Run. Walk. Eat. (eBook)

CHAPTER 1

NUTRITION BASICS

You can’t make better food choices if you don’t understand what food is a better choice!

Carissa Galloway, RDN

How many decisions do think you make about food each day? Most people estimate about 15 when the real number is closer to 200. 200! You make 200 decisions about food each day and most of them are unconscious. Consider your morning cup of coffee—what flavor of coffee? Hot or cold? Cream or sugar? More sugar? Do I want a muffin? A second cup of coffee?

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with making 200 food choices a day, however, without nutrition education you’re not equipped to make the best food choices you can.

Why do these food choices matter? Good nutrition plays a role in reducing your risk of four of the top 10 leading causes of death in the US, including heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. Also if you’ve chosen this book, then you likely strive to lead an active lifestyle, and good nutrition will give you the energy to meet your goals and maintain an active lifestyle with all the mental and physical benefits that go along with it.

My goal for YOU is that you’re informed about what to eat and what is good for your body. That’s why we’re starting with nutrition basics, which will help you build a better plate.

MACRONUTRIENTS

A macronutrient is a nutrient that your body needs in a large quantity to maintain the body’s structure and systems. When we say “macronutrients,” we are typically referring to carbohydrates, protein and fat, the nutrients we use in the largest amounts.

CARBOHYDRATES

Let’s start with carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are often vilified and the first thing cut out of diets; however, carbohydrates are your body’s main and preferred fuel source. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (www.dietaryguidelines.gov), carbohydrates should make up 45 to 65 percent of your total daily calories. In a 2,000-calorie diet, that is roughly 900 to 1,300 calories per day from carbs. These carbohydrates are important because they give your body glucose, which then gives your body the energy to function. Glucose + energy. Your brain and blood cells rely on glucose to function, so this is a nutrient we want to build our diet around to support an active lifestyle. To further this point, the brain’s only fuel is blood glucose, and if the brain doesn’t get an adequate supply, it will start shutting down energy to areas that help you exercise . . . and think.

WHAT FOODS ARE CARBOHYDRATES

Carbohydrates come mainly from plant sources and include foods like:

•Grains such as breads, cereals, pasta, oatmeal, rice, crackers

•Fruits

•Beans and legumes

•Dairy products such as milk and yogurt

•Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, peas, and corn

•Sweets such as cake, cookies, candy, pies, and soda

•Juices and sports drinks

•Popcorn

Are there good carbs and bad carbs? I don’t like to label foods as “good” or “bad,” but from the above list, I’m sure you know some foods are more beneficial to your body than others.

When building our diet, we want to focus on the carbohydrates that contain fiber and essential vitamins, such as whole grains and beans. We also want to pick carbohydrates like fruit and vegetables because those carbohydrates are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Here’s an example of beneficial carbohydrates you can include in a day of eating:

•½ cup of oatmeal cooked in 1 cup of milk with ¼ cup raspberries

•1 apple or pear

•1 whole wheat tortilla

•½ cup of black beans

•4 oz cottage cheese

•1 small sweet potato

•1 cup roasted broccoli.

Reducing added sugar from your diet will have a beneficial impact on your health and waistline, so limit your intake of sweets, sodas, and other high-sugar drinks. Research continues to show the dangers of too much added sugar in our diet, so let this book be your first nudge to take a close look at your diet and remove added sugars.

NATURAL VS ADDED SUGAR

Before we move onto our next macronutrient, it’s important for me to reinforce the benefits of sugar from natural sources and separate them from added sugars. You have likely read a diet book or listened to a colleague on a diet tell you that they don’t eat fruit because it has too much sugar. Does fruit have sugar? YES! Does this fruit sugar benefit you? YES!

The distinction is the difference between naturally occurring sugars and added sugars. Naturally occurring sugars are those found naturally in fruit and dairy foods. Added sugars are, as the name implies, sugars added to processed foods and sweets.

Naturally occurring sugars come in whole foods and are naturally packaged with other beneficial nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Foods packed with fiber not only do wonders for your cholesterol and digestion but fiber provides bulk that fills you up and makes it challenging to overeat these foods. The fiber also slows down the absorption of the naturally occurring sugar, which is beneficial to your blood sugar.

To further my point, let’s compare an orange with candy orange slices:

One navel orange gives you 65 calories, over 100 percent of your daily value of vitamin C, 12 grams of naturally occurring sugar, and 3.5 grams of fiber.

Six candy orange slices give you 300 calories and 19 teaspoons of added sugar. There are no vitamins or fiber.

Which one do you think supports your overall health and active lifestyle?

If you’re still unclear on added vs natural sugars, then when in doubt, read the label! Sucrose and fructose are the most common added sugars.

Added sugars can be listed on a food label in approximately 56 different varieties or names. Some of the most common include:

•Sugar

•Corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup

•Molasses

•Fructose

•Honey

•Agave syrup

•Brown rice syrup

•Cane sugar

•Corn sweetener

•Dextrose

•Evaporated cane juice

•Maltodextrin

•Xylose

The bottom line is that picking carbohydrates that are beneficial to our body can provide energy, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and support our healthy goals.

PROTEIN

Let’s look at our next beneficial macronutrient—protein. Without exaggeration, you can say that protein is the main structural and functional material in every cell in your body. Protein powers your muscles that allow you to stand, walk, run, and swim. Protein is necessary for your immune system to fight off infections. Protein allows your hair and nails to grow, and without protein you would not be able to digest the food you eat.

Protein is an essential macronutrient, and most Americans are getting adequate protein. For a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet, your recommended protein intake is between 200 and 700 calories from protein or 50 to 175 grams of protein daily.

Another way to look at it is tied to your body weight. The current RDA for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. Since Americans usually know their body weight in pounds and not ounces, you can use this equation to find a baseline for your protein needs:

•Multiply your weight in pounds by .36.

•For example, a person weighing 175 pounds would need at least 63 grams of protein per day.

Protein is found in many foods including:

•Meat

•Seafood

•Poultry

•Dairy Foods—milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese

•Dried Beans

•Nut butters

•Nuts, seeds, and legumes

•Soy—tofu, tempeh, edamame

•Protein is also found in lower amounts in grains and some vegetables such as peas

Here’s an example of protein in a day of eating that contains 72 grams of protein:

•8 oz milk—8 grams

•2 eggs—12 grams

•1 tablespoon peanut butter—4 grams

•½ cup black beans—7 grams

•4 oz cottage cheese—14 grams

•23...