Daily Recommended Values

The percentages on nutrition labels are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. If you've never figured out how many calories you actually need in a day, the numbers on these labels are essentially useless! I recently did some research on figuring out how much of all the basic nutrients I need in a day, and I'd like to share the process. I've included information from the FDA nutrition labels, and a nutrition textbook, Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, by Roberta Larson Duyff, 2006.

CALORIES
 

The optimal amount of calories to consume in a day is based off of a number called the Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMI. It's basically the amount of calories that your body uses to live every day. To lose weight, you have to eat less than this number. I found several different ways to get this number, the results of which were all slightly different, so I basically averaged them.

There are a number of BMI calculators out there, which will calculate this number for you:
(http://walking.about.com/cs/calories/l/blcalcalc.htm).

I found a formula on about.com (http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/a/blcalintake.htm) which goes a little something like this:

    STEP ONE: CALCULATE YOUR BMR

    Women: 655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
    Men: 66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x heigh in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

    STEP TWO: CALCULATE ACTIVITY

    If you are sedentary: BMR x 20%
    If you are lightly active: BMR x 30%
    If you are moderately active (you exercise most days a week): BMR x 40%
    If you are very active (you exercise intensely on a daily basis or for prolonged periods): BMR x 50%
    If you are extra active (you do hard labor or are in athletic training): BMR x 60%

    Add this number to your BMR

In the interest of full accuracy, I also followed the formula I found in the textbook, Complete Food and Nutrition Guide:

    1. Basic needs: Weight x 10 (women) or weight x 11 (men)
    2. Physical activity - multiply you basic needs by:
        20% if you are SEDENTARY: Mainly sitting, driving a car, lying down, sleeping, standing, reading, typing, or other low-intensity activities.
        30% if you participate in LIGHT ACTIVITY: For no more than two hours daily, light exercise such as light housework, grocery shopping, walking leisurely.
        40%  if you participate in MODERATE ACTIVITY: Moderate exercise such as heavy housework, gardening, dancing or brisk walking (and very little sitting).
        50% if you are VERY ACTIVE: Active physical sports, or in a labor-intensive job such as construction work.
    3. Digestion and absorbing nutrients: (calories for basic needs + calories for physical activity) x 10%

    Add these three numbers, and you'll get your BMR.

Using these three calculations, my results were (with light activity):

       Website calculator: 1,847 calories
       Website formula: 2,173 calories
       Textbook formula: 1,959 calories

The average of which is 1,993 calories. I generally round this number to 2,000 calories that I need to consume in a day to maintain my current weight. A pound of fat is 3,500 calories, so if I consume 500 calories less than this per day, I should be able to lose weight at the rate of 1 lb. per week. Final result: I need to consume 1,500 to lose a pound a week, less if I'd like to lose it faster (which I would). I would also like to note that consuming less than 1,200 calories in a day is considered unhealthy.

FAT

According to nutrition labels, the FDA recommends 65g of total fat and 20g of saturated fat daily for a 2,000 calorie diet. Which means on a 1,500 calorie diet, I should consume 48.75g of fat, and no more than 15g of saturated fat according to the FDA.

Complete Food and Nutrition Guide recommends 20-35% of your daily caloric intake coming from fats, and 10% or less coming from saturated fats. One gram of fat is equal to 9 calories, so the calculation for total fat would go as follows:

       20% of 1,500 = 300 fat calories
       360 divided by 9 = 33g of fat

       35% of 1,500 = 525 fat calories       
       525 divided by 9 = 58g of fat

And the calculation for saturated fat would be:
        
       10% of 1,500 = 150 saturated fat calories        
       150 divided by 9 = 17g of saturated fat

So, on a 1,500 calorie diet, I should be consuming somewhere between  33g - 58g of fat per day, with no more than 17g of saturated fat. I'm trying to lose weight right now, so I try to get no more than 35g of fat per day. Also, while there are many healthy fats we need to be eating for optimum health, our bodies do not NEED any saturated fat, so the lower that number is, the better.

This website has a chart comparing daily caloric intake to fat percentage. Check it out for calculations at a glance: http://www.la-personal-trainer.com/caloric_fat_percent.htm

PROTEIN

The FDA recommends 50g of protein for a 2,000 calorie diet, which calculates out to 37.5g on a 1,500 calorie diet.

