Nutrition is a very complex science and with all available information, and all the theories and methods of nutrition experts that contradict each other, it is very easy to get lost. Despite all the confusion, there seems to be some basic principles on which the vast majority of experts seem to agree.
I do not present new revolutionary discoveries in nutrition, but rather simple habits that have proven themselves over time.
You will learn great ways to improve your physical appearance, feel better and be healthier. Here is how to eat to burn fat and feed the muscles:
1 – Eat every 2-3 hours
Most people are misinformed and tend to believe that eating fat will make them as often, yet the opposite is true! Most people who adopt this habit are pleasantly surprised to see how they can eat while decreasing body fat.
The idea is to eat smaller portions but several times a day (6-8 times a day) such as: lunch, snack, lunch snack, dinner snack.
No matter if you’re old or young, active or sedentary, fit or not at all, eating every 2-3 hours will have a major impact on your body composition.
The main advantages of eating every 2-3 hours:
- This allows you to maintain levels of insulin and blood sugar levels more stable, making it the best way to avoid damage from fatigue, sugar cravings and the cravings of “crap”!
- This is the best way to avoid excessive hunger, so the best way to avoid overeating. Eat smaller portions, you can better digest and better assimilate nutrients while avoiding excess calories that would normally be stored in body fat. It is reducing hunger as it reduces the excess!
- It’s a great way to speed up their metabolism. Each meal speeds up metabolism, so by eating several times a day metabolism remains active longer and burn more calories.
- The body is designed to adapt and survive, so when hunger is too intense, the body feels it has a risk of running out of food, so it uses a protection mechanism that allows it to limit the metabolism of fatty body energy and increase the storage of body fat in order to better survive a possible famine. So by feeding on a regular basis, he knows he does not have to worry about a famine.
- After some time without food, the body is more likely to enter a catabolic state that is to say that he begins to use your muscles as a food source.
2 – Each of your meals and snacks should contain protein
Protein should be the basis of every meal. Someone who wants to lose body fat and / or gain muscle mass or maintain it, should eat an average of 1 gram of protein per lbs of weight. Example: A person of 150 pounds should eat about 150 grams of protein per day. Divided by 6 meals / snacks that’s 25 grams of protein per meal / snack.
The benefits of including protein in each meal:
-Proteins require more energy to digest than carbohydrates or fat, which has the effect of increasing the basal metabolism, thus burning more calories.
Multiple-doses of protein throughout the day help maintain an anabolic environment for muscle, that is to say that the muscles are much less likely to be used as an energy source.
-Protein helps stabilize blood sugar, which helps maintain a more stable energy levels, suppress appetite and reduce body fat storage.
The best sources of protein are:
-Eggs and egg white
-Poultry: chicken and turkey
-Red meat: beef, lamb, bison, horse meat
-Fish and seafood: tuna, salmon, shrimp
- Dairy products: milk, Greek yogurt, cheese
-Nuts: almonds, peanuts, walnuts.
The Protein-Whey (protein supplement derived from milk)
3 – We must eat the right carbs and know adjust their consumption
Carbohydrate is the nutrient most complex and least understood. Everyone reacts differently to carbohydrates, some people are more sensitive than other carbohydrates. In general, obese people are more sensitive to carbs so that low carbohydrate diets are most effective against obesity.
Carbohydrates are divided into two groups: complex carbohydrates (good) and simple carbohydrates (bad).
Complex carbohydrates:
- Contains a lot of fiber, which helps you feel full longer, promote good digestion, reduce bad cholesterol and detoxify the body.
- Are absorbed slowly and have a low glycemic index, which stabilizes blood sugar and insulin production.
- Contains lots of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants essential for proper functioning of the body and health in general.
- Act on the metabolism, promoting loss of body fat.
The best sources of complex carbohydrates are:
-Vegetables (whole): broccoli, asparagus, spinach, lettuce, mushrooms, celery, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers, in short all the vegetables.
-Fruits (whole): blueberries, apples, strawberries, raspberries, oranges, grapefruit, peaches, pears, cherries, in short all the fruits
-Whole grains: groats, brown rice, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta
-Legumes: beans, peas, lentils
-Nuts and seeds: peanuts, almonds, pistachio, sesame seed, sunflower seed
Simple carbohydrates:
- Are absorbed very quickly and have a high glycemic index. This has the effect of greatly facilitate the taking body fat and excessive hunger.
