What to do for diet?

While we could be confused for believing that food - and the eating of food - is for satisfying our taste buds, the main purpose of food is actually to fuel the body.

By understanding what the food we eat is made up of, we can make more informed decisions when deciding on what to do for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Our body has been designed to extract nutrients from the foods we eat so it can build, repair and fuel itself.

All foods are made up of one or more of 3 macro-nutrients.

Proteins are used by the body to repair and build new tissue and cells. We are constantly using energy that requires the breakdown and restoring of cells in the body and protein is the body’s nutrient of choice for cell regeneration.

Carbohydrates commonly referred to as “carbs”, are converted into useful energy (glycogen) and stored in the liver, muscle and fat cells. In layman’s terms, the body turns carbs into energy and stores it to be used later. Some carbs are too large for the body to breakdown and use for fuel but are still sources of vital micro-nutrients and fibre to help move nutrients through the digestive system.

Fats are the most easy to use and go-to fuel source for the body. Of all the macro-nutrients, the body is most efficient at using fat for energy. Our body loves using fat for energy so much that as well as storing excess fat, it also converts excess carbs to glycogen and stores the energy in fat cells for easier use later. Many reading this have an excess amount of energy stored all around their stomach, hips, thighs and butt readily available for use.

Different types of foods play very different roles in keeping us functioning efficiently. Just as a chef needs a specific combination of different ingredients to make a complex signature dish, the body needs a combination of several types of foods to perform efficiently

Recommendation

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for the combination of nutrients needed for optimal health. Every body has taken its own journey to where it is and, depending on the individual, every body has very different mental and physical daily requirements to fulfil.

As a whole, our diet should have a high amount of Protein to give the body the nutrients needed to fuel its constant state of change; and a medium amount of Fat to perform daily activities. Carbs can be anywhere, from low for the body that sits idle most of the day storing energy, to high for the body that is pushed to the limit and depletes all its stored energy.

Closing Thoughts

The satisfaction we get when eating is an innate primal instinct. When we eat, the brain releases endorphins that make us feel good. The brain is using these endorphins to reward us for fuelling its body, but this was also designed give us an incentive to go out into the unknown and often dangerous prehistoric world to hunt for our food.

Unfortunately, hunting in today's modern world is neither dangerous nor difficult. A quick trip to the freezer to grab that tub of ice-cream when we are upset is all the hunting we need to do to "feel good". Worse still, eating can become our happy drug of choice whenever we need a pick-me-up. The side effects of this habit can be high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease to name but a few of the health conditions associated with poor diet choices.

Hopefully this has put you in a frame of mind to make food choices suit your lifestyle. We’d love to get your feedback and are always here to answer your questions via the chat feature or the comments section and stay up-to-date with us on our latest content on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & Twitter, as we do our part in making the world a healthier place.

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