The Ultimate Nutrition Plan

TO HELP EACH INDIVIDUAL REACH THEIR OPTIMAL FITNESS LEVEL

Keiland Williams

“Macro” is short for Macronutrients. Their are three catigories of nutrients that you consume the most in order to provide your body with the most energy/calories. Protien, Carbs, Fats make up macronutrients it is what our bodies need in a large amount to get optimal performance out of this amazing we are in control of.

In this age of information we are bombarded with fitness blogs, Instagram post, facebook advertisements that suggest what is the best diet to be on. With a plethora different diets circulating around the news, it can be overwhelming to determine what nutrition information is correct and what isn’t. We are all different sot the amount of calories we need differ depending on our height, weight, and fitness goals. determining your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is a great starting point. Your BMR tells you the amount of calories your body needs at rest in order to perform basic functions. There is no better formula than counting your macros. Do not worry about counting calories because if you know your macros you can figure out calories we will cover that later.

While fad diets will continue to come and go there are some tride and true eating plans that will assist you on staying on the right track. Macronutrients is a eating structure based on sound nutrition principals which most diets are not. Most top rated diets are only based on seeing you loose weight which is important but shouldn’t be your number one priority. Sounds a little crazy, right? Your number one focus should be to lose fat! Our objective should be to lose fat and pack on as much lean muscle mass as possible. Some of the top diets in 2019 were the mediteranian diet, the dash diet (dietary approach to stop hypertension), flexitarian diet, and the mind diet. A few other popular diets like whole 30 and keto diet receive some of the lowest rankings on the U.S. News list.

Let’s take a closer look at what benefits macros can have on the body. We will start with protein.

Protein :

Helps build muscle, increase metabolism speeds up recovery after a challenging workout or fitness competition. Protein can be found in a veriety of meat sources as well as vegitables, grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. I recommend using multiple protein sources for the nutrients as well as flavor to your meals. Protein provides your body with 4 calories per gram and does much more than give you energy. Here is a list of health protein options. They are building blocks fish,shrimp, lean pork, turkey, chicken, lean steak, lean ground beef/chicken/turkey, protein powder, eggs and eggwhites. Our body needs to build muscle, antibodies, and for the growth and repair of cells. If you have 20 amino acids you can produce an infinite number of proteins. Nine of which you can only get from the right nutrition plan.

Carbohydrates:

Provide fuel for the brain and central nervous system (CNS) and your bodies fastest way for sustained energy. Carbohydrates are crucial part of your diet and should be implemented the right way to reap the positive benefits and around the access weight gain. Carbs are sorted into two categories: Complex and simple carbohydrates. Healthy carbs are made up of sugar molecules that are strung together in long complex chains. When figuring out what balance of protein, carbs, and fats one should consume we have to factor in a few things. What are your individual goals and how much physical activity does your schedule allow you to get in. I also want you to understand that not all calories are the same. The calories the body gets from a candy bar is extremely different from the ones we get from a bowl of cottage cheese with fresh fruit. The key difference is part of the reason why I don’t agree with counting calories or IIFYM (If it fits your macros) logic. Which tells us we can consume whatever we want as long as it fits in the number of calories/macros we are instructed to take in. Our food has macro nutrients the main difference appears in how well those macros are balance. Healthy protein, carbs, and fat provide our bodies with more nutrients and macronutrients. Micronutrients are just as important but we don’t need them in a large amount micro means small. They are essential vitamins, minerals, Antioxidants and phytochemical within macronutrients. That’s why it is important we choose a nutrient dense foods when selecting our protein, carbs, and fat. They can be found in a range of plant-based foods including greens in they also provide the body with needed fiber. Fiber is useful because it makes food pass quickly through your body. Most vegetables contain fiber here is a list of healthy carb options: rice (white, brown, quinoa, jasmine, etc.), Oatmeal/non-flavored, bread, wheat tortillas, bagels, noodles, fruits (Apples, bananas, blueberries), vegetables ( Broccoli, green beans, spinach, carrots, kale, asparagus, zucchini, bell peppers), Cream of rice/wheat, high-fiber cereal, almond milk.

Fats:

Increases metabolism, regulate blood sugar, increases brain function, and hormone regulation. The fat component of a diet helps your body to absorb fat soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E and K more easily. Fat also help you feel full after you eat. Choosing the right types of fat is the most important part in reducing the risk of developing heart disease. That is the most calorie dense macro at 9 cal per gram. There are two types of fat groups saturated and unsaturated. The healthy fat or unsaturated fat both mono saturated and polysaturated are the healthy fats. Here’s a list of healthy fats: egg yolks, nuts/butter (almonds, peanuts, walnuts), Fish oil, flaxseed oil, olive oil, avocados, coconut oil.

The final step is structuring your meal plan according to your goals. If you are looking to lose that I would recommend cutting back on your card intake and getting the majority of your nutrients from protein and fat while eating vegetables three times per day. Eating 25 g of protein 25 g of carbs in 10 g of fat per meal 3 to 5 times per day. If you are an endurance athlete carb lover and can benefit from the extra carbs I would suggest 30 grams of protein, 50 g of carbs, 15 g of fat. Have some fun and find out what works best for you and your lifestyle!