Feedback needed

arkgirl81
arkgirl81 Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I need some feedback please. Could some of you guys look at my food diary and make suggestions/thoughts? I'm losing weight, so i'm not too worried in that dept. But I have my macros set at 35/25/40, not really for any other reason than I was eating what I feel like is a healthy diet, and then figured the average percentiles of what I was normally consuming. If I up my carbs I don't lose weight, so I really don't care to mess with that. Protein is the issue for me. I'm not a huge meat eater. I eat nuts/nutbutters, salmon/fish, and occasional chicken. I've always gotten most protein from beans/soy, but have discovered from my elimination diet I am allergic to these two things. So i'm really struggling to get even my 25% a day. Which is still well within the "normal" guidelines. My fat seems high (but its all only super healthy fat like almonds, salmon, coconut/almond oil, avocado, ect...) and from what I've studied, this seems to not be a bad thing at all. But keep in mind i'm on my feet from 7am-9pm, so I'm not sitting, but i'm also not doing any "weight" type exercise that I would need more protein for. My question and concern though is that I am A) getting too much fat? and B) when I start to do weights I need to up my protein, and i'm not sure what else to add to get more. I'm struggling now to even get up to 20% a day. And let me say again i'm really not that into meat. Mainly because i'm crazy concerned about the garbage in it (hormones, antibiotics, saline, corn-fed). It's not possible to get organic here, and I already spend a fortune in "wild Alaskan" salmon. I like eggs, and buy organic, so I could add in that area. Any thoughts? Ideas? Are these macro's normal/ reasonable? Thank you.

Replies

  • Arkhos
    Arkhos Posts: 290 Member
    As for protein, minus meat, eggs are a good source. You could make omelets with the eggs to get more out of them - variety. You may look at adding a protein shake when you need it. There are good tasting ones that don't have a lot of other stuff in it, and they won't give you fat, carbs or sodium. Some other non-meat options: Quinoa is a complete protein grain, greek yogurt, almonds, milk, seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, flaxseed).

    Here's some non-meat options: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=158

    Your macros seem achievable to me, and you've been losing weight. If anything, your calories are on the low end, and this may need to increase once you start exercising more. :smile:
  • 72MonteCarla
    72MonteCarla Posts: 169 Member
    I am studying the plant-based nutrition certificate program through the T. Colin Campbell Foundation at Cornell University. I have learned a LOT about protein intake recently. The EAR for protein is 0.5-0.6 g protein/kg of body weight. Based on this figure, plus two standard deviations, the RDA for protein has been set at 0.8g/kg of body weight. since the 1940s This computes to about 8-10% of calories from protein. This is the IDEAL RANGE for protein consumption, not a minimum requirement. Studies that focus on protein consumption and its relationship to chronic disease show that protein, regardless whether it is animal- or plant-based, in excess of 10% is detrimental to health, promoting an environment in our bodies that supports chronic illness/disease. Based on this, I have adjusted my macros to 80% carb, 10% fat, 10% protein. I know that you don't want to adjust your carb intake, but I believe your body will adjust when it gets the balance that nature intended. If your goal is simply to lose weight, that is one thing, but if your goal it to achieve optimal health, I recommend the 80/10/10 ratios. A lot of people will tell you this is extreme, but I can assure you that I have been a food scientist for 20 years and have done extensive science-based nutritional research, especially in regards to whole foods, plant-based living. Study after study shows that this ratio is what our bodies are designed to process to run at maximum efficiency & health.

    I disagree that eggs are a good source of protein because of their extremely high cholesterol:protein ratio.

    A balanced whole foods, plant-based diet naturally provides 8-10% of its calories from protein, primarily legumes. And it also naturally provides the 80/10/10 ratios.

    Best of luck to you. I hope this information is helpful.
  • 72MonteCarla
    72MonteCarla Posts: 169 Member
    It is important to note that the carbohydrates must be COMPLEX carbohydrates from whole foods, primarily WHOLE grains. 80% of calories from simple carbohydrates (sugars, refined grains, etc...) will cause pancreatic failure.
  • Arkhos
    Arkhos Posts: 290 Member
    Egg cholesterol is good as far as I've seen, and eggs are one of the best sources of protein. Not sure if you're on a special/restricted diet, but I've never seen scientific information stating to eat 80% carbs or that 20% protein is unhealthy?
  • arkgirl81
    arkgirl81 Posts: 30 Member
    Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm almost to where I need to be weight wise, so i'm trying to plan ahead and get my macros to a steady intake that will maintain me and be healthy. MonteCarla, could you recommend a good site or book, that would allow me to read more about 80/10/10. I'd never heard of this before, so i'm curious about it. Especially since when I was a vegan I was super unhealthy. I don't know what my macros were, but I suspect my protein was very high. I was covered in bruises and my hair fell out! lol , It was awful!!!
  • toaster6
    toaster6 Posts: 703 Member
    If you're eating fish, you should still be getting a lot of protein. If you're still having trouble though, have you tried Greek yogurt? I eat Fage brand and that 23 grams of protein per cup. If I have a serving of yogurt and a serving or two of fish/ chicken, I go over my protein allowance.
  • arkgirl81
    arkgirl81 Posts: 30 Member
    If you're eating fish, you should still be getting a lot of protein. If you're still having trouble though, have you tried Greek yogurt? I eat Fage brand and that 23 grams of protein per cup. If I have a serving of yogurt and a serving or two of fish/ chicken, I go over my protein allowance.

    I'm dairy-free, and gluten-free (mostly, I've had my cheats). But i'm trying to establish enough without relying on dairy.

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