Basic Nutrition Guide for Busy People

Everyone has to start somewhere and here is a good place to start your nutritional education.

If you’re here, there is a good chance that you’re trying to solve a problem which might be one of the following:

If you’re here, there is a good chance that you’re trying to solve one of the following problems:

• Losing body fat
• Building muscle
• Digestion issues
• Live with diabetes

…or you could just be curious.

Whatever the reason is, this is a good place to start building some foundation on what you are putting in your mouth daily.

To start it off, there are technically 3 main components of food that we consume— Carbohydrates, Protein, and Fats.

Carbs (Carbohydrates)

1g of carbs contains 4 calories.

We consume carbs on a daily basis since it’s the easiest and cheapest source of energy that we can get — think rice, bread, potatoes, noodles and etc.

If you are not on any particular diet e.g. vegan, keto, low carb, carbs will normally be the biggest portion of your diet.

According to research, having a consistent high carb diet is correlated to type-2 diabetes.

There are 2 types of Carbs:

• Simple carbs — Easier to digest so it’s a quick form of obtaining energy. Suitable as a pre and post-workout meal to replenish glucose quickly. E.g. Sugar, white rice, noodles, bread, potatoes, flour, etc.
• Complex carbs — Takes longer to digest so it doesn’t spike insulin as much as simple carbs. This means you are less likely to experience the “sleepiness” after the meal and in the long run, better prevent type 2 diabetes. E.g. Brown rice, oats, sweet potatoes, whole wheat bread, quinoa, etc.

Takeaway

Carbs are often the biggest cause of gaining weight which leads to various health issues. It’s common to have too many carbs in our diet. Try to eat complex carbs whenever possible and only have simple carbs before or after an intense workout.

Protein

1g of carbs contains 4 calories.

The primary function of protein is to repair body tissue and build muscle mass.

This is why you would often see bodybuilders have chicken breast and eggs as they are high in protein which helps in building muscle.

Besides that, a high protein diet has often been linked to fat loss.

This is because ingesting protein boosts metabolism as it requires more energy to be digested compared to carbs. Plus, a high protein diet tends to keep us full which curbs appetite.

Some common meat-based protein sources are chicken, fish, pork, beef, eggs, etc.

You can also get protein from plant-based food such as soybean, tofu, lentils, tempeh, quinoa, nuts, etc.

Takeaway

The main function of protein is to repair body tissue and build muscle. People who want to lose fat and build muscle tend to eat more protein.

Fats

Fats contain the highest amount of calories (1g of fat contains 9 calories) compared to the former 2 components.

The functions of fats include

• Storing energy(hence the high calories)
• Regulating hormones, and
• Assists nutrient absorption.

Including a low amount of healthy fat in our diet is essential to optimizing our body’s daily functions.

Yes, just like carbs, there are different types of fats that we consume daily.

• “Bad” fat — Saturated/Trans fat (This causes heart diseases according to research, reduce this as much as possible!) e.g. cooking oil, butter, whole milk, lard, heavy cream
• “Good" fat — Unsaturated fats (These are the kind of fats that we want in our diet) e.g. Salmon, egg yolk, nuts, avocado

If you’re eating out a lot, the chances of food being doused with bad fats are high. This is because they are generally cheaper and you never know how much oil the chef used in cooking your food.

Studies have shown that ingesting too much fat can also cause indigestion and flatulence.

Takeaway

Unless you are on a keto diet, fats should normally be the smallest portion of the meal since it's hard on our digestion. Try to avoid saturated fats when portioning your meal to only take in good fats.

So What’s Next?

Now that you’ve built some awareness about nutrition, the next step really depends on your goal.

A portion method that I apply to 3 meals per day is using my palm and fist as a guide depending on my goal.

Put on weight /Bulking— Palm-size of carbs + Fist size Vegetables+ Palm-size protein + minimal fat. Take it up a notch by including snacks in between meals.

Lose weight— Either through reduction of replacement. I prefer replacement as it keeps you fulfilled.

• Reduction — Lower the amount of food that we consume (having half a bowl of rice or cutting out soft drinks)
• Replacement — Replacing some food for the same volume but lower calories (e.g. replacing rice with veggies, soft drink with 0 calorie sodas, french fries with corn)

For health and energy — Focus on the quality of food. The less processed and sodium, the better. A 40% carb, 40% protein, and 20% fat diet can also take place here.

In Summary

Fitness is a journey and everyone has to start somewhere.

With this simple nutrition guide in mind, make incremental changes in your lifestyle and you will see results as you progress.

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