I think it’s time we take a look at understanding what a healthy diet actually looks like. As a nutritionist, I speak with a lot of people asking questions regarding what foods they should eat during Intermittent Fasting (IF). As it turns out, they think they are doing it right, but often, it seems, they are not. There is much confusion on what is healthy and what isn’t. What will keep you satiated and what won’t. So let’s dive on in shall we?
The Simple Answer
It doesn’t matter if you are intermittent fasting, or whatever your diet looks like. The simple answer is this: eat plenty of protein and healthy fats. Eat plenty of fiber and fewer carbs. Eat REAL foods. Keep processed foods to a bare minimum (if at all). Sounds easy enough, but apparently it leaves us feeling awfully confused. So let’s break it down even further.
Eat Plenty of Protein
Why protein? Protein takes a long time to be broken down by the body. It helps keep you feeling fuller longer. It’s also necessary for life. Protein is responsible for over 10,000 chemical processes within the body. So, does this mean you should be eating steak at every meal? Probably not. Here’s the kicker. Too much protein is stored as fat. So, we want enough protein to help with satiety, but not so much protein that it causes us to store the one thing we all want to get rid of: fat.
So how much is too much protein? Well, lets first see what the standard is. The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.36 grams of protein per pound (0.8 grams per kg) of body weight. So if you weigh 200 lbs — ideally, you want to consume 72g of protein a day. If you’re intermittent fasting, you’re going to want to bump that number up just a bit to help with satiation. If we increase it by a small fraction, lets say 15% — to aid with satiety, then we are looking at approximately 83g of protein a day.
What does 83g of protein a day look like? Well, there are plenty of ways to get protein in a day. So 83g can look something like this:
1 Chicken Breast = 35g
1 Quest Protein Bar = 20g
1/2 Cup Raw Almonds = 12g
2 Eggs = 13g
So is this all you get to eat in a day? No. Don’t be silly. We still need fats, and even some carbs in our diet as well. So let’s build on that.
Consume Healthy Fats
What exactly are healthy fats, and how much do we need in a day? Healthy fats are unsaturated fats (plant based fats), these include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These are your avocados, your extra virgin olive oil. Your nuts and seeds, just to name a few examples.
According to The Cleveland Clinic, “the dietary reference intake (DRI) for fat in adults is 20% to 35% of total calories from fat“. But many who intermittently fast don’t count calories, so how do we know what the right amount is? This is where you may have to take some time to do a little math. Most people who are trying to lose weight will find themselves eating between 1200 and 1800 calories a day.
So let’s take the median of that and say you’re eating 1500 calories a day. 1500 / 20% is 300 calories. A gram of fat is 9 calories. So 300 / 9 = 33g. Now we do the same thing with the upper limit: 1500 / 35% is 525 calories. Now divide 525 by 9 = 58g. So on a 1500 calorie / day diet you want to consume between 33g and 58g of healthy fats.
So what does between 33g and 58g of fat look like in the same foods listed above:
1 Chicken Breast = 2.5g Healthy fat (4.3g total fat)
1 Quest Protein Bar = 5g Healthy fat (8g total fat)
1/2 Cup Raw Almonds = 23.8g Healthy fat (27g total fat)
2 Eggs = 5.5g Healthy fat (9.6g total fat)
Ok, so that’s looking good so far, but we are not done yet! We still need to factor in Fiber and Carbs!
Getting Enough Fiber While Limiting Carbs
When it comes to fiber and carbs, it’s simple. Keep your fiber high and your carbs low. According to the Mayo Clinic “Women should try to eat at least 21 to 25 grams of fiber a day“. And when it comes to carbs, you can safely keep them anywhere from 20g to 100g a day. Personally, I prefer less than 50g a day.
When you read a nutrition label you’ll see that dietary fiber and carbohydrates are lumped together in a neat little package. This is your total carb count. But don’t look at that number. Look at the break down below, it will tell you exactly how much fiber and how much sugar there is in that particular service of food product. Unfortunately, we are sticking to real foods and there are no nutrition labels on apples. You’ll need to find a site like NutritionIX.com that can guide you for Carbs.
So let’s go back to that list of foods and see where we sit for fiber and carbs.
1 Chicken Breast = 0g
1 Quest Protein Bar = 14g Fiber / 2g Carbs
1/2 Cup Raw Almonds = 7.5g Fiber / 3.4g Carbs
2 Eggs = 0g
So this tells us that we have some room for fiber and carbs if we want more food. Here is where we can add fruits and vegetables to our diet, as they often contain fiber and carbs, and less in the way of fats and protein. Let’s say we want to add an apple — that adds minimal proteins and almost zero fat, but it does add approximately 20g of carbs and 4.5g of fiber.
So now we are pretty much at our limits for protein, fat, fiber and there is still room for carbs… if you put sugar in your coffee, that will take up the bulk of your left over carbs.
I know what you’re thinking… that’s it?
All I can eat is 1 chicken breast, 1 quest bar, 1/2 cup almonds, 1 apple, and 2 eggs. Actually, if you’re intermittent fasting, you’ll be quite surprised at how much that alone will fill you and keep you satiated well throughout the day. But you are not limited to JUST that. For breakfast you can have 2 eggs with a sliced avocado, and even a few slices of bacon. You don’t actively need to eat lunch. Eat your 1/2 cup of almonds mid-morning and then the protein bar mid-afternoon. For dinner you can absolutely have that chicken breast with some asparagus, or some brussels sprouts, or some broccoli all of which you can add a tsp of butter to, no problem.
Remember, the numbers are a guideline to help you learn how to eat properly. They are not set in stone. Some days you’ll eat more, and others you’ll eat less. And just so you know, the total calories for this particular meal equate to 1100 calories overall. If you add 1/2 an avocado to your breakfast, plus the sugar and milk in your coffee, and then add 1 cup of broccoli with a tsp of melted butter to your dinner, you’re nearing the 1500 calorie mark for the day believe it or not.
Conclusion
This is how you eat healthy, stay full longer, and get your macronutrients in without excess. Without counting calories as well. Now all this to say if you are highly active, wanting to bulk up, or work out hard and often, you’ll need more of everything… More calories, more protein, more fat, and ya, more carbs. What I have supplied here is for those who wish to lose weight without having to hit the gym 2 hours a day, 7 days a a week.
The point I want to drive home here is that you don’t have to eat like a rabbit. If you eat veggies all day, every day — that is great and all but you’re not getting the proteins and fats that keep you satiated. So you’ll find yourself hungry all day long. If you eat oatmeal for breakfast, the first thing you’re doing is putting a whole whack of carbs in your body. That’s a big no-no. Without fat and protein, you’ll be craving sweets, you’ll always be hungry, and quite frankly, you’ll be miserable really. Forget everything you thought you knew about healthy eating, and start over using this mapping system as your guideline for healthy eating.
**Side Note: Quest Protein Bars are a processed, pre-packaged food that are by far one of the most healthiest (and delicious) protein bars out there. I absolutely love them and totally advocate for them. They are far superior when compared to other protein bars or energy bars (health bars) such as Clif Bars. So I am totally OK with these being eaten on a daily basis!
