What is nutrition & why does it matter?
If we take the most basic explanation, it’s all about eating a balanced diet that fuels & nourishes your body.
Your body needs food & drink to function well, the nutrients from the food & drink you eat helps its processes & maintains your body as a whole, which includes your brain, muscle, bone, skin, nerves, blood, organs & immune system.
Good nutrition means your body can grow and be healthy. Here’s some great tips on nutrition & fitness
Nutrition matters because if you eat healthily, aiming for a balanced diet, you will not only have the energy your body needs, but this will help you stay at a healthy body weight and can lower your risk for certain diseases, such as diabetes & heart disease.
Probably most people could do with improving their nutrition.
Some frequently asked questions about nutrition
Do you have to be perfect ? No, it’s being consistent that really matters. Progress over perfection.. always
Can I eat my favourite foods? Absolutely, it’s really important to eat the foods you like, as well as trying to make small healthy changes or ‘swaps.’
Do I have to change everything to achieve good nutrition? It depends on how/what you eat now – over time you might want to !
As you start to slowly change what you’re eating, you will feel healthier.It’s best to start small, think to yourself what could I do that will make the food I eat just a ‘little better.’ You could start with eating a nutrient dense protein source for breakfast like eggs, or greek, unfavoured yoghurt.
Can I lose weight without going on a ‘diet’? Yes, you can if you start to work on your habits, which will change your behaviour. If you need help with this, get in touch, as my programmes use healthy habits to change behaviour & it works !
What are the main macronutrients? Protein, carbs & fats.
Why don’t fixed meal plans & diets work? They may work for some people over a period of time, but they often don’t allow for life events, are too fixed & rigid and demonise foods into ‘good’ or ‘bad.’
What’s a healthy & sustainable weight loss? 1 – 2lbs a week.
Some nutrition ‘takeaways’ to get you started
1.Want to lose some weight?
The simple fact is, if you take in more (through food & drink) then you burn, you will gain weight. If you take in less, you will lose weight.
However, if only it was that simple.
The body is very clever & there are lots of other factors that can affect this like; your appetite, the food you eat & how many claories are absorbed, your stress levels, mindset, sleep quality, history of chronic , restictive dieting, energy burned at rest, the amount of planned exercise you do, energy burned though everyday activity and depending on your nutrition how much energy is burned by metabolizing food. As well as any medication you’re taking & hormones.
This are just some of the common ones that have can affect how many calories are absorbed & how many we burn, which in turn leads to weight loss or gain.
2.When looking at your nutrition, Protein is the star of the macronutrients
It keeps you feeling fuller for longer and is a big help when trying to lose weight, as it means you want to eat less.
And by just doubling your protein intake ( many people, especially women don’t eat enough daily protein), can help you to eat about 400 calories a day less, without even thinking about it or noticing.
When we don’t eat enough protein, our body will take it from somewhere else, like our muscles, which means we lose muscle. And if you’re trying to lose weight & eating less , not eating enough protein can make this worse.
The daily recommended amounts are just to survive, not thrive, if you’re exercising as well, you definitely need to up your protein amounts.
A high protein diet boosts muscle & can increase it, as well as sculpting & changing your body shape. And no ladies it doesn’t mean you’re going to get big & bulky.
3.One easy change for better nutrition is eating minimally processed foods
Minimally processed whole foods are eggs, nuts, grains, fish, veggies, fruit & lean proteins.
Look at your nutrition – what do you put in your mouth?
Do you make your own foods? You don’t have to be perfect & maybe you buy some foods for ease i.e. a shop bought cooked chicken with veggies & rice, or salad & jacket potato is better than chicken nuggets & chips.
In a controlled trial, people ate a whopping 500 calories more per day when they ate ultra processed foods, compared to one high in minimally processed foods
4. Improve your fruit & vegetable nutrition
Most people just don’t eat enough veggies. These are bursting with vitamins, minerals, fibre, antioxidants & phytonutrients.
And there is lots of research that support eating more fruit & veggies to help prevent lots of health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke & cancer.
5.Proper sleep helps your nutrition & health
If you only sleep 5 or 6 hours a night, when your body needs 7 or 8 hours, you will be in a sleep deprived state.
When this happens, it means your body has diffculty in regulating 2 important ‘hunger’ hormones;
Grehlin – as this rises you feel hungry
Leptin – as this falls, it takes longer to get that ‘full’ feeling.
These both mean you can eat more as you’re not getting enough sleep, feeling hungrier & craving sweet foods.
Whats more, you feel tired , have less energy & move less.
Hope you find these ‘takeaways’ helpful.
Claire x
