Looking Into Carbs, Proteins and Fats

The human body uses three specific types of energy sources; energy from carbohydrates, energy from proteins, and energy from fats. What is the difference in these energy sources and how can you ensure you are fueling your body correctly?

Carbohydrates are typically recommended to account for 40-45% of a healthy diet. Carbohydrates, because they break down so quickly, are your body’s main source for fuel and energy. Most carbohydrates digest in two hours or less so many nutritionists advise that ingested carbs be packed with fiber to slow the excretion of sugars into the blood stream. If you are consuming more carbs than you are burning, then carbohydrates will ultimately be stored in your body as fat. This is the reason there are condescending views on carbohydrates but if they are not eaten in excess, then they are actually a very healthy method of energy. On the contrary, if you are eating too little carbs, then your body will begin to steal energy from neighboring muscles causing detrimental muscle loss; and don’t forgot, your heart is also a muscle. Therefore, cutting out carbs completely can be really unhealthy for your heart, amongst other muscles within your body.

Proteins are the building blocks of your body’s muscle makeup. They should compensate for 25-30% of your daily intake, and most nutritionists will recommend lean meats as opposed to red, fatty meats. Portion sizes, especially in America, are often overgrown. An actual portion size of protein should be no larger than a deck or cards or an average sized fist. If you are an avid weightlifter, or if you do some type of physical activity where you are exerting large amounts of energy, you may want to consider adding a few more grams of protein to your diet each day. There are a plethora of healthy products out there, such as protein powder or protein shakes, to help you accomplish this mission. Children, especially very active children, should definitely be ingesting a higher amount of protein on a daily basis as well.

Fats, despite their bad reputation, are actually recommended to makeup approximately 30-35% of your daily intake. That is more than your protein intake! There are three types of fats. The worst type of fats will increase your LDL, lipoprotein cholesterol, which is unhealthy cholesterol. Foods that increase LDL will be listed as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. The second worst type of fats are saturated fats. They may take up to 10% of your daily fat intake and can be found in most fatty meats and dairy products. Lastly, there are the good fats; good fats are normally derived from naturally oily substances such as olive oil, nuts, avocados, and grape seeds. If you are going to be consuming fats, the best way to do it is with these healthy fats. They are, in moderation, good for heart health and circulation.

Diets in general are always about balance. If you use moderation when consuming your meals, you will be able to ensure that you will not ingest too much of one food energy source!

3 Key Elements To Losing Weight

Anytime you are looking to lose weight, whether you are in the market for losing ten pounds or one hundred pounds, you must fully comprehend how the body operates when it needs to lose weight. You must have three key principals to any great weight loss outline. Determination is first, without it you are going to be faced with temptations and not follow through with your goals. Second is a successful diet plan, and third is an exercise routine.

Determination must be addressed, as many people fail to be fully committed before they jump head first into their weight loss plan. Determination not just to steer clear of those fattening food temptations, but to push yourself to make smart decisions in your fitness and diet plan on a daily basis. Food is nothing but an emotional crutch that millions of people suffer from. They either eat too often, or they do not eat enough. Both examples of people are destroying their bodies from inside out. When you eat too much you do much more damage than gain a few extra pounds you may not have wanted. Your joints suffer and so does your energy level. Not eating enough is dangerous in that it can potentially starve your body of healthy nutrients it craves each day.

The diet plan is an important key as you truly are what you eat. If you are feeding your body healthy proteins and whole grains, it will result in a strong and lean physique. When you constantly eat junk foods, your immunity becomes much weaker and you lose out on having plenty of energy to last all day long. Building muscle is crucial, it does not necessarily have to be huge muscle growth as in a bodybuilder, but every person needs to have enough muscle to provide strength to lessen the need to strain your joints as well as to burn fat. The more muscle you possess on your frame, the quicker your body burns fat. One easy rule is to look up how many calories your body will need when you get to your goal weight. If you weigh 150lbs currently, and you wish to eventually weigh 130lbs, then you must eat the calories for that person at 130 pounds. If you can create some form of deficit with your caloric intake each day, you will most definitely lose the weight.

Exercise is vital for losing weight, you have to move your body to get rid of those pounds. Do you have to go join a gym tomorrow and go every single day for the rest of your life? Absolutely not, in fact there are endless exercises you can do right at home and for free. Finding activities that you enjoy doing is very important to sticking with your fitness plan. If you continue on a path of fitness at least three times per week, consume a healthy diet and stick with your initial determination you had when you began the weight loss journey, you will see result and much faster than you ever expected.