#also on that note a good nutritionist will know BMI is bullshit

[rahullkohli]

A LITTLE ON NUTRITION AND HEALTH

ok buckle up kids, because i have a load to share on this subject. in this post there will be no shaming of bodies, diets or knowledge - only of idiots who act like they know shit, but in fact are ignorant fools. i.e. idiots who advice people to go on diets, or otherwise treat their nutrition irresponsibly.

also, this is not a ”how to get skinny”-post. this is merely a post to inform about a topic that so many people is dangerously off on. my own personal goal is to lose weight, because my BMI is too high. if you think that you need to lose weight, consult a doctor who can help you figure out if you actually need to lose weight, or if you maybe have an unhealthy relationship with food and/or your body, and that is the issue you need help with.

disclaimer: i am not a licensed nutritionist or health professional. all of my knowledge comes from: me loving to read, me recovering from eating disorders which have prompted me to research on my own plus talk to professionals, me having worked with a nutritionist for over a year where i got to regular updates and have mealplan created specifically for me. also, my mom being a licensed fitness trainer where she also had courses on nutrition.

so, this post came to be because i saw a long post about people being shamed for eating fruit, because some assholes tried to tell them that “fruit is almost pure sugar and bad for you”, or something to that effect, so i will definitely touch on that as well.

the thing is that nutrition is complex and one of the biggest issues in the way our society sees health and nutrition is that it takes a starting point in “one size fits all”, which it most certainly does not. the details of what diet your body needs is unique to you, and magazines/celebrities/blogs/etc. who tries to tell you otherwise either don’t know what they’re talking about, or are feeding you lies on purpose. usually with the goal of money.

as mentioned above; nutrition is damn complex. one diet does not fit all bodies, because our genetic makeup is different. for example, all my three sisters has been diagnosed with PCOS, and i have not. this means that my body can handle carbs better than theirs, because of cysts on their ovaries that overproduce a hormone that makes it harder for their bodies to break down carbs. (feel free to correct me on this one, because i have not researched this condition in details so i may be off on this. i just know people with this diagnosis usually require a low carb diet, the whys and hows are more iffy to me, but this was how i understood it when it was quickly explained to me.) so it is so unique that even four women who share both mother and father doesn’t even match when it comes to dietary needs. it also changes for every person depending on age, so the diet i need now is most likely not the diet i needed as a teenager, or in ten years, and definitely not after menopause because of the hormonal changes.

every single person needs all three macronutrients in their diet, in order to assure the proper function of their body; carbs, protein and fats - yes, fats! as a general rule, it goes most carbs, medium protein and then a healthy, but not too much, amount of fats. but then there are different examples where one needs more or less of one of these because of for example a diagnosis of PCOS. i am not a doctor, so i won’t try to talk about these, because i don’t have the correct information.

CARBS: so why do we need carbohydrates, and why are those what we (usually) need the most of? carbohydrates are what gives us our energy. carbs gets broken down into glucose before entering the bloodstream (this is why athletes love bananas, they're filled with good stuff that gives a good kick after just spending a ton of energy being overly active). this is where the the fruit and vegetables comes in – sure, fruit and some vegetables contain a lot of sugar, but this is fructose which our bodies can easier break down and use for energy rather converting it to fat depots. the sugar that our bodies have trouble breaking down, is refined (often called white, but it also pertains to brown) sugar. simplistically speaking, the sugar we add to our food ourselves.

now, this doesn't mean that you should just eat uncontrollably of fruit and vegetables. as with any other food, overindulging is too much. in denmark the government department for nutrition has for years campaigned that it is important that we get Six A Day. this means six servings of fruit and vegetables every day. due to the high levels of sugar in fruit, for most adults the reasonable choice is 250 grams of fruit, and 350 grams of vegetables every day. the best choices are high in fiber and proteins. especially green ones like apples, broccoli, spinach, peas and green beans are good. note: you also need carbs from stuff like pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, bulgur, quinoa or other in the same category.

