Fuel: fuel

“Diet” is one third of the fitness puzzle. That’s how important it is. What do I mean by this? I’m saying, you are what you eat. What you put into your mouth ends up displayed on your body. So, it’s important to get a grip on what you eat, when you eat it, how much you eat, and why you’re eating.

When you live the fitness lifestyle, you eat to fuel and nourish your body. The first building block is protein. Protein will help you build and maintain muscle mass. Muscle will boost your metabolism.

A good rule of thumb is to consume about one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. This protein intake should be split up between five to six small meals. Why don’t you want to eat all the protein at once? You break it into portions because your body can only absorb and assimilate 30-40 grams of protein at a time. Any extra protein above that amount will be excreted. And, don’t forget, protein has calories; four calories per gram of protein. So, as with any food, if you eat too many calories, your body will store it as fat.

The second piece of the fitness diet puzzle is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates, like protein, also have four calories per gram. Depending on your body type and your fitness goals, you probably want your diet to consist of 50-60 percent carbohydrates.

Carbs come in two main varieties; simple and complex. Simple carbs are fast burning and can be good or bad depending on whether they are “natural” or “refined”. “Natural” carbs are things like fruits and dairy products. “Refined” simple carbs are items such as white bread, white sugar, white flour, high fructose corn syrup, etc. You should avoid refined carbs as much as possible. They can cause your insulin levels to spike and then cause you to crash after a brief “sugar” high. Diabetics, especially, have to watch their intake of sugars and carbs. These refined carbs offer little to no fiber, are man-manipulated, and are not conducive to burning bodyfat.

Complex carbs are either fiberous or starchy. Fiberous carbs consist of things like celery, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, etc. Fiberous carbs are great to eat later in the day. They are exceptional as part of your last meals of the day because they give you bulk and fiber but are burned off quickly.

Starchy carbs are more dense and should be consumed during the first half of your day. Some examples of starchy carbs are oatmeal, potatoes, kidney beans, etc. They provide a steady slow-burning energy that can sustain you for hours.

The third component of the fitness diet puzzle is fat. Fat is exceptionally high in calories at nine calories per gram. Fat definitely has a bad reputation, but, believe it or not, some fats are not only good for you, but necessary to good health. Your body actually requires fat to run smoothly and stay supple. “Good” fats can be obtained from foods like salmon, nuts and seeds, egg yolks, flax seeds, etc. Fats should make up anywhere between 15-20 percent of your daily diet.

Lastly, I also like to take a look at the fiber content of the foods I eat. You should aim for twenty or more grams of fiber per day to help cleanse your system and transport fat out of your body.