Maybe you just started a new health kick or your consistent training routine is not yielding the results you were used to anymore. Are you trying to get stronger, leaner or maybe gain muscle? Possibly you are an athlete or weekend warrior, you’re putting in the work, but you’re not getting stronger, your energy is down or your lean/fat ratio isn’t improving. Well, it could just be that your post workout recovery meal isn’t what it should be.
You’ve gone to the effort to find the right gym, maybe the right trainer. You work hard vary your routine regularly and eat the right balance of carbs, proteins and fats all while watching your calories, so what gives?
According to government sources the average American consumes 37% of their calories in the form of fat, considering the American Heart Association recommends no more than 30% we have some way to go. Take into consideration however, the different types of dietary fat, there is saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and trans fat. Not all these fats should be viewed with the same disdain.
With all the ads, articles and sponsored editorials in print and on the web it’s hard to separate the fact from the fiction when it comes to benefit claims for supplements. Since the list of available supplements claiming some miraculous benefit is huge (getting bigger almost daily), here are five to consider for better health for almost anybody.
1) Multivitamin – With our hurried life styles it’s not easy to always eat a well balanced diet. To insure your well being I recommend a multivitamin that is taken in 2 doses to achieve full potency. Take one with breakfast and one with lunch. Make sure you have some healthy fat in the meal to assure absorption or fat soluble vitamins like B complex. Also, make sure your multi has 800 mcg of Foliate (folic acid) and 400 mg of vitamin D3. Both are hard to get in sufficient quantity by diet alone particularly in vegetarian diets.
Okay, so we have all heard not all carbs are created equal. So, are there carbs we should stay away from, eat occasionally or is the hype just that, hype?
Carbohydrates make up most of the organic matter on earth. However, pertaining to diet we refer to simple carbohydrates (monosaccharides, and disaccharides) such as sucrose, fructose, and glucose, and complex carbohydrates (oligosaccharides and polysaccharides) such as vegetables and grains.
For anyone who exercises or diets and especially athletes the conversation eventually gets around to protein. How much, when to take, what type and what does it do for me?
Generally most dieticians recommend about 70 grams of protein a day from all food sources to sustain good health. For the average person this may be adequate, but lets say you are an athlete who trains intensely and therefore your body is constantly at a higher demand to recover and rebuild, or maybe you are trying to build more lean body mass. Even someone who is dieting to lose weight (body fat) will benefit from additional protein intake. A good rule of thumb and one I recommend is 1 gram of protein for every pound of weight.
