Vitamins

Nutrition Vitamins
Detailed below are the main functions and sources of each vitamin.

Fat-Soluble Vitamins

Vitamin A - Retinol

Main Functions: Maintains and repair tissues needed for growth and development. Essential for immune system function, normal and night vision.

Sources: Retinol; milk, cheese, eggs, liver, oily fish. Beta-carotone; (Beta-carotone is a precursor for vitamin A), vegetables and fruit, especially carrots, tomatoes, mangoes, apricots and leafy green vegetables.

Vitamin D – Cholecalciferol

Main Functions: Promotes calcium and phosphate absorption from food. Essential for bones and teeth.

Sources: Sunshine, fortified margarines and breakfast cereals, oily fish and eggs.

Vitamin E – Tocopherol

Main Functions: Antioxidant protects cell membranes from damage by oxygen.
Sources Vegetable oils, margarines, wholegrain cereals, nuts and leafy green vegetables.

Vitamin K

Main Functions: Essential for blood clotting.

Sources: Dark leafy green vegetables, fruit, vegetable oils, cereals and meat.

Fat

Nutrient Fat

Fat is a factor in many health problems such as cancers, heart disease and not surprisingly obesity. Fat contains several essential vitamins such as A, D, E and K. Without these vitamins we will be deficient. Being deficient can cause dry skin, joint problems and many more serious problems. See Fat soluble vitamins for the main functions. Fat is important in our diet just use more of the good fats and less of the bad. The 3 main fat types are described below.

Fats

The three main Fat types are categorised by their saturation of hydrogen atoms. A saturated fat molecule is saturated with hydrogen atoms. Monounsaturated fat has a singular hydrogen atom connected to each molecule. Polyunsaturated fat molecules have several hydrogen atoms to each fat molecule. The 3 main fat types are described below.

Saturated Fats

Saturated fat is always hard at room temperature. It is found in meat products, dairy products, coconut oil and processed foods. I always take the view that if saturated fat is hard at room temperature then how can it be easily transported through my body? Obviously it isn’t, this is how we get heart disease through clogged up veins and arteries. The recommended daily intake of saturated fat should be kept to under a third or 33% of all fat consumption. I always aim for a fifth or 20% just as a safety measure.

Polyunsaturated Fats

Polyunsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. They are found in fish, such as mackerel, trout, sardines, and salmon. Polyunsaturated fat is beneficial to our health; it helps keep our joints healthy and keeps our skin in tip top condition. Polyunsaturated fats also lower blood cholesterol levels helping our cardio vascular system pump blood and oxygen around our system.

Monounsaturated Fats

Monounsaturated fats are also liquid at room temperature but semisolid or solid when refrigerated. Monounsaturated fats have similar benefits as polyunsaturated fats for the cardio vascular system. They are found in nuts, seeds, olives, olive oil, groundnut oil, and avocados.

Fat Intake

Here are some tips on how to keep your fat intake to a sensible level and composition.

Use Olive Oil in a spray bottle instead of butter.

Grill, steam or poach instead of fry.

Buy fresh food instead of processed.

Eat more fish, poultry or lean meats instead of pre packed burgers, lamb or beef.

Eat more seed, nuts and dried fruit instead of biscuits, sweets, chocolate and processed foods.

Recommended Fat Intake

Recommended fat intake is a 1/3 or 33% of total calories. Remember that fat has more than twice the calories of the other main macro nutrients . With this in mind 2000 calorie diets should have no more than 74 grams of fat. 2500 calorie diets should have no more than 93 grams of fat. 3000 calorie diets should have no more than 111 grams of fat. Therefore for each 1000 calories there should be no more than 37 grams of fat.

Recommended Saturated Fat Intake

Saturated fat should be kept yet again to under a third of total fat intake. I always aim for 20% or less of my fat intake to come from saturated, as this gives me a good safety margin.

Carbohydrate

Nutrient Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates, or carbs as we all know them, are our bodies preferred source of energy. By preferred, I am saying our body and brain will perform better when we use carbs rather than other sources such as alcohol, protein or fat. Carbohydrates should be the main nutrient in our diets and is the second most important behind protein.

