45-65% carbohydrates - needed carbohydrates can vary widely depending on your body and activity level. Try to stick to complex carbohydrates. Avoid sugary 'foods'; minimize white foods. Pasta, because it is pressed breaks down more slowly than bread that is made of pretty much the same ingredients but don't overdo it. Whole grains are better. Whole grains give you fiber that is good for your gut and it helps you stay satisfied longer. Read labels carefully. Made with Whole Grain often means no more than that a piece of wheat germ fell into the dough.
15-30% protein - again individual bodies and activity level will govern the percentage best for you. If tempted to a high protein and low carbohydrate diet, remember gram for gram protein and carbohydrates have exactly the same number of calories. Eating a balanced diet works just as well for managing your weight.
20-30% fat - your body needs fat. You cannot maintain optimum health without a proper portion of fat in your diet. Yes, you diet should include some saturated fat. I shoot for no more than 5% saturated and 20% total fat. That works well for me.
Water - 6-8 glasses of water per day is minimum. A good rule of thumb, especially if you are physically active, is 1/2 oz. of water for each pound of body weight. In spite of water being the cheapest, most readily available nutrient the overwhelming majority of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
No, you are not going to gain weight by drinking more water. Just as your body slows your metabolism when you restrict food it retains water when you restrict water. If you don't want to retain water, drink more of it. If you drink a gallon of water for breakfast, yes you will weigh 8 lbs. more than you did before you drank the water but I promise you by evening that water will be gone. And for those who have sitting jobs that provides you with what might be the greatest benefit of drinking as you should. It will get you on your feet and moving every couple of hours. I guarantee it!
Nutritionists suggest that much of the snacking we do is the result of confusing thirst and hunger. water is such a neglected nutrient we rarely think of it as such; yet we all know that if we are denied food and water, we will die from a lack of water weeks before we starve. Every cell in your body depends on water to function properly.
15-30% protein - again individual bodies and activity level will govern the percentage best for you. If tempted to a high protein and low carbohydrate diet, remember gram for gram protein and carbohydrates have exactly the same number of calories. Eating a balanced diet works just as well for managing your weight.
20-30% fat - your body needs fat. You cannot maintain optimum health without a proper portion of fat in your diet. Yes, you diet should include some saturated fat. I shoot for no more than 5% saturated and 20% total fat. That works well for me.
Water - 6-8 glasses of water per day is minimum. A good rule of thumb, especially if you are physically active, is 1/2 oz. of water for each pound of body weight. In spite of water being the cheapest, most readily available nutrient the overwhelming majority of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
No, you are not going to gain weight by drinking more water. Just as your body slows your metabolism when you restrict food it retains water when you restrict water. If you don't want to retain water, drink more of it. If you drink a gallon of water for breakfast, yes you will weigh 8 lbs. more than you did before you drank the water but I promise you by evening that water will be gone. And for those who have sitting jobs that provides you with what might be the greatest benefit of drinking as you should. It will get you on your feet and moving every couple of hours. I guarantee it!
Nutritionists suggest that much of the snacking we do is the result of confusing thirst and hunger. water is such a neglected nutrient we rarely think of it as such; yet we all know that if we are denied food and water, we will die from a lack of water weeks before we starve. Every cell in your body depends on water to function properly.
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