The common phrase: "Food is Fuel"

You've heard this said over and over again, "Food is Fuel!" . . . well, what does that mean exactly?

The simplest way to explain this is using a vehicle as an example. When you put the wrong kind of gas into your vehicle, it will still run, but not as efficiently as it would with the correct gas. And, over time things get clogged and start running badly.

Same thing for our body. When we feed our body the wrong foods, our body still functions, but we might be sluggish, tired, depressed, etc. etc. and over time health and medical issues surface such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancers.

Okay, where am I going with this. Knowing what to eat or how much to eat can seem very overwhelming. Counting calories get annoying and cumbersome . . . so, what's the trick. Well, let me try to make it simpler for you. Let's discuss MACRONUTRIENTS!!!!

Macronutrients are: Fats, Carbohydrates and Proteins. A general rule of thumb is 30-40% of carbohydrates, 30-40% of proteins and 10-20% of fats should make up your foods each day . . . actually, at every meal. For example, a snack needs to be more than an apple. An apple supplies you with only carbohydrates. So, to get that 30-40% protein and 10-20% (good) fat, you can add almond butter. Providing each meal with your calculated macronutrients keeps you satisfied and full for longer periods of time.

To make things even simpler, I use the free phone app "MyFitnessPal" to help calculate my macros. If you get the macro's you need balanced everyday, then your calories will naturally just fall into place. Recently, I plugged in my food intake and my macro's showed that I was VERY low in protein intake. I was like 16% of protein from my foods. This is WAY too low for my goals of building muscle and improving my sports performance. So, using MyFitnessPal app and knowing my goals (which helped me determine what percentage of protein I needed each day), I am able to readjust and figure out how I can add more protein to my food intake.

My "go-to" for protein supplementation is "Healthy Skoop". There are tons of protein supplements out there that provide adequate protein, but there are only a few supplmements that I trust with quality ingredients and low sugar and calorie content. I have been supplementing with Healthy Skoop for a few years. My favorite flavor is Vanilla "B-Strong".

Take-away points:

1. Fuel your body right and it will run better.

2. Familiarize yourself with Macro's and how many you need. If you're wanting to build muscle, you should have a higher protein intake. If you're an endurance athlete you should have a higher carb intake. If you're trying to lose weight you should have a higher protein intake and lower fat intake.

3. Find an app (I suggest MyFitnessPal) and log your foods. Not necessarily for daily caloric intake, but to see how your macro's are balancing on a daily basis.

4. Supplementing. If you need higher protein intake find a powder that contains quality ingredients and low sugar. I suggest Healthy Skoop "B-Strong". It tastes yummy and it's a quality product . . . even amazing to bake with.

Your trainer,

Heather