Food Intake And Metabolism
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We’ve all heard something at some point about food portioning and how much health organisations recommend we eat. But it can get confusing. Almost paradoxical. Especially through unclear and unspecified food labels found on the side of most of, if not all our processed and refined foods. How are do you know how much is enough, and how much is just plain too much. Primarily in the modern western world food portioning, or at least attention to food portioning has become practically non-existent.
Unfair as it may seem, men and women have different dietary needs. Men tend to have to take in more calories than women, this is due to the fact that men weigh more and typically have more muscles which burn calories quicker. But it’s not just sex and gender that determine how much your daily intake should be; age, weight, metabolism and physical activeness all play a role. Typically, a women’s average daily intake should be around 2,000 calories, whereas a man should take in around 2500 on the daily. But these numbers are effected by age alone.
Men
There is only one sure and precise way to know how many calories you should intake. Have your doctor tell you. After all, we are all different and have different dietary requirements, but there are some general rules to follow.
An average teenager should intake 2200-3200 calories every day.
A man aged 19-30 should intake 2400-300 daily.
Men aged 30-50 range from 2000-2200
and any average man over 50 should intake around 2000 cal. daily.
Of this diet, 10-35% should be made up of proteins, 45-65% of carbohydrates and 20-35% fats.
Women
Women are a little more complicated as factors like pregnancy work their way into the equation. But thankfully there is a similar set of rules to follow:
Typically any moderately active woman age 14-30, should intake around 2400 calories per day.
A non active 50+ year old should intake 1600 calories daily.
A non-active woman age 26-50, or any moderately active woman age 50+ should average her daily calorie intake at 1800
A moderately active 12-17 year old should take in approximately 2000 on a daily basis.
A particularly non-active woman, age 19-25 or a particularly active 55 year old should intake 2000 calories daily.
A moderately active woman, age 19-25, or a very active woman age 30-55 should intake 2200 cal. daily.
Pregnancy is an important factor of a women’s daily intake. After all, every and any mother should want the best for her unborn baby. Obviously there is again, no set amount as every woman and her baby is different. Only your doctor can tell you exactly how much you should be intaking, but it averages at 2200-2900 calories per day gaining a healthy 11-40 pounds during pregnancy.
Average Daily Intake
Although we are all different, we are all alike. And based on the ways we are all alike we can average approximately how much of evert nutrient we should be consuming on a daily basis.
Nutrient
Energy
Protein
Fat
Saturated Fatty Acids
Carbohydrates
Sugars
Sodium (salt)
Dietary Fibre
Quantity Per Day
8,700 kilojoules
50 grams
70 grams
24 grams
310 grams
90 grams
2.3 grams
30 grams
Empty Calories
Good old wikipedia defines “empty calories” as: “foods and beverages composed primarily or solely of sugar, fats or oils, or alcohol-containing beverages.” But how do you identify these empty calories in the jungle of false information and over refined foods? Simply by reading the label. What you should look out for are solid fats (fats that remain solid at room temp. such as butter or lard) and added sugars. Added sugars are sugars, usually in syrup form. You’ve heard of the Goliath of the processed food industry, High fructose corn syrup (how long does corn syrup last?). Which all make your food taste great, but are much more dangerous than you may think. This excess in sugar and fat, instead of being burnt off and used like all your essential nutrients, your body stores them as fat cells.
Here’s a list of some common empty calories you’re likely guilty of consuming:
Treats like packaged cakes, cookies, and donuts contain both added sugars and solid fats.
Beverages like soda, sports and energy drinks, and fruit drinks contain added sugars.
Cheese, ice cream, and other full-fat dairy contain a good amount of solid fat.
Meats like sausage, hot dogs, bacon, and ribs contain solid fat.
Fast food — like pizza, burgers, french fries, milkshakes, etc. — often contains both added sugars and solid fats.
Hard candy and candy bars may contain both added sugars and solid fats.
Here’s a list of some foods you should consider buying instead:
fresh fruits — apples, oranges, berries, bananas, melons
vegetables, fresh or frozen — carrots, leafy greens, broccoli, beets
whole grains — whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole grain pastas
lean protein — eggs, beans, fish, nuts (how long do nuts last?), poultry, and other lean meats
legumes – beans and lentils (how long do lentils last?)
