Lack of time, boredom, demotivation, or other factors all seem to lead to people opting for what has become to be known as "convenience food". A quick take out, a microwave meal, a snack, pasta, sandwiches, chocolate, biscuits, and other quick and easy food options have all appeared in conversations I've had with people I have been working with on managing their weights, whether they wanted to lose weight or gain some!
This post discusses what I believe is a long-term and realistic solution for the nutrition dilemma. Here I try to get my point across that in order to eat healthily and manage the weight, we do not really have to avoid the foods that we have been used to consuming. It is not just what we eat that matters, but also when, how often and how much. I try to simplify things as much as possible, so please be aware that this is not as comprehensive as it could be.
The first step towards healthy eating is being aware of what one eats, and what it does to the body. Each meal we eat and each drink we consume plays a very specific part in making our bodies function in a certain way. From the energy levels we feel, to how much we can concentrate, to how irritated, aggressive or happy we feel, these are all bi-products of the nutrients we put into our bodies, to a great extent.
Each meal or drink can initially be broken down to how much it contains from the 3 main macro-nutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. In a very simplistic way, and not to get too technical, our bodies use these as follows:
- Carbohydrates: the body needs it for energy and concentration. Without glucose, which is what carbs provide, our energy levels are extremely low, we cannot concentrate, and we have cravings for sugary things such as chocolate. In some cases, we can be very moody due to the lack of glucose (think about your mood when you're hungry).
- Proteins: proteins contain amino acids, which are essential to the building and rebuilding of damaged body tissues. It is essential that we consume proteins which contain the necessary amino acids in order to stay healthy. One advantage of protein is that it is digested slower than carbs, so we tend to feel fuller for longer when we've had a high-protein meal.
- Fat: unlike what a lot of people think, fat is not all evil. Saturated fat is what needs to be avoided as much as possible, while we need to completely avoid trans-fats, but otherwise, other fats are essential to the body. There are certain vitamins that are only transported in the body through fat, and fat also acts as an internal shock absorber, protecting internal organs from damage.
As I mentioned earlier, the timing and quantity of what we eat and drink are as important as the type of food we eat. I believe that the secret to a healthy diet is to consume the right nutrient at the right time of day according to the needs of the body, and to never get hungry. So, let's look at these 2 main points, briefly:
1. Timing & quantity: Once we understand the function of each of the different macro-nutrients, as listed above, we can then translate this into when we need to consume each of them. So, as a general rule, most of us work during the day, so this is when we need the most energy. This, in turn, means that our bodies need carbohydrates to function efficiently and effectively. The type of carbohydrate is also important, since we need to consume types that will give the body sustained energy, rather than just give a sudden boost followed by a drop in energy levels. As energy is not needed as much at night, right before bedtime, carbohydrates become less important, and the more we consume them in the evening, the more they will be stored in the body as fat, since they will not be used by the body during sleep or relaxing with a book or in front of the TV.
Throughout the day, when our bodies have been going through different kinds of stresses, we need to start looking into helping the body tissues to recover, which means that proteins start to become more important the later in the day it gets. To turn this into a real-life scenario, we can look at a lunch that contains both carbs and proteins, since we still need energy but also need to start the recovery process in the body, and then at dinner time, we minimise the carb intake and focus more on proteins.
The quantity of each of these nutrients varies from person to person, depending on their lifestyle, their physiology, their goals, whether they want to maintain, reduce or gain weight, what they like to eat, and what is available and convenient for them to eat. Although this is a part that takes a bit of time and effort to work out, once it is done and understood, it is only updated every few weeks or months, or even followed long-term, depending on the goals of the person.
