Many of the foods that I consume on a daily occurrence are rich in proteins and complex carbohydrates. I’m particularly conscious about the foods that I eat as a result of the lifestyle that I’m attempting to uphold and, as a result, these foods are often representative of ones which are eaten in conjunction with things like exercise and healthier habits to help contribute to a better overall lifestyle. The foods that are consumed are often high in different types of proteins and carbohydrates, depending on the overall need that the food itself serves in a day for me.
On average, I tend to consume around 240 grams of carbohydrates a day. The exception to this is any day in which I’m partaking in exercises which are predominantly cardio-based. On these days, I tend to consume around 320 grams of carbohydrates a day. (Sleator, 2012) Most of the time, the types of carbohydrates I consume are simple carbohydrates which are conducive for the particular type of lifestyle that I live as well as the constant workout regiment that I immerse myself in.
Considering the amount that I do, I find myself constantly ingesting and consuming a large amount of protein per day. (Sleator, 2012) On average, I consume around 56 to 64 grams of protein. The foods that I eat are largely composed of both complete and incomplete proteins and I have a wide variety of protein-rich food that I consume. (Sleator, 2012) I’ve found with the regiment that I complete that protein is the most essential aspect of my day in general.
The number of foods that I eat that contain protein are a large part of my day in itself. I typically eat chicken and tuna as primary sources of protein for most meals. The types of chicken-based dishes are usually light on other elements or extras. (Sleator, 2012) Typically, I’ll eat a baked chicken breast with a bunch of protein-rich vegetables on the side such as broccoli. These types of foods are often most conducive for the regiment that I’m on.
In the morning, I typically eat a cup of Greek or low-fat yogurt, a type of fruit such as a banana or an apple and a small protein shake. From there, I work out or do cardio depending on the day of the week it is in regards to my routine. Because of the nature of the workout regiment itself, I’ll usually eat a protein supplement afterwards and something like a Cliff bar to help with the overall protein intake that I have. (Sleator, 2012) The overall quality of the food I eat is largely based upon the things in which I’m trying to accomplish with the routine.
On average though my goal is consistently to eat foods that are both good for my body and good to ingest. One of the things that I find myself eating often is red meat that’s lean but high in protein. One of the primary foods that I eat in this group is steak. As it’s rich in protein, it’s the focal point of many of the meals that I have. (Sleator, 2012)
I often won’t have any extras or additives with the steak other than a simple carbohydrate and some vegetables. This is true about most of the protein-rich foods that I eat and almost all meats. I typically try to stray away from fast foods and things that are high in overall fat content. Some fat is good so on occasion, I’ll eat stuff such as bacon for these types of fat. (Yashroy, 1990)
Typically, I try to limit my fat consumption to less than 70 grams in one day. The foods that I eat are often lacking in fat content and high in the other areas such as carbohydrates or proteins. (Yashroy, 1990) When snacking, I often prefer such foods as granola bars or nuts such as almonds. Almonds themselves are high in good fatty acid, so I prefer to eat these to other forms of food that are rich in bad forms of fat. (Yashroy, 1990)
In comparison to the standard intake of these different resources, I have found that what I consume is pretty on par with those that are trying to maintain a high standard of health as well as those trying to have a high quality of life. The overall quality of the foods that I ingest are often high as well as I like to maintain the best possible options when dieting and exercising. (Yashroy, 1990)
Occasionally, I’ll have a day where I consume foods which aren’t particularly great and high in calories– I often do this on the days that I rest in between days with heavy workouts. The foods I consume on these days are often things like burgers or pizza, and I still try to find the best optimal version of the foods I’m consuming to stay consistent with the overall level of health and quality of the foods that I’m ingesting. (Yashroy, 1990)
I consistently eat a lot of complete proteins but also choose to eat incomplete proteins such as those that are found in nuts. Yogurt is another food that I find myself largely consuming, given its probiotic properties and the good types of protein that are contained within it. (Yashroy, 1990) Overall, the level of food that I consume can adjust and change too, depending on what I’m doing and the frequency of the workouts that I’m performing.
I typically try to keep my calorie count at around 2,200 to 2,400 in a day but when a workout is particularly long or taxing, I’ll often up the count to around 2,800 to 3,200 to compensate. (Yashroy, 1990) In general, these foods are often carbohydrates to give me energy during the regiment. I’ll often each wild grain rice or whole grain flatbread, as I’ve found the best way to maintain carbohydrates is through means such as these. (Yashroy, 1990)
The overall impression that I have of foods of this nature is that they are beneficial to developing the lifestyle that I have. I also have found that eating alternatives to snacks such as chips provide me with a great option. (Matthews, 1999) Foods such as pretzel chips or apples and peanut butter consistently help with battling hunger during the day, all the while ensuring that I’m constantly where I need to be during the regiment.
In general, I often try to avoid fast foods and cheaper, convenience foods as much as possible as these options are often heavily lacking in the nutrients and vitamins that I’m looking for and need. The foods that I eat are often complementary to professional standards for foods as such and those that are optimal for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. (Matthews, 1999) As this is a huge influence on my life recently, the ability to maintain the healthy options is one which has become relatively important to me. Keeping up with the overall amount of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids I consume is a large part of this.
- Sleator, RD. (2012). “Prediction of protein functions”. Methods in Molecular Biology. Methods in Molecular Biology 815: 15–24.
- Yashroy, RC. (1990). “Magnetic resonance studies of dynamic organisation of lipids in chloroplast membranes”. Journal of Biosciences 15 (4): 281–288.
- Matthews, C. E. (1999) Biochemistry. 3rd edition. Benjamin Cummings.
