The Hierarchy Of Nutritional Importance
Marketers have done an amazing job at making nutrition and dieting as complicated as possible. It seems like there are thousands of things to focus on, but the reality is that it truly isn’t that complicated. By the end of this blog post, you will know where to focus your energy to guarantee success.
Now let’s break it down in some more detail:
Calories: Calories really are king. This it the most important factor by a landslide. Calories are simple units of energy that our body can use. If you want to lose weight, eat less calories than you burn. If you want to gain weight, eat more calories than you burn. For the most part, it is that simple. There are exceptions, especially deeper into diets or significant surpluses, but for the most part, calories are the number one factor to manipulating your weight and body mass.
Macronutrients (Protein, Carbohydrates & Fats): Next up comes your specific macros, these include proteins, carbs, fats and yes, alcohol. Protein and carbs make up four calories per gram, whereas fat makes up nine and alcohol makes up seven. Protein is the most important for body composition though. It contributes to lean muscle gain, delivering amino acids and provides a high level of food satiety per gram.
Micronutrition: Now when I say micronutrition, first and foremost think fibre. Fibre has an important role to play in digestion and overall food satiety. This factor does matter, but it certainly comes after calories and macros. Once you have the above down, focus on getting a sufficient fibre intake. Sufficient fibre intake should leave you feeling satisfied, with regular and consistent bowel movements. It’s important to find a sweet spot for fibre because if you have too much it will make you feel bloated. Other micronutrients include sodium, essential vitamins and sugar. These do matter, but I wouldn’t waste too much effort on them, as most people meet these requirements naturally with a balanced diet.
Meal timing/ Frequency: For some reason, it’s become a huge fad to focus on meal timing like never before. This likely originates from the Intermittent Fasting community, but the benefit of meal timing is greatly blown out of proportion. Numerous studies have been done and the benefit of maximizing specific meal timings are shown to be non-significant. The best way to approach meal timing is to try to find a schedule that works best for YOU. Whatever you stick to will be what gives you the best results. If you like 3 big meals a day, thats fine. If you want 20 meals a day? Might be a little inconvenient, but hey, you do you.
Supplements: Supplements are just that, supplementary to a great nutrition and training regimine. If you don’t have both your nutrition and training locked down, I wouldn’t even put so much of a thought into supplements. Once you have everything locked down though, check out our Top 5 Supplement Video For Natural Lifters.