BASIC NUTRITION TIPS
A basic guide to the elements of nutrition.
Carbs
These fall into three categories simple, complex and fibrous and it's important to understand the difference as getting them wrong can have a huge impact particularly when it comes to fat loss or fat storage.
In general it is carbs that make people fat not fat itself. So things that are advertised as low fat often have high carb contents which are just as bad if not worse. So when reading food labels look at the carb content and in particular the amount of sugar in them.
Simple - these types of carbs are high glycemic which means they are higher in sugars and are often refined or processed in some way.
Examples of these are anything white flour based (bread /pasta) honey, milk,chocolate,cake, fruit, fizzy drinks etc These type of carbs are digested very quickly and cause an insulin spike as the body tries to bring the blood sugar levels down again. If the sugar cannot be stored in the muscles or liver as glycogen (fuel) then new fat cells are created or current ones expanded and hence the cycle of adding body-fat begins. Don't get me wrong they can be useful at certain times particularly after periods of exercise but as you can see at other times and especially later in the evening as we start to become less active and in your case as you train in the morning it can cause problems.
Complex - These are almost the opposite and are much lower in sugar and less refined. They are much slower digesting and so don't cause the same insulin spike as they slowly release energy. Therefore the risk of fat storage is reduced.These types of carbs can make you feel fuller for longer Examples are brown rice,sweet potatoes,whole grains,oats etc. These are usefully to slowly release energy but taken immediately post exercise they would inhibit recovery as they take too long to digest.
Fibrous - These are usually from vegetables. They have very little impact on blood sugar levels and should be eaten often to encourage a healthy digestive tract.
Fats
As you are probably aware not all fats are bad and we need them in our diet to stay healthy. They are more slow digesting like complex carbs in most cases hence the reason high fat meals really fill you up. Obviously saturated fats should be consumed in small quantities but other types of fat are useful as energy sources particularly on low carb diets.
Udo's oil is a great supplement and have a range of healthy fats and rich in omegas also. I've been using it for years. Another good investment is in an extra virgin coconut oil. It can be blended in shakes or in tea or coffee or cooking. It is high in saturated fat but the difference is it is something called a medium chain trygliceride which is used differently by the body and can be absorbed very quickly and used as a fuel source.
It is also full of something called Lauric acid which is a great anti bacterial and antidioxant for the body to fight off virus's and infections.
Protein
As you know this is an important part of the diet particularly if you are training hard as it will aid the recovery and muscle building process.
Often we don't get enough from our diet and this is where the supplements and shakes come in. All proteins are not created equal though and in particular this is true with supplement shakes. Some low grade proteins will do more harm than good so never compromise with cheap ones.