NUTRIENTS

This page is dedicated to bringing you some basic information about Carbohydrates, Protein, Fat, Fiber and Vitamins. I hope with this information  you will have a better understanding of what you are eating or putting into your body.  I think the key to eating is understanding what you eat because then you can make your own decisions about what is healthy.  It is hard to go on a diet when people just tell you what to eat, but you really don't know why you are eating or omitting it.  By understanding the nutrients you eat you will be able to understand and read food labels which will also help determine how honest the company is being with you.
There are 6 Major classes of Nutrients: Carbs, Protein, Fat, Fiber, Vitamins & Minerals.  Water, although not a nutrient, is another substance you don't want to omit!!!

Carbohydrates are both the primary and preferred energy source for all body functions and physical activity. They are especially good for high intense or anaerobic activity.  They are not the "bad guys" they are made out to be if eaten "properly". By properly, I mean eating complex carbohydrates such as whole grains and avoiding most simple carbohydrates such as candy.  Some simple Carbs such as fruit and vegetables are good for you.  Carbohydrates feed you energy in the form of sugar, but the complexity of them is how fast or slow they fuel you. "Simple" carbs give you a quick boost of energy, but soon you drop and get tired. They are more useful immediately before a short lasting high intensity activity or after your activity.  "Complex" carbs slowly release the sugar so it gives you a more steady stream of fuel, ideal for a diabetic.  They are useful an hour or so before competition, especially before a long event. Complex Carbs contain starch & fiber. All starchy foods are derived from plants. (In fact most all carbs, except those found in milk, come from plant sources).  A favorite of the fitness competitor is the Sweet Potato...just don't had the fat and sugar to it with butter and sugar.
Not only do carbs help fuel your body; they also are essential to fuel your brain  and central nervous system! You may have noticed on a low carb diet that you are tired can not think clearly. This is a sign that you need to make a change. Carbohydrates also help the body to use it's fat storage more efficiently!
Why do carbs get a bad reputation?
Carbs get a bad rep because people love sugar and too much sugar causes weight gain. Guess what though, too much of anything causes weight gain. Carbs are often comfort foods so we eat them during holidays, winter, downtimes or in celebration. It is easy to eat them in excess and it's harder to get children to eat the good ones, i.e. vegetables!  Soft drinks and fruit juices are also loaded with sugar. Opt for diet soft drinks and fruit juices made with 100% Fruit, not ones with added sugar. Stay away if the first ingredient is High Fructose Corn Syrup! Restaurants serve rolls throughout dinner and Southerners love their bread! Often low-fat foods are high in sugars (carbs) so people load up on them and still gain weight. Eat only whole-wheat breads and limit yourself to one roll.
* ingredients ending in: "ose"  are a form of sugar. (Lactose, Fructose, Sucrose, Maltose, Glucose etc...)
* Except for the Sugar Substitute Sucralose (Brand name Splenda). It was originally derived from sugar.

Fiber is actually a form of carbohydrate. It differs from simple carbohydrates and starches b/c the sugar units are held together when consumed. Since the sugar is not released, the fiber does not serve as a functional source of energy. However, it does play a role in weight loss. Most people think of fiber as "bulk" or "roughage" . This is because instead of breaking down in your body, dietary fiber typically passes through carrying other nutrients and enzymes with it. When you eat most fibers such as vegetables they absorb water and swell causing you to feel fuller faster and longer. This in itself can help aid in weight maintenance or reduction b/c you may not eat as much or too soon after.  More importantly though, fiber works in your intestine to soften the contents helping with elimination.  Fiber is especially important to men and anyone at risk for colon cancer.  It may bind to cancer causing materials and eliminate them out of your system more quickly. Fiber is also known to help ward of heart disease. It may lower LDL cholesterol (the bad one...think HDL-"h" for Healthy).  Although Fiber helps prevent disease, cancer and constipation, more is not better. The general recommendations are 27-40g/day. Most people do not meet the current standard so too much may not be of concern, but note that too much fiber can pull too much water out of your body leading to dehydration. It may also pull important minerals such as calcium out before they could be absorbed.  It may be recommended to eat meals with important minerals separately from those with fiber. Popular sources of Fiber are: Vegetables, Oats, Brown Rice, Whole Grains, Flax and Fruit.
*** If you do not currently consume Fiber, add it SLOWLY into your diet. Too much at once and your friends may not want to stand too close!

Protein is the favorite muscle building nutrient in the fitness industry.  It is the worker that builds & repairs your body tissue, not confined to the muscle.  It also helps repair tendons & ligaments you may have injured during activity. So why do people go on low carb diets if carbs are the preferred energy source? Protein can be an energy source, but only when you are consuming too little carbohydrates, fat or overall calories. But, if the protein is being used for fuel it will not be as efficient at it's primary job, to build muscle and synthesize hormones and enzymes.  If you are eating more protein than you need, the protein will turn to fat. Fair, no, but that's what happens. If you are not working out with weights and trying to build muscle, your body doesn't require the extra protein that is being marketed today. The typical person only needs .8 to 1g per Kg bodyweight. If you lift weights you may want up to 1.7g/kg bw. The quality of protein also varies. It can come from both plant and animal sources, but the majority comes from animals. The best source of protein is the egg. Other proteins are rated based upon albumin, i.e. egg white. Other favorites are whey, grilled chicken, lean steak, fish, ostrich and buffalo.
***As with Fiber, slowly add protein to your diet.

