Food gets a bad rap. It is blamed for making us fat. It is blamed for making us fat. As a result, many cut it out of their lives rather than learning to coexist with it. Many become overly discriminating against food.
Food is a necessary part of life. We cannot function long without it. So, how do we learn to get along with our food. We do so by taking responsibility for our diets and break the dysfunctional relationship with food.
Junk food. “Junk food” means many things. To the purest “clean-eater”, it is anything that is not whole, i.e., processed, and not organic. To the “keto-dieter”, it is anything with sugar. To most, it is any cheap and tasty. Any prepared food is “processed”, so we have to be careful how label food as processed. Ideally, we are making as much of our diet as possible for scratch—which is extremely difficult in our culture today. When we consider “processed” food we have to strike the balance of considering what goes into our food. If one requires an advanced degree in chemistry to understand the food label, it is probably not the best choice. Sugar is not evil, per se, if it is consumed in moderation and in association with physical activity. “Junk food” should be considered anything that does not contribute to one’s health and nutritional goals. Thus, it should be avoided.
Calories. Our bodies require a certain amount of energy to function. As such, there are three diets: eucaloric (caloric balance); hypocaloric (caloric expenditure is greater than caloric intake); and hypercaloric (caloric intake is greater than caloric expenditure). Accordingly, these are defined by basal metabolic rate (the calories the body needs at rest), the thermogenic effect of food (the energy cost of digesting and absorbing nutrients), and physical activity. It is physical activity that is going to most affect our day-to-day calorie and food consumption. It is not just a calories-in v. calories-out equation that defines our body weight fluctuations. Our body weight (i.e., body composition: fat and lean tissue) is also determined by when and what we eat.
Macros. Macronutrients include carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The fat v. carbohydrate argument is likely to go on indefinitely. The reality is: we need both. We need both in the proper balance. Protein is essential, too. Protein, however, is probably only a challenge to vegetarians and person on the most restrictive diets. Carbohydrates are essential for high performance. The more active we are the more carbohydrates we require in our macro balance. Fats are critical for numerous physiological functions; however, it is not necessary that we carry excess storage. (It is, however, essential that we store carbohydrates—in the form of glycogen—in the muscle.) Simply, protein should be relatively constant at roughly 0.8-1.0 g per pound of body weight per day. Carbohydrates should be higher on training days and consumed in close association with training times. Other carbs that are consumed throughout the day should have a low glycemic index such that they are digested and absorbed more slowly into the blood stream. Fats can be higher on non-training days (as long as caloric balance is maintained), but should be of good quality. Fats are slow to digest and can help satisfy our hunger—thus, acting to restrict our daily energy consumption. I like to think of fats and carbs as inversely related. Foods should rarely be high in fats and carbs when one is trying to maintain a healthy body composition. This combination is more likely to contribute to increased body fat. High-fat foods can actually help restrict eating (thus caloric intake). High-carbohydrate should be intended to feed muscle cells and should be available for exercise (thus stored in muscle—not fat—or available in the blood during exercise).
Food should be enjoyed. Above all, food should be satisfying. We need not deny ourselves the simple pleasures in life. Diets that do so are unsustainable. The key is moderation and wisdom. Food can be enjoyed and be healthy. Even the less healthy foods that might tempt us can be enjoyed when balanced with and overall healthy diet. Weight management is, for the most part, not about what we eat but about how much we eat. Live life. Enjoy food. Just don’t over-indulge. When you know you are going to eat pleasure foods, reign in the rest of your diet for the day.
It has been said that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with (Jim Rohn). If we have a relationship with food, then, perhaps, we are the average of the food we eat. Relationally, our friends and acquaintances fun a spectrum from healthy to unhealthy. If we allow ourselves to be controlled by the toxic people (foods) in our lives, we are going to be miserable. Instead, we want to surround ourselves with people (foods) that make us healthier and support our goals.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
