Educational cycle on Diets.ru
Speaking about weight loss, the topic of caloric content or energy value is almost always touched upon. The network offers a wide selection, as well as special ones with ready-made parameters.
However, it is worth understanding what calorie content really is, and how this figure compares with another equally important indicator - BJU.
Terminology
Energy value - calories - represents a certain amount of energy released in the body from food during their digestion and complete assimilation. In other words, the products "burn" in the body, releasing heat. This value is measured in kilocalories, which are commonly called "food calories", without the prefix "kilo".
In contrast to the energy value, there is also nutritional value of products. This category includes the content of carbohydrates, fats and proteins per 100 grams of ready-to-eat product.
The lack and excess of calories carry almost the same harm to the body. But strictly individually. It depends on the following factors: gender, age, health status, physical activity, lifestyle, and so on.
Excursion into history
The initial data for the study of calories date back to 1891-1897. At that time, the American chemist E. Wilber and physicist E. Rose studied the relationship between human heat transfer and the calorie content of the nutrients he absorbed. Later, their follower and student F. Benedict obtained more accurate data, which made it possible to compare the law of conservation of energy to the human body.
However, all these studies were only applied work. And only at the beginning of the 20th century, the chemist Russell Chittenden, taking Wilber's teachings as a basis, introduces the calculation of the calorie content of foods into general distribution.
In 1917, the physician Lulu Peters published his book entitled Calorie Solving: All About Diet and Health. This is the first work in nutrition, which is aimed at promoting calorie counting in order to get rid of excess weight and keep yourself in great shape.
The main idea of the book is as follows: "In order to keep your weight under control, you need to monitor the number of calories consumed."
To do this, the doctor taught me to change the course of thinking and think not about eating a slice of black bread, but about eating exactly 100 calories of bread.
The ideas of Lulu Perez were supported in the United States and began to actively become popular among the population. However, "American fun" is soon on the wane.
The revival of the question of the energy value of products begins in the 50s during the fashion for thinness and miniature models. Women's magazines are beginning to recall a simple but effective way to lose weight, using which even the most average housewife can have model parameters.
In the 60s, Twiggy's "reed" becomes the main star of the catwalk, the forms of which will be standards for a couple of decades. In all this hectic struggle with extra pounds and weight control, counting calories is considered a prerequisite for a proper diet.
Types of calorie foods
Proteins, fats and carbohydrates
In order to maintain an energy balance and make the right diet, one should take into account not only such an indicator as calories, but also take into account the ratio of BJU - proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
Squirrels
It is impossible to compensate for this substance in the body with other components. There are no substitutes for proteins. These amino acids must be supplied with food in finished form.
Proteins are conventionally divided into two categories: complete and inferior.
Complete proteins are considered to include eight essential amino acids: valine, leucine, isoleucine, threonine, methionine, lysine, tryptophan, phenylalanine - first of all, these are all dairy products, as well as meat, fish, eggs. Second group- proteins of vegetable origin; however, potatoes, legumes, rye bread, wheat bran partially contain complete protein.
Protein deficiency can lead to stunted growth in children and mental retardation. In adults, the lack of this substance is manifested in a decrease in the body's resistance to infections, a decrease in immunity, as well as a violation of blood flow.
But excess is no less harmful. With excessive consumption of protein foods, obesity, the formation of stones in the urinary tract, as well as diseases of the kidneys, liver and joints occur.
Fats
The feeling of fullness with food is a sign of the presence of fats in the body. Most of the incoming lipids are consumed as an energy material. Only together with fats do they enter and are fully absorbed. As for calorie content, this indicator is the highest in lipids compared to proteins and carbohydrates.
Fats are divided into two groups: vegetable(oils) and animals(butter, beef and pork fat). The optimal combination of these lipids in the body is 30:70.
With a lack of this substance in the body, a violation of the activity of the central nervous system and a decrease in immunity occur. An excess of lipids provokes obesity, and also contributes to the development of atherosclerosis.
Carbohydrates
The body's main source of energy is carbohydrates.. They are divided into two categories: simple (mono and disaccharides) and complex (polysaccharides). The first group includes glucose, fructose, sucrose and lactose. The second type is starch, glycogen, pectin and fiber.
A lack of carbohydrates can lead to disruption of the central nervous system and muscles, weakening of physical and mental activity, as well as general exhaustion of the body and a decrease in life expectancy.
