Hello my lovelies, you've officially tuned in to the final installment of  the #MacronutrientBreakdown, in which I blog about how much of those pesky macro nutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fats) we really need. In a world that tells us to "eat no carbs after 6/ but then don't eat carbs at all/ but only eat carbs once a week/ you need your body weight in protein after a workout/ there's good and bad fats", it can be hard to differentiate the myths and the truth. That's why I'm here to be the myth buster!

Lipids or "fats" are viewed as the most rich, dense, and naughtiest macro nutrient, although carbs are taking a close second. We need to remember that nothing we consume as food is essentially bad for you, it's the amount that you eat of it that can be dangerous. "Fat", "fatty", and "fattening" have become the new F-bombs. However, if something is "fattening", it's only storing unused energy.

The reasons that lipids are given this stigma is scientific: lipids contain the most carbons so therefore make the most energy. Lipids also have the highest energy yield of all three macro nutrients. While protein and carbs create 4 calories per gram, lipids create 9 calories per gram.

Lipids are essential in fueling exercise. We use fat stores to fuel our energy when we are going for a long duration at a moderate pace. Examples of this include a long run, a moderate bike ride, a long walk, or even a pilates class. Those that are less in shape will use fat at 60% of maximum heart rate, athletes will use fat at 70-80% maximum heart rate.

Like the other two macronutrients, lipids are made up of carbons, hydrogens, and oxygens. Lipids include a glycerol molecule with three fatty acids molecules attached to it. Lipids are fats, oils, and waxes. Saturated fats include EVOO, coconut oil, peanut oil, palm oil and more. These are found in butter, margarine, creamer, and whipped toppings. Trans fats are found to harden processed foods such as potato chips, cookies, and some salad dressings.

Lipids main function is energy storage. They also protect and line major organs. So, like I've said in all of these posts, you need fats, no matter how much of a taboo stigma it has picked up. The rule I learned in class concerning RDA (recommended daily average) was, "no rules, just make better choices." If you eat too much fat than you use, it'll be stored. That's that!

Keep in mind that cholesterol is a "derived" fat. It's not the best for you because it's derived from an animal source, so its not as good for you. Good cholesterol comes from good fat sources such as avocados, fish, coconut oil, and more. Bad cholesterol comes from red meats, donuts, fried food, etc. Keep the bad cholesterol to a minimum, and keep good the cholesterol levels up. 

Lipids should make up 20-35% of your total calorie intake.


Hope you guys picked up some facts about lipids, Stay healthy!

http://www.sodahead.com/fun/what-is-your-favorite-poptart-flavor/question-2272403/

What's your favorite poptart flavor? Mine is any berry flavor or fudge sundae. Voters on sodahead.com agree with me. What if I told you that you could use these sugary, flaky pastries to help you gain muscle and burn fat? You'd tell me I was crazy and to go eat a banana. However, before you start heckling me, let me tell you this is an actual phenomenon in the exercise nutrition field. I'm here to give you the low-down on this sweet myth.

BMH Fitness used one of my favorite food philosophies as a health nut/food lover when they stated, "Foods all contain calories and of those calories are macros: Proteins, Fats, and Carbs," in their article about this topic. Basically, don't freak out about eating one poptart, freak out about eating five poptarts. "The body cannot distinguish what it’s digesting, whether it is a chicken sandwich from a fast food joint, or baked chicken, spinach, and a handful of almonds – both meals can render the same amount of macros if measure appropriately."

I'm not saying you should go make poptarts your new go-to snack. Poptarts can be instrumental for recovering from an intense workout. After an 8-mile run, or an intense Zumba class, your body has probably used up a lot of glycogen (carbohydrate) stores in your body, and may have even used fat or protein as a fuel source. After exercise, your body spikes insulin and starts the protein synthesis cycle. Anything that can help your body build and recover that protein post-workout can ensure that when you work out next, you'll have as much or more energy to use when you worked out last. Poptarts, due to their amount of simple sugars, can help with insulin production and therefore can boost the rate of recovery.

