Discipline and knowledge are essential components to achieving optimal health. The key to any body transformation program is the fuel you give to your body to make it to and through the process. Just as you would never think of putting water in the gas tank of your automobile, you should not put cheap fuel into your body. This doesn’t mean you can never eat a treat or something “less than ideal”. When you have conditioned your body to optimal health and increased metabolism you can eat what you please, within reason without affecting your progress. For now, let’s cover the basic food types:
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Carbohydrates
Contrary to popular belief, Carbs are not the enemy. Carbohydrates are essential for energy, especially the energy needed for exercise, and they play a vital role in the body’s ability to increase lean mass. For the purpose of this program, we will define carbohydrates as two major types: Active and Free
Active Carbohydrates
Also known as starchy, white, and high glycemic carbs, these foods have a powerful effect on the hormonal and biochemical systems of the body hence the term “active”. These carbs cause a rise in blood sugar and a resulting rise in insulin, the hormone responsible for getting sugar out of the blood and into the tissues, including muscles and fat. We consider these activities because they have a direct influence on your energy, thought processes, cravings, emotions, and body composition. These carbohydrates as stated before are not the enemy, nor should they be avoided. They just need to be regulated, in fact, these foods are very powerful and can be essential in helping you reach any fitness or body goal you may have when used correctly.
A partial list of active carbs has been provided below:
Barley, yams, oatmeal, red beans, tomatoes, black-eyed peas, corn, sweet potatoes, long grain rice, potatoes, popcorn, lentils, pasta, peas
An analogy I use with my clients when it comes to active carbohydrates involves a cup. Imagine that a cup is your ability to handle active carbohydrates. When that cup is half full, your body will utilize the energy from the carbs AND the energy from fat. As the cup approaches “fullness” the body is more inclined to use the energy from the active carbs and not the energy from fat. When you eat too many active carbs, “the cup runneth over” and that excess is stored as fat! On the opposite of the spectrum- when that cup is empty, your body has little energy to perform activities of daily living and exercise.
Free Carbohydrates
Also called fibrous, non-active, and low-glycemic carbs. These are the carbohydrates that do not have a dramatic effect on blood sugar and insulin. Free carbs can be utilized whenever and as often as you need them. They are great fillers adding healthy bulk to your diet, they are full of fiber and oftentimes packed with vitamins. They provide a variety of tastes and textures that we need when following an eating program. Free carbs have been a lifesaver for a number of dieters, and they should become a mainstay in your healthy lifestyle.
A partial list of Free Carbs is below:
Zucchini, green beans, squash, broccoli, spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms, cauliflower, lettuce of all kinds, cucumbers, pickles, celery, hot peppers of all kinds
Proteins
Perhaps the most vital nutrient/food types there are, the word protein is derived from the Greek word meaning “of prime importance”. Composed of building blocks called amino acids that combine to form a large number of different proteins. Proteins are essential and present in ALL cells of the body, needed for muscle contraction and movement, and are vital in the formation of regulatory hormones. They tend to be filling, give your metabolism a boost, and when consumed with carbs help keep blood sugar swings in check. Protein also has the highest thermic effect on foods; this means it takes more energy to digest proteins than it does carbs or fats. This may be one of the reasons for success in high protein low carb diets (we will get back to this).
Protein sources include:
Eggs, chicken, turkey, beef (lean cuts), fish, shrimp, crab, whey powder, tofu, cheese (all kinds)
Fats
Let’s start with a few noteworthy functions of fat
- Protection and insulation of vital organs and the central nervous system
- Act as a carrier for fat-soluble vitamins (D, E, A, K)
- Are vital to body function on the cellular and full-scale level, the central nervous system and the production of red blood cells, hormones and much more.
- Essential in its function of controlling hunger pangs and giving the feeling of fullness.
Fats can be classified into two main groups: Saturated and Unsaturated
Saturated Fats are typically more prominent in animal products like meat and dairy and are hard at room temperature. Moderate intake of this type is important as too much can be linked to elevated blood cholesterol and cardiac risk factors.
Unsaturated fats have been associated with improved cardiac profiles and can be found predominantly in uncooked nuts, seeds, and plant sources.
Fat sources to include:
Raw nuts, avocado, avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, butter, ghee
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Eating Plans
The following is a review, with sample menus of my favorite eating plans. Using the principles discussed above and in no particular order or importance: The Isocaloric, the Keto run, and the Carb cycle. The information presented is a bare minimum approach to give a general understanding and to avoid boring you to death with too many particulars.
Isocaloric Eating plan
This is the basic idea of eating a true “balanced” diet with the same caloric intake of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates & fats) being split evenly into thirds. This can be your baseline eating plan and a great introduction to treating nutrition as a lifestyle and not a fad. This eating plan allows the most normalcy in people’s lives and when executed properly doesn’t really feel like a diet.
With this plan start with your caloric needs then take that number and multiply it by .33, this will determine your caloric needs per macronutrient. Divide the number by 4 to determine your protein and carbohydrate amounts in grams and divide by 9 to determine the number of fats in grams.
For Example: At 2000 calories per day
2000 X .33 = 660 of each macronutrient
660 / 4 = 165 grams of both protein and carbs
660 / 9 = 73 grams of fat
Our example would result in a plan allowing 165g of both protein and carbs with 73g of fat. Now, all that is required is to pick the foods that meet these numbers (there are plenty of food charts available online) preferably from the approved foods listed above.
Some potential pitfalls with this type of eating plan are:
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- Bad timing of carbohydrate consumption, it’s best to eat carbs in the AM hours and in your post-workout meal.
- Getting too much of the bad trans-saturated fats or saturated fats. This can be avoided by eating lean protein, if you have trouble hitting total fat calories for a day try adding olive oil or flax seeds to a salad.
- Eating carbs at night, unless you work out in the evening for your post-workout meal. Carbs should be consumed much earlier in the day.
The many food choices allowed in this plan can cause problems. Find some favorites and stick with them. Being a creature of habit is a good thing when it comes to proper nutrition.
