Hi
Onto the next one.....
Hopefully, you are finding these tips helpful so far, as I really want to ensure that you are equipped to set up your dieting phase in the healthiest way possible.
The first tip that I offered in the last email
was:
If you want to diet aggressively, make the time period in a calorie deficit shorter (in my case, I am consuming a deficit of ~800 calories per day for 5 weeks) and vice versa. Aggressive dieting has its place, but if you are someone who really struggles with dietary adherence, it may not be for you.
The second tip offered was:
Consume 2-3g protein per kg of
bodyweight, to promote muscle retention, satiety and potentially a minor increase in energy expenditure.
This time, I want to touch on nutrient density.
You see, when we diet, we know that we need a calorie deficit. However, what you do not want is to end up in a nutrient deficit. You may think that isn't common, but in
THIS STUDY, they looked at 4 popular diet plans and analysed their micronutrient composition. With an average calorie intake of 1748 calories across all dieting conditions, the diets delivered 43% micronutrient sufficiency. Not a lot, is it?
Therefore, it is important that you are that bit more mindful of the
foods that you choose when dieting, as you have less total opportunities to consume sufficient micronutrients, simply because your overall calorie intake is lower. Here are some action points:
Consume a diet that is composed primarily of nutrient-dense, whole foods. Within that, we recommend 8-12 servings of vegetables/fruits per day, if not more. Other foods worth including would be meat (daily), whole eggs (daily),
organ meats 1-2x/week, fatty fish here and there, legumes (daily) and generally aim to consume more fibrous sources of carbohydrates that have a decent profile of micronutrients to accompany the carbohydrates themselves (e.g. sweet potato, white potato, squash).
Obviously, it is a little more difficult to cover the full spectrum of micronutrients as a vegan/vegetarian without micromanagement of your
nutrition, but it is certainly still possible (it may just require some supplementation). Dieting is essentially controlled starvation, so you have to be more aware of the micronutrient density of your diet; you want to be in a calorie deficit, not a nutrient deficit!
I hope you found this helpful. If you did, why not share some of the tips on social media? Just tag us!
Yours in Health,
Gary
McGowan
Triage Method
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