Traditional Food Groups

In this day and age, most of us are familiar with fats, "carbs" and proteins as being the three traditional foods groups. Basic nutrition principles and diets are often formulated off the combination or elimination of these food groups and their subgroups.

Every year, the diet industry seems to come up with another catchy way to impress upon us which "types" of foods we should be eating and why. However, the simple fact is: we need all three types of the major food groups to survive. Our bodies are designed to tap the energy potential of fats, carbohydrates and proteins.

Tip: Complete exclusion of one food group or over-consumption of another can lead to serious, long-term health consequences.

In order to create and maintain a successful nutrition program, you must understand the basic food groups and how each food group interacts with and fuels your body.

Or, if you would rather get started tracking your food group intake, Sign Up Now!

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Good Fats, Bad Fats

• Unsaturated Fat (good)
• Satured Fats (bad)
• Trans Fatty Acids (really bad)

Most people cringe when they hear the word fat. Modern society has been taught to think that fat is bad. This is a misconception. Not all fats are bad and some fats can even keep you manage your weight and are critical for good health! In fact, recent studies have shown that it is not the total amount of fat in your diet that creates health problems, it is the particular kinds of fats you choose to eat that affect your health and weight!

A gram of fat consists of 9 calories. When talking about energy provide by the calories, a gram of fat "packs more punch". A gram of fat has more energy potential than its counterparts: carbohydrate and protein. The body likes fat because it is an excellent source of energy that can be stored. When you eat, it is important to remember that for every fat gram you consume, you will have to consume more than twice as much in the form of carbohydrates or proteins to equal the energy potential of the fat. This is why foods that have a large percentage of fat are usually much higher in overall caloric content.

Fats are broken down into two main categories:

• Saturated (solid)
• Unsaturated (liquid)

What's the difference? Well, for starters, it comes down to liquid versus solid. At room temperature, saturated fats take the form of a solid, whereas unsaturated fats take the form of liquid.

This is an important point to always visualize when you are consuming fats. Saturated fats, because they take the form of a solid, are considerably more difficult for your body to process. They clog arteries and cause other mayhem in your body that adversely affects your health. When people refer to bad fats they are talking about saturated fats.

TRANS FATTY ACIDS

To make the problem worse, modern food processing has altered good fats (unsaturated) and made them bad. This is not a myth. The process of hydrogenation (turning liquid fats into solid fats) turns good fats into bad fats.

You may have noticed that many food labels now address how much trans fatty acid is present in a particular food. That's because the trans fattry acids are bad for you. Trans fatty acids are the result of hydrogenation of unsaturated fats. The human body can't properly digest and process trans fatty acids. In fact, it gets so "tied up" trying to process these fats, that it begins to ineffectively deal with the good fatty acids that are important for your heath. Simply put, trans fatty acids not only clog your system, but they throw a wrench in the works as well, lessening your body'overall fat processing ability.

Tip: Avoid Trans Fatty Acids

Do You Know How Much Trans Fat You Are Eating?

GOOD FATS

So, what about the good fats? These are called essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids are critical for good health. The most commonly referred to forms are: Omega 3 & Omega 6 fatty acids, but these are only the ones that you must get directly from the foods you consume. Your body also has the ability to produce its own fatty acids whenever there is a surplus of calories in your system. Palmitic acid, stearic acid and oleic acid are the three forms of fatty acids your body is capable of produing. When you are reading food labels, you can identify good fats by the following names:

• Monounsaturated Fat
• Polyunsaturated Fat

All of the unsaturated, essential fatty acids are critical to good health and everyone should make an attempt to maintain healthy levels of unsaturated, essential fatty acids in their diets. By doing this you are:

• Helping manage your weight
• Helping your body transport certain fat-soluable vitamins (A,D,E,K)
• Protecting your internal organs
• Helping boost your immune system
• Keeping your heart healthy

Many of us are pretty bad at keeping a close eye on how much saturated fat is in our diet and how much unsaturated fat is in our diet. One way you can do this is by understanding which foods you eat contain which fatty acids and track the consumption of those foods.

Tracking is the best way to determine whether or not your current diet is providing you with the right levels of essential fatty acids. Changing your diet and/or taking supplements can help create the optimal levels of essential fatty acids in your body. Our recommendation: Start tracking your current diet and supplement regimen using Nutrispot.

After a month or so, print out your nutrition report for your doctor, dietician or other health professional and start discussing options that will ensure optimal levels of essential fatty acids.

Additionally, here is a list of common foods that are high in good fats:

• Olive Oil & Grape Seed Oil
• Nuts
• Avocado
• Corn
• Soybean
• Fish (Salmon, Tuna)

Avoid or Reduce Your Intake of These Foods:

• Butter
• Margarine
• Fast Food, Fried Food
• Fat from Animal Sources

What Is Your Good Fat vs. Bad Fat Ratio?

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram. This is less than half the calories of a gram of fat.

Like fats, carbohydrates are broken down into different categories:

• Simple Carbohydrates
• Complex Carbohydrates

The body converts carbohydrates into glucose, which is why it is impossible (and dangerous) to completely remove carbohydrates from your diet. Glucose is fuel for the body and the brain. With out it, you do not function.

Carbohydrates are more easily broken down and used by the body when compared to fats and proteins. Simple carbohydrates are the easiest for the body to break down and use for immediate energy. You may have experienced this in your everyday life or if you suffer from hypoglycemia. When you have hit the point of extreme hunger, your blood sugar (glucose level) drops and you start to feel a bit "off". You know you have to eat, so you start to hunt for food.

