The Importance Of Eating Good Quality Calories

You may recall my blog post from a week or so ago – you HAVE to be eating enough calories throughout the day to help fuel your body and allow it to function as it should be without the heavy restriction of energy. However, it is important that the calories you are consuming are good, nutritious calories (for the most part). You likely will have heard the phrases “you can’t out train a bad diet” or “abs are made in the kitchen”? Good, nutritious foods are important for maintaining a healthy you.

If you’re a little confused, and feel like I might be contradicting myself slightly, allow me to explain. Although I did say that it is important to be eating enough calories in my previous post, that doesn’t mean that I’m advocating eating lots of non-nutritious foods (I hate using the word bad to describe foods because I don’t believe that there is such thing as a “bad food”, only foods that are less nutritious than others).

Take these two hypothetical people for example; person #1 has a diet that consists of fast food, microwave meals, and bags of chips and cookies. Person #2 has a diet that consists of whole grains, vegetables, lean meats, and fruit. If person 1 and 2 controlled for calories (as in both their days equalled 1800 calories), and their energy expenditures were the same, their weight loss/gain would be the same. However, 1800 calories of fast food and 1800 calories of whole grains and vegetables look very different, as seen below:

Person #1 can get to their suggested target calorie intake within one meal at McDonald’s and a take home snack of cookies for later. It takes person #2 three meals AND snacks to get to 1800, and they even get a couple of sweet treats thrown in there as well. Person #1 will survive energy wise – they have enough calories to sustain them, but satiety wise, maybe not. Basically, their stomach’s wouldn’t be signaled as “full” for very long, as they only had one meal. Person #2 is able to eat consistently throughout the day, so they will be satisfied as the day presses on.

Why is that important?

The likelihood of someone over eating on person #1’s diet is much higher than that of person #2 as they will become hungrier throughout the day due to their lack of fullness. Is this is a diet that is sustained over time, the consumer will likely gain weight.

Aside from diet #1 being a gateway to overeating, it also has a horrific macro- and micro-nutrient profile:

Diet #1 is 52% carbs, 39% fat, and 9% protein – it is also lacking in essential micronutrients

Diet #2 is 45% carbs, 34% fat, and 21% protein, while also being rich in good-for-you micronutrients

Micro-nutrients (vitamins and minerals) are essential for the proper functioning of every system in the body and are vital for good health – each vitamin and mineral is responsible for a specific role within the body. Macro-nutrients are essential for fueling and building the body – without enough protein, muscles will start to degenerate, and without enough carbs and fat, energy levels will start to decrease dramatically, which means that going about your day to day life will become more difficult, and your body will start to suffer internally.

But what ARE macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients?

There are three different macro-nutrients: carbs, protein, and fat, all of which allow the body to grow, develop, and function.

• Carbohydrates – The macro nutrient that you find in foods like fruits, breads, pastas, potatoes, etc…
• • Carbs seem to have gotten a pretty bad rep over the years for being the one and only thing that drives weight gain. I’ll start out by saying that this is simply not true. Did you know that your brain is fueled ONLY by carbohydrates? You NEED carbs to function properly throughout the day. Ever cut carbs and noticed how foggy and bleh you feel by the end of the day? That’s because your brain is starving! The reason carbs have been deemed “bad” is because people think it’s carbs that are causing their weight gain, they’re not. When you cut carbs out of your diet, you will start to rapidly lose weight in the form of WATER – yea, all you lose is water weight, and the moment you add carbs back in, you gain that water weight back.
  • Have you heard of the “glycemic index”? This is a term that is thrown around quite regularly – it is a system that ranks carbohydrates according to how they affect glucose levels in the blood. Carbs that have a GI digest slower in your body than those with a high GI. When carbs are processed quickly, this means that there is a quicker spike in blood sugar levels followed by a more obvious crash. The slow release carbs do the opposite – a slow rise in blood sugar levels which means energy lasts far longer than when consuming a high GI carb, which means that the “crash” is practically non-existent. At the end of the day, to your body, a carb is a carb. A package of gummy bears with 50g of carbs is seen and processed the same way that a bowl of oatmeal with 50g of carbs is, however the difference is how quickly they are processed. If you want a quick burst of energy (e.g. before a sprinting race, or to give you the quick energy you need to hit a new squat personal best in the gym), then go with the gummy bears. If you’re out and need energy to last you for a long period of time – as in a 10km race, or even just the morning shift at work, go with the oatmeal.
• Protein – found in meats, nuts, beans, soy products, etc…
• • A number of physiological processes are happening within the body on a day to day basis – these processes are increased when exercise is increased. When  working out muscle breakdown (catabolism) is increased, especially during resistance training. Muscle breakdown… that sounds bad, doesn’t it? Luckily, this type of muscular breakdown is good, and necessary for becoming fitter and stronger. However, this necessary process of catabolism and rebuilding (anabolism) requires necessary fuel to do so. That fuel, is protein.
  • Protein is one of the most important building blocks to building everything in your body, however, the body does not store protein, which is why it is so important to consume an adequate amount in your diet. It is important to note though, that you won’t magically get super strong by eating only protein and not exercising as well, nor will eating more protein mean that you will get stronger quicker. Protein that the body doesn’t need will be excreted out.
• Fat – found in nuts, seeds, dairy products, oils, etc…
• • Dietary fat is an essential part of your diet – that’s right… it’s not the enemy! Fat helps provide another source of energy for the body, while also supporting growth, and keeping your organs warm and protected. They’re also helpful in absorbing important nutrients in the body (and sometimes even the only way).
  • When foods are marketed as “low fat” it’s actually not such a good thing. Foods that have been stripped of their fats have been pumped with “filler” chemicals to give them that same, good taste. Try and avoid low fat options!

Carbs protein and fat can typically be found in any food: good or “bad”. What cannot be found in every food, in the quantities you need, are the micronutrients we mentioned above.

There are 5 main micronutrients that your body needs in order to function at its best:

1. Folate – helps with the formation of red blood cells, which are important for getting oxygen around the body
2. Iron – used to create haemoglobin – the stuff in red blood cells that carries the oxygen to be delivered
3. Magnesium – a natural muscle relaxer – anxiety, tension, and muscle spasms are all signs of a magnesium deficiency
4. Vitamin A – essential for maintaining vision – that’s where the old “eat your carrots and you’ll be able to see in the dark” tale came from!
5. Vitamin D – absorbs calcium to help with bone growth – a lack of V-D can also be responsible for an onset of depression

Other important nutrients:

• Essential fatty acids (EFAs) – your body can synthesize every EFA besides two: alpha linoleic acid (omega-3), and linoleic acid (omega-6).
• • These two EFAs must be consumed as a part of a balanced diet to reap the benefits of them. Omega-3 and -6 play an important role in skin and hair growth/health, brain function, metabolism, reproductive system health, cell membrane integrity, and overall functioning, growth, and development of the body. Omega-3 more specifically has also been linked to a potential decrease in pain (muscle soreness post exercise), and an increase in joint health.

So, as you can see, not only will good quality foods (and therefore calories) keep you fuller for longer (which if weight loss is your goal, is beneficial), they will also fill your body with the vitamins, minerals, and fuel that it needs to function properly. In the long run, this will help you perform better in the gym, get “in shape” easier, and overall just FEEL better!

You all know that I am an advocate of balance, and by eating a diet that is full of foods with a great nutritional pay off, it allows you to also enjoy treats throughout the day without harming your waistline OR your gut health.

Until next time

xx