According to Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, the Institute of Medicine advices Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDR) for protein as 10-35% of your daily caloric intake. One gram of protein is equal to 4 calories. Using the same formula for calculating as we did for fat:
        
       10% of 1,500 = 150 protein calories        
       150 divided by 4 = 37.5g of protein
       
       35% of 1,500 = 525 protein calories      
       525 divided by 4 = 131g of protein

So, on a 1,500 calorie diet, I should be consuming somewhere between 37.5g - 131g of protein every day. Since I am not trying to put on muscle right now, I round to 40.

CARBOHYDRATES

According to the FDA recommendation, an individual on a 2,000 calorie diet should consume 300g of carbs in one day. On a 1,500 calorie diet, I would need to consume 225g of carbs every day.

The Institute of Medicine recommends a minimum of 130g of carbs per day for normal brain function, which equals 520 calories, or 25% of the calories in a 2,000 calorie diet. For a healthy lifestyle, 45-65% of your daily caloric intake as carbohydrates is recommended (225 - 325g of a 2,000 calorie diet). For a 1,500 calorie diet, I need 135-244 carbs in a day.

SODIUM
 

Our bodies only NEED 500mg of sodium in a day, which is 1/4 of a teaspoon of table salt. The FDA recommends NO MORE THAN 2,400mg. According to Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, "On average most adults consume about 3,200mg of sodium daily."

FIBER

The FDA recommends a minimum of 25g of fiber per day on a 2,000 calorie diet. This translates to 18.75g on a 1,500 calorie diet.

Complete Food and Nutrition Guide says, "For men up to age fifty years, the Institute of Medicine advises an Adequate Intake (AI) of 38 grams daily; for women that age, it's 25 grams daily." It's also possibly to get too much fiber - more than 50g - 60g a day may "lower the absorption of vitamins and minerals, among them zinc, iron, magnesium and calcium," and can also "cause gas, diarrhea and bloating."

My Diet

I'd like to share what I consider to be the optimal way to eat, with the understanding that this is a learning process and I don't have it all figured out. The basic summary of the type of diet that is the most healthy for us is frequently described as a "Mediterranean diet," which consists primarily of fruits, vegetables, olive oil, legumes, whole grains, nuts and fish. According to Bottom Line's Health Breakthroughs from 2008, this type of diet prevents a vast array of medical problems, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes and there are even studies to support the prevention of Alzheimer's.



The thing I was most impacted by after the juice fast was how important vegetables are to our diet. This is, of course, something I've generally known my whole life, but I had no idea HOW important. Vegetables are EVERYTHING! They provide almost all of the nutrients we need to truly thrive as humans. I realized that the concept of vegetarianism isn't just about replacing your proteins with something other than meat, it's a completely different way to prioritize food! Now, I don't claim to be a vegetarian (or more accurately, a pescatarian, meaning I eat only fish), but ever since the juice fast, my way of thinking and eating has aligned more and more with that philosophy. My goal is four servings of vegetables, at least one of which is raw, plus one vegetable and one fruit juice every day. I don't always get there, but I'm usually pretty close. The benefits of vegetables are astounding, and probably deserving of a post of their own.
 

I'm roughly following a diet and exercise routine called Body for Life, a system created by Bill Phillips. The diet portion of his program consists of eating six small meals a day, roughly every 2-3 hours. It calls for one serving of protein (defined as a portion the size of a deck of cards), one serving of carbohydrates, and a serving of vegetables with at least two of the meals. This was the first place I heard of the concept of eating many meals a day, but I have since gathered the same information from many different sources. The idea is that you keep your metabolism running all day long, which keeps your body from ever thinking it's starving and storing up fat.



