Michelle Ricker RDN

Category Archive: Blog Post

1. Carbs, Proteins, and Fats…Oh My!

   February 24, 2006 12:44 pm Leave a Comment

   Let’s just clear a few things up right now… *carbs are not bad *protein is not the answer *fats are not evil Now let”s continue. 🙂 This part is confusing, so it is extremely important to define some terms: Carbohydrates = all fruits, vegetables, bread, cereal, rice, pasta, whole grains, sugar, juice, crackers, potatoes, etc. These foods convert directly to glucose in the body and cause an increase in blood sugar (don”t panic, this is not a bad thing). Carbs are digested quickly in the body and therefore are crucial for muscle energy replacement. The carbs that are not typically talked about, ie: fruits, vegetables and whole grains, are the providers of fiber, antioxidants and tons of vitamins! For a goal of weight loss, carbs are key to keeping energy levels up. The big trick to balancing blood sugars and hunger is to have a combo Carb/Protein at every meal and snack!! Protein = fish, beef, chicken, turkey, eggs, soy, dairy Protein provides the framework for our muscles and is the biggest provider of B Vitamins, folic acid and iron. Why protein is not the answer, is because the body can only digest so much protein. The max amount for the average person is 1.0g/kg. (2.2lb/kg) This isn”t super important, but it is important to know that you can have too much protein. What?! Yes, it”s true. After the body uses all the protein it can to rebuild muscle fibers, it has to excrete it via the kidneys. This is sooo hard on the body. Protein takes longer to digest than carbohydrates, therefore when the two are combined, they provide a nice combo for prolonging hunger! Nice, huh?!

2. The Body

   February 9, 2006 2:41 pm Leave a Comment

   It seems like an easy thing…. Eat food to get energy for survival. Well, the body is extremely efficient. Just eating food could mean many different things to our body and the way that it produces energy. Food (or calories) are used by the body very selectively. Our bodies know that the most important thing for it is to keep the organs working. This means that all food is first broken down to provide energy for our heart, brain, lungs, digestion and other organ functions. Then, once those functions are taken care of, the body will determine what to do with the leftover calories. Those calories will be sent through the online casino liver, then to the muscles to ensure we have enough stored energy to walk, talk, raise our arms, etc. Then after the muscle stores are full, the body will tuck away the extra calories for a rainy day (or in our fat cells for storage). Now, knowing how the body uses calories, we can begin to figure out how many calories and what type of calories (or what type of food) the body really needs. keep in mind: The body is an amazing machine and super efficient!