NUTRITION HIERARCHY
This past weekend I gave a nutrition presentation to a group of women who were interested in learning more about weight loss and living a healthier lifestyle.
I broke down the basics and explained to three foundational levels of the nutritional hierarchy, which I will also cover in today’s post.
This model was popularized by Eric Helms from 3DMJ and the industry is lucky to have it because it does such an amazing job of providing guidance on what to focus on first.
If you don’t have the basic levels under control, such as energy balance or macronutrients, you really shouldn’t be concerned with the higher levels, such as nutrient (or meal) timing and supplements.
ENERGY BALANCE
Energy balance is the difference between your energy input (or the number of calories that you consume) and your energy output (or the number of calories you burn) each day.
Have you ever heard the phrase “calories in vs. calories out”? This is referring to energy balance.
Calories in include all food and beverages you consume.
Calories out include four main processes.
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): The energy your body requires when completely at rest for functions such as breathing, blood circulation, and organ functioning.
Exercise (EAT): An activity requiring physical effort and performed to sustain or improve health and fitness.
Non-Exercise Activities (NEAT): Any activity that is not intentionally exercising. This includes actions such as doing chores, getting up to go to the bathroom, and fidgeting.
Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): The energy required to digest and absorb food.
Essentially, when it comes to energy balance, our body has three options.
When energy in = energy out, we experience a plateau, or a balance in energy. When our body achieves it’s true state of homeostasis, this is what we experience. The scale does not go up nor down.
Then we have what most individuals are striving for, a negative energy balance. This occurs when energy in is less than energy out, resulting in a caloric deficit.
Finally, we have a positive energy balance. This occurs when energy in is greater than energy out and we have a caloric surplus.
The reason that energy balance is the base, or foundation, to our pyramid is because one’s body composition changes are fully dependent on this balance.
You can eat strictly “clean” foods. If you are eating an excess of them (putting you into a caloric surplus), you will gain weight.
On the other hand, you can eat strictly candy. If you are only consuming a small amount and you are in a caloric deficit, then you will lose weight.
Takeaway #1: Calories must be in check if you want to see changes in your body composition.
Additionally, when we are considering fat loss and comparing diets, we have to understand that at the most basic level, all diets aim to do the same thing.
Create some form of structure and restriction (to some degree) to create a reduction in caloric intake and give you a better chance at creating a negative energy balance.
MACRONUTRIENTS
Now, although you can theoretically eat whatever the heck you want (in a small enough amount that you’re in a caloric deficit) and reach your weight loss goals, this is not optimal for your health, adherence, or long-term sustainability.
Macronutrients are the carbohydrates, fat, and protein that make up food and provide energy for our bodies.
They are required in large (AKA macro) amounts for our body to function.
In relation to reaching your goals, you must understand the roles and importance of each macronutrient.
Protein: is responsible for growth and repair of muscles, tissues, and cells.
General Amount: body weight (BW) (lbs) x 0.8 - 1.2 = daily protein intake (grams)
Protein is particularly important for weight loss because out of all three macronutrients, it provides the highest satiation effects, which means it helps fill you up and keep you full. This is important for appetite control when you are trying to lose weight and your calories are decreasing and in return, your hunger is increasing.
Protein also has the highest thermic effect of food (TEF), which if you remember from above, plays a small role in increasing the “energy out” side of the energy balance. We want a larger energy expenditure when attempting fat loss.
Finally, again when it specifically comes to fat loss, protein plays a crucial role in maintaining muscle mass. When we are giving our body less fuel (decreasing energy in), it turns to stores in our body to use as energy. We do not want it using our hard-earned muscle tissues - instead, we want it using our fat stores!
Fat: is essential for internal organ functioning and hormonal regulation.
General Amount: BW (lbs) x 0.3 - 0.4 = daily fat intake (grams)
Fat is essential for life. Unlike carbs, we can not function without it. So it’s important to eat a minimum of 0.3 x BW (lbs) up to around 0.4 x BW, but not go too excessive with fat. Fats are the easiest macronutrient to store in the body (which makes sense -- protein and carbs both have to be converted to be stored as fat, but fats are already lipids).
Carbs: are your body’s preferred fuel source. When you think carbs, think energy!
General Amount: Dependent on your goals.
Carbohydrates are not essential to survival, because our body can synthesize glucose from other non-carb sources, but carbs can be helpful for optimal performance and lifestyle so they shouldn’t be avoided in most cases.
Once you understand how many calories you should be consuming to reach your goals, you can then determine your macronutrient ranges or targets. If you decide to track (or count) macros, you will automatically also be counting calories.
This is because macros are composed of calories.
The goal of tracking macros is to fuel your body so it can function optimally, while also allowing you to work towards specific body composition goals (i.e. fat loss, muscle gain).
It provides structure by giving specific targets (i.e. 150 grams protein, 200 grams carbs, 50 grams fat) while still allowing flexibility because each individual can choose you exactly what foods they consume to hit those targets.
If you need more 1-1 guidance, accountability, and support, apply for coaching here.
Takeaway #2: Once calories are accounted for, macronutrients are the next main focus. Making sure you are following targets that are specific to your body/training style, lifestyle, and goals is key.
MICRONUTRIENTS
Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals that our body needs in small (AMA micro) amounts. If you are consuming a well-rounded diet, this should mostly be taken care of, but can still use some attention in most individuals.
When it comes to caloric intake, apply the 80/20 rule to any diet of nutrition method you’re following. This simply means that 80% of your daily intake comes from whole, nutrient-dense foods.
If it roamed the earth, swam on the earth (in the oceans), flew over the earth, or grew from the earth, then it fits into this category.
Then, we still want to leave around 20% room for “fun” foods. These include processed, packaged, more artificial foods. This allows us to enjoy treats and is crucial for long-term sustainability.
If you are following this general rule then along with making sure you’re consuming a variety of foods (lots of colorful fruits & vegetables...not just the same exact thing every meal) then you should be consuming a good range of vitamins and minerals.
There are still many individuals who need to take certain vitamins due to common deficiencies, but this is more dependent on the individual and their diet (i.e. vegetarians and vegans need to supplement nutrients that are more prevalent in animal sources).
Takeaway #3: When it comes to changing your body composition, micronutrients play a role but are not necessarily as crucial as macros and calories. They should be considered, and then once you’ve managed your caloric intake and are hitting your macro targets, they can be given more attention to really help you progress and get to the next level with seeing results.
Let’s go ahead and start with these three because for the majority of individuals, gaining control of these will be more than enough to take on initially.
Often times we want to do everything at once. Conduct a full 360 change in our diet, but then this tends to get overwhelming and doesn’t lead to long-term sustainability. Making sure you’re focusing on the more important factors first is key.
Now that you have a better understanding of what to focus on, it’s time to put this information to use. If you are ready to finally take action and see results, CLICK HERE to learn more about our Coaching Program & apply now.
If you’re interested in learning more about nutrient timing or supplements, shoot me an email flourishforlifecoaching@gmail.com and we can discuss these topics specific to your situation and goals.