What You Must Know About Your Nutrition!
By admin
A while back I wrote a blog post about the current nutrition issues I was facing at the time. So many of you responded with positive words of both encouragement and advice.
One particular comment however, caught my eye:
She did say to ask if I had any questions, so I took her up on her offer.
Brie McGrievy is a registered dietician and holds her doctorate in nutrition. Currently, she is right up the road from me at the University Of South Carolina. I took that as a sign so asked if she would agree to be a guest on What The Fitness.
I don’t know if she knew what she was getting into, but she graciously agreed and here we are today.
Brie answered all of my questions not just on veganism, but also on “dieting” in general. We covered a ton of amazing material and the time flew by. I wish I had more time to pick her brain, as she knew what she was talking about.
Perhaps a lunch trip to Columbia will be in my future?
If you want to know more about nutrition, if you’re curious if what you’re doing is right/wrong/almost there, or if you’re trying to lose weight and want some tips… listen to this podcast!
Seriously, there is a little something for all of us! I may not be “vegan” any longer but I do appreciate a good plant based diet, and a better understanding of fuel.
I can’t possibly cover everything here that we discussed (that would take up a chapter) but I can highlight some important points!
When it comes to trying to lose weight, what’s the one thing that most women do wrong?
They shun carbohydrates.
We still live in a time that thinks carbs are the devil when it comes to our waistline. But remember that there are so many healthy carb options that by neglected can hurt your nutrition.
—> Vegetables are carbs! Fruits are carbs! Beans are carbs!
Don’t avoid them, just reach for the unprocessed, all natural options. Processed anything is bad.
The Weight Loss Formula
Brie shared this awesome “guestimate” for how many calories you should be consuming if trying to lose weight. For most (not all) women, just take your weight and add a zero to it. This is a good indicator for caloric daily intake.
Daily Calories = Your Weight x 10
So if you weight 145 pounds, your daily allowance should be around 1450 calories. As you lose weight, this number will change. But that’s why it’s so vital to be working at simultaneously to help keep your metabolism from slowing down.
The Iron Issue
Of course we couldn’t talk without iron being brought up. That’s the topic that brought us together after all!
Brie stressed that not all vegans have issues with iron. Because I am so active, it’s likely that my iron requirement is much higher than the average woman and therefore it makes it a lot harder to get from diet alone.
Supplementing is suggested for most (I’m just hard headed). But some non-heme (plant based) iron sources include:
- Soybeans
- Lentils
- Spinach
- Enriched cereals/grains
- Tempeh
- Nuts
- Peas
- Prunes
These are just a few examples
She also stressed that absorption can be affected by caffeine and helped by Vitamin C. So if you start your morning with a big cup of coffee, like me, you might want to hold off taking an iron supplement. Really, it’s best taken at night anyways since it can bother your stomach a bit.
Is The Sun Shining?
It’s winter, I know you’re aware of that but are you aware that you are likely not getting enough sunlight to help produce Vitamin D? Even if you’re outside a lot, if you’re up north, then the sun’s rays are strong enough to put the body into Vitamin D production mode. Unfortunately, we can’t get it in our diet, so ask your doctor about a supplement.
And finally…
The Age Old “Got Milk?” Question
Even though I am happily enjoying eggs, fish and wild game, I am pretty strong about staying away from dairy. Why? Well… here’s my whole opinion.
We won’t go there today, but I did bring it up with Brie to get her opinion.
Brie agrees that humans do not need milk beyond infancy. That’s the purpose of milk, to help a baby grow and develop, right?
She also things that the milk corporation did a really fabulous job at pushing the whole calcium thing on society and in schools. But here’s the thing… a balanced diet gets PLENTY of calcium naturally.
We stopped it there, as it’s really an individual decision and I try not to get all preachy here on the blog.
This isn’t all that we talked about, but it’s a lot of the meat! I strong encourage you to listen in when you the the opportunity. If you would like to connect with Dr. Brie, you can find her on Twitter @BrieMcGrievy
Thanks Brie!
And as always, if you have any suggestions for future What The Fitness episodes, please don’t be shy! Share below.
What’s your biggest personal issue when it comes to eating a healthy diet?