Eat First, Supplement Later - II

In the last post, we had looked at the importance of eating correctly and building a good nutrition base with whole foods first and then going into supplementation. Eating them first should be a priority unless you want to be made of this:

Now lets get into supplements. Supplements are just that - supplements! They are your insurance policy in your nutrition and diet so that any deficiencies are covered. Not all supplements are equal. Which supplements and how much depends on the lifestyle of the person. Of course there are other factors, like environment, health, etc that determine which supplements, what kind and how much.

Almost always the food we are eating, even if they are whole foods, are deficient in the adequate amount of required nutrients to our bodies - especially with multi vitamins and minerals. This is because of environmental causes, pesticides, insecticides, genetically modified foods, the way food is grown today, etc. Some things  like some amino acids (building blocks of  protein) Vitamin D3 just cant be made by the body. These have to be supplemented. The most common form of supplements is a multi vitamin-mineral.

Supplementation is not necessarily medicine and in most cases if you look closely most of the medicines prescribed by doctors are mostly chemically synthesized versions of amino acids, fatty acids or vitamins and minerals. This is not to say they are not good. They have their place as their is a time and place for that. If supplements dont fall under the medical prescription, the other kind of supplementation will definitely help you to avoid doctors visits.

There are two groups of people now. Some want supplements and some will have nothing to do with them. In these are further extremes. From the ones who support supplements the extremists will forego normal food and ask for 'the millionth gram/ of XYZ in x quantity so that it will support their hypothalmus to produce enough hormones too...... ' you get my drift. The other side just flat out refuses healthy supplements, and they have poor nutrition and dietary understanding and habits.

Supplements picked up from a nutraceutical base rather than a pharmaceutical base are much more purer and effective.

For the average person, at any given point in todays world, we are deficient in some level of adequate macro or micronutrients. Most issues with skin, hair, fat loss, weight gain are as a result of inadequate nutrients. The answer is supplementation after you have eaten first.

There are common forms of supplements for macronutrients as well. Common forms include protein, fish oil, fiber. It is important to know what supplements you are taking. A common mistake is when someone decides to suddenly go all 'health and fitness' they want the latest tub of protein powder and omega 3 fish oil. That in itself is not wrong but here are the two biggest mistakes I have seen.

1) They usually want to supplement without eating an adequate amount of whole foods first

2) They usually go with a heavily marketed protein powder which has nothing but chemicals.

Educate yourself on what supplements you want to take. Check the quality and do your research.

As far as protein supplements are concerned they need to be checked. For vegetarians I definitely recommend a protein supplement as plants dnt have all the necessary protein nutrients required.

Here are some supplements that work for nearly anyone and everyone. Before you delve into these please remember these are my suggestions and not to be taken as medical advice or replace it. Check with a doctor who is sensible and who you trust first.

1) Vitamin C
2) Vitamin D3
3) Vitamin E
4) Vitamin B especially B12
5) Omega 3 - fish oil

Supplements will help you and in light of todays lifestyle, environments, and food production methods, its turning more into a necessity for every day. If you have been given supplements to take or suggested to take  you must know in detail why you are taking them. Remember, however its always eat first, supplement later!!

Eat first, Supplement Later - I

'Could you suggest a protein powder for me?'

This is a question that came from a client who was on a Nutrition Coaching program with me after two months of starting off. Prior to that she had asked me about supplements and I told her to stay away from them for a while - at least until she got her diet dialed in and her nutrition on track.

Unfortunately, its a question that comes from far too many people who's basic nutrition is not correct. On the other hand we have a bunch of people who think supplements are a waste of time or not necessary. I'll be dealing with how to use supplementation in another post. For a quick primer on supplementation read it here

The first thing you need to know about your nutrition is remember the 6 components of food. In case you have forgotten what they are:

1) Proteins
2) Fats
3) Carbohydrates
4) Vitamins
5) Minerals
6) Water

Protein - Protein is necessary to build structure and enhance growth of the body.

Fat -  Although a structure builder, fat is also a good energy provider. However fats play a very very important role in hormones functioning properly. The correct fats are not harmful. As a matter of fact along with good protein fats can give you healthy glowing skin, hair and nails.

