I don’t know about all of you, but the idea of nutrition can really confuse me sometimes. You hear a million and one ways to eat and rules to follow. Some of it is backed by research, some of it not. That’s the easy weeding. Some people say egg yolks are essentially Satan’s child, whereas some people say eat away!!
Dippy egg lovers of the world, unite!
I’m in a nutrition class and we had to watch Forks Over Knives. And it was super interesting! But I also see a million people SWEARING by paleo diets. You know what I mean? I’m confused and I don’t know how to fix it.
BUT!
There is one thing I can do. I’m not much of a calorie counter, but I’m very interested in how my body uses nutrients as fuel. The macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins) and their distribution in my diet has sparked my interest for sure. You should know before I go on that I am clearly not a dietician and these are just my musings. But I think it’s a good guideline for me.
Yesterday was meatless Monday for the Elf for Health challenge (which I am loving, by the way). I was super curious, so I went over to MyFitnessPal to enter in everything I ate yesterday. I wanted to see how my distribution was without meat! So the deal is (from my class sources): Fats should make up 20-35% of your energy intake, carbohydrates 45-65%, and protein 10-35%. Big ranges, super interesting, yes yes.
Some numbers for you to look at.
Now grab your calculator because here comes some math. You need to multiply each total of the macronutrients by their respective energy per gram. Carbs and protein should be multiplied by 4. Fat you multiply by 9!
My new numbers: Carbs –> 776 Fat –> 387 Protein –> 208
Now you just have to divide those numbers into your total calorie intake for the day. And naturally, multiply it to turn the decimal into a percentage!
My percentages: Carbs –> 58% Fat –> 29% Protein –> 15%
Pretty good breakdown for the day! I’d be curious as to how it would change with meat/different days/etc. So yes, that’s all I have to share with you. It’s something I found interesting that maybe you want to look at too! So while the food world is still confusing, at least I have some numbers to hold on to!
Are you confused by the nutrition world? What makes it easier for you to manage?
Dippy egg lovers of the world, unite!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting post! I’ve been confused about what plan to follow ( I know it’s what is best for your body). I was trying to eat more plant based/vegetarian and then tried paleo out for a month which is mostly meat protein and veggies. I definitely know the paleo no-grains, no gluten rules helped out my tummy problems but now I don’t know which is best! I use MyFitnessPal too and find the breakdown interesting.
whoah this is really interesting! its definitely confusing trying to figure out proper health and nutrition. great info!! spa <3
I wish I could be as disciplined and studious about the food I place in my mouth. I try and use the 90/10 rule. I eat healthy whole foods 90% of the time and whatever I want the other 10% . Post like these teach me so much.. nice work!
Super confusing! I don’t eat meat, so for me I have to have a healthy ratio of protein and yes carbs!