As for the excess, the excessive consumption of carbohydrate foods is fraught with diabetes, atherosclerosis and obesity, as well as disorders in the digestive system.
The ratio of BJU and calories
In order to determine the importance of combining caloric content and calculating the BJU of food consumed, you should understand what exactly this ratio represents.
Let's take regular sugar as an example. Its calorie content 400 kcal per 100 grams.
Suppose that in order to maintain the energy balance of a particular person
you need to consume 1800 kcal per day.
It turns out that to replenish energy reserves, you just need to eat
about 450 grams of sugar during the day.
However, such nutrition is at least comical and incredibly harmful.
________________________________________________________________________________
Thus, when compiling a diet, the proportions of BJU should be taken into account in order to allow the body to function normally and not need any important substances. Scientists have established the following ratio of useful components:
Proteins - from 10 to 35%
Fats - 20 to 35%
Carbohydrates - from 45 to 65%
At the same time, for people who want to lose weight, the above parameters look a little different: proteins - 30%, fats - 20%, carbohydrates - 50%.
If during weight loss the mandatory consumption rate is not taken into account, then the body will begin to "eat" itself on its own, thereby reducing weight due to the disappearance of muscle mass - but the percentage of lipids can rapidly increase.
That is why it is important to create a balanced diet for yourself, which will allow you to lose weight without harm to health and with maximum results.
Some numbers
These simple formulas will help you correctly and individually calculate the amount of calories, proteins, fats and carbohydrates needed in order to lose weight.
1. Calculate the metabolic rate
Female metabolic rate = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age in years)
Male metabolic rate = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kg) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age in years)
The resulting indicator should be multiplied by the activity coefficient:
Low (predominantly sedentary lifestyle) - 1.2
Small (light sports 1-3 times a week) - 1.38
Medium (moderate exercise 1-5 times a week) - 1.55
High (intense training 5-7 times a week) - 1.73
All this can be done much easier using our.
About 20% should be subtracted from the obtained indicator in order to obtain the daily rate at which the body begins to lose excess weight.
This figure has a certain range: +100 and -250. That is, if the indicator is 1500 kcal, then weight loss will occur during consumption from 1250 (lower limit) to 1600 kcal per day (upper limit).
2. Calculate BJU
It should be noted that 1 gram of proteins and carbohydrates = 4 kcal, and 1 gram of fat = 9 kcal.
Therefore, proteins should be from 30 to 35% of calories per day, fats, in turn, from 15 to 20%, and carbohydrates from 45 to 50% of calories per day. Based on these figures, the following calculations are made:
Proteins (if lower limit is 1250) = (1250 x 0.3)/4
Proteins (if the upper limit is 1600) = (1600 x 0.35) / 4
Result: from 93 to 140g per day
Fat (if the lower limit is 1250) = (1250 x 0.15) / 9
Fat (if the upper limit is 1600) = (1600 x 0.2) / 9
Result: from 21 to 35g per day
Carbohydrates (if the lower limit is 1250) = (1250 x 0.45) / 4
Carbohydrates (if the upper limit is 1600) = (1600 x 0.5) / 4
Result: from 140 to 200g per day
Thus, using the example of theory and practical calculations, the fact that calorie content and BJU indicators are closely interconnected with each other has been proved.
It is important to take into account all these data when drawing up the right balanced diet, not only for weight loss, but also to keep the body in great shape.
If you know how to eat right, you will keep your health and beauty for years to come. Healthy nutrition is, first of all, a balance of proteins and fats, it is a guarantee of a slim figure, youth and flexibility of the body.
A healthy lifestyle is a category that includes a whole set of concepts that allow you to maintain health, youth and beauty.
One of the main concepts is a healthy diet. All food (food of plant and animal origin) has a certain nutritional value - it contains proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
Proteins are the main building material that every cell needs, carbohydrates and fats provide energy reserves, lipids are also involved in the dissolution of some vitamins and are part of cell membranes.
The exclusion of one of the components already leads to an imbalance, and such a nutrition system cannot be called healthy. It is the observance of a certain ratio of protein, carbohydrate and fatty foods that will ensure optimal metabolism and a healthy state of the body.
What should be the balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates?
Depending on the type of human activity (his profession) and physique, a daily diet is formed. On average, 65-70% of the diet should belong to carbohydrates, 17-20% proteins and 13-15% fats.