Metabolism
If you’re particularly conscious about what you eat then you’ve probably heard of metabolism. But what exactly is it? We’ve all heard people blame their weight on a slow metabolism and how it is affected by Hypothyroidism, is it really the cause of of many peoples excessive weight gain? Metabolism is a process. The process in which the the body converts whatever it consumes into energy. Although metabolism is linked to weight, it isn’t, contrary to popular belief, a cause of weight gain. At least not 99% of the time. Plain and simple, your metabolism influences your body’s basic energy needs, how much you eat and drink along with how much physical activity you get are the things that ultimately determine your weight.
Metabolism is a complex biochemical process, calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function. Even when we are resting, sitting on the couch we need energy through this process to keep breathing, keep circulation, monitor out heart beat, and so on and so on. The number calories your body requires to achieve these sub-couscous (What wine goes well with couscous?) functions are known as your basal metabolic rate. In addition to your basal metabolic rate, two other factors determine how many calories your body burns each day:
Food processing (thermogenesis). Digesting, absorbing, transporting and storing the food you consume also takes calories. About 10 percent of the calories from the carbohydrates and protein you eat are used during the digestion and absorption of the food and nutrients.
Physical activity. Physical activity and exercise — such as playing tennis, walking to the store, chasing after the dog and any other movement — account for the rest of the calories your body burns up each day. Physical activity is by far the most variable of the factors that determine how many calories you burn each day.
Scientists call the activity you do all day that isn’t deliberate exercise nonexercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). This activity includes walking from room to room, activities such as gardening and even fidgeting. NEAT accounts for about 100 to 800 calories used daily.
It’s tempting, and rather convenient to blame weight issues on metabolism. But only in rare cases does it actually effect weight. It does in the case of certain illnesses and medical conditions such as Cushing’s Syndrome or an under-active thyroid (Hypothyroidism).
Weight gain is a complicated process. It is effect by things that would expect such as, diet, exercise and genetics. But other, less obvious things also factor in, like the impact of environment on your lifestyle, including sleep, physical activity and stress. All things that can result in an imbalance in your energy equation.
Of course some people do lose or/and gain weight quicker and more easily than others, but the basis of weight loss remain the same. To lose weight, you need to create an energy deficit by eating fewer calories or increasing the number of calories you burn through physical activity or both. This is a difficult task in this day and age as the majority of the modern world is either uneducated towards the subject, or misinformed.
No one has much or any control even of their basal metabolism. What we all can control is how many calories we take in and burn through exercise. That slimmer more athletic guy that has a “faster metabolism”, is likely just naturally more active or fidgets more.
Some of the most efficient ways to burn calories are as follows:
Regular aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise is the most efficient way to burn calories and includes activities such as walking, bicycling and swimming. As a general goal, include at least 30 minutes of physical activity in your daily routine.If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to increase the time you spend on physical activity even more. If you can’t set aside time for a longer workout, try 10-minute chunks of activity throughout the day. Remember, the more active you are, the greater the benefits.
Strength training. Experts recommend strength training exercises, such as weightlifting, at least twice a week. Strength training is important because it helps counteract muscle loss associated with aging. And since muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue does, muscle mass is a key factor in weight loss.
Lifestyle activities. Any extra movement helps burn calories. Look for ways to walk and move around a few minutes more each day than the day before. Like taking the stairs for example.
No Short Cuts
Like anything else in life, there are no short cuts. No supplement you can take will ever replace the real things, just as that “core blaster” where you sit and let a machine vibrate against your abs doesn’t match up to proper exercise. Changing how we eat and how often and/or hard we exercise is one of the hardest things any of us can do. Mainly because all the processed, “ready-made” foods we buy come in pre-made and often over-serving containers.
In order to transition to better eating habits, you have to first educate yourself, which can seem like a long process on its own, followed by extremely conscious shopping, followed by excessive weighing and storing to get it right. The reward however, is unmatched. You’ll surely have more energy, be less tired, have a better completion, and more overall happiness as your body starts to agree and come into sync with your new diet.
