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Krista’s Kalorietastic Konfabulator

Krista Scott-Dixon

Now that you’ve read all about the major macronutrients — fat, carbs, and protein — you’re probably wondering how the heck you make, like, meals and stuff. After all, foods aren’t just “nutrients”.

First of all, I love NutritionData.com like Perez Hilton loves a starlet meltdown. ND is especially useful because you can do a very detailed nutrient search (check under “Tools”). If you’re curious about which foods are higher in, say, the amino acid valine, ND is your all-knowing guru.

Second, here’s a little chart that might be helpful. Here are common foods that are good sources of the major nutrients.

Remember, whole foods are usually combinations of nutrients — most foods have a bit of everything. For example, I’ve filed beans and high-protein grains such as quinoa under “carbs” because their carbohydrate content outweighs their protein content. Nuts and nut butters go under “fat” for the same reason, although they also contain protein.

fat

carbs

protein
  • avocado
  • coconut (fresh, milk, and/or oil)
  • fish oil and oily fish such as sardines
  • nuts: almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, etc.
  • peanuts (these aren’t nuts, by the way, but legumes, in the same family as peas and beans)
  • saturated fats from animal sources, e.g. duck fats, chicken skin, pork fat, lard
  • seeds: pumpkin, sunflower, hemp, chia, sesame, poppy, flax, etc.
  • relatively unprocessed oils such as flax, hemp, walnut, pumpkinseed, cold-pressed olive oil, palm oil, unprocessed sesame oil

fats to avoid or minimize:

  • processed oils such as canola, corn, sunflower, soy, peanut
  • processed solid fats such as margarine
  • processed fats such as cooking sprays in an aerosol can (OK, c’mon — aerosol can = NOT FOOD)
  • whole grains such as buckwheat, quinoa, rye, amaranth, teff, barley, oats, wild rice, brown rice
  • corn (which counts as a grain, not a vegetable)
  • starchy vegetables such as carrots, squash, yams
  • other vegetables, especially green vegetables, have carbs in them, but generally their vitamin and fibre content outweighs their carb content
  • fruit
  • beans, peas, lentils

carbs to avoid or minimize:

  • grains in general IF you are sensitive to them, especially wheat, rye, barley, and oats (which contain gluten)
  • white bread
  • white pasta
  • white rice
  • white potatoes
  • sugar
  • honey, agave (yeah, they’re “natural”, but they’re still sugar)
  • common sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup, glucose-fructose (look for “ose” on the label)
  • fish
  • poultry: chicken, turkey, duck, goose, turducken (ha)
  • seafood: shellfish, shrimp, squid and octopus
  • beef
  • pork
  • wild game: venison, elk, emu, rabbit, wild boar, squirrel, groundhog etc.
  • fermented soy: miso, tempeh
  • eggs
  • milk, cheese, yogurt
  • the lesser-appreciated microlivestock: insects, snails, frog legs
  • *if you have trouble getting “real food” protein and need a convenient, portable, high-quality protein source: protein powders such as whey protein, egg white protein, sprouted brown rice protein, hemp protein, pumpkin seed protein, etc.

protein to avoid or minimize:

  • processed and/or unfermented soy: fake meats, TVP, unfermented tofu, soy protein powders or other formulations
  • anything endangered or likely to be high in environmental pollutants, e.g. tuna (mercury)
  • sweetened dairy products (e.g. yogurt, chocolate milk)
  • protein sources that have been cooked in certain ways: highly charred on the grill; deep fried

Now let’s look at some sample meals that combine these three groups. I’ve given you some ideas from various cuisines.

If you’re controlling your carbohydrate intake, simply eliminate things like noodles and grains and minimize fruit in favour of vegetables. Note also that I’ve listed some vegetables as carb sources, but again, except for the root vegetables/tubers (carrots, yams, potatoes, taro, etc.), and squash, they’re mostly just vitamins, fibre and water.

Ideally, vegetables should form the largest proportion of your meals.

So, for instance, in your East Asian stir-fry, opt for something like 75%-80% vegetables (by volume), 4-6 ounces of protein (about the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of cards), a sparing sprinkle of nuts or sesame seeds, and a small serving of noodles (optional). Some nutritionists use the “plate method” to describe this: imagine half your plate is vegetables, one-quarter is protein, and one-quarter is the carbohydrate portion.

Personally I suggest that folks view starchy carbohydrates as a condiment and include about the same amount they’d use for other condiments such as salsa.

Again, in general, the bulk of your carbohydrates should generally be consumed around exercise, either before or after.

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