For 1 kg of body weight, a person should consume 1 - 1.5 g of protein daily, while two thirds of the proteins should be of animal origin and one third of vegetable proteins.
Fats should also be of animal origin and vegetable, only the ratio should be in favor of vegetable oils (preferably cold pressed).
A healthy diet will not be skewed in one direction or another, an excess of protein foods in the diet causes diseases of the liver and kidneys, the body is overloaded with protein decay products. With an excess of fat, obesity can develop, the risk of coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis increases.
How to eat right to keep the body healthy?
Mode. Eating should be 3-4 times a day, these should be solid meals, not snacks. Between meals it is good to drink water (rather than absorb cookies, sweets, chocolate, seeds, chips, etc.). The main amount of carbohydrate food.
Balanced menu. An adult should eat about 500 g of vegetables and fruits per day, cereals, dairy products, meat, fish should be included in the diet. Drinking plain purified water is also an essential element of a healthy diet. Approximately 30-50 ml per 1 kg of weight should be consumed per day.
The right combination of products. Try not to combine protein and carbohydrate foods - this is the basic law. Meat and fish are best consumed with a vegetable side dish (remember that potatoes are a carbohydrate food, not a vegetable). It is also important to maintain a balance of proteins and fats. Too fatty meat is not good for the body, although it is a source of protein. The benefit of the protein component will be minimized by the fat component. Porridge goes well with fat (butter) and dairy products, as well as vegetables and fruits.
Correct replacement. Replace part of the products from your usual diet with healthy foods. For example, sweet rolls and cream cakes can be replaced with dried fruits, berry desserts, and honey. Replace meat products (sausage, sausages) with a whole piece of lean meat, and it is best to give preference to low-fat varieties: lamb, turkey, chicken, veal and lean beef.
Healthy eating is not only about properly selected foods and a balanced diet, it is also about proper cooking. Steamed food is considered the most useful, followed by baked and boiled foods, the most harmful foods include fried foods and dishes cooked on fire.
What can better testify to the health of all organs, no matter how beautiful and well-being? And they largely depend on the content of our daily diet. After all, it is not without reason that one aphorism says that “a person is what he eats”. Basic knowledge about the composition of food products and the ratio of certain components in the daily menu will help maintain the correct balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in a balanced diet.
Any human body can be represented in the form of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, salts, acids, vitamins and water. It is from these organic (and inorganic too) compounds that we are "made." But the main role in nutrition is assigned to three whales: proteins, fats and carbohydrates. And therefore, in order to correctly observe the proportions of the consumption of "building material", you need to understand the role of the main elements well.
Squirrels
Protein is the foundation on which a person's physical health rests. Without protein, neither the growth process of the body nor the regeneration of damaged, dead tissues is possible. Protein (aka protein) is the main "building material" of the body. It is from it that new cells are created, it is he who ensures the integrity of cell membranes.
Protein exists in two forms:
complete;
defective.
The first is found in all animal products and consists of essential amino acids. You can get complete protein from meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products. The second type of protein is found in plant foods. It is based on the so-called non-essential amino acids. Nuts, leguminous plants, cereals are richest in defective protein.
The total proportion of protein in the diet, according to experts, should be 14-16%, and the daily dose should be based on: 1 gram of protein per 1 kg of body weight. Moreover, complete and inferior protein is recommended to be consumed in equal proportions.
Fats
The main tasks of fats are to provide the body with energy (up to 50% of the total energy consumption) and form its reserve fund, which, like an airbag, will come to the rescue in a stressful situation, replenishing the wasted energy.
All fats are divided into two types, each of which the human body needs in its own way:
vegetable origin;
animal origin.
Vegetable fats contain unsaturated fatty acids that are very important for the life of any organ. The body does not know how to synthesize them on its own, and therefore must be obtained from such foods as unrefined vegetable oils (especially olive and corn), nuts, whole grain cereals.
Animal fats are hidden in meat, fish, milk, eggs. They necessarily contain useful cholesterol, which is not only an integral cellular material and is part of the substance of the brain, but is also responsible for the balance of sex hormones. Violation of this hormonal balance leads to a high risk of suicide and the development of all kinds of depression.
