We Have a Simple Philosophy on Nutrition: You are What You Eat.
We weren’t the first to adopt this phrase: Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote, in Physiologie du Gout, ou Meditations de Gastronomie Transcendante, 1826: “Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es.”
In other words …
Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.
Think of nutrition with these two basic principles in mind:
- Your body is made of predominately protein, fat and water with a few vitamins and minerals thrown in. Your body runs like an engine; carbohydrates are the gas.
- All foods have calories. If you eat more calories than you burn you gain weight. If you burn more than you eat you lose weight.
So what do these two principles tell us? You need protein and fat to heal, build or recover from injuries or vigorous activities balanced with large amounts of water and some vitamins and minerals.
You need carbohydrates to provide energy for your activities. Therefore, tailor your carbohydrate load to your activity. If you are very physically active you may need 40% of your calories from carbohydrates. If you are not physically active you may only need 20% of your calories from carbohydrates.
Blue Ridge Pain Management’s Recommendations
- Eat in moderation.
- Eat a balanced diet – a reasonable diet is 1/3 protein, 1/3 fat, 1/3 carbohydrates.
- Eat real food – “real” food can be found on the perimeter of the grocery store. If you start walking down aisles you are looking at processed foods, typically much higher in carbohydrate content, bad fat, and “empty calories.”
- Primarily eat fruits and vegetables as your carbohydrates.
- Good fat is found in avocados, nuts, and fish.
- Learn how to categorize food as a protein, fat or carbohydrate.
- Consider planned diets:
