Nutrition for Dummies

In light of Nutrition Australia’s National Nutrition Week (11-18th October 2020), we got the low down on some nutrition basics. Because there’s so much conflicting information out there, we spoke to Adam Hamilton, a qualified personal trainer and ISSN registered sports nutritionist (International Society of Sports Nutritionists).

Adam Hamilton - personal trainer & nutritionist

Let’s get right into it:

What is nutrition?

Management of what goes in your mouth to ensure that your body stays functional and healthy. It covers everything, including fluid intake, amount of food intake and type of food intake.

What are nutrients?

There are macro and micronutrients. Macronutrients include protein, carbs, fats, and alcohol because they are broken down into energy for your body. They take up most of our caloric intake, so if your goal is fat loss, you need to focus on macronutrients.

Micronutrients are ‘smaller’ and include vitamins and minerals. They make up a food’s nutrient density and help the body function on a cellular level. If you’re iron deficient or trying to heal something naturally, focus on micro-nutrients.

Why is water so important?

Your body is made up of 60-70% water so it's just necessary for most of our bodily functions, like digestion and our metabolism. Dehydration causes cramps, fatigue and overall havoc on the body.

What exactly is metabolism?

Your ability to metabolize food into energy. Your metabolism is not set – you can 'train' and change it. Your body will adapt to whatever you're doing. if you're not eating much, your metabolism will slow down so you can run off less food; that's why when people start a diet, they lose five kilos quickly then plateau. To increase your metabolism, your need to treat your body well by sleeping, exercising, drinking water and eating lots of nutritious food.

What are calories?

Calories is essentially how much fuel is in your tank – the number of calories you consume dictates the energy you have to spend. “Calories in” is the food you eat. “Calories out” is your base metabolic rate, (which is based on your height, age and gender), plus the energy it takes to digest food, plus non-exercise activity and actual exercise. Fat loss occurs when you’re in a calorie deficit. Calories and kilojoules are the same, they’re just different units of measurement.

What is protein?

Proteins are essentially the building blocks of the body – you need proteins to build cells. It’s important for muscle building because it’s the raw material needed to recover cells. It takes a lot of energy to digest proteins, which is why people get the meat sweats. So, if your calorie intake stays the same but you increase your protein consumption, you’ll be in a higher calorie deficit because your digestive system is working harder. Proteins are found in animal products, milk, cheese, beans, tofu and rice.

What are carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are basically sugar – they are broken down into different forms and combinations of sugars for energy. Simple carbohydrates are easy to break down because they contain simple sugars, whereas complex carbohydrates are a lot harder to digest because they contain combinations of sugars.

Simple carbohydrates like lollies, cereal and juice are best for a quick energy release, like before a workout. Complex carbohydrates like oats, potatoes and bananas are good for slow release energy, like at the start of the day, so you don’t crash early on.

What are fats?

There are ‘unhealthy’ and ‘healthy’ fats. Trans fat is unhealthy because it’s man-made – our body doesn’t know how to process it; they occur in most baked goods and processed foods. Naturally occurring fats are good and necessary and are found in avocadoes, nuts, fish, eggs and coconut. They’re the foundation for hormone production.

What is fibre?

Fibre dictates how fast your bowel movements are. If you eat foods without much fibre, they’re hard to digest and will bog you down. You’ve got to find a happy medium, because eating too little or two much fibre will make you constipated. The recommended fibre intake is about 15 grams per thousand calories you're consuming, which is pretty easy to hit. If you're a vegetarian, monitor your fibre intake. Fibre is found in plants, fruits, vegetables, and plant-based foods like oats.

Should we ever cut a macronutrient out of our diet?

You should never go ‘fat-free,’ just like you never go ‘carb-free’ or ‘protein-free’ – everything’s necessary. Cutting a whole food group out of your diet doesn’t make sense because we evolved eating these things. Some people run better on high fat and others run better on high carbs – nutrition isn’t ‘one size fits all.’

Who should we consult about nutrition?

Consult a dietitian if you have a chronic condition, like diabetes, hormone problems or thyroid issues. Consult a nutritionist if you’re concerned about nutrient deficiencies or improving your diet overall.

How do we find reliable nutrition information?

There are plenty of resources online, but you have to make sure they’re not bullshit. It's so easy to be led astray by someone who sounds knowledgeable, so double check they’re qualified before believing them. Trust anything written by a PhD nutritionist. Layne Norton is a PhD nutritionist in America who is very credible.

---

Because there's just so much to know, we have a part two coming your way... stay tuned!