The daily proportion of fat in the diet of any person should be 30%. At the same time, it is important to combine fats with fiber-rich plant foods and follow the recommended ratio of animal and vegetable fats in the menu: 70% to 30%.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for humans. These organic compounds come to us mainly from plant foods. In animal products, carbohydrates in sufficient quantities can only be found in milk. Almost 100% carbohydrate product is honey.
For many years (thanks to the development of industry), people have been getting refined carbohydrates from ordinary products: sugar and starch. It is worth mentioning right away that these products are harmful to health. Therefore, their share in the diet should be minimal, and it is better to completely abandon the consumption of sugar and starch, especially since these substances are found in other products.
According to their composition, carbohydrates are divided into:
simple (glucose, fructose);
double (sucrose, lactose);
complex (starch, glycogen).
A person consumes sucrose, glucose and fructose with berries, fruits and vegetables, for example, why not cook. Lactose is found in all dairy products, while starch is found in baked goods, pasta, cereals, and potatoes.
The main sources of energy in the body are glucose and glycogen. They are indispensable for serious physical and mental stress, sports. In addition, these substances are responsible for the processes associated with the central nervous system.
The proportion of carbohydrates in the diet should prevail. It is best if it is 60% of the daily menu. It is recommended to give preference to natural carbohydrates.
Remember that the ability of carbohydrates to be converted into fats is a direct threat to the formation of excess weight. Therefore, choose carbohydrate foods that contain insoluble and slightly soluble dietary fiber (fiber), vitamins and other nutrients. A striking example of such products are whole grain cereals, vegetables, fruits. From them you can cook any dishes, for example, it will be delicious.
In the matter of losing weight and a healthy lifestyle, it is impossible to ignore the topic of a balanced content of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the body, that is, BJU. It is the balance between these indicators that determines how quickly you can lose weight, build muscle and improve your health, in particular, normalize hormonal levels.
What is the balance of BJU
At its core, the balance of BJU is adherence to the principles of a healthy diet, that is, you keep fit by making the right diet and sticking to it, and not limiting yourself in any products and, moreover, without depriving yourself of nutrition as such. It is more likely that weight gain is due to an imbalance in this balance, and not due to regular consumption of fatty foods, which may not go beyond the daily requirement of your body.
The optimal use of proteins, fats and carbohydrates allows you to maintain normal all processes, keep weight at the required level, provide nutrition to the muscles, brain, and maintain a stable functioning of the reproductive system. It is especially important to maintain a balance for women's health, since significant deviations immediately affect the hormonal background and the general well-being of a woman.
Maintaining a balance of BJU is the use of a sufficient amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates throughout the day, that is, each meal should include foods that can fill all the needs of your body. This immediately highlights an important part of a balanced diet - it cannot be based on just one product. And for the same reason, mono-diets are harmful and do not bring long-term results.
A healthy diet is characterized by the use of 50% carbohydrates, 30% fats and 20% proteins from daily calories. This means that at a target of 1,700 calories per day for weight maintenance, you should get 850 from carbohydrates, 510 from fat, and 340 from protein.
The high content of carbohydrates is due to the fact that it is their body that uses them in the first place to make up for energy costs. Only after their consumption, processed fats and proteins are used. If you break the balance and eat more than 50% carbohydrate food, then unspent energy is converted into adipose tissue - this is how weight begins to gain. If at the same time you do not comply with the norm for proteins and fats, then muscle tissue begins to deplete, bones become more brittle. Similarly, other processes occurring between cells depend on the balance of BJU.
Why is the balance of BJU disturbed
There are a number of reasons for the imbalance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, which in most cases depends on how closely you follow the principles of a healthy diet, how carefully you are about what you eat and what you pamper yourself with. In addition, a violation in the balance of BJU can be caused by a deterioration in the activity of individual organs and systems.
1. Bad eating habits. It often happens that, in general, your diet cannot be called bad - you eat a lot of healthy foods, eat relatively small portions, do not abuse heavy meals before bedtime. So what's the problem? In this case, harmful culinary addictions can let you down. For example, excessive consumption of chocolate or mayonnaise, due to which the amount of carbohydrates and fats eaten, respectively, significantly exceeds the daily allowance. This is what contributes to the imbalance. Most likely, in this matter, overdo it with carbohydrates, which are very abundant in sugar, all sweets and bakery products, especially rich ones, as well as in cereals, potatoes, legumes and many other foods that saturate the diet of a modern person.
