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Composition of Nutrition

Before you start a diet, you should carefully plan the composition of your nutrition.
You want your nutrition to be healthy, balanced and of course leading to results.
In this lesson I will explain how to find the right combination of protein,
carbohydrates and fats and how to plan a diet for your personal athletic goals.
Find more nutrition related topics at nutrition main.

 

 

Descriptions: Composition of Nutrition

  • In the first part of this topic I will explain how to find the right combination of proteins fats and carbohydrates. Because you are visiting Flash Mavi, I assume you want to improve your fitness for a specific sport or want to lose a certain percentage of body fat.
    First of all you have to know how to calculate the percentage of proteins, fats an carbs.
    Many people make the mistake to count the percentage from the grams, but you have to convert the grams into kilo-Calories ( kCal ) before you start calculating.
    The reason for this is that one gram of fat has more than twice as much kCal than one gram of protein or carbohydrates. So if you start a diet with 25% Fat, 25 % Protein and 50% Carbohydrates and think that when you eat 25 grams of fat, 25 grams of protein and 50 grams of carbohydrates ( 100g of food ), you are close to reaching your goals, then you are wrong. You have to convert your grams into kCal first and then you can calculate your composition. You actually consumed 225 kCal fat, 100 kCal protein and 200 kCal carbs.
    And that's 43% fat and only 19 % protein.
    • 1g Fat - 9 kCal --> 25 x 9kCal = 225 kCal --> 43%
    • 1g Protein - 4 kCal --> 25 x 4kCal = 100 kCal --> 43%
    • 1g Carbohydrate - 4 kCal --> 50 x 4kCal = 200 kCal --> 43%
  • After understanding how to calculate the percentage of you proteins etc., you should think about your goals. Are you trying to gain weight, do you want to become stronger or run a marathon or do you just want to lose some weight.
    The more you want to improve the quality of you muscles, the more protein you will need.
    The more you are into endurance sports, the more carbohydrates you need.
    And the more you want to lose fat, the less fat you have to consume.
    But of course there are always upper and lower limits and being beyond the limits can be unhealthy. You shouldn't for example consume more than 30 percent ( counted from the kCal ) or more then 2.8g per kg body weight of protein, because too much protein can harm you kidneys ( excessive nitrogen production ). At the same time too little fat can be bad ( for example for the kidney fat ).
    • First I will list the upper and lower limits and
      then I will tell you some examples for different sports.
      • Fat: Lower Limit: 10% Upper Limit: 35%
      • Protein: Lower Limit: 10% Upper Limit: 35%
      • Carbohydrates: Lower Limit: 50% Upper Limit: 80%
    • Examples: Average values
      • Bodybuilder gaining muscle: 20% Fat - 25% Protein - 55% Carbs
      • Bodybuilder burning fat ( pre-competition ): 15% Fat - 35% Protein - 50% Carbs
      • Weight lifter: 20% Fat - 20% Protein - 60% Carbs
      • Gymnast: 20% Fat - 25% Protein - 45% Carbs
      • Martial Artist: 20% Fat - 20%Protein - 60% Carbs
      • Short Distance Runner: 20% Fat - 30%Protein - 50% Carbs
      • Marathon runner: 20% Fat - 15% Protein - 50% Carbs
      • Somebody who doesn't work out: 20% Fat - 15% Protein - 65% Carbs
    Protein = Muscle, Carbs = Quick Energy, Fat = Stored Energy
  • How much meat, vegetables, bread etc., you should eat.
    Sorry I don't have a food pyramid here, ( you can find hundreds at google-images ).
    • 40% Bread cereal, pasta rice etc.
    • 20% Fruits
    • 13% Vegetables
    • 12% Meat, fish, eggs, nuts, beans, poultry
    • 10% Milk, cheese, yogurt
    • 5% Fats, oils, sweets, cake
  • Least but not last you should try to st healthy.
    Organic food usually only contains organic ingredients and therefore doesn't overload your body with chemicals, pesticides etc. I mean it's better if your body doesn't have to waste energy on dealing with these. But unfortunately organic food is more expensive.

 

 

Advice: Composition of Nutrition

  • Plan your diet before you get started.
  • Start with the right amount of calories and the right combination of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Once you can handle the work counting calories and percentages all the time, try to avoid industrial foods and eat healthier.
  • The percentages are counted from the kilo-calories and not from the grams or ounces.
  • Track your diet with a food diary.
  • Avoid a protein bar if you can eat eggs or lean meat.
    Avoid industrial meat if you can ea organic meat.
    Protein shakes and bars a good solution for people who work a lot and don't have time for a real meal, but you should always prefer a real meal if you have enough time.

 

 

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