Nutrition


‘The Key to Life is Balance’ and the same is true for nutrition. The food we eat and the fluids we drink provide us with nutrients that have three specific functions:

  1. To provide energy for human metabolism.
  2. To help regulate bodily processes.
  3. To help build and repair body tissues.

There are six main classes of essential nutrients: water, carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals.

Carbohydrates break down to glucose to provide energy. Glucose is our primary source of energy when we exercise at high intensity. You’ll find carbs in bread, cereals and in fruit and vegetables including pulses and legumes.

High Glycaemic Index (GI) foods like white bread or chocolate are quickly absorbed and cause an insulin release which means the glucose is stored as fat. Low GI foods like most vegetables are released slowly and provide long-term energy.

Protein is broken down into amino acids, the building blocks of our muscles. Protein is found in meat and poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products. Eat protein within an hour of training to aid muscle growth and repair.

Fat is a concentrated form of energy. When people try to lose weight they often remove all fat from their diet but it’s important to note that some fat is crucial for cell structure and function.

Saturated fat comes from mostly animal sources and is less beneficial than unsaturated fat from plant sources such as olive oil and avocado. Remember, a little fat is essential in a healthy diet.

It is beneficial to keep a food diary for 7 days to assess any nutritional deficiencies or over-compensations. Be detailed and include what you’ve eaten, how much of it (grams), when (time eaten), water and other fluid intake. We’ll take a look and highlight things you might want to watch depending on your training goals.

Balance Point Nutrition Recommendations

  • Don’t listen blindly to the newest fad idea, especially from well-meaning friends.
  • Begin to educate yourself on nutrition by asking for help from people you trust (that’s us). There are many books and resources on nutrition that we can recommend.
  • Eat a diet high in raw foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes.
  • Ensure you eat good quality proteins regularly, including red meat, chicken and eggs.
  • Supplement your diet with high-quality nutritionals (antioxidants and minerals).
  • Do not buy or consume very heavily processed foods from the supermarket.
  • In most cases avoid high fat and high sugar foods. Sugar especially is a poison
  • Eat regularly. Five to six small meals a day at regular intervals is ideal.
  • Stay well hydrated. Drink plenty of water. Two litres a day is easily achievable.
  • Eat Low Glycaemic Index foods.
  • Your meals should be balanced and include carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Take a look at your plate and see if you’ve got everything covered.
  • Be very aware of eating too many carbohydrates. Many of our foods are very dense in carbohydrates and will often be stored by our body if they are not needed – think pasta, rice, bread and noodles.

Both iron and calcium are important micronutrients. Both are often deficient, especially in low calorie, vegetarian or vegan diets.

Women need between 12-16mg of iron per day, and men roughly 7mg. Vitamin C and acidic foods such as tomatoes aid iron absorption (which is usually quite low).

Dairy products give us our best source of calcium; trim products providing more than their full cream counterparts. We each need between 800-1100mg of calcium per day.

Your best weight-loss plan is to make small changes you can stick with like:

  • Make your portion sizes smaller
  • Decrease the amount of highly processed foods you eat
  • Eat a balanced diet. Eat a high amount of proteins, and essential fats.
  • Get your carbohydrate calories from fruit and vegetables
  • Learn about food by reading the nutrition labels
  • Get more exercise, and aim for 30-60 minutes of activity per day, 7 days a week
  • Ensure you drink enough fluids
  • Set SMART goals.
  • Crash diets don’t work! They can leave you with higher body fat than before.

A very simple way to look at it is when energy in = energy out you maintain your weight. If you eat more than you use you put on weight, and if you expend more energy than you ingest you lose weight.