Carb Diet
There are several diets out there that claim cutting out carbs will help you lose weight. How true this is, you will eat away all your precious muscle and end up in a state that uses protein and fat as your energy. This state is called ketosis where the liver converts fat into energy because of glucose starvation. This is very dangerous and stresses the liver. Not only does it use fat as an energy source but our muscles too. Ketosis can cause bad breath, headaches, metallic taste in mouth, weakness, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, tiredness or fatigue. Once finished with the low carb diet you will be left with considerably less muscle which does nothing but cut down the energy needed by the body. Basically the more muscle you have, the more energy you burn and please don’t underestimate how useful muscle is in keeping off the pounds. Although carb diets may help you lose weight with plenty of nasty symptoms, they are in no way more beneficial than exercising regularly and eating the right composition of foods, at the right times. Low carb diets must be avoided, unless that is, you enjoy all of these symptoms, looking like a stick insect and being in a state of malnutrition.

Starch Carbs (Complex Carbohydrates)

Complex carbohydrates are slow release carbs. This means they are released into your system at a slower rate; therefore the insulin spike is reduced causing a more stable state of satiety and a more consistent release of energy. When insulin is produced it is used to maintain sugar levels. Insulin kicks in when our blood is carrying a high level of sugar. It first deals with our energy needs by supplying glucose to the brain, then restores our glycogen stores in the liver and our muscles. The left-over is stored as fat. This is why it is so important to keep your sugar levels maintained at a consistent level. If your body gets a large influx of sugar (sugary carbs) insulin will kick in to keep the required levels and fat storage will occur.

Complex carbs also contain high amounts of fibre which helps our food in transit and aids in reducing fat storage. More on the benefits of fibre will be covered soon in my post about fibre. The fact that starch carbs are released into the system at a slow rate, also slows down the chances of fat storage, because the body can use up the energy, therefore there is less left over to be stored as fat.

Foods that contain starch carbohydrates are of the wholemeal variety. It must be noted that brown bread is not the same as wholemeal.


Sugar Carbs (Simple Carbohydrates)

Sugar carbohydrates are carbs that are released into the system fast causing a sharp rise in blood sugar levels. This results in the free floating glucose being used for fat storage. If there is a sharp rise in blood sugar levels the body automatically releases insulin which causes storage of glucose into the muscles at a fast rate. This also produces a rush of energy which in turn causes an immediate low. We will then feel the need to eat again. More than likely, this will be sugary carbs causing this continuous cycle of over eating sugary foods and feeling drained of energy. Knowing this and adapting your diet by keeping away from sugary carbs can save you the pain of these low carb diets. It’s the type of carbs that you eat along with the amount that’s the problem. Too many people get confused or mislead and starve themselves completely. Eat small and regular portions of complex carbs. If you are trying to lose weight and aren’t doing intense exercise then cut out carbs in your last meal of the day make it a salad with a protein portion. The main unexpected sugary carbs to avoid are white or brown bread, white pasta or spaghetti. Replace all with the wholemeal variety and if you are thinking I don’t like wholemeal and come up with how bland it is. I believe this will answer the point I am trying to get across. You are craving the sugar rush.

Protein

Nutrition Protein

Protein is one of the 3 macronutrients that are essential to support a healthy diet. Protein in fact is the most important as a large portion of us is actually protein. Protein is what our muscles are made of hence being the most important macronutrient. We all have a different percentage of protein/muscle to make up our body mass, an average being around 15%.

Protein Diet

Protein diets have been promoted heavily throughout the world as the new way to lose weight and gain muscle. This is most certainly true to a certain degree you will lose weight and you could gain muscle. The problem being that you are starving your body of essential nutrients that the other macronutrients provide if you don’t get the balance right. Carbohydrates are our main source of energy and without carbs we will most definitely endure some kind of symptoms whether this is a feeling of tiredness, weakness, dizziness, confusion, abdominal pain, vomiting or nausea, headaches, irritability, bad breath and struggling to sleep or several of these at the same time. Fats contain many essential vitamins without these malnutrition will occur, symptoms include low attention span, bad vision, skin problems, cardiovascular disease, depression low mood and brittle hair /nails and possibly joint pains.

Why Protein Diet?

