When watching what I eat, What do I look at, Calories, Fats, Sugars or Carbs?

Answer 1

first, i assume when you say "watching what I eat", you mean a healthy balanced diet?
You should look at all food categories in terms of both quality and quantity, and other factors such as age, physical activity, special dietary needs.

It depends on your age, sex, level of physical activity and metabolism to determine your calorie intake each day. People who lead active lifestyles (sports men) should have a higher calorie intake than those who lead sedentary lifestyles. Older people need less energy than youngsters. Males generally require more energy too since they have greater muscle mass to body mass ratio than females. Metabolism (the rate you burn calories) is also important - some people keep getting hungry all the time while others only eat very little and remain full.
It is important to balance your energy intake with your energy expenditure to prevent malnutrition and over-eating. You can check your national recommended calorie intake for females/males of certain ages as a guide (and adjust accordingly to your body's needs)

For a balanced diet, you should include all food groups (assuming no religious or personal restrictions): carbs, protein, fats (yes!), water , vitamins and minerals and fibre.
A lack of any food groups will cause health deterioration. And an overdose of any would cause over-nutrition.

Assuming u need consume a 2000 calorie diet, you shud get 300g of carbs, 65g of fat and 40g protein a day (thereabouts)

Not just the quantity, the quality is also important:

1/ Carbohydrates: come in refined carbs (white bread, sugar, syrups) n unrefined carbs (wholemeal bread, whole grain foodstuffs, brown rice)...unrefined carbs are better for your body. This is measured using the Glycemic Index (GI value) which measures how fast sugars are released into your bloodstream. Low GI foods are good for you ( whole meal cereals, low fat yogurts, brown rice, fruits and vegetables) as they keep you fuller for longer and prevent you from over-eating.

2/ Fats: there are saturated fats (animal origin mainly) and unsaturated fats (plant origin). Unsaturated fats are better for your diet as they are more easily broken down by the body.
Sources of unsaturated fats include: nuts, soy beans, legumes, sunflower oils etc... for a 2000 calorie diet, you should not consume more than 25g of saturated fats a day generally. Try to cut down on fried and grilled meats rich in saturated fats. Cut off fats to keep meat lean.

3/ Protein: are necessary for repair n growth of cells. Plant proteins (soy bean, nuts, legumes) are better alternatives than animal proteins. Eat a variety of protein sources, both plant and animal to get all 8 essential amino acids for the body in the right quantities.

4/ Fibre/ roughage: helps digestion though it cannot be digested by the body. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables which supply both fibre and vitamins for a healthy lifestyle. Whole grain whole wheat foods are also a rich source.

You can keep check of these dietary values by lookin at food lables which usually supply Recommended Daily Intake Values in % too ( If a lable of icecream says it has 12.5g of saturated fats - 50% RDI - u shoulg know its not good for you, cause you can only eat 2 ice creams and ur maximum intake is already reached). some websites online also count calories and supply nutritional value for different foods if you are interested in knowing.

most importantly: exercise exercise, exercise!!! it not only removes toxins, it boosts your metabolism and lets you enjoy whatever you want to eat! Energy balance is the key :)

Answer 2

All of those girl! In fact, you should focus too much on JUST those. You should always be weighing the pros and cons when you read a nutritional label.

Okay, so it has a lot of calories, maybe....350 per bar. But it only has 35 calories from fat which are unsaturated. And tons of fiber and protein.

You should know that substance has more good in it than bad.

Make sure you're looking at the vitamins and minerals too. You don't want to be eating empty calories. Thats the worst. It's like mindless eating.

So basically, make sure you're scanning that WHOLE label. Look at everything. Are those carbs from whole grains or sugar? Are those fats saturated or unsaturated?

Good luck!

Answer 3

Well, generally speaking, calories are all that count. It doesn't matter where they come from. (although sugar and too much fat is bad for your health, etc) But as a general rule, if you're trying to lose weight, you'll need to count calories. Roughly, 9-10 calories for every pound of body weight (ie, you weigh 200, don't consume more than 2000 calories a day to lose weight) Ultimately, weight loss is a numbers game - calories in, calories out.

Answer 4

There are so many things to look at and it really is also related to what your fitness goal is.

Most likely you are interested in weight loss or just toning up a few trouble spots.

I suggest you look at the calories, calories from fat, the grams of sugar and carbs, also as the person before mentioned the grams of fiber as well as protein.

A lot of people overlook the value of having good protein, but that doesn't make much sense. The body requires more energy to breakdown protein. This pretty much means more calories burned for you. More calories burn equals greater weight loss if you are doing everything else right.

It's a no-brainer to pay attention to it and i'm sure you will =)

For more great tips visit http://www.4evertoned.com/blog/

Coach Geo

Answer 5

From what I've read and experienced calories depend on your size, no refined sugars (always watch the sugar especially if your family has a history of diabetes), complex carbs only (like stone ground wheat, but please don't skip the carbs your body needs them for fuel), and no saturated fats. Go to www.preventionmagazine.com for LOTS of helpful advice on foods and things to eat that will be good for your overall health. You might be surprised at what you can have and what you need. Hope this helps!

Answer 6

Calories, Holly ! It's all about calories!! If you don't know your calories, buy a small paperback at any drug or book store. And start reading labels. When you get to your ideal weight, you maintain by eating your weight times 15. So if you weigh 150 pounds, to maintain that weight, assuming you're doing a normal amount of exercising, you would eat 150 X 15 = 2250 calories a day. :)

Answer 7

I would look at your daily activity level first. If you're not active, look at all of them. The higher any of them are, the harder it will be to burn them off. If you're moderately to highly active, it's not as important because you're likely to burn them off. Fat gets stored. Carbs are the first choice of the body for energy use, but I believe can turn to fat if not used. Sugars will turn into carbs when they break down. And all of them are inncluded in the formula for calories. Stay active and it won't be as important.

Answer 8

It's all important, but what you really need to know is what your own body does with those things? For instance, with the unique makeup of your body, do you burn calories fast or slow? What kind of snacks do you enjoy? That sort of stuff. Unfortunately, there's no label for that, and it's different for everybody. Bottom line, know your body, know your foods, and it will be much easier to balance it all out. Good luck!

Answer 9

You COULD look at all of those things, but in the end it all comes down to calories!!!

Answer 10

You look at all of those things plus the amount of fiber too.