Simple Nutrition to Balance Mind+Body

Ayurveda recommends a light breakfast + digestive tea to start the day

“How can I help my kids cut back on sugar?…“Does intermittent fasting live up to the hype?” “Should I take supplements?” …“Are plant-based diets better for my health?” …“Should I avoid gluten?” …“Are there certain foods that can boost my metabolism?”

The questions can feel endless, that is why I have developed a holistic nutrition framework that will help you simplify everything from grocery shopping to meal planning and managing cravings.

So before you loose your momentum and get side tracked with specifics, let’s stick to the basic principals of nutrition. This will help us to truly simplify our approach and focus on feeding our selves and our families good nutritious food.

First, what makes food “nutritious” and what does that mean?

Food that contains a variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants are said to be nutrients dense, this means the calories you consume contain vital building blocks for your body to sustain life and build tissues. This brings us to the calorie.

The calorie gets a bad rap, somewhere along the way diet culture started demonizing entire food groups like carbohydrates, fats and ultimately the all mighty calorie. So what is a calorie?

Not all Calories are created equal.

As I mentioned before nutrient dense foods have more vitamins minerals and macro nutrients. Choose foods that resemble their natural structure (like grains vs bread or fresh vs canned items) and increase the amount of color you’re eating to ensure you’re getting the most bang for your caloric buck.

So where Do Calories Come From?

Have you hear of Macro + Micro nutrients ? Micro Nutrients are the one’s listed above, all the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and flavanoids. Macro Nutrients are the bigger building blocks protein, carbohydrates, and fats.

1g of protein = 4 calories

1g carb = 4 calories

1g fat = 9calories

So you can probably see why fat might be singled out as a “bad” food because it has considerably more calories per gram. However fats provide flavor and satiety keeping us more full, longer because the provide more energy without taking up space. Each macro and micro nutrient is essential for our bodies to function. And we will look into each in a bit more detail:

 

Protein

Protein is made up of 20 different amino acids that your body uses build and repair muscles and bones and make hormones and enzymes. Of the 20 amino acids 9 essential ( meaning our bodies can not make them and need to consume them through food), 5 are non-essential (meaning our bodies can produce them) and the rest are considered conditional (meaning not essential, except in times of illness and stress).

Protein can be found from plant and animal sources such as:

• eggs
• fish *
• poultry*
• beef *
• pork
• whey, casein or plant based protein powders

* some meat is leaner than others like fish, poultry and some beef. Continue reading to learn more about saturated and unsaturated fats.

Protein can also be found in many plant sources as shown below. These foods are higher in carbohydrates and fiber as well.

Carbohydrate

Ah carbohydrates, a forbidden love… when I was in elementary and high school white foods were deemed “bad for you” because they tended to be higher in carbohydrates. I wish I knew then what I know now!

Just like a calorie, not all carbohydrates are the same! What causes the most harm is the simple and refined sugars that lack starches and fibers. These simple sugars spike our blood sugar and lead to dips in energy that make our bodies crave more and more! Choosing more complex carbohydrates provides substance for the body to digest and eliminate (yay for the daily BM!), minimizes blood sugar spikes and provides more nutritional value.

Carbohydrates break down into glucose a sugar molecule that fuels our muscles so carbohydrates are great before or after a workout and before bed as they can help to lower cortisol the stress hormone. 

Fat

Finally lets dig into fats a bit more…

As we mentioned fat is sometimes seen as bad but, no need to fear! It is easy to choose a daily or weekly target and stick to what is right for your body.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends 20-35% of daily calories coming from fats, or about .5-1g/kg of body fat. (many scales measure body compositions and many gyms offer free body composition screening if you are wondering what your body fat % is)

Consider working with us to set your macro targets!

Then begin choosing fats from whole foods and more natural sources. Think nuts, yogurt, eggs, olives, oils etc. Fats that have been processed and refined like hydrogenated oils, canola, margarine and other cheeper vegetable oils contain more free radicals. Curious to learn more about free radicals…? Join our tribe for our antioxidant guide!

Here is a great diagram to help give you some ideas for your next meal!

Want more sugar, gluten, dairy and hassle free recipes? Look no further than our wellness community! Each month we upload new meal plans recipes and recordings to help keep you on track and thriving inside and out! Click here to learn more!

Knowing what you know, we recommend a IIFYM (If It Fits your Macros) Meal Plan, a flexible diet if you will. One that gives you guidelines to fallow at each meal but allows you to fill your plate with food you actually enjoy! We have a program set up for you within our wellness app would you like to join? Click the link above and pick a paid plan to access the flexible dieting guide and seriously so much more.

*And don’t worry if you are struggling with uncontrollable cravings, bloating and breakouts, we’ve seen so many health issues linked back to the health of our gut! I am confident that you will learn simple and sustainable ways to gain more consistent energy and eliminate pesky symptoms of imbalance in a Breakthrough call with Integrative Lifecoach Myckie.