The way that I eat is a variation on that basic foundation. For one, I try to make vegetables the main focus of any meal. As for protein, I've calculated that I need about 50g of protein per day, so I try to eat about 8g per meal. You would be amazed at how easy this is to get! A four ounce tuna steak has 40g OF PROTEIN! If I wanted to include that as part of a meal, I only need a fourth of one steak, which is only a few bites. Other ways to get 8g of protein include: 30-40 almonds, 35 peanuts, 2 TBS. of soy nuts (which are actually dried soy beans, super low in fat and calories), 2 TBS. of peanut butter, 1/2 cup black beans (1/3 of a can), 1/2 can garbanzo beans, 1/2 cup cooked lentils, 1/2 cup whole wheat pasta, 1 cup of soy or low-fat milk, 1/5 of a package of tofu, or 1-2 eggs or egg beaters (6g each). (Now, not all of these are "complete proteins," meaning that they contain all eight essential amino acids, but that's a post for another day. One major difference between my usual sources of protein (non-meat) and Bill Phillips' program is that a lot of my proteins are ALSO my carbs for the meal. For instance, 1/2 cup of whole wheat pasta contains 8g of protein and 37g of carbs. According to the FDA, I need about 35g of carbs per meal, so I could eat a serving of pasta as an entire meal. Garbanzo beans (or chickpeas) are another good one - 3/4 of a cup (half of a can) has 9g of protein and 27g of carbs.
 
Basically, my goal is to combine all the things I discover as truth to create the perfect system for me. Right now, that system is Body for Life + vegetarianism, and it has been immensely beneficial for me, both in how I feel and, slowly but surely, how I look!

In the Beginning

Food for Thought

I feel as though a new era of my life has begun... I had an experience that truly changed my outlook on life, erupting into an entirely new set of interests and possibilities. I never would have thought to write about it, but my mother suggested it a few weeks ago, and the idea has been stewing on the back burner ever since. I finally got the chance to watch Julie and Julia, and was inspired to give the whole blogging thing a chance. I have no expectation that anyone wants to read what I have to write about, but it occurred to me that getting all my thoughts out in one place would probably be beneficial, if only for me. So here goes... I may as well start from the beginning.

I was reading an article in a magazine sometime last month, the topic of which was how to do a liver detox. I had toyed with the idea of going on a detox diet before, but had never actually tried it. I decided to attempt a three-day juice fast - mainly for the purpose of cleansing my body, but I had heard of the profound spiritual effects of fasting, and figured I'd make it a time of renewal in both aspects of my life. My friend Deondra had recently acquired some spare time, and, recognizing that she may be up for some renewal as well, I invited her to come stay with me and participate in the fast. The night before, we stopped by the store and bought a week's worth of fruits and veggies. Our basic strategy was to make fresh juice every time we started to experience stomach pains, which ended up being about every two hours. We alternated between fruit and veggie juices, trying new combinations of each to create fantastic pairings of flavors. The distraction of the juicing definitely help to alleviate some of the hunger as well. Day one, I didn't feel great - I wasn't terribly hungry, but I had a headache. The second day was better. By the third day, I felt completely back to normal. I could not believe this... I hadn't eaten a single bite in three days and I felt amazing! The reason I felt as good as I did was two things: 1. I was getting more actual nutrients than I had ever had in my life. 2. My body wasn't having use any energy digesting. Something just clicked.

Now, I'm not a terribly unhealthy person. I don't eat fast food, I don't drink sodas. I've been trying to eat healthy for years, but I was going about it all wrong. What finally sunk in... TRULY sunk in... is how important fruits and vegetables are to our survival, and how much better I would feel if everything I put into my body was something truly nourishing. What I had known in my head for years somehow sunk into my soul - I now know it as ultimate truth. I've never been great with will-power and self-discipline, but this doesn't feel like that at all. It feels like something that just... happened to me. It's a very subtle shift in thinking, but such an important one: I used to be solely concerned with what I SHOULDN'T put into my body, but now my primary focus is what I SHOULD. Junk food just doesn't wield the same temptations over me that it once did, and I'm enjoying more and more vegetables and whole grains and generally healthy foods than I ever thought I could.

So fast forward to today. I've become completely obsessed with food - I spend all of my free time learning about nutrition, finding new recipes, calculating nutrition facts, planning meals, and cooking them. I just can't get enough! I know many people already know a lot of the things I'm learning, as I'm still just in the basics right now, but I really like the idea of having everything in one place. So, here's to food, and my journey to understanding it!