Evaluating Your Food Diary

NUTRITION BASICS

Before we can really get started, some nutrient basics need to be covered.

But what exactly is a nutrient?

Answer: a nutrient is a specific substance that must be taken into the body in sufficient quantities to meet the dietary needs of the organism. Nutrients can either be essential or non-essential.

Non-essential nutrients are nutrients our body manufactures whereas essential nutrients need to be eaten because they're essential for survival.

Some nutrients are macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates and fats) while some are micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Water is also a nutrient.

Water is so important I'm not going to waste time explaining why: just drink is - a lot - all day. Shoot for 64 oz. a day (equivalent to eight 8 oz. glasses).

Carbohydrates are the preferred fuel source, proteins are used to rebuild and repair, and fat is used for insulation, protection and fuel (though only in small quantities).

Nutrients, when consumed, yield energy that enables our body to function and 'do work'. Energy in food is measured in kilocalories (which is actually referred to as a calorie on food labels so to avoid confusion, the word calorie will be used for the purpose of this blog when referring to kilocalories). The official definition of a kilocalorie is how much heat is needed to raise 1 kg of water 1 degree Celsius.

Now that the (what some people might call "boring") definitions are out of the way, we can start delving into what all this stuff means and how it affects your health, weight and well-being.

EVALUATING YOUR FOOD DIARY

Hopefully you've honestly recorded everything you ate throughout this past week and didn't cheat by avoiding things you would normally eat to avoid writing it down (which I admit would have had it's own benefits because at least you weren't eating/drinking the bad items) or just straight up not writing it down.

The point of the exercise was to make you consciously aware of what you were putting into your body because, as the old saying goes, you are what you eat and nobody wants to be solely comprised of fat, sugar and processed chemicals.

Now, look over your food diary.

Did you consume plenty of fruits and vegetables?

Did you drink 64 oz. of water a day?

Did you consume large quantities of red meat or did you stick to lean meets and fish?

How many times did you eat fast food?

How many times did you stuff whatever was in front of your face because you were too lazy to cook something substantive?

If you're feeling guilty: good.

If you aren't, it's probably because you don't realize the mistakes you're making yet.

But don't worry because the purpose of this blog is to open your eyes and help you make better decisions about your diet as you go about your life.

Here's a quick motivational tip before I sign out for the week:

Instead of paying $5 or more on an un-healthy burger from a fast-food joint, go to Wal-Mart (or whatever grocery store you prefer), buy a bag of salmon filets (you can get 4 for $3.50, plus tax of course, at Wal-Mart), thaw one of those suckers out, sprinkle the seasoning of your choice and grill that baby for 3-4 minutes.

And voila. You have a healthy dinner that took less than 10 minutes to make and your body will thank you for it.

Stick with me folks because we have a lot to go over so stay tuned.