In this blog post I will attempt to simplify years of study and provide the nutrition basics (from a licensed doctor) for anyone out there trying to eat healthy.
Firstly, What are calories?
Calories are energy for the body! We all need calories to survive, and each person requires a different number of calories each day to sustain themselves. This number depends on activity level, age & sex. Generally recommended daily calorie intake is 2,000 / day for women, and 2,500 for men. Calories come from any food (fuel) that our body can break down to produce ATP (energy). There are 3 basic types of calories; Proteins, Carbohydrates (or sugars), and Fats. Alcohol is a 4th calorie type, but we never recommend trying to survive off alcohol as fuel for the body.
So, what is nutrition?
Nutrition is the content (Vitamins, Minerals, & Macro-nutrients) of your food energy; or the building blocks provided by your calories! Nutrition considers the different variations of possible energy the body can digest. Nutrition determines how our food (fuel) will impact growth, development, function, and maintenance within the body. Energy consumption should be varied throughout all the different food groups, this means eating vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein each day. Refined sugars and processed foods are not nutritious and should be avoided as much as possible.
Vitamins:
Vitamins are “Vital-amino” groups, or organic compounds that the body requires to function, grow, repair, and develop. The human body has evolved to require these through diet for survival because we can’t create them ourselves. Examples include vitamins D, C, B12, etc. Vitamins are found in a variety if whole foods, but mostly from bright coloured veggies.
Minerals:
Minerals are essential elements that the body requires to function and develop properly. They are important building blocks for bones and co-factors for our enzymes. Examples include Calcium, Magnesium ,etc. Minerals are found in a variety of whole foods, but especially in leafy greens.
Complex Carbohydrates:
Carbs are a “Macro” nutrient, or one of the calorie types; they provide the fastest energy for our body. Carbohydrates are all different types of sugars. It is important to be eating more “complex” carbohydrates in your diet than simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are found in unprocessed foods, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, etc. Complex carbs often provide additional nutrition & fiber, vs. Simple Carbs like flour/breads, or simple sugars which only provide calories without additional nutrition.
Healthy Fats:
Fats are another Macro, a long term energy for the body! Healthy fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Omega-3’s and Omega-9’s are essential healthy fats that the body needs to function. Good Omega-3 sources are fish, flax seeds and chia seeds. Omega-9 sources are avocados, almonds, cashews, and extra virgin olive oil. Omega-3 fish oils help with healthy brain function & aging and can even prevent dementias.
Proteins:
Proteins are another Macro, the building blocks for the body & muscles! Also very important for building antibodies, which help fight viruses & infections, as well as hormones. Good sources of protein are found in lean beef, chicken, fish, salmon, eggs, natural peanut butter, lentils, legumes, beans, and chickpeas.
Fibers:
Dietary fiber our last Macro-nutrient. It is a plant-based nutrient that is sometimes called roughage, or bulk. It’s the chewy/stringy part of plants. Fiber is important to digestion and regularity, as it is also fuel for our healthy pro-biotic gut bacteria. Both soluble & insoluble fiber are further important to regulate our blood sugars. Eating fibers (whole vegetables) with your meal will slow the absorption of carbs & sugars into your blood stream. These fibers help prevent blood sugar spikes and in the long run help prevent diabetes and other chronic disease linked to blood sugar & insulin resistance (cancer, heart disease, alzheimers, etc.).
The importance of eating to provide energy for the body:
Food is energy, and there is a difference between types of energy for the body. Eating nutritiously should be a priority over counting calories. The type of food you are consuming needs to be considered, whole foods (real veggies and produce) are always recommended over processed/ prepared foods. Different types of foods have different nutrient contents, and this is why variety is so important in a diet. The most nutritious diet will consist of “eating the rainbow” daily, which means eating unprocessed foods that vary in colour. Different colour vegetables means it provides a different vitamin/ mineral/ phytonutrient profile. Emphasize proteins and healthy fats early in the day, over carbs to ensure you are satiated (full) & have energy throughout the day!
There you have the basics of nutrition & “eating to thrive”. Next time you grocery shop, ask yourself if you are just eating to “Survive” with empty calories, or eating to THRIVE with a variety of nutritious whole foods!
Beyond nutrition basics, as a doctor I preach preventative medicine and we can customize a nutritious diet for patients based on family history (IE a nutritious diet trying to prevent Cancer will look different than nutritious diet trying to prevent Heart Disease). Book a consult with Dr. David Collings, ND to help meal plan & learn more about nutrition with a customized diet plan to help optimize your long term health.
Finally, I will remind you that beyond the requirements for survival (Calories, vitamins & Minerals) there are an endless number of Phyto-nutrients found in our diet. These are compounds and anti-oxidants that different foods & herbal medicines can provide that give us additional health benefit & disease fighting properties, beyond simple survival- we can Optimize your healthy & function! Again, book a consult to discuss which phyto-nutrient might be able to help your unique health condition & optimize your health.
You can book an initial appointment (75 min) with Dr Collings, ND online at:
Or by Calling Queens Health at 705-250-9544.
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