Have you ever noticed which types of food you automatically crave or eat first? Many people report reaching for carbohydrate-heavy food, such as bread or candy. It makes sense: your body is telling you to give it the food that takes the least amount of effort to process so that it can get glucose to your brain and nutrients to vital organs. Carbohydrates, especially simple carbohydrates, quickly elevate blood sugar levels and provide the body with immediate energy.

Do You Know Your Good Carb vs. Bad Carb Ratio?

For the purposes of good nutrition, it is important to have a diet that consists more of complex carbohydrates (good carbs) than simple carbohydrates (bad carbs), except in the case of fruits. The simple carbohydrates you should avoid are those found in sugar and in processed foods. They not only cause you to load up on calories, but they can also adversely affect your body's ability to manage its blood sugar levels.

How much sugar are you really consuming?

Finding out could be the key to your successful nutrition plan!

On the other hand, complex carbohydrates are good fuel and are often associated with very nutritious foods. Whole grain bread and other plant-based foods are an excellent source of complex carbohydrates and contain other nutrients essential for good health. So, avoid the candy and processed white bread, but don't avoid carbohydrates all together!

While Nutrispot is not in the business of promoting certain diets over others, we do recommend that complex carbohydrates be apart of whatever diet or nutrition lifestyle you choose. Your heart and your health will thank you for it!

Just make sure to monitor your consumption and adjust your intake of carbohydrates according to your current level of physical activity!

Proteins

Like carbohydrates, proteins have 4 calories per gram. They are essential to human nutrition because they contain the building blocks of life: amino acids.

Tip: Humans need a variety of proteins in their diet for optimal health.

The body must have access to a diverse selection of amino acids in order to function at an ideal level. As the major component of muscles, protein is an essential nutrient that allows us to be active and strong. Protein is also found in other areas of the body, such as the skin, hair, and eyes.

The amount of protein in a person's diet varies considerably depending on age, activity level and general nutritional requirements. But it is the quality of the protein in your diet that can really make a difference in how you look and feel. Most people think that the best source of protein is meat.

While certain meats (e.g. oily fish) provide excellent sources of protein, good fats and other nutrients, other plant-based sources of protein provide an excellent source of essential amino acids necessary for optimal health. Examples are nuts, legumes and certain vegetables such as soybeans.

Unlike fats and carbohydrates, there seems to be a stronger link between food allergies and proteins. Some people are highly allergic to certain proteins, such as those found in shellfish or peanuts. An allergy to gluten, a protein found in whole wheat, is also fairly common. Most people, however, digest and process proteins safely.

Protein is perfect example of a macronutrient that must be eaten in the right amounts. Too much protein in the diet can lead to digestive problems and other health issues, while too little or incorrect consumption of protein can rbing about a whole host of symptoms. lead to fatigue, hair loss, insulin resistance, and hormonal irregularities.

Symptoms of protein deficiency or poor protein consumption:

• Fatigue & Weakness
• Hair Loss or Dullness
• Insulin Resistance
• Hormonal Irregularities

It is important to carefully look at your lifestyle and assess what your daily protein intake should be. We recommend that you use our Nutrition Tracker to look at your current intake habits. Then, run a report for your nutrition support professional and ask them how best to change your diet to meet your daily protein needs.

One question we often get here at Nutrispot is:

Does being a vegetarian cause protein deficiency?

Our answer:

Any diet can be protein deficient, but vegetarians are at especially high risk. However, many vegetarians are skilled and proactive about making sure that they get the proper amounts of protein in their diet. Vegetarianism is a nutrition lifestyle that requires some experience in food substitution and nutrient monitoring. It can be a very rewarding lifestyle, but it is best, before you start, to become familiar with the nutritional requirements of being a vegetarian and discuss its impact on your health with a nutrition professional or other health care provider.

One final note about proteins: If you are planning on, or are currently in, the process of increase your physical activity, pay close attention to your protein intake. It will become especially important in helping achieve your fitness goals.

How much protein do I need?

Your protein intake needs to be based on the following:

1. Do you have any allergies to certain proteins? If yes, then you need to make sure your avoidance of certain proteins is not causing you to become protein deficient.

2. Do your currently exercise more than 1 hour per day at least 3 days a week? If so, you should assess your protein intake levels. It is as simple as noting symptoms such as fatigue, tiredness, inability to recover from a workout, and experiencing muscle wasting or not being able to build muscle.

3. Are you planning on starting an exercise regimine or increasing your current regimine? If yes, follow the advice in #2.

4. Are your nails brittle? Is your natural hair growing slowly, breaking and lacking shine? You may need more protein in your diet.

5. How old are you? A young, growing person who is physically active will require more protein than someone in their 70's or 80's. However, this does not mean that older people shouldn't monitor their protein intake. It is best to talk to a health care professional about the protein requirements for your age group as well as for your lifestyle.

Otherwise, the amount of protein needed by each person varies. We have found ranges for women that run from 20 grams per day to 80 grams per day. For men, the ranges are often double or triple that for women. For a moderately active woman, 20-40 grams of lean protein per day will probably suffice. The more active you are, however, the more you need to increase the amount and variety of lean protein you consume. For men, 40-100 grams per day, based on physical activity, seems to be the norm.

One final note: when you increase your protein to accomodate increases in physical activity, remember that this protein is not itended to replace any of the other food groups. You still need your complex carbohydrates and your good fats to keep your body running at optimal capacity.

How Much Protein Is In Your Diet?