Carbohydrates are a macronutrient that have a bad reputation in some nutrition circles. I can’t deny that for some people following a ketogenic diet, they’re seeing weight loss results, but there are a number of factors that are at play including sustainability, micronutrient consumption, and even physical activity. I’m here to say that I don’t believe carbohydrates are the devil and they can be part of a completely healthy lifestyle. (I mean, hello, vegetables are carbohydrates!)
Today I’ll provide a breakdown of the difference between simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates and why each is needed in the diet. Have no idea what I’m talking about? Perfect, you’ll learn something today!
Calories In vs. Calories Out
The basic idea of weight loss is that in order to lose weight you must consume less calories than you expend. For those of you that are not familiar with this, calories are the energy that we get from food as well as the energy our body uses to live. So, we need to be giving our body energy as we use it. However, if we want to lose weight, we can eat a few less calories and/or burn a few more with activity, forcing our body to use what it already has stored (usually fat).
Most of the time, this basic equation works for weight loss. But, sometimes, it doesn’t…
Last weekend, I participated in a @lex_artis competition. Just three months before this, almost exactly, I was having surgery to place a plate and screws to fix a broken wrist. I scaled many of the movements, but definitely did more of the movements than I thought I would be capable of by this time.
Overall, I’ve been learning a lot from this experience.
I did a nutrition seminar at the beginning of the month and one of the questions I got really made me stop and think. I was talking about the plethora of misinformation available in the media when it comes to nutrition and was asked, “Where would you suggest we go to look for good information?” I really had to take a second and think about it. Was there one place on the internet that I really trusted to get it all right? Was there one place I could feel comfortable sending these people to get additional information? Unfortunately, I really couldn’t think of anything.
So how did I answer…
For almost a year now I have been writing for Sports Finest Magazine. Every month you’ll find a new article related to fitness, nutrition, sport, or health. Here’s my article form the February issue. Be sure to check out the magazine, especially if you’re a fan of sports based in Michigan’s Thumb!
What you eat is just as important to your training regimen as the workout you have planned for the day. This applies to everyone; recreational exercisers to elite athletes.
Not only is it important to choose the right foods but also the right amounts of each depending on where you’re at in your training cycle. The goal is to make your plate reflect the day’s training.
I think you will agree with me when I say there is a TON of noise coming from all different directions in the health, fitness, and nutrition space. It can be difficult to decide what to listen to and what advice to take. Who should you listen to, what program should you try, what products should you buy?!
From my experience with clients and what they tell me as well as my own personal experiences there I’ve felt the need to try to clear some things up and share some of my feelings about who we should be trusting in the areas of health and fitness.
Over the course of the last few months, I have had my fair share of experimenting with grain-free, gluten-free, paleo-type food options. My current diet is more paleo-ish than 100% paleo, but definitely paying more attention to the ingredients in my food and limiting the not-so paleo things.
In my search for paleo-like foods, I came across a sweet potato toast recipe by The Real Food Dietitians. (I highly suggest this site for some yummy recipes and great advice.) I decided to give it a shot and came up with my own rendition of the recipe.
I made a nut and seed mix this week that I thought I needed to share! It’s a great option for those of you that are on the search for a good high fat snack that also has a decent amount of protein but low in sugar. There are some decent nut mixes out there, but I find that most of them are using vegetable oils, added sugars, and all this other junk that is honestly unnecessary! All of the nuts and seeds I used for this mix are raw and the coconut is unsweetened. I did add some 85% cacao chips for some sweetness but also made some with 100% cacao chips to eliminate all sugar (paleo-friendly!)
Failure has been a topic on my mind lately. This may sound completely negative, but really I’m thinking about failure as part of being driven and successful. I’m not only accepting my failures, but I’m embracing them.
