LIFE+ Blog

Nutrition Basics

It’s pretty well known that our body requires certain macro- and micronutrients to function, and all are equally important…

• Macronutrients: Carbohydrates, proteins, fat.
• Micronutrients: Vitamins, minerals.
• Water!

…but do you know what the daily recommended allowance of each of these components? Let’s take a closer look.

Carbohydrates

There are both simple and complex carbohydrates, or sugars. Simple sugars are easily broken down and turned into energy whereas complex sugars, like many flour-based products, take longer to break down and are often stored as fat.

Recommended Dietary Allowance

130 grams of carbs per day is required to avoid ketosis (high levels of ketones, which can cause dehydration and changes in the pH of your blood, from lacking enough carbohydrates to produce energy), but you don’t want to exceed 300 g/day unless you’re doing a lot of activity or exercise that requires more energy.

• 175 g/day if pregnant, and 210 g/day if breastfeeding.
• 45-65% of our total daily energy intake should come from carbs.
• No more than 10% of our carb diet should come from foods with added sugars.

Carbohydrates in the Diet

Have more of these:

• Fruit
• Legumes (beans, lentils)
• Starchy vegetables (corn, peas, squash, potatoes)
• Oatmeal
• Grains (rice bulgur, couscous, barley)

Limit these:

• Anything made with flour or containing added sugars.
• Avoid processed carbs like bread, pasta, crackers, chips, etc.
• Foods with added sugars provide calories but they lack vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Such “empty calories” often lead to weight gain.

Protein

The role of proteins is to help build and repair tissues, and make enzymes, hormones, amino acids. They are also the building blocks of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. So if you want a healthy body that is able to repair itself, stay active and feed your body plenty of lean protein!

Recommended Dietary Allowance

We should consume 0.8 grams per body weight in kilograms per day. An easy way to figure out how much protein you need is to multiply your weight in pounds by 0.45 to get your body weight in kg, and approximate between 0.8 and 1 gram per kg of protein per day. So if I weight 120 lbs, or 54 kg, then I should aim for eating 43 g – 54 g of protein each day.

• 10-35% of our energy intake should be protein.
• If you are pregnant, add an extra 25 g of protein to your diet each day.

Protein in the Diet

• Animal products
• Eggs
• Dairy
• Tofu
• Legumes
• Soy
• Nuts
• Whole grains

(Did you know that quinoa is known as a complete protein? It contains all 9 essential amino acids!)

Fat

Though it is a word that many people despise, fat is an essential part of our diet.

• Saturated fats, like butter and animal fats, stay solid.
• Unsaturated fats come in different forms:
  • Monounsaturated (having only 1 double bond) like olive oil and avocados,
  • Polyunsaturated (having more than 1 double bond), of which there are omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
• Omega-3 fatty acids are the “good fats” that we want to consume more of, and come from sources such as salmon, tuna, and other fish.

Recommended Dietary Allowance

We should consume about 65 g of fat based on 30% of a 2000 kcal diet. Shoot for consuming 20-35% of your energy intake from fats, with no more than 20 g coming from foods high in saturated fats.

Fat in the Diet

Omega-3 sources include:

• Oils (flaxseed, canola, walnut, wheat germ, and soybean)
• Nuts and seeds
• Soybeans

Other sources include:

• Pacific oysters and fish
• Eggs (Omega-6 source)
• Vegetable oils (Omega-6 source)

Remember, too much or too little of these macronutrients can be detrimental to your health! If you have any specific questions or you live with a condition that requires special dietary needs, please consult a dietician with greater knowledge in this area.

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