Carbohydrates -  Carbohydrates are the body's preferred source of energy and is important to transport protein across the body as well.

Vitamins and Minerals - Vegetables and fruits (in that order) provide your micronutrients. Vegetables are one of the most powerful food groups you can have. Eat as much of them as you can throughout the day. Fruits having a higher sugar content can be eaten more sparingly.

Water - Water intake is absolutely necessary to keep the body hydrated and healthy It helps also in keeping the body systems cool rather than producing excessive heat. Water makes up approximately 70% of the body.

The first three are referred to as macronutrients. These are responsible for building structures of the body and providing energy. Vitamins and minerals are known as micronutrients. They are responsible for efficient working of certain processes and activities in the body. These are taken in much smaller quantities than the others but are absolutely vital for being healthy.

Getting the right foods that provide these nutrients and in required proper proportions for yourself will ensure your main nutritional bases are covered. So if you are not first covering the right quantities of the main groups don't even start on supplementation. If regular eating is not done first supplementation has no use or can even have some terrible consequences. Build a healthy relationship with food. Do not abuse it. You have to let food work for you and not let it control you. In all this remember its important to enjoy your food.

Eat well, eat responsibly and you will find your health and strength changing for the better. After the basics have been set we can move into supplementation which will be written about in a following post.

Top 5 Weight loss Strategies

Losing weight sounds simple but it can get confusing if you don’t know where to start. This is the top 5 most important things you can do to lose weight and keep it off.

1. Eat Less – This one sounds obvious but it can’t be stressed enough. The only way to lose weight is burn more calories than you consume. One easy way of doing this is eating less. As a matter of fact the only way any of the popular diets cause weight loss is because you end up eating less while you follow them. It doesn’t matter if the diet is low carb, high protein or low fat. As long as you are eating less calories than your basal requirement you will lose weight. The easiest and most effective calorie reducing system I have come across is Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilon.
2. Do High Intensity Exercise – High intensity whole body circuit training will ensure that you are burning lots of calories and working all the muscles in your body. This works better than traditional ‘cardio’ workouts for 2 reasons. First high intensity circuits burn more calories than ‘cardio’ can. Two, they build and tone muscle which keeps your metabolism up.
3. Get A Weight Loss Team – Social Support is the most important factor to realizing your weight loss goals. Get as many of your close friends and family on your side as possible. The more people that are pulling for your success the better. Make sure you always have at least two or three people to call that will help keep you on track when you feel like skipping a workout or cheating on your nutrition plan.
4. Eat more Fruits And Vegetables – This seems a bit simple but its one of the most effective things you can do to lose weight. Fruits and veggies take up lots of space in your stomach and fill you up without adding too many calories. They will also take the place of some high sugar and high fat foods you may have eaten instead.
5. Set Short Term Goals – Short term goal setting is often overlooked and is a powerful tool to realizing your eventual long term weight loss goal. Set multiple and attainable short term goals, and the shorter the better. At the start set goals for each day, morning evening and night. Set short term goals for finishing each one of your workouts, as well as for eating your fruits and vegetables. Set them each day, and mark it down each time you achieve one. As you build up your list of goals you have accomplished you will build up confidence and momentum towards your overall long term weight loss goal. Keep the list somewhere safe and keep marking down each goal as you achieve it. After a few weeks you should have a nice looking list of accomplishments to be proud of. Remember, every little bit counts.

Put these 5 strategies into effect and you will be well on your way to achieving your weight loss goals in record time.

One Important Skill I Learnt

Being into the fitness line and the kind of eating habits that I had to make, there was one skill I had to learn and learn quickly and I don't regret it at all. In fact its so important I would think everyone gets at least a 101 knowledge of it.

That one skill is - COOKING.

The reasons.

1) If you are hungry, you can quickly cook something up. eg. A scrambled egg recipe takes you less than 5 minutes to do.

2) If you are married, it will take pressure off your spouse. I know that when me and my wife are in the kitchen it cuts down the cooking time. That also means more quality time with my wife. Also, if she gets delayed or has a tough day, I can just handle the kitchen scene easily. Of course that is also a huge stress of her mind which is again what we fitness professionals should be looking to do!

3) Healthier and tastier Choices- You know exactly what you are putting into your meals and just what  suits your taste.

4) Accountability - You cook, your style, your ingredients. If you put in unhealthy choices you have no one to blame but yourself.

Honestly cooking is not difficult to learn. get the basics straight and you will find yourself moving around with ease. When in doubt, ask.

How I learnt cooking? Basic knowledge, common sense and normal physical sense (Watching, smelling and tasting.)

I just knew what the nutrient groups were and based on that I started to mix and match. I saw the general way people move around cooking, then started to put things together and relied on smell and taste to get me through.

Its not as difficult as it looks. As a matter of fact some of the recipes I featured on this blog were recipes I did the first time.

Go ahead, pick up on your culinary skills. You might also just be the next masterchef!

Nutrient or Caloric dense- Which one?

Walking through the clutter of nutrition information can really get mind boggling. However nutrition does not have to be complicated. By now you should probably know the KISS principle has a great value in life - Keep it Simple Stupid!

In todays post we will be looking at nutrient dense foods vs caloric dense foods.

A nutrient is a substance that provides nourishment essential for growth and life.

A calorie is a unit of heat energy. 

Lets go back to Nutrition 101. What are the nutrient groups?

• Proteins
• Carbohydrates
• Fats
• Vitamins
• Minerals 
• Water

You have to remember this: 

1) Your body needs nutrients rather than calories to maintain itself.

2) Each food group has its own value of nutrients and calories in different percentages.

In concentrating on how much nutrient your food has rather than calories (which in any case you will be getting) your hunger will be satisfied quicker and in a much more wholesome way. If you are eating more nutrient rich food, it will satisfy your hunger faster and you will not eat more than you should. This is because quality nutrients are more wholesome. It will also keep you full longer avoiding the need for snacking. Have you ever realised how difficult it is to eat a good helping of salad, rather than 2 bags of potato chips that just suddenly seem to vanish from your hand?

A calorie in itself is not bad and your body needs calories especially if you have to gain weight and burn energy to carry on bodily functions. However not all calorie sources are necessarily healthy. There are empty calorie foods. Those are absolutely devoid of any nutrients. As a matter of fact they might have more anti-nutrients. These are foods like processed foods, refined foods, candies, sweets......

Nutrient dense foods are not as appealing to the taste as most calorie dense foods of today. Most foods that are labelled caloric dense in today's world are basically junk. Why? Most of the density comes from empty calories. 

The best sources of nutrient rich foods are vegetables and fruits. This is not to say that meats and dairy are not nutrients but what is important is the quality of meats and dairy. They are the richest source of proteins and fats and protein and fat again is a vital nutrient. 

What is the number one group of foods that doctors and dieticians recommend to people trying to lose weight? Veges and fruits. They are rich in vitamins and minerals but are really low in calories. How ever this is only one part of the puzzle. If we keep living on only vegetables and fruits which are mainly carbohydrates, where are we going to get protein and fat from? Remember all the nutrients are necessary.

Each food carries its own caloric value and nutrient value. That can also mean while a food is highly caloric its nutrient value can be absolutely 0. This in essence is empty calorie food. 

Now the question is how do you choose between nutrient and caloric dense foods?

Honestly if you do it right you don't have to. You can get the best of both worlds.

What is the right way? Choose and order your food quality wisely. The more quality, fresh foods you eat, the greater the nutrient density. Stay away from any processed and refined foods.

For those of you just starting off and wanting to keep it really simple you absolutely cannot go wrong with fresh Vegetables and Fruits. Start off here, get your diet and nutrition in order as you start to find out what you should and should not be eating.

To your health.

I am sure this post helped you out. If you know anyone else who will find this useful please share this with them. Go ahead and leave your comments or feel free to ask questions.

Motivation for Nutrition

Supplements

If there is one thing I have noticed over my years in the fitness industry and Iron game, supplements seem to be a rage. It seems that nearly everyone wants the latest pills or powders or drinks to make them lose weight, build muscle or gain strength quickly. In a majority of situations it looks like drug pushers made legal!

So let's start clarifying certain things.

Firstly, Supplements are exactly that- supplements. It is not meant to replace your daily foods.  It is meant to act as an insurance to it. Which means, if something is missing in your diet, then the supplements come to your aid. Also, everyone requires different levels of supplements. A protein requirement for an athlete is going to be very different to a everyday health conscious individual. Even in athletes that ratio will vary depending on their sport, meal plans and diet. 

You do not need all of the supplements all of the time! There are some supplements you do need daily and we will take a look at those reasons later, but there is simply no need to keep slugging down powders and pills. 

Did you know that the basic forms of supplements are most commonly found in nature? Most - if not all supplements come from herbs, seeds or dairy byproducts. Lets take for example - Caffeine. Most people enjoy a nice cup of tea or coffee. So you sip it down and you just supplemented at a very basic level. 

Supplements are meant to be natural concentrates. Not chemically synthesized and poisoned waste products. Your body is an ingenious piece of creation not a trash can or dumping ground. With most supplements you might as well get on to full blown drugs or jump into a toxic pool! At least that way its not a slow death. My point is do a lot of research and know what you are taking before picking up a supplement.  Read your labels and ingredients carefully. If you don't know ask a professional trainer or a nutritionist to help you.

Real supplements are not medicines. However they can assist medicines and in some cases also do better than the medicines prescribed. Sometimes all that is needed by the body is a boost of a natural ingredient in its natural form for it to start the immune system back on. The body will respond quickly to what is natural - the way it was meant to be taken.

Why do you need supplements?

Supplements are basically concentrated substances of what is required. These are my reasons for need of supplementation:

1) Lack of nutrients in soil and food sources- Today's food quality is not what it was a few decades ago. Pollution in various forms, soil erosions, pesticides, GMO's (Genetically modified organisms), food processing etc have contributed to large damages in the food we eat today and draining it of precious vital nutrients.

2) Daily Requirements: The RDA or Recommended Dietary Allowance is the minimum amount of nutrients a person needs to live healthy. In most cases just to get that much of food to meet the RDA would be ridiculous. For eg. We need 30 mg of Iron in the body. That is equivalent to 15 cups of oatmeal! 

2) Jump start the body's recovery from deficiency levels: Sometimes the damage of all the years in our diet and exposure to pollution whether knowingly or unknowingly has left our bodies severely lagging behind with a specific nutrient or ability to recover quickly from an ailment. At this point supplements are needed to jump start the body's recovery process. 

3) Insurance policy - Just in case there is a lack of some vitamin, mineral or fiber from a naturally healthy diet, supplements will give you an insurance. Example- If you don't get vegetables in your diet on a particular day, you can definitely substitute with a multivitamin-multimineral and fiber.

4) Lifestyle - There are plenty of topics under this. Smoking, drinking, unhealthy eating habits, fast food, junk food,  8 hour desk jobs. Antioxidants, vitamins, energy boosters etc are needed. 

My personal belief is that the needs of increased supplementation has come about as a result of the gap in our foods. This is caused because of food adulteration by excessive, processing, contamination, GMO's etc. We do need supplements but we also have to know WHAT and WHY we are taking in to our bodies. Real supplements are definitely friends in our environments of today. However, if not taken correctly it can definitely be a terrible enemy or a killer.

Fat Loss and Dieting

After much in depth study, confusion, fads, diets, tonnes of information and Minimal time practical application with results on myself and clients, I have finally concluded that dieting for fat loss is really simple.

( just so I make myself clear simple is not always equal to easy!).

My personal example is along with a good weight training program and lifestyle change I lost 7 kgs in 2.5 months! I will be getting into the details of my story at a later post but for right now please get this:

GIGO = GARBAGE IN GARBAGE OUT

Your Fat Loss starts with changing your diet.

I can't tell you exactly which foods you should be eating and which you can't be since each are different individuals and different cultures. However, here are the diet guidelines I followed.

1) Start eating REAL food, stay away from processed foods: Eat real meat, vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy products. The more closer to the original source you get your food from, the better it is. 

2) Eat your vegetables: The best foods for a detox are vegetables. Even for a few meals in a day if you just live on vegetables, it will boost gut health. Salads are a great and tasty way of adding to the vegetable list.

3) Fatten up: Yes, I said it! Eat fats, the healthy kind. Stay away from marketing gimmick labels that say low fat. To get the fat balance right just stick with real meats, eggs, dairy products, nuts. The best oils you can cook in are olive oil and coconut oil.

4) Get rid of the sugar. Sugar is a white devil and the BIGGEST anti-nutrient in your diet. In my case I stopped nearly immediately and started looking for other sources. I do understand some people find it difficult to cut out sugar so make a start somewhere and start working towards healthy replacements of sugar. Raw honey, cinnamon, fruits are excellent sweeteners. I started with changing everything that needed sugar with raw honey. Or you can have fruits that are known for being sweet and just have your beverage without sugar or use that as dessert.Once your taste buds are activated with the sweet taste you really don't care about putting sugar in your beverage.

5) Stop snacking: If your main meals are already good, just stop snacking in between. You do not need excess calories. Usually most snacks are filled with a lot of sugar, unhealthy oils etc.

6) Supplementation: In most cases you are going to need the correct supplementation to jump start the body to correct itself and get it on track..........FAST! .To lose fat, I supplemented with a multivitamin- mineral, fish oil and fiber.Also I had to use vitamin C as it primarily helps with detox and for a short period vitamin E. I highly recommend the Nutrilite brand when it comes to supplements. Please remember supplements are just that- supplements. These can't replace your daily natural food.   

                     

These 5 pointers are things I have personally applied to my diet and watched my body fat drop and energy levels shoot up. I understand that some steps might be too drastic so I suggest make the changes slowly but start somewhere. 

Here are some tips that you could use to get you started with your diet change process.

1) Keep a food journal: To get you on your way, track what you eat whenever you eat. I know this sounds tedious but it will at least tell you where you and the changes you can continue to make.

2) Get guidance: Go to a good fitness trainer or nutritionist. They could point out exactly what your meal schedule should be and what should be added, subtracted or replaced.

3)  Stay accountable: Find someone who you can trust to keep you on track and who will also challenge you and motivate you to reach your goal.

Keep your meals clean and real most of the time. I do know that there are times where its really difficult to follow these rules - there are lunches and dinners to attend, sometimes you just have to eat out while you are on the go, etc. What I am saying is most of the time the choice is yours with what to feed yourself. Think about it in this way - Say you eat three meals a day, 7 days a week i.e. 7 x 3 =  21 times to eat. If you are not eating healthy most of those 21 times don't expect to lose fat and stay healthy. The more number of times you have an opportunity to eat you can either choose to eat healthy or not which will definitely affect your health and fat loss goal.

The Importance of a Nutritionist

Many times a health or fitness goal is simply not reached because the nutrition and diet is out of place. Now I am not talking about those people who are not committed to the goal and want instant quick fix results. I am talking about those who are actually doing whatever can be done and then reach a place where nothing is happening. In that case I would say invest some time and money in a good nutritionist. Remember this is an investment. A learning you can take with you for life and not to forget save you loads of money from hospital bills and also probably save your life.

So why do you need a nutritionist?

At some point - if you are serious about your health or fitness goals - you need a nutritionist. Here are some of the reasons.

1) You have to find out what you are eating and if you are on track. What if you were eating the wrong foods?

2) If you have a health or fitness goal you need to know if you are on the correct plan. The diet plan to lose fat is not the same as the plan to build strength or muscle.

3) Whats your job profile? An athlete's nutrition and diet plan is going to be different from a business man's plan.

4) Avoid lifestyle related diseases - Did you know most cases of deaths, hospitalizations and medical bills are based out of lifestyle related diseases which can be prevented or even reversed if found early? Take your pic.

These four pointers are enough reason to find a nutritionist. Just make sure you find a good one and get on the right track.

Fat Loss made Simple

Just so you know right at the start - Knowing what to do to lose fat is simple. It might not be easy but the procedure is simple and no I'm not talking about a quick fix either. So lets start at some of the most common problems and then we can look at the solution.

Problems

 'It's easy to lose fat, its keeping it off that's the problem!'

1) Confusion

Body weight is not the same as body fat. Body fat makes up a part of body weight. The more fat you have the more unhealthy it is and is an indicator for more lifestyle related disease. The weighing scale is not necessarily your best friend when you are on a diet because you would not know exactly what weight you are losing - is it lean muscle or is it fat? 2 things that I use to measure my progress is a body composition monitor and a mirror. Its amazing how truthful the mirror can be and that's why sometimes it takes guts and honesty to look into the mirror and take a long hard look at your self. So now we know when we talk of losing weight we actually mean losing fat.

2) Not knowing what to do.

People have tried diets, exercises or maybe even honestly wanted to go on a diet and exercise but just not known how to work their schedule for it to make time. If you are looking at a realistic view of how long and a program of exercise and nutrition to fit your schedule. I would say invest in a good fitness trainer (read my article 'What does a fitness trainer do?'). The reason being you might start to lose fat but you can also quickly yo-yo back to being fat and worse still come back with fat content than when you first started.

Solution

Here is the fat loss process

1) Clean up your eating - The number one step is watch what you eat and how much you eat. You are not a Garbage bin. Stop cramming yourself with so much food - especially processed foods! Not only are you adding unnecessary calories they are calories that have no nutritional value whatsoever. We call stuff like that trash. As much as possible stick to meats, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts - anything natural. Once the nutrient value goes up you will be eating lesser but be a lot more satisfied. You hit two birds with one stone - You are full as well as you  have good nutrients in your system. Remember GIGO (Garbage in Garbage out)

2) Exercise - The best exercise protocol that works is Weight training along with conditioning (otherwise known as 'cardio'). Weight training keeps up or puts on lean muscle mass. The more lean muscle you have the higher metabolism to burn fat off and keep it off. Conditioning helps with burning off existing fat that has already been stored in the body.

3) Rest and relaxation- You need to get proper rest. That includes a proper amount of sleep everyday and just taking a break from stressful situations. If you are over-stressed or overworked the biochemistry of the body turns negative and releases chemicals that actually assist fat gain.

4) Supplementation - Supplements are the insurance policy to cover something in your diet that could be missing for various reasons. Do not take supplements as a quick fix. It doesn't work that way. If you do take it that way you are going to have serious trouble in reaching your goals. Take the right supplements. Usually a multivitamin and fish oil work pretty well.  

There you have it. Fat Loss at its basic. Go ahead and get started........

   

Nutrition made simple- 3

The final part of this basic nutrition series we are going to take a look at micro-nutrients and water.

Micro-nutrients:

Micro-nutrients are needed by the body in very small amounts nevertheless essential. Any lack or excess can cause an improper functioning of related systems in the body. Micro nutrients have two categories:

1) Vitamins - There are two types again here and they are water soluble and fat soluble.

2) Minerals

No, I'm not talking about unnecessary tablets and pills here. As mentioned earlier, these are necessary for the effective working of the body. They can be got from normal food sources especially fruits and veges and of course in some traces meats, dairy products and grains. They also interact with each other and help in the proper synthesis of macro-nutrients, nervous system function, hormonal functions. etc.

Water:

The human body is over 70% water which shows its vital to survival. Proper intake of water per day is necessary per day for proper functioning of the body. At least 3-4 liters should be taken in each day. Just the right balance of enough water helps in relieving a lot of problems like headaches, constipation, tiredness, cramps. 

Supplementation:

Supplementation is the insurance policy to make sure you are getting the right amounts of nutrients for the   body. This is necessary because of food quality being affected because of modern farming practices, processed foods, overcooking or sometimes the quality of the source itself is in question. You want to make sure you have all your bases covered.

Summary:

A proper mix of all these macro and micro nutrients is what adds up to a balanced diet. A word about balanced diet - what is a balanced diet for one individual might not be a balanced diet for another. Eat well, drink the necessary amount of water and supplement your diet as you need to. Remember nutrition is a vital key to having a healthy and fit lifestyle.

Nutrition made simple -2

In part 1 we took a look at the definition of nutrition and a few reasons on why the right nutrition is so important.

 In this post we are going to look at Macro-nutrients.

Macro-nutrients are the biggest contributors to the maximum energy needs and requirements of the body.

They are 1) Proteins 2) Carbohydrates and 3) Fats

1) Proteins: They are the building blocks of the body and are essential for growth, recovery energy, fat loss, muscle gain, enzymes and many other functions in the body. They also play an important part for all physiological systems of the body. Proteins are made of amino acids which are also known as building blocks of life. 13 are non-essential (which are made by the body) and 9 are essential (cant be made by the body but available only through diet). Proteins can be used as a source of energy but it is not the most efficient source.

