Nutrition

Nutrition is a critical aspect of any fitness improvement, weight loss, or health improvement effort.  The topic of nutritional balance is extensively covered in our Fitness Protocols, iPad health and fitness App.  The model shown in the figure below illustrates how we look at nutrition.

As you can see in the model, a balanced intake of food and drinks provides the nutrients and calories (the body’s fuel or energy source) the body needs to operate at its best.  The food groups described in the model are based on the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Pyramid or MyPyramid, as it is now better known.  Low calorie foods are important to good nutrition.  Fats contain high calories therefore their intake should be managed carefully using the most appropriate diet plans and balanced diets.  Most low-calorie diets are simply low fat diets.  Fats provide twice as much calories per gram as carbohydrates and protein, as shown in the figure below:

Accordingly, the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends the following ranges for the proportions of essential nutrients that should be consumed on a daily basis:

• 45-65% of total daily calories from carbohydrates
• 20%-35% of total daily calories from fats
• 10%-35% of total daily calories from protein

The Fitness Protocols iPad health and fitness App adopts the Food Pyramid or MyPyramid’s food groups approach to nutritional balance.  The iPad App provides information about ways to set a diet as well as diet plans.  Moreover, it provides tools to help you choose low-calorie foods good for balanced nutrition.

Following is a brief overview of nutrition-related subjects covered by Fitness Protocols.  For additional details, you may link to the page we have created for each using the highlighted text in each of the following paragraphs:

In the Food Pyramid or MyPyramid section, we cover how following the Food Pyramid national approach helps overweight or obese people.

In the Low Calorie Diets section, we cover how low calorie diets can help lower your cholesterol levels and, in turn, improve your overall health.  We also cover the role dieticians, nutrition experts, and diet pills can play on diets and dieting.

In the Diet Plans section, we cover diets, diet plans, and diet programs such as Adkins and South beach.  We also cover diet information, diet books, and diet programs and their effect on your nutritional balance and overall fitness level and health.  Moreover, we cover the impact lowering caloric intake can have on cholesterol levels.  Finally, we also go over how low calorie food and better fitness can lower your cholesterol.

You should never delve into health improvement, fitness improvement, diets, diets plans, diet programs, or weight loss plans unless you get your doctor’s approval.

We hope you will find the information in these pages useful.  Nonetheless, we highly recommend you consider using the Fitness Protocols approach offered by our book available on Amazon® and/or our iPad App on Apple’s iTunes® (coming soon) to guide your fitness improvement and maintenance effort.  You will find nothing better than what we offer!