2. Improper nutrition. This implies not only the neglect of healthy foods, but also the violation of the diet, too large portions, late-night snacks, as well as the choice in favor of low-quality versions of well-known dishes.
3. Abuse of alcoholic beverages, which may be relevant for lovers of regular parties. Alcohol is not only a rich source of carbohydrates, but also alcohol, which impairs the functioning of the cardiovascular system, which leads to metabolic disorders and a slowdown in metabolism.
4. Deviations in the work of the endocrine system, in particular, we are talking about diseases of the thyroid and pancreas, which play an important role in maintaining the processes of digestion and absorption of substances entering the blood.
5. The presence of other chronic and acute diseases.
6. Inconsistency in the nutritional value of the diet with the volume of regular physical activity, which can lead to a lack of protein or fats that ensure the health of ligaments, bones and muscle tissue.
How to balance BJU
To maintain the balance of BJU, first of all, you need to make sure that you do not have chronic diseases and abnormalities in the endocrine system, otherwise you will not be able to advance in the task at hand, and in some cases, an attempt to restore balance can worsen the situation. If you are sure that there is no need to see a doctor, the second step is to think about correcting nutrition. This can be done in three steps.
1. Reducing carbohydrate intake by 50%. The list of such products includes not only sweets, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, but also all cereals, potatoes, pasta. That is, if you usually allowed yourself 300 grams of rice as a side dish, then at the first stage this portion should be reduced to 150 grams. The same should be done with other products.
2. Increase natural fiber by 50% with boiled or baked fruits and vegetables. On the plate, it should look like the garnish is half the size of the vegetable side dish.
3. Proteins should be 15 - 20% of the resulting portion. At the same time, it is best to use dietary varieties of poultry meat, rabbit, low-fat pork tenderloin and river fish as a source.
After these three steps are completed, you need to calculate the daily need for BJU for your weight. To do this, you can use the Mifflin-San Geor formula. For example, for a woman with a height of 165 cm and a weight of 60 kg, the daily intake of 50 grams of protein, 50 grams of fat and 220 grams of carbohydrates, with average physical activity, would be optimal. Accordingly, with an increase in power and cardio loads, the indicators automatically increase. After the initial correction in three stages, you must follow the data relevant to your weight and height!
Further, to restore the balance of BJU, it is important to adhere to the diet. Remember that food is digested fastest between 8 and 11 am, and then between 16 and 18 pm. The rest of the time, digestion slows down significantly, so light, low-calorie recipes should be preferred during the day and in the evening. Shortly before bedtime, it is good to bet on plant fiber and a small amount of protein. Carbohydrates should not be consumed in the evening, as this significantly slows down metabolism and contributes to the formation of body fat.
To maintain a normal balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, the crushing of nutrition will also help, that is, a gradual transition to frequent meals in small portions. This allows you to speed up the metabolism, improve their absorption in the body and quickly removes processed products from it, the accumulation of which contributes to the imbalance of BJU. The main principle of its maintenance lies in the observance of basic ideas about a healthy lifestyle.
BJU - nevermind! Life is short, mistakes are eternal. And errors in the balance of proteins-fats-carbohydrates (BJU) can greatly reduce your life and increase the number of diseases in it.
Here, for example, take the fans of the keto diet. Keto is now well promoted as an ideal weight loss strategy. Keto is a lot of fat, just a lot of protein and very little carbs. Fat should be 4 times more than protein and carbohydrates combined.
The total amount of carbohydrates in keto does not exceed 5-10%. Is this good or bad? For sellers of keto apps and keto recipes, very good. For you, it's very bad. And how bad - depends on the amount of protein and carbohydrates in your stomach.
CARBOHYDRATES ARE NOT CARBOHYDRATES: Difficult to sort out
Here is an instructive and explanatory graph from a study that ended in 2018. Scientists have been studying the dependence of life expectancy on the amount of carbohydrates for a long 25 years. The study involved 15,000 people. Many died in the process. No, they were not killed by scientists: the subjects died of disease and old age.
It turned out that those who ate fewer carbohydrates died more.
Graph 1.
Change in risk of death from all causes
with different amounts of carbohydrates in food.
The picture, I think, is as clear as it is an anti-keto diet. An excess of carbohydrates can bring premature death closer by 15%. But their very low number (with keto) increases the risk of timidly scratching at the doors of Paradise ahead of schedule by as much as 60%.
