Macronutrients
Carbohydrates (CHO) are the body's most efficient source of energy because CHO break down into glucose which is the body's primary energy source.
- Glucose is needed to maintain blood sugar levels and it is stored in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen. Adequate glycogen stores are essential for peak athletic performance
- Each gram of CHO yields 4 calories. They are found in foods in the form of sugar and starch
Carbohydrate content of commonly eaten foods. 
What is the Glycemic Index (GI)?
- The GI was originally designed to help people with diabetes closely control their blood sugars. The GI ranks CHO foods according to their ability to elevate blood sugar
- High-GI CHO quickly enter the bloodstream and are best eaten during or after exercise so they can enhance the rate of glycogen replacement
- Low to Moderate-GI foods slowly enter the bloodstream and are desirable before exercise because they provide sustained energy
- Choosing low GI CHO - the ones that produce only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels - is the secret to long-term health, reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes, and is the key to sustainable weight loss
- Eating a lot of high GI foods can be detrimental to your health because it pushes your body to extremes. This is especially true if you are overweight and sedentary. Switching to eating mainly low GI CHO that slowly trickle glucose into your blood stream keeps your energy levels balanced and means you will feel fuller for longer between meals
- Low GI diets help people lose and control weight
- Low GI diets increase the body's sensitivity to insulin
- Low GI CHO improve diabetes control
- Low GI CHO reduce the risk of heart disease
- Low GI CHO reduce blood cholesterol levels
- Low GI CHO reduce hunger and keep you fuller for longer
- Low GI CHO prolong physical endurance
- Low GI CHO can help you manage the symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome
- High GI CHO help re-fuel CHO stores after exercise
How to switch to a low GI diet
The basic technique for eating the low GI way is simply a "this for that" approach, or swapping high GI CHO for low GI CHO.
- Use breakfast cereals based on oats, barley and bran
- Use breads with whole grains, stone-ground flour, sour dough
- Reduce the amount of potatoes you eat
- Enjoy all other types of fruit and vegetables
- Use Basmati or Doongara rice
- Enjoy pasta, noodles, quinoa
- Eat plenty of salad vegetables with a vinaigrette dressing
Fat is an energy rich compound. One gram of dietary fat yields 9 calories. Fatty foods (burgers and fries) take much longer to digest and absorb than nutrient dense CHO (breads, rice, pasta, fruits, and vegetables) making these fatty foods a poor choice for the athlete.
- Individuals should eat more of the "good" unsaturated fats (corn oil, safflower oil, canola oil, olive oil, and other vegetable oils) and less of the "bad" saturated fats (butter, beef, pork, lamb, poultry, partially hydrogenated oils and fats, coconut oil, palm and palm kernel oil)
- Fat is very important for athletic performance, growth and development, and optimal health. It provides the body with a concentrated source of stored energy
- The lower the intensity and the longer the duration of exercise, the more fat is used for energy, while the greater the intensity and shorter the duration, the more CHO is used for energy
- A simple way to calculate your fat requirements by body weight is to simply divide it in half. Body weight in lbs. x ½ gram of fat = total daily fat requirements : Ex. (150lbs./2) = 75 grams of fat
Fat content of commonly eaten foods
Protein (Pro) is the structural basis for all muscle tissue. Muscle tissue is about 72% water, 22% Pro, and 6% fat and other nutrients.
- Protein is needed for growth, maintenance and repair of all the body tissues, and helps to develop enzymes to fight infection
- Complete Pro has a good balance of the 9 essential amino acids and is found in animal Pro (lean meats, chicken, turkey, pork, fish, seafood, eggs, and low-fat dairy products)
- Incomplete Pro are missing one or more of the 9 essential amino acids and are found primarily in plant sources (rice, beans, pasta, cereals, breads, nuts, soy products, vegetables and fruits). If you combine two or more incomplete Pro (rice and beans, bread and peanut butter, vegetables, tofu and nuts, soy milk and cereal), you can make a complete Pro containing all the essential amino acids required for Pro synthesis
- There is no advantage to consuming more Pro, particularly in the form of Pro supplements because if more Pro is supplied than needed, the body must convert the excess to fat for storage
Low-fat, high-Pro food choices
What to Eat: Meal Breakdown
- Carbohydrates: 60-65% of total calories (2.5 to 4.5 grams per pound of body weight):
- Breakfast: Whole grain breads, cereals and muffins, bagels, pancakes, waffles, grits, fruits, yogurt, and low fat milk
- Lunch and Dinner: Pasta, bread, pita bread, flour tortillas, rice, potato, couscous, legumes, vegetables, fruits and dairy
- Snacks: Hard and soft pretzels, crackers, fruits, juices and muffins
- Protein: 15-20% of total calories (1/2 to 1 gram per pound of body weight):
- Breakfast: Eggs, lean breakfast meats and soy products (milk, yogurt, tofu)
- Lunch and Dinner: Turkey, chicken, lean beef and pork, fish, seafood, tofu, beans, legumes
- Fat: 15-25% of total calories (1/2 gram per pound of body weight):
- Breakfast: Oils, butter, cream cheese
- Lunch and Dinner: Non-creamy salad dressings, oils, cheeses, peanut butter, walnuts, almonds
My Plate: USDA's dietary guidelines
Nutrition Labels Fact Sheet