Good Carbs Vs Bad Carbs
Carbohydrates are important to health as is staying at the correct weight. It is important to note that not all carbs are the same, however.
Carbohydrates are commonly referred to as either good carbs or bad carbs. When trying to follow a healthful diet, and especially when trying to lose weight, carbohydrate intake should focus on good carbs over bad carbs.
Good carbohydrates
Good carbs are complex carbohydrates, which means they are high in fiber and nutrients and take longer to break down. As they take longer to break down, they do not cause blood sugar levels to spike or rise too high.
Examples of good carbs include:
- whole fruit with the skin on
- high-fiber vegetables, such as sweet potatoes
- high-fiber beans and legumes
Bad carbohydrates
Bad carbs are simple carbohydrates that are easily broken down and quickly cause blood sugar levels to spike.
Examples of bad carbs include:
- white sugar, bread, pasta, and flour
- sugary drinks and juices
How To Set Goals For Macronutrients
If youre trying to lose weight or bulk up through a healthy diet, setting a daily goal for macronutrients calories, carbohydrates, protein and fat can be beneficial in achieving your goals. Once you know how many calories you burn or how much protein you need allows you to track these numbers to make sure you consume enough. In this post, I will show you how to find out your macronutrients goals with a simple online tool.
Recommended Carbohydrate Intake For Athletes
Carbohydrates serve as the main source of fuel during exercise, which is why its so important for athletes to consume adequate amounts. This ensures that they have readily available carbohydrate stores in the muscle, liver, and bloodstream.
Carb requirements will vary based on activity:
- For most moderately active people, a well-balanced diet that supplies about half of the calories from carbohydrates should be adequate.
- Endurance athletes may need proportionately more, generally in the range of 55 to 65 percent of total calories.
- Ultra-endurance athletes, such as those who participate in events lasting longer than 4 hours, need even more: up to 75 percent of their total calories from carbohydrates.
Sports dietitians prefer to calculate carbohydrate needs according to bodyweight rather than a percentage of calories because it gives the athlete a specific intake goal:
- For general training, athletes are advised to take in 2.5 to 3 grams per pound of body weight ).
- Endurance athletes need more the goal is 3 to 4.5 grams per pound of body weight .
- Ultra-endurance athletes who engage in competitions that last for four hours or more may need 5 grams per pound of bodyweight, or more .
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The Ratio Of Fats Carbohydrates & Protein For Diabetics
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, then you understand the importance of eating a healthy diet. Diabetes is a condition where your body does not produce or use insulin correctly. Without proper insulin function your body is not able to regulate your blood sugar levels, leading to serious problems with your nerves, kidneys and heart. A proper diabetes diet is balanced and based on healthy foods. The diet uses portion control and scheduling to help manage glucose levels throughout the day.
Why Does Fat Get Much Attention
Fat gets much of the attention for many good reasons. Consider these facts:
- Saturated and trans fat can raise low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the blood. High total cholesterol or a high LDL cholesterol level is a leading risk factor for heart disease.
- Some fatty foods often have higher calories with fewer vitamins and minerals than low-fat other foods.
- Fat has more than twice as many calories per gram as carbohydrates and proteins. A gram of fat has about 9 calories, while a gram of carbohydrate or protein has about 4 calories. In other words, you could eat twice as much carbohydrates or proteins as fat for the same amount of calories.
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The Role Of Fat Intake For Athletes
Dietary fats supply the body with essential fatty acids. Theyre termed essential because the body cant make them, so you have to come from the diet. Theyre an important part of the structure of every cell in your body and serve as a valuable energy source during activity.
Rather than suggesting a precise amount of fat for athletes, sports nutritionists usually recommend an intake of around 25 to 30 percent of their total calories: the amount thats recommended for the general population.
Since carbohydrate and protein intakes are more specific, once those intake targets are met, fat intake tends to naturally fall within the recommended range. And, like the general population, athletes are encouraged to select mostly unsaturated fats from foods like nuts, seeds, avocados, fatty fish, and oils such as seed oils and olive oil.
While carbohydrates are considered the bodys primary fuel source, the body uses both carbohydrates and fat as fuel, depending on the intensity and duration of the activity. When exercise intensity is light to moderate, fat supplies about half of the bodys energy needs especially as the duration increases. For example, after jogging for more than 20 minutes at a moderate pace, fat becomes increasingly more important than carbohydrates for sustaining activity.
Keeping your macros in the right balance is critical for good performance, and athletes would be wise to avoid dietary trends that upset this balance.
What Should Your Macronutrient Balance Look Like
The message of our study is moderation, says Dehghan.
Think about it: When you go on an extreme kind of dietsay, a super low-fat onethe rest your calories have to come from somewhere, right?
