March is Nutrition Month

One of the common mistakes people do when they try to eat better or healthier is avoiding calories. Is natural to think when you take away calories the result will be to use what you have stored in your body and lose weight, right…However, that idea those not apply to the complexity of our human body, when it comes to your metabolism the body has rules and balances you need to respect to have a healthy and functional life?

1. First things first, Calculating your Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR)

With this simple equation, you can have a basic idea of your metabolic rate so you know how to correctly balance what your body needs with what you can take away to improve.

Women
18 – 30 [(weight in pounds/2.2) x 14.7] + 496 = BMR
30 – 60 [(weight in pounds/2.2) x 8.7] +829 = BMR
60+  [(weight in pounds/2.2) x 10.5] +596 = BMR

Men
18 – 30 [(weight in pounds/2.2) x 15.3] + 679 = BMR
30 – 60 [(weight in pounds/2.2) x 11.6] +879 = BMR
60+  [(weight in pounds/2.2) x 13.5] +487 = BMR

For example, Men on his 40’s at 180lb will be:
30 -60 [(180 lb / 2.2) x 11.6] + 879 = 1828 (this is his BMR his body needs to function properly)

2. Balancing Macros

The goal is to stay in the middle, or the green portion of the hunger scale (see below) – starting to eat at 3-4 and stopping at 5-6. Clients should avoid the ravenous 1-2 region, where they’re more likely to overeat. Conversely, they should stop short of the “Thanksgiving-stuffed” discomfort of 9-10. Remind clients that routinely overeating to extremes makes it more difficult to recognize feelings of fullness in the future.

2. Reading Food Labels

Look at the Serving Size:

Compare the serving size on the package to the amount you eat. If you eat the serving size shown on the Nutrition Facts Table, you will get the number of calories and nutrients listed. If the serving size is half of the total package amount, and you eat the hole package, you must double the number of calories and nutrients listed.

Look at the Percent Daily Value (% DV):

% DV puts nutrients on a scale from 0% to 100%. This scale tells you if there is a little or a lot of a nutrient in one serving of a packaged food. Use this percentage to compare the nutrient content of different foods – 5% DV or less is a little, 15% DV or more is a lot.

Study the Ingredients List:

Product ingredients are listed by quantity – from highest to lowest amount. If the first three ingredients include refined grains, a type of sugar, or hydrogenated oils, you can assume that the product is unhealthy. Instead, try choosing items that have whole foods listed as the first three ingredients. In addition, an ingredients list that is longer than two or three lines suggests that the product is highly processed.

Be Skeptical of Claims:

Ignore the claims on the front of the packaging. Front labels try to lure you into purchasing products by making health claims. Manufacturers are often dishonest in the way they use these labels. They tend to use health claims that are misleading and, in some cases, downright false.

2000 Calorie Diet:

Remember that the information shown in the label is based on a diet of 2,000 calories a day. You may need less or more than 2,000 calories depending upon your age, gender, activity level, and whether you’re trying to lose, gain, or maintain your weight.

Look for Hidden Sugars/Different names:

Types of sugars: beet sugar, brown sugar, buttered sugar, cane sugar, caster sugar, coconut sugar, date sugar, golden sugar, organic raw sugar, raspadura sugar, evaporated cane juice, and confectioner sugar.

Types of syrup: carob syrup, golden syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, honey agave nectar, malt syrup, maple syrup, oat syrup, rice bran syrup, and rice syrup.

Other added sugars: barley malt, molasses, can juice crystals, lactose, corn sweetener, crystalline fructose, dextran, malt powder, ethyl maltol, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, galactose, glucose, disaccharides, maltodextrin, and maltose.

The Bottom Line:

The best way to avoid being misled by product labels is to avoid processed foods altogether. After all, whole food doesn’t need an ingredients list. Sill, if you decide to buy packaged foods, be sure to sort out the junk from the higher-quality products with the helpful tips above.

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