I am talking about Heaven because keto lovers often meet Hell already on earth. After all, an earlier death comes to them not because the keto-ed went on and on, and simply died. Not! Before an early death, a keto-lover usually suffers from various entertaining diseases for a long time, passionately and in different poses.
I will cover this low-erotic topic in the following anti-keto opuses. I can't resist, however, chuckling to note that the next component of the Great Balance of BJU is directly related to sex.
Let's take a last look at Chart 1 with a languid glance in order to remember the main thing. Namely: those who consume carbohydrates in the amount of 45-60% of the total calorie intake have the least risk of losing life, sex and health prematurely.
NON-NEED OR– CONSUMPTION?
The percentage of protein in your food has a lot to do with eros and thanatos. I translate from psychoanalytic to human: to death and sex (hello to grandfather Freud). The study is about the relationship of the amount of protein and carbohydrates with reproduction (the ability to produce offspring) and life expectancy.
Chart 2
on the ratio of proteins / carbohydrates in food.
Everything is very clear here: the more protein and less carbohydrates on your plate, the more action in your bed. The less protein, the longer life. Healthy, but... but not very sexually meaningful...
The optimal balance between life extension and "immortality" of oneself in numerous offspring is achievable with 30% carbohydrates and 10% protein (of the total calorie content of the diet).
Graph 3
Dependence of life expectancy and reproduction
from % of protein from the total calorie content of the diet.
In another study, increasing the percentage of protein in food from 12.9% to 18.9% led to an increase in the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases by one and a half times!
Chart 4
Protein intake and risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
Excess protein is also very bad for cancer patients. Even for those who do not yet know about their cancer. The rate of tumor growth in humans and animals that eat a lot of protein is 4-5 times higher compared to those who have less protein in their diet.
Chart 5
The size of a cancerous tumor with different protein content in food.
Of course, the state of health is affected not only by the amount of protein, but also by its type (whether it is vegetable or animal protein). I talk about this in other high-protein articles.
In general, scientists believe that the optimal duration of a healthy sex life is achieved with a protein content of 12 to 18% (of the total caloric intake) in food,.
LIFE WITH OIL WILL NOT SPILL
Especially if it's the right oil! The study, conducted on 135,000 people who lived (and died) in 18 countries on 5 continents, was a great comfort to fat lovers.
The risk of death from all causes begins to decrease sharply from about 27% of calories from fat.
Chart 6
Dependence of the risk of death from all causes on the content of fats and carbohydrates in food.
And the risk of falling victim to heart disease is the lowest if the amount of calories from fat in your food is in the range from 10 to 18% and - more than 35%. Food with up to 15% calories from carbohydrates gives the same effect (that is, the keto diet is less dangerous for cores than for those who want to die from other diseases).
Chart 7
The risk of developing any cardiovascular disease (CVD) depending on the content of fats and carbohydrates in food.
BALANCE
On a plate, as in life, everything is balanced: sometimes it becomes less good, sometimes it’s worse ... That is, I would like, of course, to eat more proteins, and fats, and carbohydrates, but the total caloric content of food, whatever one may say, cannot be no more, no less than 100%.
Therefore, the number of some (or each) of the three contents, whatever one may say, will have to be cut. Let's twist the pieces of this puzzle to understand how to put them together in an optimally healthy and long life. And we will spin them around people who, whatever one may say, live longer than all of us (not taken together, of course).
LONG-LIVERS AND SHORT-LIVERERS
If we compare the content of BJU in the diets of the main centenarians of our planet (Sicilian Mediterraneans and Okinawan Japanese), we will see that both of them consume close to the optimal amount of protein (13-15%).
But Okinawans eat a lot more carbs, while Mediterraneans eat a lot more fat. How so?
And the secret is in the form of products. Okinawan carbohydrates are complex carbohydrates: sweet potatoes, vegetables, fruits. And Mediterranean fats are healthy olive oil and fish fat.
And now I will demonstrate on the diet of my real one how to take into account the sources of their income when calculating the balance of BJU. That is, choose the right products in order to get the right BJU from them.
DIFFICULTIES OF RATION
So how can you properly lay all these percentages on your daily bread, you ask me. Everything is laid out for you, - I will answer. I mean, for you! Come to me and I will cheat you. I mean, I'll calculate your diet.