When you reduce one component of your diet, you replace it with something else, says Dehghan. When you reduce your total fat, by default, you replace it with refined carbohydrates. The result? Loading up on processed foodslike breakfast cereals, soda, and white pastacan easily lead to weight gain, which spikes your risk for serious health issues, such as heart disease.
The reverse is possible when you go super high-fat and low-carb too, popularized by the ketogenic diet. When you don’t eat enough carbs, your energy levels might crash, since they’re your body’s main source of fuel.
We are not supporting very low carb or very high fat diets,” says Dehghan. We are saying that reducing your carbs is likely beneficial when is already high.
She adds that the purpose of their study is to present new evidence to add to the ongoing discussion of what a healthy diet should look like. Based on their specific findings, people should aim to eat 50 to 55 percent of their calories from carbs and roughly 35 percent from fat to reduce their risk of premature death, says Dehghan.
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Other Reasons Why Protein May Be Beneficial For Weight Loss
- Protein leverage means that our bodies will seek out food and nutrition until we have reached our innate set point for protein intake.10Based on the protein leverage hypothesis, eating low-protein foods means youll overeat calories to get enough protein. Eating high-protein foods will do the opposite.
- Studies show that eating protein increases thermogenesis the amount of energy required to digest and metabolize food. The energy required can be as high as 15% of total daily energy expenditure and is consistently higher with high-protein meals.11
- Eating high-protein foods helps you avoid the energy-dense, nutrient-poor food that is so easy to overeat. Take a look at our guide to the top protein foods. You arent going to find many processed, hyper-palatable foods. Thats a win for protein!
Keto Macros: Adjusting Carbs Protein And Fat To Fit Your Goals
Keto Macros: Adjusting Carbs, Protein, and Fat to Fit Your Goals
Posted a year ago
If youve tried the Keto diet, youre probably familiar with counting macros. The basic idea is to keep fat high, protein moderate, and carbs low to enter the fat-burning state called ketosis.
What happens if you go over your Keto macros? That depends on the macronutrient.
Most people know that keeping carbs low is the number one rule of Keto. Missing the mark here will generally derail your Keto diet.
Theres more confusion, however, when calibrating fat and protein macros. Keep reading and well clear it up.
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How Much Protein In Whole Milk
One cup of whole milk has 149 calories. This amount is made up of 8 grams of protein.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the average person consumes between 10% and 35% of their daily calories from protein. Your body requires milk to maintain its nutrient needs throughout the day. According to the SFGate, milk is ranked in terms of protein content. It contains a total of 5.98 g per 100 g serving, with sheep milk containing 5.98 g, cow or goat milk containing 3.56 g, and soy milk containing 3.27 g. It contains high levels of protein, making it one of the most nutritious dairy products on the planet. Whole dry milk contains more protein per 100 grams serving than any other type of milk. When a liquid is reduced into a powder, the contents are concentrated. The same thing happens when the fat in milk is removed, with the same amount of protein.
How To Track Macros For Fat Loss
If you’re new to the concept of macro-tracking and haven’t the foggiest where to start, we recommend you check out our step-by-step macro calculator.
Or, for a broad overview: counting your macros means monitoring how much protein, fat and carbs you eat within a day. In a nutshell, the macro equation: your total calories = carbohydrate + protein + fat.
The easiest way to keep on top of all those numbers is with an app like MyFitnessPal, which does all the brain-melting maths for you.
Seriously though, read our guide to counting macros before trying to tweak them for the best macros for fat loss or weight loss.
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Protein Carbs & Fat: Everything You Need To Know About Them
Learn the truth about protein, carbs, and fat. Find out how much of each of these you need daily and why. Plus much more…
Protein is one of the most important substances we consume. After this article you will know how much protein your body needs. The function it plays in survival, the way it is processed and used.
Other than water, protein is the most abundant nutrient in the body. Protein is a chain of linked units called amino acids. The protein you eat is split apart into these amino acids, absorbed in the small intestines, then rearranged and put back in the blood stream. These new arranged proteins carry out specific functions to maintain life. All living tissues are made up of twenty-two essential and nonessential amino acids.
Essential amino acids are not made by the body and must be supplied through diet. There are nine essential amino acids: Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, and Valine. The remaining thirteen are nonessential amino acids produced in the body and not essential to consume through the diet.
Twenty-two in all, amino acids are divided into 2 groups:
Fasting your body without proper protein intake will cause your body to slowly start shutting down. You must not only eat enough protein, but you must eat the right types. Without the right amount of essential proteins, no matter how much you eat, your body will waste the protein and not run properly.
Tips For Using Myfitnesspal For Tracking Macros
I mostly use MyFitnessPal, which you can use as a website or as an app on your phone. This is a free tool that has a premium paid version but I find that the free features are enough, to begin with.
During my Low-Carb Challenge, I encourage you to track food and beverage intake for 3-5 days as a minimum to determine how many calories, carbohydrates, protein and fat you consume on average. You can also track sugar, fibre and other nutrients as well as your exercise and water intake.