Fat is essential to our body. It not only is the primary storage form of fuel, but it also pads and protects our vital organs and without it, fat soluble vitamins A,D,E,K  would have no place to go but out of your body. Fat also provides the fuel for light aerobic exercise and long endurance activities.  If you were stranded in a snowstorm, your body would feed on your fat to help keep you from dying of starvation. It is very important to understand what is good fat and what is bad. Basically Saturated Fat is bad. Unsaturated Fats (polyunsaturated & monounsaturated) are good for you. One of the biggest sources of Saturated Fat comes from Coconut Oil. Another to watch out for is Palm Kernel oil.  Unfortunately, the vast majority of the huge selection of protein bars sold today contain one of these oils. Good fats may come from Canola Oil, Olive Oil and Flax. They are also found in fish in the form of Omega Fatty acids. I recommend eating fish for you Omega FA's instead of getting it in Fish Oil Pills. Salmon (baked, smoked or grilled) is a great source!
Why is fat bad? The bad fats such as the saturated fats raise your bad LDL Cholesterol and lower your good HDL cholesterol. They stick to your arteries and contribute to the number one killer in America, Heart Disease.  If you are diabetic, you have a 50% greater chance of getting Heart Disease, so you must be conscientious of bad foods.
 Did you know there are fats that aren't directly listed on the label?
These are the Hydrogenated Fats. The process of hydrogenation ruins the unsaturated fats by making them more saturated. This is done to prolong the shelf life of items with oils in them. If the item sat on the shelf without certain ingredients being put through hydrogenation it would quickly perish and go rancid. This process can also cause Trans-Fats to form. Trans-Fats are thought to be as bad as saturated fats because they can raise your LDL and lower your HDL. They lower the stuff that is good for you!  The worst of it all is that the food label doesn't list these fats directly under the fat listing. You must look under the ingredients for "hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated x-oils". You can also add up the numbers under the fat listing.
For example:  Total fat is: 12g     Saturated: 1     Monounsaturated: 3     Polyunsaturated: 4
The fats only total 8, but the Total says 12. This means there are probably 4grams of hydrogenated fat so stay away!
Many new items now market themselves with something that says "No hydrogenated Oils" or "No Trans-Fat"

Vitamins: A, D, E, K (Fat Soluble)
These vitamins are stored in your fat so they stick around in your body longer and you could overdose on them.
Vitamin D is necessary for Calcium Absorption!!!
Vitamins: C & B complex (Water Soluble)
It is unnecessary to load up on these vitamins because excess will just be flushed out of your system.

Minerals:
Macro: Calcium, Sodium Chloride, Potassium, Magnesium, Sulfur and Phosphorus
Trace: Copper, Fluorine, Iron, Zinc, Selenium, Chromium, Iodine, Cobalt, Manganese, Molybdenum, Silicon, Vanadium, Nickel, Tin, Cadmium
Although they all play an importance I stress getting enough of the Macro Mineral Calcium! This mineral is extremely important in young women because they are in the stages of building their bones. Without it they will have brittle bones or risk having Osteoporosis as an adult. If taking a calcium supplement, look for one that includes Vitamin D as it is necessary for the absorption of Calcium. A great one is Caltrate with D. Calcium also helps with the fat burning process.

Water, though not a Nutrient, is essential to life! Drink lots of it :)

How to read a Label:
Each gram of x Nutrient as so many kilocalories per gram of that nutrient. If you multiply the number of grams of the nutrient by the number of calories it provides per gram it will give you the total number of calories that nutrient contributes to the food item
Fat: 9 kilocalories/gram
Carbohydrates (and fiber): 4 kilocalories/gram
Protein: 4 kilocalories/gram
Alcohol: 7kc/g (though metabolized like a fat)

Example) Pizza Sauce: **Serving size 1/4 Cup

*Although it is 1 calorie off, this is quite accurate. It could be off slightly because the real fat total may be 1.1 giving the item an extra calorie.
**Always look at the serving size! Often the serving size in a bowl of cereal is 1/2 Cup. Who eats that! Most people fill a big bowl to the top. Also look closely at a 20ounce bottled drink. Usually it holds 2 1/2 servings per container! This means instead of thinking it only has 40 sugars, it really has 100 sugars! Wow! No wonder our population is heavy. Everything is "Super Sized"! Please see my page on Rules to Eating for serving size examples!
Don't forget to add up the unsaturated fats and saturated fats to check for hidden hydrogenated Fats!
When reading wheat product labels don't fall for the bag saying "WHOLE WHEAT". If the first ingredient isn't whole wheat neither is the item! Often they read enriched wheat flour or unbleached wheat flour. Most of the ingredients have taken out all the stuff that is good for you! Buy bread products when the first ingredient reads "Whole Wheat Flour" or "Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour" or "Organic Whole Wheat Flour". Whole What products typically have more fiber. Some enriched products have fiber added so they may be ok as well.
Some to try: Pepperidge Farm 9 Grain Bread, Hodgsons whole wheat products, Kashi Heart to Heart Cereal, Kashi TLC Crackers
Visit a local health food store if you can't find any at a typical grocery store.

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