I don't advise eating a poptarts after every workout, however if a workout really kills you, you may want to try one in order to feel less sore tomorrow. People always confuse "muscle building" and recovering. Protein help synthesize tissue (muscle), so that post-workout protein shake helps your body recover those amino acids, the true way you build muscle is by increasing your amount of resistance.

I have been eating poptarts here and there - this blog post isn't all just secondary research. I used poptarts to recover from hard cross country workouts on 4 occasions - 9/5, 9/11, 9/28, and today. Those dates in September I didn't feel sore all the next day, and I was ready for my workout the next day. Today, I really hope my poptarts helps me after a hard hill repeat workout at race pace, with a long warm up and cool down. Cross country probs, right? 


TELL ME -  what's your "super secret" gym/gain food?


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We've gotten get general requirements of Recommended Daily Amounts (RDA) of our vitamins and nutrients shoved down our throats from birth. Yes, they're constantly changing, however so are our bodies. I am me, and you are you, and we are different. We have different hair color, skin color, digestive tracts, muscles, activity levels, BMIs, genders, and lifestyles. Why does the FDA try to put us all in one box with a big "RDA" bow" on it?

Luckily for you, my lovelies, I'm a huge nerd. Yes, I'd describe myself as a health-nut, however my "Nutrition and Physical Performance" class is turning me into a health NERD! I now have all of these calculations and facts about how much we need to eat and what we need to eat, based on our weight and lifestyle. I've decided to do a series called "Macro-breakdown Mania" where I get down into the dirty details about each of the three macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, and protein), and to hopefully shed some light on some myths about each of them. Why don't we start off with protein?

To determine how much protein our bodies need, we need to determine how active we are. A "sedentary" person, who doesn't exercise regularly needs 1.0 - 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram. An endurance athlete, who exercises regularly mostly with cardio and light lifting, needs between 1.2 - 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram. A resistance athlete, who does a lot of lifting at a heavier weight, and wishes to gain muscle mass, needs between 1.4 - 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram. Where you lie in your category depends on how often you exercise and the intensity of your exercises.
After your determine where you lie, you must convert your weight into kilograms. This can be done by dividing you weight in pounds by 2.2. For example, a 150 lb person weighs 68 kilograms. So, you take the weight in kilograms and multiply it by where you lie in the intensity scale. A cross country runner would lie at 1.4 for example. Here's the calculation for a 150 lb cross country runner:

68 kg * 1.4 g/kg= 95 g of protein.

A gram of protein = 4 calories, so, that's 380 calories (95*4) of protein in your diet. That's 1/4 of your daily intake, the other 1/4 is lipids/fats and the other 1/2 is carbohydrates!

Proteins surprisingly are not a typical source of energy. One of protein's main functions is tissue formation. We can easily understand protein's function if we understand why runner's are naturally so skinny. Runners are endurance athletes that work out for an extended amount of time. Carbohydrates can only be fuel for so long, eventually your body will start breaking down a non-traditional form of energy, like protein. Breaking down protein means breaking down tissue, which means losing mass, which means looking skinnier and leaner, which means boom. Life mysteries solved.

What foods can we find this tricky macronutrient in? Complete proteins that contain every single amino acids include animal products (meat,fish, dairy, eggs, hemp and chia seed, buckwheat and quinoa). Incomplete protein sources that are missing an amino acid are vegetables, legumes, nuts and seed, and grains. However, if you eat them together, they make a full protein. For example, rice and beans together make protein (Chipotle fans rejoice). Plant protein is prominent as well, so enjoy that salad but maybe add some chicken, seafood, or tofu to get that extra punch.

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However, just like everything else in nutrition and exercise science, everything is relative to the person's activity level, metabolism, and diet. Protein is very vital in the post-workout recovery process. If you eat more than your daily value (see above), then it will be stored in fat or glycogen unless it's used right away!


I hope this blog post helps you navigate this slippery slope of protein. Think of me next time you're wondering whether to put one or two scoops in your protein blender bottle!

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