UNDERSTANDING THE BASICS OF GOOD NUTRITION
What is the definition of good nutrition? We refer best to nutrition as ‘food’!
Food is composed of nutrients, the most well-known are Macronutrients;
PROTEIN
CARBOHYDRATES &
FATS
Food also contains micronutrients such as water, vitamins & minerals. Each of these all contribute to our physiological function (the way our body works). Once absorbed, we break these down into smaller units to become usable by our cells; we get amino acids from protein, glucose from carbohydrates and fatty acids from fats. Although digestion and hormonal response can vary, once the subunits enter the general circulation, the actual food source doesn’t matter, as the body can’t differentiate what food it came from anyway.
Although this is fact it doesn’t mean the quality of food we eat is unimportant for our health, performance and body composition. Our bodies will physiologically respond better to a higher quality of food. Understanding the nutrients that make up our food is a fundamental part of understanding and learning nutrition especially what works best for your individual lifestyle and body composition. When discussing good nutrition for your health and training goals it’s important to refer to what we know as whole foods, this is because whole foods are digested and absorbed more slowly due to a higher fibre content which results in less glucose appearing in the blood, less insulin being released and less chance of fat storage.
The main sources for energy production are the macronutrients (listed above) and the amount of energy from these are referred to as calories. The most basic and important criteria for all good nutrition for effective weight loss, weight maintenance and training goals include:
Good nutrition properly controls energy balance
Good nutrition provides nutrient density (food containing large amounts of key nutrients)
Good nutrition achieves health, body and performance goals
Good nutrition is honest and outcome based
Good nutrition is sustainable for us and the planet.
*disclosure: the above is general guide, opinion and recommendation only – it is advisable to seek out further information from a GP or physician if you have any medical/health conditions or concerns that could affect consuming these supplements.
By Gemma Rice