- Contains no or very little fiber
- Contains no or very few vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants, Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle which are empty calories.
Simple carbohydrates to avoid are:
- White bread made of refined flour
- Pasta made from refined flour (white usually)
- Biscuits, cakes and pastries
- Fruit juices and soft drinks
- Alcohol in large quantities
- Sugars, white sugar, brown sugar, syrup, sucrose, glucose, dextrose etc.
The majority of carbohydrates you consume should come from vegetables and fruits and the other part should come from whole grains, legumes and nuts.
Simple carbohydrates should be avoided as much as possible, if you have to consume, it is preferable that they are consumed at lunch and / or after a workout because they are moments when the body needs it most is that which ‘they are less likely to be stored in body fat.
A simple little trick to know how much carbohydrate you should consume is simply to ask yourself, “What will I do in the 2-4 hours that follow.” If you are a party to spend the evening watching TV or you go sit at a computer, eat as little carbs as possible. Whereas if you went to physical work or you go you train, you can eat more carbs without risking that they are stored in body fat.
General rule: If your goal is to muscle mass, it is essential that you consume lots of carbohydrates, up to 2-3 grams or more of your weight in lbs. If your goal is to lose weight, reduce your intake of carbohydrates (especially the day you are less active) while continuing to eat lots of vegetables, ideally at every meal and snack.
4 to 25% to 35% of your energy should come from dietary fat
Not so long ago, people were fleeing the fat, considering “the” cause of obesity and killer diseases. But increasingly, began to understand the importance of good fats and their role in the prevention of obesity and killer diseases.
Dietary fat is essential for the production of hormones and development of brain and eye. It protects the nerves and organs and allows the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K. But all fats are not equal. Like carbohydrates, fats fall into two categories, there are good fats and less desirable.
Most of the fat you eat should be of good unsaturated fats, like monounsaturated (omega 9) and polyunsaturated fats (omega 3 and omega 6):
The best source of good fats are:
Mono-unsaturated: olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, avocados, olives and nuts such as hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews.
Polyunsaturated (in order of concentrations of omega 3 and 6): Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, sardines and anchovies, flaxseed oil, flaxseed, walnuts, oil Canola and eggs enriched with omega 3.
The monounsaturated and polyunsaturated:
-Prevent heart disease;
-Prevent some cancers;
-Lower the bad cholesterol;
-Are beneficial to physical and mental health;
-Improves metabolism;
-Improves insulin action;
-Increase the production of growth hormone;
-Increase the production of testosterone;
-Reduces inflammation.
Less desirable fats:
Saturated fats
They have always been considered undesirable, yet they play an important role in the production of testosterone in the assimilation of calcium, they stimulate the immune system and help protect the liver from toxins such as alcohol. Saturated fats are mostly found in animal products and must be eaten in moderation.
Trans fats
Fats to avoid at all costs, are trans fats. They increase the bad cholesterol, lower good cholesterol, greatly increase the risk of heart problems and favorisnt the development of diabetes, Alzheimer’s, obesity and certain cancers.
They are found mainly in:
- Margarine;
- The vegetable shortening (Crisco);
- Cooking oils (french fries, chips and other fried foods.)
- The industrial products packaged as (some): potato chips, canned soups, frozen meals, commercial baked goods, etc..;
- All products that contain: hydrogenated vegetable oil or partially hydrogenated;
- The fast food in general.
In summary:
- Eat every 2-3 hours, so at least 6 times a day;
- The basis of each meal or snack must be proteins, for a minimum of 1g per lb of your weight perfectly distributed in each meal or snack. Protein supplements can help you accomplish this goal;
- Include at least one serving of vegetables per meal or snack;
- The majority of carbohydrates you consume should be complex carbohydrates;
- Simple carbohydrates should be avoided except during physical activity or endurance in sports and after strength training;
- Adjust your carbohydrate intake depending on your goal (gain or loss of muscle weight), your activity level and your type of metabolism;
- The majority of dietary fat consumed should be monounsaturated and polyunsaturated;
- Moderate your intake of saturated fat;
- Avoid at all costs trans fats.
* Optional: If you do not eat enough fruits and vegetables (minimum 4 servings per day), take a multivitamin supplement and if you do not eat enough fish (at least 3 times a week) take a supplement of Omega 3.