Optimum Nutrition
Optimum Nutrition
Every human being is fundamentally made up of water, fat, and protein, with carbohydrates constituting a mere 1% of our body. This fact about our makeup should dictate the basis of dietary recommendations.
Human Body Composition
Our bodies are approximately 60% water, 15% fat, and 16% protein. In contrast, carbohydrates make up only about 1%.
This raises a critical question: Why do conventional dietary guidelines advocate for a diet mostly based on carbohydrates, often constituting up to 60% of daily caloric intake?
The Fault in Our Dietary Guidelines
The standard dietary advice pushes for a high intake of carbohydrates-grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Given that our physiological composition is 1% carbohydrate, why would our diets not mirror this fact?
The human body is capable of converting fats into energy through processes like ketogenesis, a fact exemplified by populations like the Inuit (Eskimos) who thrive on a diet rich in proteins and fats with minimal carbohydrates. They are much healthier than most westerners following a high carbohydrate high sugar diet.
Challenging High Carbohydrate Diets
The overwhelming amounts of carbohydrates in our diet is not just a deviation from our physiological needs but a direct contradiction to it.
Look around: obesity, diabetes, and heart diseases are rampant under the current dietary regime that vilifies meats and glorifies carbohydrates.
It's clear-the advice handed down through our dietary guidelines does not reflect our bodies' true needs.
Diets that Reflect Our Physiology
It's time to correct the course and advocate for dietary guidelines that align with the universal human composition.
A shift toward higher protein and fat intake, with carbohydrates minimised to reflect their actual presence in our bodies (1%), mirrors our physiological composition more accurately. This approach promises not only to align our diet with our biological design but also to remedy the chronic health issues prevalent in modern societies.
If our bodies are composed of 60% water, 15% fat, and 16% protein, with only about 1% carbohydrates, our diet should reflect these proportions.
This is not just a hypothesis, but a conclusion drawn from observing the universal human condition. Our diets should prioritise fats and proteins, with carbohydrates playing a much smaller role, to truly meet the criteria of optimum nutrition.
Definition: optimum nutrition
In public health nutrition, optimum nutrition is the dietary principle that mirrors human body make-up by stressing water, protein and fat, capping carbohydrate near one per cent of calories, and guarding weight, blood sugar and heart health.
Show CG4D Definition
- Matches food macronutrient mix to human body composition
- Gives protein and fat the main share of energy intake
- Keeps carbohydrate intake at about one per cent of daily calories
- Targets healthy weight, normal blood sugar and strong heart health
Article Summary
Your body is 60% water, 16% protein, 15% fat and just 1% carbohydrate, so the smart diet mirrors that mix: drink plenty, load up on protein and healthy fat, strip back starch, and you will see weight, blood sugar and heart risk fall.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions that frequently get asked about this topic during our training sessions.
Why does optimum nutrition limit carbohydrates to around one per cent of calories?
How does a low carbohydrate diet use fat for energy?
What health problems link to high carbohydrate, high sugar eating?
Are high protein, high fat diets safe for most adults?
How can I adjust daily meals to raise protein and fat?
Does drinking water matter in this eating approach?
What simple macronutrient split does the article recommend?
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Did You Know: Key Statistics
In 2023, 64% of adults in England were classed as overweight or obese, up from 61% in 2019, while government guidance still advises that starchy carbohydrates should provide over half of daily calories. A 2024 randomised trial in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe showed that adults with type-2 diabetes following a low-carb high-fat diet cut their HbA1c by 1.3 points and lost 8 kg in six months, compared with a 0.4-point drop and 2 kg loss on a high-carb plan.About the Author: Chris Farmer
Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years' experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.
Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.
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