This diet comes from the fact, that protein satiates hunger and also prevents the dreaded insulin spike, which will be spoken about in more depth later. It doesn’t seem to give much thought to our daily nutrient or energy needs. I do believe though, that keeping your protein intake high but not using protein as your main source of nutrient is beneficial, there is a massive difference. The truth of the matter is that we should, as explained in the eating times, eat regular meals and protein is important because without it we will use our muscle as energy. Also because protein keeps hunger at bay, we will be less likely to snack on easy accessible sugary junk foods.

What is a Protein Diet?

A protein diet is defined as increasing the intake of protein in your diet and as explained, this can be good but not to the extreme. I have read books where the author swears by having protein as your main source of energy/calories, but I just don’t agree with this at all. Below is what I believe to be a good protein intake.

Protein Intake

Protein intake varies due to body mass, as we all are different sizes and the composition of our bodies varies, we all need different amounts. These are not the only factors, an athlete will need more protein than someone who works in an office and uses the gym on a more casual basis. Also men need more than women and growing children need as much protein as a fully grown adult. Although in the average English household you would not see the ten year old son get the same portion of steak on his plate as his father. I believe in consuming protein at all meals approximately 30 grams; this keeps an adequate amount of protein in the system to stop our bodies from stealing it from our muscles and enough to keep our muscles growing if in training. Remember, the more muscle we have, the more calories we burn. Here is a simple question for you: does an 1100cc car burn of more fuel than a 2000cc car, I am sure we have all experienced the difference in fuel at some point? So the more muscle we have the more fat we burn. I have been a bit selfish here and shown protein intakes relevant to my body size. I would recommend that you adjust your intake to approximately 2-2.5 grams of protein per kilo of body weight. I weight 80 kilos (80*2=160 grams of protein) (80*2.5=200 grams of protein) therefore if we keep within this range we know our bodies have been feed adequate amounts of this macronutrient.

Protein Supplements

Protein supplements are a good way of increasing your daily intake, just use good brands with a high biological value (explained below). Protein supplements come in several forms, protein powder being the most popular; there are also bars, and pills known as amino acids. I personally get along with the powders best, although sometimes I use bars as an easier more convenient way to get those needed grams of protein after training.

Whey Proteins

There are several types of whey proteins, what I look at is the biological value, also get whey protein isolate or hydrolysates these are a lot better quality than the predecessor concentrates which contains carbohydrates in the form of lactose and causes stomach upset. Ever had trouble digesting a protein shake? Check the label for whey concentrate and then source whey protein isolate or hydrolysates.

Protein Biological Value (BV)

A protein’s biological value shows the quality of the protein by how it is absorbed into the body, another term for this is usability. Egg is used as its reference; therefore egg has biological value of 100. So the closer your protein is to this value, usually the better it is.

What Effects Protein Biological Value?

Proteins biological value can be affected by heat, so don’t waste your valuable money buying good quality products then leaving them in the sun or in your car on a sunny day. They must be kept in a cool environment. Also the biological value can be affected by the preparation of general foods where as a well done steak will not have such a high BV as the medium cooked piece, assuming they were the same. So cooking less equals more protein.

Macronutrients

Macronutrients
Macro indicates large therefore macronutrients are nutrients needed in the body in large amounts. There are three nutrients that are classed as macronutrients they are, in order of importance

Protein

Carbohydrates

Fats

This order is always adhered to on food packets under the nutritional guide. Also on food packets the carbohydrates might be split into two categories

Carbohydrates

• Sugars



• Starch

We should aim to keep the sugars low and eat as much starch as possible when eating carbohydrates with our meals.
Fats are often defined as a percentage of saturated fats to whole fat content. But sometimes the list actually breaks down the exact fat content, fats have three categories

Fats

• Saturated “Bad Fats”



• Monounsaturated



• Polyunsaturated

Try to aim for as much monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats as possible and cut out the saturated fats.

Energy content-Calories

• Protein 4 calories per gram



• Carbohydrates 4 calories per gram



• Fats 9 calories per gram

These figures are to the nearest whole number.


As you can see fat contains more than twice the energy of other macronutrients. Look out for future posts on these Macronutrients which will give a more indepth explaination.