Nutrition Everybody Active project- Week 3
Macronutrients = in simple terms, fats, proteins and carbohydrates. These all have an important role and form part of a balanced diet, helping you stay fit both physically and mentally. Getting your diet right can help your body perform better during exercise and afterwards, help rid those late afternoon energy dips and improve IMPROVE YOUR BODY”S SHAPE inside and out!:)
Fats:
Not all fats are bad for you in fact, some fatty acids are essential because the body cannot make them, so these fats must come from your diet, e.g. eggs, oily fish like salmon, mackerel, avocado, nuts, flax seed, coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil.
Aim to include some of these into your diet each day. Once you realise that essential fatty acids help prevent blood clotting, reduce inflammation from injury and infections and maintain the immune system then their importance in our diet becomes apparent!
Proteins:
Like fats, proteins are also essential, they are needed to build a lean, strong body and contribute towards a healthy immune system.
Ideally each day you should have eaten an equal amount of all nine of the essential amino acids (essential amino acids can not be made by the body itself) to ensure you body has a complete protein source, this includes fish, eggs, poultry or lean meat. For vegetarians this involves combining proteins to get the full 9 essential aminos which can require more planning but leads to some delicious dishes that provide the body with a broad range of micro nutrients too.
Eating the correct amount of protein in your diet will help you body gain the right amount of energy and enable muscles repair effectively. As a result when combined with regular training your muscles will become leaner and your metabolism speed upJ
Carbohydrates:
Do not fear carbohydrates, but also don’t over indulge! Carbs give you lots of energy for those active days and help you refuel after longer workouts (sweet potato, rice, banana milk shake). Be aware though that eating too many of them will cause you to store fat therefore if you’re having a relatively mellow, inactive day low-carbs is the way forwards.
Glycaemic index is important! Read on…
Low GI gives slow release of energy for longer, promoting FAT BURNINGJ
High GI you get an immediate hit so perfect for post high intensity exercise session but not your best choice most of the time! Your key to having enough energy for your daily life with minimal fat storing is maintaining steady blood sugar levels this is achieved by Low GI so make the right choices with carbs like: porridge & museli for breakfast, acidic fruits, wholegrain breads, pasta, noodles and basmati riceJ I’m sure you can guess yourselves that cakes and biscuits are High GI, but some are wiser choices than others, everything in moderation;)! See my fb page for ideas…