The Nutrition Basics: How to Best Fuel Your Body

If you’re looking to make a change and get healthier, working out is an important step in the right direction. But for overall health, and for weight maintenance or weight loss, what you eat is much more important than how or how often you work out.

Experts often put the impact of food on health at 80 percent, with exercise at 20 percent. So you’ll give yourself a huge boost toward your health goals if you pay attention to what you eat, as well as how you exercise. Here are the basics:

We need all three macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) for optimum health.

Carbohydrates are the preferred fuel for most cells in the body. Our main energy source, carbs are important for fueling the body and brain, protecting our muscles and feeding the bacteria in the gut.

Proteins are important “building blocks” for our bodies. Proteins are in every one of our cells, where they’re used to build and repair tissues; to make enzymes and hormones; and to build muscle, bone, cartilage, skin and blood.

Fats are also necessary for every cell in our bodies. They help us absorb some vitamins (vitamins A, D, E and K) and help regulate hormones. Fats provide energy and build energy reserves, and they protect and insulate our organs.

We also need some micronutrients from our food. The World Health Organization calls micronutrients “magic wands that enable the body to produce enzymes, hormones and other substances essential for proper growth and development.”

Here are some of the important ones:

What are the basics of a good diet?

To get the essential nutrients and micronutrients, we need to eat a wide variety of foods. The composition of a healthy diet can vary; different people need different combinations of foods and in different amounts.

Around the world, there are groups of people who stay healthy and live the longest. Known as the Blue Zones, people in these communities eat very varied diets. But there are some common factors, which are reinforced by scientific evidence. These factors include the following:

Is there an ideal ratio of carbohydrates, protein and fat?

We’re all different, and our needs for different nutrients can really vary. A good basic guide, though, is to consider the “ideal plate” model for every meal. That means:

This model can apply to simple meals as well as mixed meals like pasta or stir-fried dishes. People’s ages, activity levels and some health conditions can affect whether we need more or less of a particular nutrient. Seek expert advice from a nutritionist or dietitian if you’re not sure what’s right for you.

How often should I eat?

The traditional “three meals a day’” model is a pattern of eating that fits in with many people’s lifestyles. And breakfast eating is associated with positive health outcomes, including weight management. But overall, the evidence suggests it doesn’t really matter too much when we eat, as long as we get the nutrition we need from the meals and snacks we have in our days and weeks.

How should I eat if I’m working out?

Whether you’re working out, playing sports or going for a run, food can make a difference to how much energy you have and how well you recover from your workout. Remember, though, it’s the food you eat most of the time—your basic, healthy, everyday diet—that’s the most important, not the food you eat before or after a workout.

What should I eat before and after exercise?

If you’re working out first thing in the morning, you may be better off not eating; your body can only use food it’s already digested. After your morning workout, make sure you get a meal containing carbs and protein within two hours.

If you’re working out during the day or the evening, make sure you’ve had a meal with carbs and protein in it three to four hours before your workout or a snack containing protein and carbs an hour or two before your workout. After your workout, make sure you have a meal within two hours.

Try to avoid “rewarding” yourself with extra food or drink after a workout; you could easily undo all your good work with a poorly chosen snack.

What about water?

Hydration is really important for keeping us well during the day, whether we’re exercising or not. We lose water naturally through breathing and sweat; when we exercise, this can happen faster. Make sure you stay hydrated with water as your main drink. Keep an eye on your urine color to tell you how you’re doing. (Pale is good.)

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This piece originally appeared on LesMills.com.

Photo credit: Kimberly Nanney, Unsplash