado oils, and incorporate new veggies, fruits, or other carbs into your diet!
Finally, try an elimination diet. I did research and decided to stop eating all gluten. This happened over a year ago and I’ve noticed huge differences in my body! I’ve also tried removing dairy, processed sugars, alcohol, etc. Try different eliminations and take baby steps (i.e do not cut out gluten, dairy, sugar, and alcohol all at once, this will NOT be good for your body!!!).
Xoxo, Hads
Sources:
https://www.eufic.org/en/whats-in-food/article/what-are-proteins-and-what-is-their-function-in-the-body
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15416-carbohydrates
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/carbohydrates
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