Do you know how many carbohydrates you should consume during the day?  Do you know the caloric value of a gram of protein?  Can you identify a good fat versus a bad fat?  The purpose of this blog is to educate you on the basics of nutrition.

If you are consuming an ideal diet, your carbohydrate intake should be approximately 60%of your diet, your protein intake 10 to 15% and the remainder of your diet should be from fats.

Carbohydrates are foods such as bread, pasta, and fruits.  Carbohydrates can be broken down into simple and complex carbohydrates.  Simple carbohydrates are the carbohydrates you should avoid when possible.  These are simple sugars.  Foods made from simple sugars would include candiy, cookies, baked goods, etc..  Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, are highly desirable and should comprise the majority of your diet.  Examples of good carbohydrates would be breads, pastas, fruits etc.

Protein intake should only be 10 to 15% of your diet.  In today's society, many people over consume protein.  Excessive protein intake places stress on your liver and kidneys. The only people that should consume a higher amount of protein are those that are exercising vigorously.  Vigorously exercising athletes may consume up to 1 g of protein per kilogram of body weight (you can find your body weight in kilograms by taking your weight in pounds and dividing by 2.2) All other people should only consume .8 g of protein per kilogram body weight.

Fat should comprise 30% or less of your diet.  It should be noted, that fat is not a bad substance or substance to be avoided.  Without fat you would die.  Fat is necessary for your body to run properly.  In fact ,every cell in your body has a fatty layer that is necessary for proper operation.  There are, however, differences between good fats and bad fats.  A bad fat is any fat that is a solid at room temperature.  Good fats are liquid at room temperature.  From a caloric standpoint good fats and bad fats are perfectly equal.  There are no fewer calories in a tablespoon of Crisco or lard than there are in a tablespoon of olive oil.

In terms of calories, a gram of fat is equal to 9 calories, a gram of protein 4 calories, a gram of carbohydrate 4 calories, and a gram of alcohol is equal to 7 calories. When looking at calories, it is easy to see how both fats and alcohals can quickly lead to weight gain as they are packing far more energy than your carbohydrates or your proteins.