2) Carbohydrates: These are the preferred energy source of the body. They are converted to glucose for the body to work effectively. There are three varieties of carbs:

a) Simple (glucose, fructose, galactose, sucrose, lactose, maltose)
b) complex (starch)
c) Dietary fiber (soluble, insoluble)

3) Fats: The biggest criminal of the macro-nutrient family...........or is it? Fats are the other excellent source of energy for the body and also helps to efficiently absorb fat soluble vitamins. It can be stored in the body if in excess. Fats are an energy source and gives shape and structure to the body. It is also vital for proper hormonal growth and function. There are different types of fats but the two major categories are

a) Saturated
b)Un-Saturated

There is a lot more to be said about each of these topics but its just meant to give a simple overview. In the next post we are going to take a look at Micro-nutrients and water.

Nutrition made simple - Part 1

Would you fill your car's petrol tank with water? Well, you could - though I don't recommend it- you won't be going anywhere.

That's the way it is with the food you eat and nutrition. Nutrition is one word that is quickly turning into a buzzword, however also very misunderstood with a lot of definitions and scientific jargon. 

By now you know I like to keep things simple so my definition is: 

 'Taking in the right nutrients in right quantities your entire body needs to have sufficient energy to work at its best.'

Why is the right nutrition so important?

1) Optimal Energy to Perform - The human body is the best engineered piece of machinery in the universe. Different systems have to work in sync every second to keep it running. However what happens to machinery that does not get the right fuel or energy source? It starts to break down, wear and tear comes in quicker. Give it the right fuel or energy source and you have a well equipped piece of machinery, running at its best and producing the needed results.

2) Keeps you healthy - Nutrition plays a huge role in warding off lifestyle related diseases. It keeps your systems healthy and has the immune system running at maximum.

3) Fat Loss - Fat Loss is hugely related to nutrition. Yes exercise is important but nothing spectacular is going to happen if your nutrition is not right. You cant start to lose fat unless you are eating the right stuff at the right times.

There are definitely more reasons. According to me these three are the most wanted and vital ones. In the next few posts we will be working with a further understanding of what nutrients are needed and what they do.  

Yes....Yes....It's here......Recipes!

Yes.....Its finally here. I am starting to post recipes as well. These recipes are ones that are:

1) Tasty!
2) Healthy and Nutritious
3) Easy

I am starting off with one I made this afternoon (so you could say its straight hot off the oven!). Its Stir Fry Cauliflower / Gobi.

Ingredients:

1) Cauliflower (Gobi)

2) Onion (chopped)

3) Chopped Garlic (medium sized pod)

4) Coriander

5) Turmeric

I usually like to use a non-stick teflon pan.Throw in the cauliflower in a low flame and let it warm up. Add a bit of olive oil and start to lightly roast the cauliflower. At this point add salt and pepper and keep stirring. Add a pinch of turmeric at this point. Stir till it mixes well.Add the onions and garlic. Stir till the onions and garlic are fried. Finally add coriander leaves and stir till it gets lightly crispy and then its done. The last step is ENJOY!!! There you have it folks......my version of stir fry cauliflower.

Lets Eat......Right!

Eating! A vital part of everyday life. We keep our energy levels going with it, catch up with family and friends over a meal. It is a basic and vital function of life. However not knowing how to eat brings two problems with it. Either its too little or too much. Then come the two most common complaints - 'Im too tired!' or 'Im too fat'!

Alright lets cut to the chase. Here are the rules.

1) Always eat 5-6 meals a day. Don't use this excuse to gorge yourself. Eat sensibly and balanced.
2) The break between each meal should be 2-3 hours
3) Include proteins, carbohydrates and healthy fats in each meal.
4) Eat for what you are going to do in the next 3 hours following the meal. If you are not going to be doing heavy physical activity cut the carbohydrates and increase the protein. If you are going to get into more physical activity eat more carbohydrates and less protein.
5) Get plenty of water throughout the day.
6) Eat more natural foods than processed foods.

Start to get these rules in order with good sleep and exercise and you will find an increase in your energy and body. Now go get something healthy to eat....!