The Rest of the Story
Nutrition Part I discusses the importance of proteins but be mindful that protein alone isn’t enough for survival or maintaining your health, nevermind fueling your training. The other two macros – carbohydrates and fat – are vital, too.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are extremely important to resistance training since they are converted rapidly into energy, increasing the reliance of them as intensity of exercise increases. In fact, contrary to protein timing, it is important to resupply carbohydrates to your body after a workout. Making sure you also have some in your system before training is vital, too. Carbohydrates are the preferred form of energy to burn during training, especially for high-intensity, short-duration exercises.
The amount of carbohydrates that you want to consume throughout the day depends on your goals. It would take a longer discussion to cover the topic fully. A general suggestion would be to pay more attention to carbohydrate consumption on training days. Use your energy level as a guide. Around training, high-glycemic carbohydrates – those that absorb quickly into the bloodstream – are good options. The focus at this point is fuel. Your body needs the glucose to convert into glycogen.
That being said, it is also important to eat fruits and vegetables to have a well-rounded diet. They are carbohydrates, too, but they provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber which are all essential to a healthy body. One caveat is that consuming too much fruit is, basically, having too much sugar. Sure, fruits provide a lot of nutrients, but that doesn’t give carte blanche to indulge in them without thought. Proceed with caution.
As far as fiber is concerned, it is extremely important to get both soluble and insoluble fiber in your daily diet in order to maintain a healthy system. Leafy greens and other fibrous vegetables help meet this need. Females should aim for at least 25 grams per day, while males should strive for a minimum of 30 grams per day. In an ideal world, we’d all get enough fiber from our food intake but if that’s a problem, fiber supplements can be useful.
Fats
The third macro is fat. Despite its bad reputation, fat is also essential to survival. It aids brain function and regulates hormones amongst many other things. Just like protein, having some fat in the diet can also create a greater feeling of fullness. Certain fats, such as unsaturated fat, contribute more positively to health than others. Some great sources of fat include avocado, seeds, nuts, nut butters, and olive oil. If you are trying to sustain a healthy lifestyle, it’s best to limit your consumption of packaged and highly processed foods as these tend to have saturated fat and ingredients that are detrimental to your overall wellness and fitness.
The Balancing Act
All together, the three macros should add up to and account for 100% of your daily nutrition. Whether or not you choose to track the ratio is up to you. On a basic level, the easiest approach to balancing your diet is to consider the amount of protein you need first. Then you can determine the carbohydrate and fat ratio depending on your nutritional needs. If you are considering the protein first, then looking at consuming enough carbohydrates to support your training and bodily functions, you can fill in the rest with whatever combination of carbohydrates and fat that you desire.
Overall, you can accomplish a lot by following just the basic principles of protein ingestion. You can take more steps towards optimizing your nutrition based on your comfort level with adherence and the strength of your goals. Decide what works best for you and change things up if you find something isn’t desirable for your specific situation. Remember that we’re all individuals and there’s no one perfect formula for everyone. Most importantly, support your training through your diet. Feel good in body and spirit.
Consider using Nutrition Coaching at SBWC to help you fuel and make sense of your wellness journey. Engage in a detailed conversation about your specific health and fitness aspirations. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more tips and to get a copy of our nutritional cheat sheet.
