Energized and Empowered: Understanding Nutrition

As humans, overcomplicating things is kind of what we do.  When it comes to food and nutrition, we are pros at this!  With an overwhelming amount of information at our fingertips, even the “basics” of nutrition can get overbearing. One day we're told to cut out carbs, and the next they're essential, it’s enough to make anyone HANGRY! 

The good news is, that nutrition isn’t as complex as it is made to seem.  It’s just a simple energy system.  Our bodies are like hi-tech machines, constantly using energy for EVERYTHING we do! 

The fuel?  The food we eat. 

Understanding how to provide the right kind of fuel is the key to unlocking peak energy, feeling our best, and reaching our goals.  This article will cut through the confusion and dive into BASIC principles of nutrition and balanced eating.  I am going to break down energy, explore the “fuel types” that our bodies crave, and provide actional steps to help you properly fuel!  So, ditch the fad diets and complicated plans, and get back to the basics of feeling energized and amazing!

The Foundation: Energy Balance

The key to feeling your best starts with understanding the most basic and essential principle of nutrition: energy balance.  Whether you want to lose weight, gain weight, or simply feel your best, understanding your body's energy system is key, so let’s break down some concepts: 

• Calories: The Fuel 

• Calories are a way to measure the energy we get from food.  The food we eat provides potential energy (calories) to our bodies to be used up or stored.  

• Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): Our Body’s Idle

• Throughout the day we expend energy through our body solely just running (BMR).  So even if you were to sit around ALL day you are still using energy.  Your BMR is the number of calories your body uses just to keep your heart beating, lungs breathing, and all the basics of staying alive.  

• Activity: The Fuel Burner 

• Everything we do outside of “staying alive” is considered activity.  From walking to the car to doing a strenuous workout, any activity requires energy (calories).  The more strenuous the activity, the more calories it requires, and the more active you are, the more you burn!

• The Energy Balance

• The calories you take in versus how many you use directly impacts whether you gain, lose, or maintain your weight:

• Calories in > Calories you burn = Weight gain

• Calories in < Calories you burn = Weight loss

• Calories in ≈ Calories you burn = Weight maintenance

Understanding this energy balance puts YOU in control of your health and goals!  Now that we have laid the foundation (energy balance) let's look at where those calories come from.  The variety of foods you eat provides different “fuel types”, each playing a role in your energy, recovery, and overall health.

Our “Fuel Types”

Now that you have a basic understanding of energy balance, let’s look into where these calories come from.  Your food choices provide 3 main “fuel types”; proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, each having its unique role.  To empower your food choices even more, let’s break down each of these three macronutrients!

• Protein: The "Builder" 💪

• Protein is known as the “Building Blocks” of our bodies.  It’s the main component of our muscles, organs, and skin, and makes up the structural component of cells, tissues, hormones, and enzymes.   The body uses protein to repair, build, and maintain itself, because of this protein plays a crucial role in bone and hormone health, and in preserving muscle mass.  Protein can be a powerful tool when it comes to weight loss.  Protein-rich foods take longer to digest, which burns more calories and keeps us feeling full and satisfied

• Sources:   
  

• Lean Meats & Poultry: Chicken, turkey, lean cuts of beef

• Fish & Seafood: Cod, tilapia, tuna, shrimp

• Eggs

• Vegetarian Options: Beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, nuts, seeds

• Prioritize protein at meals and snacks to support overall health and sustain energy levels. (Especially when working on body composition changes.)  
  

• Carbs:  The “Quick Fuel” ⛽

• Carbs are our body’s preferred energy source.  

• Sources (2 main types of carbohydrates):

• Simple -  Provide a quick source of energy, but are digested quickly so they lead to crashes and cravings.

• White bread

• Sweets 

• Chips

• Juices

• Complex -  Provide sustained energy, fiber, and tons of nutrients.  You’ll want to prioritize this type!

• Whole grain breads

• Brown rice

• Oats

• Quinoa 

• Fruits

• Vegetables
  

• Prioritize complex over simple carbs for steady energy through your workouts, workday, and daily life!

• Fats:  Endurance Fuel 🔋

• Fats have a bad rep, but healthy fats are essential.  Fats are a key player in hormone production, provide sustained energy, help us absorb certain vitamins, and protect our organs, without them, we literally couldn’t survive!  

• Sources: (3 types of fats)

• Saturated -  Mostly found in animal sources.  This type of fat is solid at room temp.  High amounts of saturated fats can impact cholesterol levels.  

• Fatty cuts of meat

• Full-fat dairy

• Processed foods

• Unsaturated -  These are considered “healthy” fats.  Unsaturated fats are found in plant-based sources and fish.  This type of fat promotes a healthy heart and is an important part of a balanced diet.

• Fatty fish;  salmon & tuna

• Avocado 

• Nuts and seeds

• Nut and seed oils

• Trans -  Found in processed foods.  These are the fats we want to AVOID!  These are artificially created fats and have a negative impact on health.
  

• Aim to get most of your fats from unsaturated sources, saturated fats should be enjoyed in moderation, and try to minimize and AVOID trans fats!

Ditch the Diet Mentality

Diets thrive on restriction and deprivation; labeling food as “good” and “bad, eliminating entire food groups, and promising unsustainable results.  Not only is the process of dieting miserable and frustrating, it often leads to disordered eating and a negative relationship with food.  Instead of focusing on deprivation for the short-term win, what if we shifted to focus on what we could ADD to nourish our bodies?  By adding and prioritizing whole, nutritious foods and building balanced meals, our intake of processed foods typically slows and we can build sustainable eating habits.  Food should be enjoyable, but it should also be viewed as more than that.  Food is the fuel that powers our workouts, it builds and repairs our bodies, and it’s the source of vitamins and minerals that fuel a healthy body.  When you shift the way you look at it, food becomes a tool for feeling your best, not a source of guilt or restriction.  By focusing on nourishing your body and building healthy habits, you create a positive relationship with food that empowers you to reach your goals and feel your best! 

Wrap Up: 

“ Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.”

- Anton Chekhov.

You now have a powerful understanding of energy balance, “fuel types” and their sources, and the importance of ditching restrictive dieting.  But the real transformation happens when you turn that knowledge into action!  Quick fixes and deprivation are not the answers, making small habit changes over time is the best way to sustainably reach your goals!

🎗️Remember;

• Focus on WHOLE FOODS - food without labels, foods not in packages or wrappers!

• Prioritize Protein - this will keep you full, and satisfied, and keep your metabolism moving.

• Progress NOT Perfection - Slip-ups WILL HAPPEN, let them.  Give yourself grace, then move on!

Knowledge = Power  

Use this information as a tool to help you get rid of your doubt, and fuel your body the right way so you can LOOK and FEEL your BEST!

Nutrition is overwhelming & confusing. I have a passion for what I do, so I have taken the time to educate myself in ways that I can pass that knowledge along to my clients & followers. If you are struggling to understand nutrition, book a call with me to see if coaching is the right fit for you. My coaching is extremely affordable & highly beneficial in the long run! Click the button below, book your call, and let's talk!

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