PROTEINS: the proteins are responsible for building and maintaining our muscles. this isn't just for bodybuilders/athletes, this is for every single person out there. you need proteins to be able to move your body. protein is also what builds and maintains our hair, nails and skin. a lot of girls/women are in a protein deficit, especially if they work out, because they are afraid it will make them look masculine. this is severe misinformation. as a cisgendered girl/woman you cannot eat or train your way to the look of a stereotypical cisgendered man, you will need to take steroids for that. if you are a trans woman, i will advice you to speak to a professional about this, as i have no information about this, and considering every trans woman's situation is unique in relation to hormones.

protein is most widely known to come from meat and fish, but this can also be found in some vegetables, nuts, soy, quorn and dairy, which is a very good alternative for vegetarians/vegans.

FATS: there was a time where fat was the number one scare in health media, and it hasn't quite been let go since, which is terrible because fats are so incredibly important for our bodies to work the best they can to keep us healthy. fats are responsible for helping your body absorb vitamins, and help keep your heart and organs healthy. if you don't get enough fat, you risk severe constipation and may need surgery. healthy sources of fats are fish and nuts.

so these are the three nutrient groups that we need in order for our bodies to be at our best, but of course it isn't that simple. it also matters how many calories you get, and how you spread them out throughout the day.

as mentioned above, i have been seeing a nutritionist for over a year, and i have lost 20kg by following a mealplan that was tailored to me specifically from information about my gender, age, height, start weight and general activity level. we found that the reason i wasn't losing weight despite my high activity levels, was that i simply wasn't eating enough – yes, another thing media ignores is that eating too little can cause weight gain – and that i didn't spread my food reasonably out over the day, which caused my bloodsugar to be unbalanced.

i started out with one mealplan with x amount of calories spread out on five meals throughout the day. however, since i plateued in my weightloss i just recently got a new plan with more calories and an extra meal a day. this means that i now have three big meals + three snacks, with never more than 2-3 hours between these to keep my bloodsugar leveled all day.

but aside from this you also need to consider vitamins, fiber, minerals and omega 3s. so yeah, it really is about having a balanced diet, but it's much more than just remembering to not eat too much meat, or too much fruit.

why weightloss diets are bullshit and unhealthy: not only is a weightloss diet a waste of time, because if you eat a certain way for x amount of time, and then lose weight to reach your goal, but then go back to eating as you did before, you will just gain the weight back. if you and your doctor think that you need to lose weight, what you need is a lifestyle change. maintaining a healthy body – regardless of size – is a commitment for life. it sounds overwhelming, but breaking it down it is about creating healthy and stable habits, in the form of varied nutrition spread out over your day.

what my experience also tells me is that it is important to not be too restrictive, since this is setting yourself up for failure. if you promise yourself to not have anything unhealthy like chocolate or soda then there's a bigger chance that once you do have it you will end up overindulging. besides, what kind of life is it if you can't enjoy it? sure, healthy and balanced food can be so good and delicious, but there also needs to be space for having pizza with friends, or cake at a birthday party, or a fancy coffee because you just fucking deserve it. you will not ruin your body if you decide to have ice cream one day, or if you just feel like you can't eat anything at all; just do your best to get back to the healthy habit you have worked hard to create.

the key is to not let it be every day, but if you find the diet that fits you specifically, you shouldn't even be craving these things all the time, because all your needs will be satisfied. if you do find that you crave overindulging at all times, you may need professional help. overeating is a disorder and should be taken just as seriously as undereating – both are rooted in psychological issues, and this can't be processed just by getting a mealplan.

i feel like i have been around most of it by now, but if you have any questions (or you actually know more than me and have constructive criticism) you are more than welcome to message me. i hope this was informative and understandable. english isn't my first language, so i apologize for anything that may not make sense in terms of linguistics.

as a last note i want to stress that i am not a professional, and if you are struggling with body image or your relationship with food, please seek help from someone licensed to handle those kinds of things. never try some fad diet because a magazine or a celebrity said it helped them, because it could damage your body than it could do good.