I put together a program for calculating the diet, which allows you to choose the most optimal ratio of products. Optimal - means the most relevant to the main parameters of utility. At the same time, the resulting diet is as simple as possible to use.
Here is a diet table that was made for a specific person and for his parameters and favorite foods. Plus signs indicate the products that this person eats according to 7 different options (days of the week). The weight of the finished product (for the whole day) is indicated under each of them.
Ration table
But what turned out to be the content of BJU in this particular diet.
How great is that? All the parameters by which you can understand how healthy the amounts of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in this diet are are indicated in the "Utility Table".
Diet Benefits Table
Red indicates options (again - by day and average per week) that are beyond the useful. And green - those that are included in this framework.
Now I will explain how to understand these many parameters.
PROTEIN
It is important to consider not only the percentage of protein in the diet. The amount of protein (calculated in grams per kilogram of body) and its general lack or excess (in grams or percentage) also speak of the usefulness or harmfulness of the diet.
A very important parameter is the percentage of animal protein in food. If it exceeds 4-6%, then the risk of getting cancer increases. And the rate of development of those foci of cancer that could already have arisen in the body is increasing. Therefore, it is extremely important to eat animal and vegetable proteins in the correct ratio and quantity.
The ratio of animal and vegetable proteins is exactly what determines how much protein you can eat: the more animal protein in your diet, the smaller percentage of calories we recommend that you get from protein.
To maintain a healthy body acidity, you need to accompany the protein with sufficient amounts of vegetables, herbs and fruits. If your diet is high in protein and low in proper carbohydrates (from vegetation), then you will have a high (and positive) acidifying PRAL of the food.
The amount of saturated fat in your diet also tells you how good and healthy your protein sources are. If they are more than 5-6%, then the risk of cardiovascular diseases increases significantly,.
FAT
What makes people fat is not so much the fat in food as the amount and, most importantly, the type of carbohydrates. But the composition and type of fats makes you noticeably more or less healthy. We balance the diet by the amount and ratio of essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and by the content of saturated fats.
The total caloric content of food depends on the amount of fat, as well as an extremely important parameter - the specific calorie content of food. That is, the average number of calories per 100 g of food. The lower this parameter, the healthier our diet. The specific calorie content of food also depends on the content of carbohydrates and proteins.
CARBOHYDRATES
We evaluate how correctly the sources of carbohydrates are selected by the Average glycemic content of food (that is, how much sugar and how quickly your food delivers it to the blood after you have digested it). And also - by the total amount of fiber and by the ratio of the amount of fiber to the total carbohydrate content,.
These three parameters determine how many calories from carbohydrates you can receive with health benefits. The lower the specific calorie and glycemic load of food and the more fiber it contains and the higher the ratio of fiber to carbohydrates - the more calories from carbohydrates you can have in your diet and still be healthy!
I talk about each of the parameters in more detail in my other articles.
DIFFERENCE AND CONQUER
Now you understand why the Okinawan and Mediterranean diets provide the longest lifespan, despite the fact that they are very different in terms of carbohydrates and fats.
And you also see that the art of compiling a slimming and healthy diet is a delicate matter ... like the East!
SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND INSPIRATION:
- Dietary carbohydrate intake and mortality: a prospective cohort study and meta-analysis Sara B Seidelmann
- Stephen J. Simpson: Dietary protein, aging and nutritional geometry.
- Heli Virtanen: Intake of Different Dietary Proteins and Risk of Heart Failure in Men: The Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study.
- Morgan E. Levine: Low Protein Intake Is Associated with a Major Reduction in IGF-1, Cancer, and Overall Mortality in the 65 and Younger but Not Older Population.
- Mahshid Dehghan: Associations of fats and carbohydrate intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality in 18 countries from five continents (PURE).
- D. Craig Willcox: The Okinawan Diet: Health Implications of a Low-Calorie, Nutrient-Dense, Antioxidant-Rich Dietary Pattern Low in Glycemic Load.
- T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. AND Thomas M. Campbell: The China Study.
- Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. Health and Medicine Division (HMD) is a division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies).
- Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: Vegetarian diets. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients).
WARNING: Always check with your doctor before making any changes to your diet or lifestyle, as there may be contraindications in each individual case. The recommendations in this article are not a substitute for professional medical care, advice, diagnosis, advice, or treatment. The author and publication do not accept responsibility for the results of any use of the above information.
