by Nayto » Mon Feb 11, 2013 8:14 am
Upon reflection, I realized that either people don't care or they don't know enough to ask the right questions. Therefore I will add facts and bust myths as time allows.
First up I will relate the basics of good health: Macronutrient management
Macronutrients are calories, carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Managing the intake of these four things is key to managing the composition of your body in terms of fat and muscle. In the bodybuilding word there is a term, "IIFYM" (If It Fits Your Macros), which basically means that you can eat whatever you want so long as you take in the correct amounts of each macronutrient. This is true in terms of managing the composition of your body, but obviously there are other factors in health, like nutrition/micronutrients. That exceeds the scope of this post though.
Here is a rundown of each macronutrient:
CALORIES
This is a unit of energy. Your body will use a certain amount of energy during the day and you will consume a certain amount of energy during the day and this is measured in calories. Calories can be consumed in the form of fats, carbohydrates or proteins. The amount of calories you need to consume in the day is dependent on your age, sex and size. If you want to gain weight you need to eat more calories than what you are using during the day. If you want to lose weight you need to eat less calories than what you are using during the day. If you want to put on fat just eat whatever you want and eat more calories than what you use. If you want to put on muscle you need to eat an appropriate amount of protein and ensure that you are eating slightly more than what you use (in many cases fat gain is inevitable with muscle gain, but it can be managed).
PROTEIN
This is the "building block" of your muscle. In order to sustain muscle in a sedentary lifestyle you should eat around 1.2g of protein for each kilogram (2.2lbs) of approximate lean body weight. If you want to gain muscle and are exercising appropriately, you need to eat 1.5g - 2g of protein for each kilogram of lean body weight.
FATS
Fats are essential to your bodily function, libido, psychological health and many other things. They are basically complex forms of energy and contain high amounts of energy per gram. You need about 1g of fat per kilogram of body weight, minimum. You can eat as many fats as you want to so long as you get sufficient protein and are within your calorie restrictions, but it is not advisable considering that you run the risk of taking in too many omega-6 fats which is unhealthy for your artery walls.
CARBOHYDRATES
Carbs are anything from white sugar to bread to sweet potato. It is a more simple way in which energy is stored. Carbs are responsible for quicker digested energy as well as building muscular mass. Let me reiterate that: If you want to grow muscle you need carbohydrates. It's a little counter intuitive, but it's a fact. Assuming you are getting enough fats and proteins you can fill up the rest of your calorie intake with carbohydrates. Interestingly, the more you eat fat and protein exclusively, the more your body will switch over to a ketogenic metabolism, where the body becomes better at metabolizing fats into carbohydrates. I don't know much about this though, so I won't comment. I know it's possible though.
That's pretty much it for macronutrients. This is basically for optimum health and managing your body composition and mass. Many people think managing this is ridiculous and symptomatic of some modern culture, but I think it is a blessing from God to have this kind of information. Obviously withing a macronutrient controlled diet, one needs to get the right micronutrients like phytonutrients, minerals and vitamins.
There is a myth that you need to eat your daily requirements in many meals spread over the day but this is simply not true. All that matters is your macro intake over 24 hours.
There is another myth that your breakfast should be big and your dinner should be small. This is also completely untrue. In fact, the opposite is true. When looking at the circadian cycle, the body is busy cleansing just after you wake up and eating too much will actually hinder this process. At most you should eat some fruit in this time. Around mid morning or lunch time should be the first meal. I personally take in most of my macronutrients between 8pm and 11pm just before I go to sleep so that my body has the time off to digest it. This has no effect on how the macronutrients are used i.e. You won't get fat from it and it is not unhealthy.
Last but not least...
FIBER
Fiber is not really a macronutrient, but should be considered. Fiber is basically a substance which cannot be digested and absorbs water. This is critical to your digestive health. The fiber will give bulk and moister to your fecal matter making it expel quicker and easier. How much fiber you need varies from person to person and you just have to test what works for you with trial and error.
That's about it for macronutrient management. I hope this helps some of you.