2. Never getting hungry: I am a person who cannot function when I'm hungry. I become unbearable to be around, and I can't deal with people, at least in a nice way, if I feel the urge to eat. This is why I believe that any long-term solution to weight management and healthy eating can never involve hunger! Moreover, I love food. Food is one thing that I truly enjoy. I enjoy all kinds of food, and I even travel places just to try new foods. Therefore, I also believe that any long-term solution should never involve telling me that I can't eat certain things. I have explained in my previous point how we should be looking at food, in terms of the needs of our bodies, so when we look at food, we should make a quick analysis of its contents and decide on when to eat it during the day. So, this should solve the issue of eating everything (in moderation), as long as the timing of the meal makes sense to the body's needs. The timing and not getting hungry also work hand in hand when it comes to dinner, since we should be consuming more protein in the evening, which, naturally, makes us feel full for longer, which means that we should therefore not be feeling hungry in the middle of the night.
Adding treats to the equation, such as chocolates, cookies or fruits, I use these as the items to plug the gaps during the day not to go hungry. So, in between my 3 main meals of the day, I have 2 snack times. The morning one, I use as my main treat, where I can have anything I want, as long as it is under 100 calories. This can be a small bar of chocolate, a cookie, etc. The late afternoon snack is different, in the fact that I cannot have an "unhealthy" snack, since it is getting closer to bedtime, so my body won't be burning the carbs and will store them as fat, so I usually opt for things that have more protein and fat, such as yoghurt or nuts, again, within my 100 calorie limit.
Talking of nuts and quantities, this is one area that we need to be very careful in. As a general rule of thumb, 100 grams of nuts contain around 600 calories (some have a bit more, some less). 100 grams of nuts is not that much, if we are sat down munching on them. It is extremely easy to go through 500 grams of nuts, if we're not careful. This is why, although some foods are seen as healthy, it is also as important to make sure that we know how much we are eating of them.
When you look at food and drink, please consider the following:
- Fruit juice is not a healthy drink! Fruit juices, although they may contain some vitamins, they also contain sugar. The difference between a whole fruit and the fruit juice, is that when you eat a fruit, you are also eating fibre, which make you feel full to some extent, while drinking fruit juice just gives you the calories without the feeling of satiation. Remember, carbs that are not used by the body for energy are stored as fat. So, one glass of orange juice with breakfast might be ok, but definitely not recommended as a drink in the evening. (If you have children, you need to be very careful with this)
- Starving yourself to lose weight is unhealthy!
- The most efficient way to lose weight is to still eat all macronutrients, but to monitor how much of each you are consuming.
- The older we get, the more careful we need to be of losing muscle mass. Losing muscle mass means that we are reducing our life expectancy. So, in order to make sure that we do not lose muscle mass, we need 2 things: protein and exercise.
- Weight and BMI should never be the only indicators to how healthy you are. Body fat percentage and muscle mass should be the main indicators to how healthy you are. Some healthy people, who have a higher muscle mass, might actually weigh more than an apparently "overweight" unhealthy person, just due to the simple fact that muscle weighs more than fat.
- There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to healthy eating. Your lifestyle, blood indicators, goals in life, what you like and dislike, what you find convenient, etc. are all factors that should be taken into consideration when deciding on how you should be eating.
- Sports drinks and sports nutrition is not for everyone! Do not just consume these colourful drinks, gels or bars just because you saw some athletes do. If you do not know a specific purpose for such food or drink that matches what you are doing, please avoid them!
- Drink water. I know this sounds lame, but you really need water. 3-6 litres per day, depending on where you live and the level of physical activity you do, should be the average to drink per day. Spread it throughout the day. In addition to helping the body function properly, it can also be the reason for you not feeling too hungry (as it fills a gap).
- Try to include vegetables of all colours in your meals. Each colour contains different nutrients, vitamins and minerals that the body needs.
I am very aware of the fact that the above is very shallow and doesn't go deep into details, but I didn't want to make it too boring or difficult. I'm more than happy to discuss this in more detail with anyone. Just drop me an email with your questions and I'll do my best to give you as precise an answer as you want.
Also, I'm always happy to hear your comments on the subject.
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