Guest Blog: Breaking Down Some Nutrition Basics

This week I have some awesome Nutrition basics from a fellow coach Julie McGuire! She is breaking down calories and macros, building a plate, prepping, hydration and how to sort through some misinformation that is out there.

Just as a quick disclaimer I want to point out that this is just basics and is generalized. Everyone is different and you might need things that are different or adjusted based off your personal medical, physical, emotional, or wellness needs.

However, knowledge can in fact be power! So without any more introduction-Let’s dive right in!

Nutrition basics:

Food can be an overwhelming decision when trying to be health conscious, here are some tips that I have found useful for myself and clients.

1. Our food is comprised of calories, it is simply a way to measure energy. Calories are made up of our 3 macronutrients: Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat.  Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals that we require, but they do not contain calories and therefor do not provide us with energy, only calories can provide us with energy.  To put it in *very* simplified terms, protein sustains us, carbs and fats are our energy sources and you need a minimum amount of fat per day to function well.  Absolute minimums would be around 50g/day for women and 40g/day for men.  Please keep in mind those are minimums and not near optimal!  If you're someone who is tracking calories and interest in it, a good starting point for all of this would be 0.6-1g/lb for protein, 25-30% of your calories from fat, and then fill in the rest with calories from carbohydrates.  I have found that most people do really well just tracking protein to make sure they get enough. 

2. When building a meal, I like to start with a protein source and then add from there.  A good starting point for how much protein to consume is 1-2 palm sized portions per meal.  Most people are under-consuming protein!  An example dinner: Roast chicken (protein source, and some fat depending on cut of meat and if the skin is on), a vegetable side (this could be mixed veggie salad, grilled zucchini, roasted asparagus, spinach salad, etc.), and a carb to finish it off (maybe rice, potatoes, toast, etc.).  Fats tend to be the easiest to have mixed in there.  For this example, depending on the chicken you ate there might be some good fats mixed in  there, or it could be the salad dressing of choice, maybe butter for the toast.

3. Different meal prep options:

- Bulk prep: You make a few protein sources, some carbohydrates, and veggies and then make individual meals as you need them.  This can be nice for busy individuals who maybe don't eat the same amount or have to take things to go a lot.  Example: Chicken breast and ground turkey for protein, sweet potatoes and rice for carbs, sprouts and salad for vegetables.  This can be done once a week or as often as you find works for you!

-Individual meal prep: This is definitely the most intense option but can make the rest of the week a lot easier.  This involves making a menu for the week and prepping individual meals in total for as many days works for you.  This often works for busy adults, people that have to eat on the go a lot.

-The classic: cooking your meals as they come up!  This is always an option and absolutely works for a lot of people.  Don't be afraid to branch out and try a different seasoning or cooking technique to mix it up if you're getting bored.

4. I would be remiss if I didn't talk about water briefly- you should drink it and more than you probably are.  A great starting point is half of your body weight in ounces.  Example: 180lb human would start by drinking 90 ounces of water a day.  If you're outside or exercising you should add 16-20 ounces per hour.  Another easy way to track hydration is urine color.

5. I know there's a lot of nutrition misinformation out there and it can be overwhelming when trying to take care of yourself and your family.  I can confidently say that the basics are always in and if someone has some new *fat loss magic*, they are probably trying to sell you something.  Drink water, eat vegetables, try and move your body for a few minutes every day and you'll be surprised how good you feel.