Protein & food quality
Okay, so we’ve heard a lot about calories. Does food quality matter? Again, you could fire up some pretty toxic conversations between supposed experts/guru’s online that have zero real world experience or empathy.
Fundamentally, you can get a good weight loss result and have poor food quality, as long as you get the calories right. That said, underpinning any PT process should be the physical and mental wellbeing of the client, I want you to feel better, be healthier, live longer, embrace some lifestyle changes - it’s way more than just shedding a few pounds that you might put back on once we’ve stopped working together.
On the other end of the spectrum, obsessing over food quality is really unhealthy too. You’re setting yourself up to fail if you start categorising foods a good vs bad. It’s completely natural for the body’s raging hunger hormones to gravitate toward energy rich, sweet tasting foods. Hell, the reason they taste so damn good is a human adaptation. GIVE ME MORE the body is screaming, after all in the grand scheme of human evolution we spent most of it hunting for sparse food sources, all of it coming out of the ground and from other animal sources.
In todays society, not so much. We’ve got to be realistic.
I like to get my clients thinking about there protein intake first and foremost. I’m not going into massive detail in this blog, but simply but eating adequate protein (think 30% of your total daily energy intake from protein) is going to get you a much much better result. This comes from experience and heavily supported by the research in that area.
A few great things are going on here:
It sets you up to be mindful about what you’re eating that day. If you need 100g of protein for example, you’re going to need 3 good quality sources of protein across the day. Already you’re planning your day.
MOST good protein sources go hand in hand with properly prepared meals, not snack foods. Meat & fish don’t really combine well with cake? It completely makes sense to pair them up with veggies and starchy carb sources. Great meals!
Other good sources of protein like greek yoghurt for example, pair up amazingly with fruit.
Protein has a higher thermic effect meaning you burn more calories digesting it, making dieting easier. Fruit and veg also have a high thermic effect so when you combine the two, getting into that calorie deficit is going to look a whole lot easier.
Lean protein sources, tend to have a high volume of food per calorie. This means you’re going to be able to eat bigger portions, feeling fuller. Eating large portions is one of the most important ways your body is going to feel full. Eating a chocolate bar with 350kcal in it usually won’t hit the stop for long
Let’s talk fruit & veg. Your life is just going to be so much better and easier when you eat a diet high in fruit and veg. Here’s why:
They are stacked with micronutrients. Micronutrients are all the things outside or carbs, protein & fat that the body requires for optimal function and survival.
Because you KNOW they’re healthy, it’s going to put you in a positive mind-set after having eaten them. This little wins across the day stack up to being pretty damn important when it comes to long term sustainable weight loss.
Some veggies have such a high thermic effect & are so high in fibre, you essentially net zero calories by the time they’ve been broken down. This slow digestion is also going to help you feel fuller for longer.
Some fruits are truly delicious, with very few calories. Want to the curb the sweet tooth? You could chow down on 400g, yes an entire large tub of strawberries, and only consume ~120 kcal. Madness.
Most fruit and especially vegetables have a really low calorie density. You can eat loads of them without any really dent on your calories. Lovely stuff.
