1. What kind of meals should you have if you suffer from high cholesterol?
We have the ability to use food as medicine, and what I mean by this, is there are in fact certain foods we can avoid to help lower/alter things such as cholesterol! LDL is known as the harmful cholesterol that we carry in our body, when LDL is high, it can contribute to adverse health effects such as coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, heath diseases and strokes. So, in order to aid in the lowering of LDL cholesterol, we want to aim to consume foods high in soluble fiber, polyunsaturated fats, foods that contain plant sterols and stanols (help to block the body from absorbing cholesterol). If you are worried about your cholesterol levels, I would usually firstly recommend lowering your intake of meats, specifically red meats. We have plenty of meals that do not contain red meats on the GMD menu! As well as plenty of vegetarian options. You should also consider consuming meals that contain healthy oils-these can be found in our meals that have fish! As well as meals that include lots of green veg!
2. How do you find a good balance in diet?
Balance in diet is a form of art in my opinion! It is also something that you earn over a period of time. What I mean by this, is that if you have created an ongoing/consistent diet that includes the right number of macronutrients, micronutrients, H2O and other simple factors that align with your lifestyle and goals, you can slowly over time implement a commonly known approach, 80/20. In matter a fact, you can implement this from the get-go, however, some people to struggle to hit the 80/20 and sometimes fall more towards 30/70…etc… 80/20 implies that 80% of your intake is full of nutrient dense foods that help to fuel you and align with your targets, and the other 20% can be ‘soul foods’. An 80/20 approach may look like a nutrient dense breakfast, lunch, dinner, 1-2 snacks (yoghurts, muesli bars, fruits etc) and then a choc bar, a serve of ice cream, a snack packet of chips. Etc. This rule can also apply when going out for food with friends and family. That may be a slightly more calorie dense meal, followed by slightly smaller volume meals! (this does not intend under-consuming, just slightly smaller meals if anything). Balance is created through your lifestyle and diet, it also looks different for everyone! To find balance, I believe you must have the fundamentals down pact, in order to consistently implement soul foods.
3. Covering Macros, what they are and how to use them for different goals.
I have previously gone through macronutrients in a earlier blog-named ‘Understanding Macronutrients’. However a smaller description is found below to highlight the most important factors of macros. Macronutrients make up the building blocks of the energy in foods we consume. We commonly know them as Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats! The intake of all three is crucial in order to maintain homeostasis in the body and keep us fueled to attack our health and fitness goals. The average intake of an active person is 2000 calories. Macronutrient break down looks like: 45-65% carbohydrates, 20-35% fats and 10-35% protein. This is again for the average intake, manipulation of each of the macronutrients is hugely varied depending on each individual, their lifestyle, background, goals and many other factors. Put simply in terms of common goals I hear: Muscle gain: Usually consists of higher protein and carbohydrate intake Fat/weight loss: Aiming for a lower intake overall, also known as a calorie deficit. Aka, consume less than what you burn. This can consist of lower percentage of primarily fats and carbs. Maintenance: This will again be dependent on each individual. In order to find your maintenance, I would start off by bringing your calories to the average daily intake, monitor weight on this intake for 3-4 weeks on these calories, and note any fluctuations. This diet will usually consist of the macronutrients listed in the ‘average intake of an active person’ above.
- Bec B