Create account. Register a free account with MyFitnessPa and update your profile. You can add as much or as little info as you like and keep it totally private.
Set goals. Go to the Goals section and set your daily nutrition goals using the numbers you determined using the TDEE calculator as a guide.
You will then see these numbers in your Daily Summary. To start adding food or exercise, simply click on Add Food or Add Exercise or go to Food or Exercise tabs in the menu.
Add foods to track. You can add individual foods to your meals such as a single egg, a tablespoon of butter, 1/2 avocado and so on. Look for the green verification tick mark next to the foods for the most accurate numbers. Oftentimes, the foods will be added with a brand name and I find that there are many US, UK and Australian brands in the MyFitnessPal database. For example, you might find Coles salmon fillets or Tesco salmon fillets.
Once youve added all the foods and drinks, you can see the summary for that particular meal.
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Here’s How To Calculate A Safe Calorie Deficit:
And here are some resources to help you on your healthy weight loss journey don’t say we don’t look after you!
- Learn how to lose weight well, meaning safely and sustainably, for good!
- Read this if you’re trying to lose weight fast it’s important information that shouldn’t be skipped.
- Stuck on whether cardio or weights is better for fat loss? We’ve got you covered.
- Learn how to structure a good gym workout or try a new home workout this week.
- Get to grips with resistance training to build lean muscle and strength while you lose weight.
Protein Macros: Can I Go Over Them
Inadequate protein is one of the biggest Keto mistakes. Why? Because people think that consuming 25 percent of your calories from protein means that three-quarters of your plate should be pure fat.
But thats not the case. Remember, protein and fat have different caloric densities. By weight, a proper Keto meal should be about half protein and half fat.
The takeaway is to prioritize protein. You may be short on this macro which is critical for muscular and hormonal health.
But wait, wont all that protein kick you out of ketosis? While its true that therapeutic Keto diets call for lower protein intakes, its been shown that high-protein Keto diets can be compatible with weight loss.
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Will I Lose Weight If I Eat Low
It’s true that a diet high in fat can lead to weight gain. But it takes more than just limiting high-fat foods to lose weight. You must also watch how many total calories you eat. Remember, extra calories even from fat-free and low-fat foods can get stored in the body as body fat. Choosing lower-fat options is a good idea to help reduce total caloric intake, but also pay attention to caloric intake from carbohydrate and protein, too. Also, substituting fat with highly processed carbohydrate-rich foods and sugars is an unhealthy trade-off some foods labeled as low-fat, reducedfat, or fat-free have more added sugar.
To lose weight, you need to have a calorie deficit. One way you can achieve this is by eating less fat and fewer calories and exercising. Exercise burns calories.
The Best Macros For Your Weight Loss
There isnt one best diet for everyone. We recommend finding a pattern of eating that is enjoyable, sustainable long-term, and that helps you lose weight in a healthy manner.
For many, the most successful dietary approach will be higher protein and lower carb. Although this is not the only method, it may be the best starting point.
Just remember, it may not matter what your macros are if you eat highly processed, low-nutrient foods, as these foods may drive you to overeat and sabotage your health progress. No matter what nutrition plan you choose, make sure you get adequate protein, adequate nutrition, and focus on high-quality, minimally processed foods.
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Low Carb For Weight Loss
Why might a low-carb diet be more effective than low-fat for weight loss? With low carb, people limit hyper-palatable, high-carb foods, thereby lowering their insulin levels. They also tend to spontaneously reduce their calorie intake. But one often overlooked feature of these diets is that they also have higher protein percentages than do low-fat diets.
What Is The 4
The 4-9-4 rule is a simple way to calculate the number of calories you’ll get from each macronutrient in a food. To use the 4-9-4 rule, check your nutrition label and follow these formulas:
- Find “Total Carbohydrates” and multiply the amount by 4. This will give you the number of calories in the food that comes from carbs.
- Find “Total Fat” and multiply the amount by 9. This will give you the number of calories in the food that comes from fat.
- Find “Protein” and multiply the amount by 4. This will give you the number of calories in the food that comes from protein.
If you add all three of these amounts, you should get the total number of calories in the food.
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What’s The Difference Between Fat And Calories
Fat is one of six nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. The other five nutrients are:
Of these six nutrients, carbohydrates, protein and fats provide calories. Each gram of carbohydrate and protein yield 4 calories/gram. Each gram of fat yields 9 calories.
A calorie is a measurement, just like a teaspoon or an inch. Calories are the amount of energy released when your body breaks down food. The more calories a food has, the more energy it can provide to your body. When you eat more calories than you need, your body stores the extra calories as body fat. Even a fat-free food can have a lot of calories. Excess calories in any form can be stored as body fat.