A Whole Lot of Controversy Around Food
Why so much controversy and confusion over what to put in our mouths???
Here are some questions:
Do I eat low-carb or low-fat? Can I eat saturated fat? How much?
How much protein do I need each day?
Can I eat dairy? Which kinds of dairy?
Are grains ok to eat?
So what is the optimal diet today?
Brace yourself: There is no way to answer this question definitively. (SORRY!) Why?, you ask. Because there are tremendous variations among individuals. Some people feel much better when they eliminate dairy. Other people thrive with high quality dairy. Many people feel best eating a low-carb diet, while others perform better eating more carbs. Some of our bodies love a high protein intake (20-25% of calories) while other do well with a smaller amount (10-15%). The common denominator between the foods we eat should be nutrient dense whole foods.
Macronutrients are the amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats you consume. The breakdown of these 3 categories in combination with your baseline fitness and weight, gender, and activity level, will help you determine what your body needs to feel optimally healthy and energized. The only way to know is by experimenting, and taking great notes!
Typically, the only macronutrient that will likely stay consistent in your diet is protein intake. Our bodies have the natural ability to tell us how much protein we need. Depending on your activity level, if you lift heavy weights, want to add muscle, your protein intake may be higher. Most people feel healthy by eating roughly 10-20% of total caloric intake in protein. Amazing fact: your body has the ability to naturally regulate how much protein you should eat (if you listen to it!)
For many women, optimal protein intake is generally between 50 and 100 grams daily.
If you are trying to lose weight, have blood sugar issues, or are trying to add muscle mass, the range increases to 100 to 175 grams per day.
With carbohydrates, the guidelines are more flexible, however, there is an inverse relationship between carbohydrate and fat intake.
General daily recommendations for carbohydrates are:
Keto/very low carb is less than 50 grams (not recommended long term) per day
Low carb is between 50-75 grams per day
Moderate carb is 75-150 grams per day
High Carb is greater than 150 grams per day
Once you’ve determined your carbohydrate and protein levels, the rest of your calories will come from fat. This could be as high as 80-85% fat on a low carbohydrate/low protein diet or as low as 10-15% on a high carbohydrate/high protein diet.
Tools such as the free MYFITNESSPAL app can help you to get a good idea of your daily macronutrient intake.
The only way (I believe) to truly know what’s best for YOU, is to:
Experiment
Observe
The best way to do this is to remove foods you may suspect you have trouble with: dairy, eggs, wheat, nightshades, etc. for about 30 days, and add them back in one at a time. Make observations and take notes. This elimination period is recommended by Robb Wolf, Chris Kresser and numerous experts on nutrition.
To learn more, I highly recommend “The Paleo Cure” by Chris Kresser. Give yourself the gift of a “30 day reset” to understand what foods are best for you. You’ll find food sources, quality of meats, vegetables, buying organic, knowing where your food comes from, is important.
