Tired of calorie counting? Lacking energy and feeling drained? Struggling with chronic aches and pains that don’t seem to get better? It’s possible your diet could be the culprit, but not necessarily for the reasons you’re thinking. There are plenty of people who are overweight but still malnourished, or exercising to an extent where they lack the protein needed for muscle maintenance or growth. Unfortunately, it is possible to fill a diet with over-processed food lacking in nutrients leading to reduced energy availability. So, in this article, I’ll share how you can manage nutrition and eat to heal your body and improve your health.
Nutrient Deficiency in the Typical Diet
Many people are actually functioning in a nutrient deficit in an effort to maintain or lose weight but are actually cutting out the wrong things. It’s possible to focus so exclusively on certain nutrients or types of food that you’re missing the big picture, or not getting enough calories overall. This can lead to sluggishness, fatigue, hormone issues, and muscle and joint pain.
There are many ways to improve your nutrition and ensure you are getting what you need. One suggestion is to try tracking your macros. Macronutrients are the 3 nutrient groups that your body functions from and they are comprised of fats, carbohydrates and proteins. It is common to find that people prioritize 1-2 of these, and either ignore or purposefully stay away from another.
For example, the low-fat trend that blew through in the 90s and 2000s caused people to eat foods that were less filling, higher in sugar and often more processed. Currently the trend seems to have swung back and people are eating diets very high in fats but low in carbs or deficient in protein, which can lead to brain fog, moodiness, loss of muscle mass, impaired healing from injuries and weight loss that rebounds immediately once carbs are re-introduced.
The problem with these trends is that the body is meant to thrive when each of these macros are eaten in balance. There are plenty of “macro calculators” which begin by familiarizing yourself with your daily energy needs. This is based on your height, weight and daily activity level. Then, you see how many calories you need from each macro group to balance your nutrition needs. The numbers below are a recommended daily intake of macronutrients.
- Carbs: 45%–65% of total calories
- Fats: 20%–35% of total calories
- Proteins: 10%–35% of total calories
Summary: Nutrition & It’s Importance for Health
If you are more active and working to build or maintain muscle, you will stay on the higher end of the protein recommendations. If you have diabetes you may stay on the lower end of the carb recommendations. Talk to a dietician or experiment to find which breakdown of nutrients works best for you. You may be surprised to find that you are not getting nearly enough of certain food groups, often fat and protein, and are overconsuming carbs. Improving your balance of nutrient intake can make big improvements on daily function. Give it a try, and track your macros for a week! A body well fueled is a body that can heal.
And if you want some guidance from licensed clinicians as you start your health journey, book an appointment online or give us a call to learn how we can help!
