I was reading an interesting nutrition article the other day about weight loss. It talked about all the types of food you should be incorporating as well as types of food to avoid. I found it really informative….. until I got to the section about percentages: percentage of carbs you should consume….percentage of protein… percentage of whatever. Then the article went on about counting the grams of protein and fat.
Calculations and counting are definitely not my thing, especially when it comes to nutrition. Why you may ask? It is really simple: I hate math. Really. I know it’s an odd thing for a pharmacist to say but I really don’t like doing any kind of math. I try not use it whenever possible, especially when it comes to nutrition. This is the main problem that I have always had with DIY “diets”. You need to either count your calories (or grams or points) of whatever you are eating. Sorry, but if you are like me, you are probably saying, ‘who has time to do math every time you want to eat something’?
I know that there are some people who love having these strict guidelines to help them manage their food intake, but I don’t like it. Healthy eating needs to be easy. Healthy eating needs to be something that I don’t need to think too hard about, which is why I love using macronutrients as my guideline.
What is a macronutrient?
In non-technical terms macronutrients are the category that food falls into: protein, starchy carb, non-stachy carb or fat. If you start thinking about which category the food you eat falls into, it can make managing your diet much easier. Think about it…. green vegetables are a non-starchy carb. Fruit on the other hand would be considered a starchy carb because of the sugar content. If you begin thinking about all of your food this way, there is no need to measure, count or calculate anything.
You already know that lean protein and non-starchy carbs should be the bulk of your food intake because these will fill you up and make you feel satisfied and you’ve probably seen some version of this:
The plate of broccoli is obviously the better option based not only on nutritional value, but also volume.
This is how we should all start to think about our food. If we focus on whether something is a carb, protein or fat then calculating grams or percentages doesn’t matter as much. When you combine this with becoming a food detective and managing your Hunger, Energy and Cravings (HEC), your weight will naturally decrease as you begin choosing healthier options.
Give this method of “dieting” a try. If you are like me, you will find it is much easier to do. The extra benefit is that you will then discover your “diet” formula.- the combination of foods that you respond best to. Some people need more starchy carbs than others. Some may find that too much protein causes fatigue. Everyone responds to food differently. You just need to be patient. It is all a matter of trial and error to find your diet formula, but if you pay close attention to whether you are eating a protein, carb or fat, you will discover your formula without ever having to do any kind of math.