Nutrition really is so simple.
Why does everyone have a hard time with it?
If you were to take a random person off the street and ask them what they are struggling with in terms of health and wellness, chances are they’d tell you it’s nutrition.
Sure, people have trouble with training and even motivation.
But nutrition is always at the fore front.
“What should I eat?”
“How much?”
“What veggies should I eat?”
“Should I stay away from night shades?”
“How about potatoes? Those are out, right?”
“I know I shouldn’t be eating carbs… or should I?”
So many questions, and people go a lifetime without actually learning the answers.
They just go about their business, going where the wind blows them and hope for the best.
Hell, I’ve had clients who literally don’t know what a carb is.
“Is an apple a carb?”
Yes, yes it is.
Maybe you’re not sure either… but don’t worry… I’m here to help.
You see, like I mentioned up top, it’s actually pretty easy.
What do you need to eat?
You need macronutrients, or macros for short.
Macros are the essential nutrients that our bodies need to thrive, function, perform and exist.
I’m sure you’ve heard of them… Protein, Fats and Carbs.
We need these three things in our food or else we’re in trouble.
Without protein? Good-bye muscle and strength.
Without fats? So-long brain health, joint integrity and a safety net of energy.
Without carbs? Catch ya later energy and performance (unless you’re doing Keto – but you can check out my article on carbs for that story)
These three bad boys are literally essential for our health and function, so prioritize them already!
Now where can you find protein?
Your best bet is sourced from animals. You know, things like:
- Beef
- Chicken
- Pork
- Venison
- Turkey
- Bison
- Eggs
You can also get it from dairy, another area sourced from animals:
- Milk
- Cheese
- Yogurt
- Ghee
For you vegans and plank based folk (I cycle these into my diet all the time for variety, different nutrients, and to ease up on the animal products):
- Chickpeas
- Tempeh
- Tofu
- Seitan
- Lentils
- Nut butter
- Quinoa
- Fake meat products
And of course you can supplement your protein (highly recommend if building muscle is a goal of yours):
- Whey protein powder
- Casein protein powder
- Vegan protein powder
- Collagen protein powder
- Flax/Hemp/Chia seeds
Aim for 1g protein per pound of body weight you currently have (up to around 200g typically) if your goal is to maximize muscle growth. This is typically the only constant in macronutrient partitioning.
How about fats? Where do I get those?
There’s a decent amount of overlap between protein and fats… and again animal sources pack a solid punch:
- Meats mentioned above, especially beef, dark meat chicken, some cuts of pork, bacon…
- Eggs (eat the yolk, it’s good for you)
- Dairy (go full fat, it’s good for you)
Cooking oils:
- Olive oil
- Hemp seed oil
- Safflower oil
Nuts/nut butters, flax/hemp/chia seeds, and chickpeas all have a hearty amount of fat as well.
Be weary: fat is a little sneaky. Since it has more than double the calories as protein and carbs it’s easy as hell to rack up calories like you read about.
Last, but definitely not least, we have carbs up at bat.
Carbs have gotten a bad rap as of late.
They have been demonized as the food source that will get us fat, keep us fat, and destroy our performance and aesthetics.
In my opinion, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Now, it IS true that many carbs are downright delectable and can wreak havoc on our aesthetics and performance.
Cakes? Yep. Donuts? Sign me up. Bagels? Load me up with 2 for the road. Cookies? Don’t mind if I have a dozen.
These are the type of carbs that are fucking delicious but also dangerous. They are dangerous because they are highly satiable, highly palatable and highly difficult to say no to.
All of those factors add up to create a food source that’s going to have us looking in the mirror and saying “how did this happen?”
This doesn’t mean that carbs are bad, though. There are “good carbs” that give us clean energy and allow us to perform well and often.
Where do I get these glorious and God-like carbs?
- Veggies (eat a shitload of them)
- Fruits (especially berries)
- Rice (don’t be scared)
- Quinoa
- Farro
- Lentils
- Chick peas
In terms of the amount of fats and carbs you should be eating… it depends.
As mentioned above, protein is the constant. Fats and carbs typically vary depending on your goals, your dietary restrictions, your preferences as well as past experiences.
I’m of the mindset that nutrition should be balanced and help you aim toward your goals.
Are you wildly active? Load up on carbs and don’t think twice. Just monitor how much fat you’re eating.
Do you love fatty foods? Make sure the quality is mainly from real, whole foods and have at it. Just ease up on the carbs a tad.
How do you piece all of this together? Follow the hand method as a start and adjust from there.
Want to gain weight but staying the same? Increase overall calories but prioritize protein.
Want to lose fat but staying the same or gaining? Decrease grains or fat and prioritize protein and veggies (give your muscles a reason to stay so you can lose mainly fat).
Men:
3-5 meals per day
2 palm sized portions of protein per meal
2 fist sized portions of veggies per meal
2 cupped hands of gains (rice, quinoa, etc) per meal
2 thumb sized portions of fats per meal
Women:
3-4 meals per day
1 palm sized portions of protein per meal
1 fist sized portions of veggies per meal
1 cupped hands of gains (rice, quinoa, etc) per meal
1 thumb sized portions of fats per meal