This post was originally published by The Odyssey on June 5, 2016. I am not a doctor, and the below is based on my personal experience and research. Eat however you feel best.
In such a health conscious period, it’s hard to decide which fad diet is best for you. But at the end of the day, it’s like what your mom said when you were a child, “Eat your veggies and play outside.” With enough exercise and wholesome food, everyone could help themselves enormously. The problem is that often people do not know how they should measure their food. They wonder what’s more important: fiber or carbs; meat protein or vegetable and dairy protein; Bread or fruit? I could fill the page with similar such questions, but the true answer to all of them is simple: learn about macronutrients, and you can quickly make your body happy. If you take advantage of knowing what a fat, a carbohydrate, and a protein truly is to your body, you will see results very quickly in any diet you try.
Fat is the most misunderstood macronutrient. I know what you’re thinking: fat is bad for you. And it’s practically a sin to say this out loud, but fat is okay, and it is even necessary to eat fats. Here’s a quick technical breakdown of what a fat is to your body and what it does once consumed. Consuming fats causes a mild insulin spike, and when they are digested, they are turned into something called a blood triglyceride. A blood triglyceride is essentially the energy you get from dietary fat. Additionally, when fats and carbs are consumed together, the carbs become more sugary, which if your body does not need, will be stored as fat deposits. However, since we once were animals, our bodies crave fats, and they take the priority when we digest food. For example, suppose you made fried chicken and potatoes. The grease from the chicken and the fat in the butter from the potatoes would be digested first. The practical application of this “fat-science” is to not to eat fats after working out or when your body needs quick nutrients if you want to see the best results. Since fat would be processed first, your body would not be able to rebuild muscles with protein or restore energy that was expelled through carbohydrate consumption because it would be too busy digesting fat during the critical time window where it needs proteins and carbs most. So, if you want to see best results in your diet, consume non-animal, natural fats as snacks in between meals and stay away from foods that are high in both fats and carbs.
Next up to bat is the carbohydrate-the food everyone loves to hate the most. Carbohydrates are found in things like bread, pasta, fruit, and desserts. Carbs cause a larger insulin spike than fats but based on carb source. Carbohydrates are different than other macronutrients because once your body is full of carbs, they turn directly into fat deposits if consumed. The weird part about carbs is that there is no proper number for how many your body needs. My boyfriend can hardly eat carbs because his body reacts to pasta just like it would a Hershey’s bar, but I can eat carbs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and my body won’t directly store them as fat. The trick with carbs is to find them naturally, and add them as a compliment to your meal.
Another form of carbs is fiber, which does not cause insulin spikes like starch or sugar-based carbs would. Fiber often comes from enriched products or natural products like vegetables. Fiber is important because it encourages your body to remove bad things like excess carbohydrates or fats so that they are not absorbed. Additionally, fiber is thermogenic and causes your body to burn calories when it digests it. To ensure you are getting enough fiber, you should have around four servings of fruit and vegetables daily.
Last but not least of the food-based macronutrients is protein. Proteins are essential to your body for rebuilding tissue and come in two forms: slow proteins and fast proteins. Slow proteins are absorbed for hours after consumption and generally come from animals. Fast proteins are used immediately by your body and are great for restoring your body quickly. Fast proteins mostly come from dairy and plants. Proteins do best when they are consumed with carbs because the insulin spike from the carbs helps them absorb into the body. The more amino acids in protein, the better it is for the body to use. Animal sources of protein such as meat, eggs, and dairy have the most complete amino acid profile. Proteins that come from plants can be absorbed much less efficiently. As a vegan, protein is a big worry, but protein is found in many sources besides meat. It can be found in broccoli, cereals, and it is even enriched in some pastas. Proteins are a bodily requirement and should be eaten with every meal and even snacks. The important thing to do is vary slow and fast digesting proteins so that your body never goes without it.
In order to see the best results in your diet or even just to understand how your body wants you to eat better, knowing at least the basics about macronutrients is necessary. Macronutrients rely on each other to keep your body healthy and well nourished. Though oftentimes people refer to a carb as sugar or fruits, a protein as meat or whey, and fat as terrible, the truth is that your body craves these things because it wants something they have. If interested, I will be following this article up with one on micronutrients and what your body needs to fight off germs, keep your teeth and bones white and healthy, and even micro nutrients you should eat to boost your diet’s effectiveness.
Stephanie Zielinski 