Our last article about bullet journaling your physical health should have, hopefully, given you an idea of how important it is that you spend time on developing a good routine for your body’s health. With this series of articles on bullet journaling, we really want to emphasize our Ayurvedic philosophy that balance between the health of your mind, body, and spirit will lead you to living a happier life. Now, we have discussed exercise, see what it means to have a balanced diet, and how that diet will benefit your life.
Balanced Nutrition and Diet
Nutrients are life-sustaining substances found in food that work together to supply our bodies with energy and structure. Food regulates growth, maintenance and repair of our body’s tissues. There are six major classes nutrients, which are:
Macro nutrients:
- Proteins
- Lipids
- Carbohydrates
Micro nutrients:
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Water
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are your primary energy source for working muscles that ensures your brain and nervous system function properly. They provide quick energy and fuel the central nervous system and working muscles. Carbohydrates include simple sugars, complex starches and fiber. A healthy diet typically recommends 50-60% carbohydrates but the range can vary between 45-60%. Carbohydrate intake should include more complex carbohydrates rather than refined, simple carbohydrates.
Proteins
Proteins serve an important role to build and repair body tissues such as muscles. Depending upon your physical fitness and goals, protein intake normally ranges between 12-20% of your diet but based upon your goals can be as high as 20-25%. The Recommended Daily Allowance for protein on average is 0.8 grams/kg of body weight but can vary to 1.2-1.7 grams/kg based upon a person’s individual physical fitness and goals.
Fats
Fats in the diet provide long-term energy as well as vitamin and fatty acid storage to build new cells and support proper functioning of cell membranes, skin and hormones. A healthy diet prescription recommends consuming an average of 30% fats but based upon goals this range can fluctuate also between 15-20% (with less than 10% as saturated fats).
Vitamins and Minerals
Micronutrients that help the body stay healthy. If the Dietary Guidelines for Americans below are followed, supplementation is typically not required.
Water
Maintaining hydration is extremely important. Eighty percent of your body is comprised of water. Your body needs water to help digestion, stay cool, repair cells, keep blood pumping and flush toxins. As a rule of thumb, if you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Dehydration can affect your performance, weight loss goals and your life. Women should consume at least 2.7 liters daily and men should consume at least 3.7 liters daily. When physically active, you should consume 8 to 16 ounces of fluid at least one hour before you exercise, another 8 ounce 20 minutes before the start of exercise. Weighing yourself before and after exercise is another smart practice. At least 16 ounces of fluid per pound of body weight lost should replaced after your workouts.
A dietician and even a certified training can provide more detailed recommendation on how much of each nutrient you should be eating based upon your individual physical fitness goals. For example, depending upon your goals, you may want to eat a slightly higher range of protein if your goal is to build muscle mass. We won’t go into those details here but instead challenge you to eat smart by following the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, understand nutrition labels and add color. The Food Guide Pyramid used to be the recommended guideline for dietary needs. Those Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 have been updated.
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Guideline 1: Follow a Healthy Eating Pattern Across the Lifespan
- A healthy lifestyle change and the BIG PICTURE is what matters most. The combination of all the foods and beverages we eat and drink overtime adds up and plays a significant role in our lives.
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Guideline 2: Focus on Variety, Nutrient Density and Amount
- A healthy eating pattern should stay within the appropriate calorie limits for a person’s age, sex and activity level. The calories we take in should be less than the calories (energy) we expend.
- With colorful plate and nutrient density, we will meet our nutritional needs. Nutrient dense foods (that are prepared with little or no added solid fats, sugars, refined starches or sodium) will include:
- A variety of vegetables: dark green, red and orange, legumes (beans and peas), starchy and other vegetables
- Fruits, especially whole fruits
- Grains, at least half of which are whole grains
- Fat-free or low-fat dairy, including milk, yogurt, cheese and fortified soy beverages
- A variety of protein foods, including seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes, soy products, nuts and seeds
- Oils, including those from plants (canola, corn, olive, peanut, safflower, soybean, sunflower) and oils that are naturally present in foods (nuts, seeds, seafood, olives, avocados)
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Guideline 3: Limit Calories from Added Sugars and Saturated Fats, Reduce Sodium Intake
- Limit added sugars to less than 10% of total calories daily
- Diets high in added sugars and with a high glycemic index can rapidly elevate insulin levels. This elevation can make the sugar that your body doesn’t promptly burn enter your fat storage cells where its stored as body fat. Repeated high insulin levels will fall below normal levels two to three hours later causing the brain to crave more carbohydrates. This craving can make you feel irritable and create a viscous cycle and overeating.
- Limit saturated fats to less than 10% of total calories daily by replacing them with unsaturated fats and limit trans fats to as low as possible
- Diet high in saturated and trans fats are associated with heart disease.
- Saturated fat foods include butter, whole milk, and meats not labeled as lean.
- Trans fat foods include processed foods such as desserts, frozen pizza and coffee creamer.
- Limit sodium to less than 2,300 mg daily (for adults and children over 14 years)
- Most Americans get 50% more sodium than recommended. Diets high in sodium are associated with high blood pressure and heart disease.
- Limit alcohol to no more than one drink daily for women and no more than two for men.
- The Dietary Guidelines do not recommend people start drinking alcohol for any reason, and many people drink who shouldn’t such as pregnant women. For adults of legal drinking age who already do, moderation is essential.
- Diet high in saturated and trans fats are associated with heart disease.
- Limit added sugars to less than 10% of total calories daily
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Guideline 4: Shift to Healthier Foods and Beverage Choices
- Making healthy shifts, small changes, can add up to big benefits. Shift ideas include:
- Whole milk to low fat
- White bread to whole wheat
- Fatty cuts of meat to seafood or beans
- Butter to olive or canola oil
- Soft drinks to water
- Potato chips to unsalted nuts
- Making healthy shifts, small changes, can add up to big benefits. Shift ideas include:
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Guideline 5: Support Healthy Eating Patterns for All
- A majority of Americans do not follow healthy eating patterns. You can help increase their awareness and be an example yourself. At home, in school, at work and in the community make healthy choices and share why its important to do so.
Physical Health is not limited to feeling more fit and eating healthier. By implementing these better choices in physical fitness and balancing nutrition, more positive changes in physical health can be achieved. Another positive change is improvement in skin and hair. Evidence continues to grow on how healthy lifestyle choices can improve our hair and skin as well as how we feel about ourselves.
When you are bullet journaling your physical care routine, never forget the importance of writing down what you ate, when you ate, and quantities. This technique has historically helped people lose weight, successfully complete elimination diets, and eat healthy overall. Whatever your goal is, you got this!
