What Should My Diet Consist of?
The Low-down on Nutrition.

By Ryan Hite, Fitness Services Coordinator
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With 168 hours in a week and only a few hours spent in a gym, nutrition is extremely important. Making sure your body gets the proper nutrients in the right portions is critical for staying healthy, maximizing your workouts, and getting results! Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins, and water are the six macronutrients that the body requires for everyday life. The following is a breakdown of the importance of each of these nutrients.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are extremely important in providing the body with energy. Contrary to what many of the fad diets lead you to believe, carbohydrates do not immediately convert to fat. Carbohydrates are released into the blood stream in the form of glucose (sugar) molecules. These molecules then travel throughout the body providing energy to working muscles and other tissues. Not until all the tissues in the body have topped off their carbohydrate stores, do these sugar molecules start converting to fat for storage.

Breads, cereals, pasta, fruits, and starchy vegetables are all good sources of carbohydrates. 55-60% of your dietary intake should be from carbohydrate sources. Try to get most of your carbohydrates from whole grains and foods high in dietary fiber. Whole grains help to regulate blood sugar better than bleached and sugary carbohydrates - a diet high in bleached and sugary carbohydrates will cause sharp rises and steep drops in energy throughout the day. Diets high in fiber have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and colon cancer.

Proteins

Protein is made up of many amino acids. Amino acids are critical for the growth and repair of bodily tissues including muscles. Twenty amino acids exist in the body; eleven of these can be produced within the liver and the other nine cannot. This means that nine of these amino acids must come from an individual's diet. Some foods contain all of the amino acids needed; these are considered high-quality sources or complete proteins. Other foods do not contain all the amino acids needed by the body; these are considered low-quality or incomplete proteins.

In general foods of animal origin contain high-quality protein, where as foods from plant sources are generally low-quality proteins. These plant sources of proteins are still good and healthy sources of protein, but they must be complimented by other proteins to make them complete. Eating a variety of proteins is the best way to make sure your body is getting all the right amino acids. 10-15% of your diet should be made-up of protein.

Fats

Due to the low-fat diet craze that swept the country in the 1990's, fat is often looked at very negatively. Although excessive amounts of fat are not considered healthy, a moderate amount of fat is important to include in a healthy diet. Less than 30% of your diet should consist of fat. Fats are carriers for fat-soluble vitamins and are transporters of hormones, including testosterone. Fats also allow for increased nerve conductivity, insulate and protect organs, and supply the body with energy during low to moderate intensity activities.

In general, two kinds of fat exist, saturated and unsaturated. Try to limit the amounts of saturated fats in your diet. While unsaturated fats have many positive health benefits, saturated fats have been shown to increase the risks of coronary artery disease and other health related problems. Saturated fats are found in many animal products, tropical oils (coconut oil), and are often solid at room temperature. Among other sources, unsaturated fats are found in nuts, olive oil, and avocados. Opposed to saturated fats, unsaturated fats tend to be liquid at room temperature.

Vitamins

Vitamins are organic substances that are required in smaller amounts than carbohydrates, protein, and fats. Although vitamins are not a direct source of energy, they aid in specific metabolic functions throughout the body.

Vitamins are found in a large variety of foods. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are all good sources of vitamins. Choose dark leafy green vegetables and a variety of other colorful vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, and winter squash all make great choices). Generally, the darker the color the more nutrient dense the food (i.e. spinach contains more vitamins and minerals than iceberg lettuce). When selecting fruits, try to choose fresh fruits more often than fruit juices; fresh fruits contain higher amounts of fiber (the health benefits of fiber have already been discussed in the carbohydrate section).

Minerals

Similar to vitamins, minerals are also needed for a wide variety of metabolic functions within the body (i.e. calcium is needed for nerve conduction and muscle contractions). Some minerals are needed in higher amounts than others, but mineral requirements are still less than that of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Some of the most talked about minerals among exercisers are electrolytes. These are critical for the regulation of fluid across various membranes in the body. Sodium and potassium are the two electrolytes that are most responsible for this fluid regulation.

As with vitamins, minerals can be found in one form or another in almost all foods. Unless you are doing a lot of endurance training, you probably do not need to worry too much about your electrolyte balance. A well balanced diet will provide enough electrolytes for your body.

Water

Water is the largest component of the body, representing about 45% to 70% of a person's body weight. Hydration is extremely important, without water the body cannot survive past four to ten days. Water is important for maintaining proper blood volume, nutrient transport throughout the body, and heat exchange. Exercise produces large amounts of heat within the muscles; water is one of the principle ways to maintain a proper body temperature during exercise. Sweat dissipates heat from the muscles to the skin's surface and evaporates.

Many people do not realize how much sweat they actually lose during exercise. Water loss during exercise can exceed 1.8 liters per hour in some individuals. With such large losses in water it is important to replace fluids regularly. To monitor your hydration status it is important to not just rely on your thirst mechanism. Thirst is your body telling you that you are already starting to get dehydrated (you want to avoid this). Monitoring the color of your urine is one of the best ways to check your hydration status. Urine color should be pale yellow to clear in well hydrated individuals. Dark yellow urine is a sign of dehydration.

For a more individualized nutrition guidelines with calorie suggestions, go to www.mypyramid.gov.