Balance

Happy Friday! Hope you're all doing well! Just wanted to let you know that I'm getting married on July 16th and then taking off to Tahiti for my honeymoon. This will be my last set of tips before I'm a married woman! I will resume when I get back the first full week of August.

Again, if you have any nutrition or health related questions in the meantime please let me know and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

1. Energy Balance

Positive Energy Balance: When energy flow into the body exceeds energy flow out of the body, often evidenced by an increasing body weight.

Negative Energy Balance: When energy flow out of the body exceeds energy flow into the body, often evidenced by an decreasing body weight.

Neutral Energy Balance: Calories in = Calories out

2. Nutrient Density vs. Calorie Density

High nutrient density: Foods that contain a lot of nutrients (ex. bright or deeply colored veggies; lean meats)

Low nutrient density: Foods that contain few nutrients (ex. table sugar; white flour)

High caloric density: Foods high in calories but don't offer much nutrient value (ex. cookies; butter; bacon)

Low caloric density: Foods low in calories and offer high nutritional value (ex. fresh fruits; chicken breast; broth based soups)

3. How to eat when the goal is weight/fat loss vs. muscle/weight gain

For weight and fat loss: A diet that is high in nutrient dense foods (a lot of nutrition per calorie) and low in calorie dense foods (few calories per gram of food weight)

-Benefits to this diet:

-Easily controlled calorie intake (without calorie counting)

-Longer periods of fullness/meal satisfaction after eating

-Difficulty overeating

-A higher total essential nutrient intake

-More essential nutrients per volume of food

For weight and muscle gain: Conversely, a diet consisting of high nutrient dense and high calorie dense foods would be best for this person. This would allow for increases in both nutrient intake and calorie intake, both essential for gains in lean mass and total body weight.

4. Best Nutrient Dense Foods

1. Salmon

2. Kale

3. Seeweed

4. Garlic

5. Shellfish

6. Potatoes (not the best choice for fat loss unless you've done an intense training session prior to eating)

7. Liver

8. Sardines

9. Blueberries

10. Egg yolks

11. Dark Chocolate (minimal intake for nutritional benefits)

That's all folks! See ya next week.