I am always a little confused when someone tells me they don't eat carbs, because fruits and vegetables are a key source of vitamins and minerals. Usually after several questions I find they mean they don't eat grains which while still a carb is not the sole inhabitant of the name carb.
I am here to clear up the confusion. First some background.
I remember when we had a food pyramid. I may be dating myself but this is important. The food pyramid created a hierarchy of food and a misconception about how much of each food group we should be eating.
The Base of the pyramid was grains (bread, pasta,rice etc) and we were told 6-11 servings of these a day aka the bulk of your diet.
Next up was fruits (2-4 servings) and vegetables (3-5 servings) topped by meat, beans eggs and nuts (2-3 servings) and dairy (2-3 servings) and at the very top was fats, oils and sweets with the suggested serving of sparingly.
What this pyramid did was give us a very confusing way to create our daily meals with a heavy dose of carbs and a dash of protein and good fats.
In 2011 we switched to my plate which gave us a better idea of how to build a meal instead of a day. It is way easier to think about eating healthy meal to meal instead of hoping you get everything in in a day.
My Plate suggests make half your plate fruits and veggies, a fourth whole grains, a fourth protein and a small side of dairy.
To me this is still kind of confusing. So lets talk macros.
Macro nutrients are Protein, Fats and carbs. They are the bulk of your diet and each preforms a vital function and you need them all! We will dive deeper into these later but for now:
Carbs provide your body with energy and help you poop. They include grains, fruits, vegetables and all those awesome sweets we love to snack on.
Protein helps your body build and repair tissues (muscle gains anyone?) and other things like hormones and enzymes. They include meat, dairy, beans and nuts.
Fats help our body stock pile and use certain nutrients, provides energy and boosts brain performance. They include fish, oils, nuts, dairy and most of your favorite unhealthy treats.
So now that we have some background, macros are better (in my opinion) because you don't have to eliminate anything as long as you are getting all three macro nutrients.
For example: I am lactose intolerant and don't like most fruit so I don't have to feel bad about eliminating two food groups, or sections off my plate as long as I am getting enough protein, fats and carbs else where.
Vegetarian? No problem! Get your protein from plant sources and it no big deal that you gave up a food group.
Gluten intolerant? Again, no problem! You can get all your carbs from fruits and veggies.
See where I am going with this? Macros are better.
I am here to clear up the confusion. First some background.
I remember when we had a food pyramid. I may be dating myself but this is important. The food pyramid created a hierarchy of food and a misconception about how much of each food group we should be eating.
The Base of the pyramid was grains (bread, pasta,rice etc) and we were told 6-11 servings of these a day aka the bulk of your diet.
Next up was fruits (2-4 servings) and vegetables (3-5 servings) topped by meat, beans eggs and nuts (2-3 servings) and dairy (2-3 servings) and at the very top was fats, oils and sweets with the suggested serving of sparingly.
What this pyramid did was give us a very confusing way to create our daily meals with a heavy dose of carbs and a dash of protein and good fats.
In 2011 we switched to my plate which gave us a better idea of how to build a meal instead of a day. It is way easier to think about eating healthy meal to meal instead of hoping you get everything in in a day.My Plate suggests make half your plate fruits and veggies, a fourth whole grains, a fourth protein and a small side of dairy.
To me this is still kind of confusing. So lets talk macros.
Macro nutrients are Protein, Fats and carbs. They are the bulk of your diet and each preforms a vital function and you need them all! We will dive deeper into these later but for now:
Carbs provide your body with energy and help you poop. They include grains, fruits, vegetables and all those awesome sweets we love to snack on.
Protein helps your body build and repair tissues (muscle gains anyone?) and other things like hormones and enzymes. They include meat, dairy, beans and nuts.
Fats help our body stock pile and use certain nutrients, provides energy and boosts brain performance. They include fish, oils, nuts, dairy and most of your favorite unhealthy treats.
So now that we have some background, macros are better (in my opinion) because you don't have to eliminate anything as long as you are getting all three macro nutrients.
For example: I am lactose intolerant and don't like most fruit so I don't have to feel bad about eliminating two food groups, or sections off my plate as long as I am getting enough protein, fats and carbs else where.
Vegetarian? No problem! Get your protein from plant sources and it no big deal that you gave up a food group.
Gluten intolerant? Again, no problem! You can get all your carbs from fruits and veggies.
See where I am going with this? Macros are better.
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