The Complete Plate. Lauren Klukas

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СКАЧАТЬ sodium when a lot of attention has been paid on how it negatively impacts our health (especially blood pressure). But the truth is, our body needs sodium for life-sustaining processes,

      If you look at the nutrient analysis in this book (page 290), the vitamin D level is frequently low. Our body produces vitamin D from sunlight exposure, but if you live at high latitudes (like Canada!), spend most of your day indoors, protect yourself from sunlight when you are outside, or a combination of all three, your body is likely not producing adequate vitamin D. Milk and some brands of milk alternatives (for example, almond or soy milk) have been fortified with vitamin D. Fish with small bones are also a significant source of dietary vitamin D. Vitamin D supplementation is generally recommended to help meet our recommended intake. Otherwise, if you are eating a balanced diet, most people do not need additional vitamin or mineral supplements. Check with your health care provider prior to starting any vitaminor mineral supplementation.13

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      including metabolism and nerve and muscle function. However, the typical North American diet that relies heavily on highly processed foods provides too much sodium, which can lead to negative health consequences, including high blood pressure. Again, moderation is key. Reducing our intake of highly processed foods, and cooking more from scratch, gives us control over the amount of sodium in our food, providing us with what our bodies need while also promoting health.

      I want to address metabolism and micronutrients. First, I need to clarify that when I talk about metabolism I am not referring to the ability to use energy and consequently lose weight, but rather to the ability to break down the food we eat and turn it into energy that the cells in our body can then use to function. B vitamins are central to the metabolismof macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) into energy, but magnesium and iron also play a key role in this process.

      Lastly, we may forget to think about how nutrients impact our genes, but even dna needs vitamins and minerals to perform the functions essential to our survival. B vitamins are needed to create and repair dna, while magnesium, iron, and zinc are needed for dna production.

      It is incredible how the food we eat impacts our body’s ability to function all the way from the essential creation of dna to being able to jump on a trampo-line and have strong skin. Nutrients work as a team, not individuals, in allowing our body to function.

      Multivitamins

      It’s a common misconception that taking a multivitamin will help provide “nutrient insurance” if you are busy and not always eating a healthy diet; however, there are several reactions that occur with micronutrients and food that cannot be replicated in a supplement, like how the lactose in milk helps our body absorb the calcium. Unless it’s vitamin D, it is best to make an effort to get key vitamins and minerals from food.

      Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI)

      Developed by American and Canadian experts after an extensive research review process, Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) are a set of values used to explain the amount of a nutrient needed by most healthy individuals.14 Using the dri as a guide for The Complete Plate, we have analyzed ingredients, put recipes together, and created a plan that ensures you get a complete set of macro- and micronutrients each day.

      To cover the largest demographic possible (male and female aged 19–50 years old), we accounted for the highest dri values for each group. However, even when considering the highest dri values, intakes still fall below set upper limits. If you would like an in-depth diet analysisfor each meal plan, please refer to page 290.

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      Cholesterol is often an area of confusion. Cholesterol, which has functional roles in our body, is both produced in our body and obtained from food. Some bodies have a hard time regulating cholesterol, and excess LDL cholesterol in our blood can cause plaque to build up in our arteries, which can then lead to cardio-vascular disease. It used to be common practice to restrict cholesterol-containing foods; however, there is not enough evidence to recommend low-cholesterol diets. Rather, once again, we need to focus on a healthy eating pattern that is rich in nutrient-dense foods and keeps treat foods as treats.

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      Weight Loss

      conditions, age, and gender— which are often out of our control.

      There are also day-to-day barriers that prevent us from losing weight. Once we are aware of these obstacles, which can be easily managed, weight control becomes easier. Some tips to consider when navi-gating these barriers are:

      Make Healthy Eating a Priority

      The busyness of life is the main reason so many of us cannot sustain long-term healthy eating habits. Time is one of our most valuable commodities, and the reality is, adopting a healthy lifestyle takes effort and time. But if establishing healthy eating habits becomes a priority, then tasks like cooking a healthy meal will become a joy rather than an inconvenience.

      Find Sustainability in a Diet

      Countless scientifically unsupported and anecdotally based weight-loss concepts tell us what (and what not) to eat, and we as consumers are overwhelmed by the options. As there is no governing body to review content and monitor the distribution of weight-loss information, anyone can present a sexy, new weight-loss method without scientific support or testing. Consequently, essential foods and nutrients, like fat, are irresponsibly

      Weight loss 101: caloric deficit leads to weight loss, calorie surplus leads to weight gain. A caloric deficit of 3500 kcal equals 1 pound lost. A loss of 1–2 pounds per week is argued to be the most sustainable rate of weight loss to keep it off long-term. To attain this, you want to aim for a caloric deficit of approximately 500 kcal per day: 250 caloric deficit from food, 250 caloric deficit from exercise. The 3500-calorie rule works as a good rule of thumb.

      While the core concept of weight loss appears simple, and these numbers work well for the first stages of weight loss, the 3500-calorie rule eventually falls short because it is not capable of accounting for the drop in metabolic rate as body mass decreases. In other words, the amount of energy that your body expends while at rest decreases as you lose weight. Metabolic rate is an extremely important variable for weight loss because it accounts for 60–75 percent of daily calorie expenditure.

      With this being said, while metabolic slowdown is a factor for plateauing early in the weight-loss journey, it is more often related to individuals not consistently adhering to a reduced-calorie meal plan.15

      Additionally, several confounding factors impact weight loss—including genetics, environment, medical

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      eliminated from a diet without any repercussions or accountability. As we have said before, nutrients do not work alone; they work in an ecosystem with other nutrients. Fad diets are unsustain-able, and the weight will return eventually. Sustainability is the key to success.

      Establish a Healthy Relationship with Food

      All the uncontrolled diet fads on the market have damaged our relationship with food. Words СКАЧАТЬ