Nutritional Counseling

Nutrition is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Without proper nutrition and supplementation, one does not have enough energy to make it through the day. It is important to take daily supplements because it is impossible to get enough of the essential vitamins and minerals through food consumption alone. Also, health declines without proper nutrition and supplementation, making one more susceptible to illness and disease.

One of the many aspects that sets Darryl apart from other personal trainers is the nutritional counseling that he provides his clients as part of his custom fitness program. He helps people to set achievable health goals and teaches them various ways of maintaining these goals throughout their lifetime. This type of counseling assists all ages, ranging from pregnant women, to vegetarians, to the elderly and people with different medical complications. Those who may benefit include those with:

•  Diabetes

•  Osteoporosis

•  Poor nutrition and eating patterns

•  Digestive complications

•  Cancer

•  Hypertension

•  Allergies

•  Organ problems

•  Obesity

•  Hypoglycemia

•  Menopause

•  Heart diseases

The benfits of nutritional counseling:

•  Increase in energy
•  Healthier lifestyle and food choices
•  Better quality sleep
•  Reduced symptoms of disease
•  Less drastic range of emotions
•  Happiness
•  Possible increase in longevity
•  Strengthened immune system
•  Lesser chance of disorders and disease appearing
•  Better ability to concentrate
Macronutrients for Optimal Fitness Results

There are two types of essential nutrients – macronutrients and micronutrients. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are the three types of macronutrients, while minerals and vitamins are the micronutrients. Macronutrients primarily provide the body with energy when they are digested. Each of the different macronutrients produces different amounts of energy, and each plays a unique role in sustaining life and promoting health.

It’s important to understand the basics of macronutrients so you know what they do and how many calories of each you should be eating to reach your fitness goals. This is where Darryl comes in! He’ll help you to understand the basics of macronutrients and create personalized meal plans that will help you lose weight and get fit!

The three categories of macronutrients are explained below:

Proteins

Protein is the only macronutrient that promotes lean tissue growth (anabolism). In other words, to grow muscle you need protein! Protein also has other important functions in the body beyond building muscle. Those functions include: building and repairing blood, bones, teeth, skin, hair, nails, and your internal organs, provides immune protection and can provide a source of energy (when there is excess dietary protein or inadequate dietary fat and carbohydrate). As you can see, protein is an extremely important nutrient for good health. In fact, the word protein comes from a Greek word meaning “of primary importance.”

Carbohydrates

Before the glycemic index came around in the early 1980’s, carbohydrates were traditionally known as either simple or complex. Simple carbohydrates are quickly absorbed from the intestine into the bloodstream, causing a sharp rise in blood sugar. Examples of simple carbohydrates include soft drinks, desserts, doughnuts, white bread, pancakes and other white-flour products.

Complex carbohydrates are slowly absorbed from the intestine into the bloodstream, causing a more gradual and moderate increase in blood sugar. Examples of complex carbohydrates include oatmeal, whole grains, legumes such as kidney, pinto and navy beans along with other vegetables like asparagus, beans, broccoli and peas.

The glycemic index provides a more accurate look of carbohydrates and their effect on blood sugar levels. The glycemic index ranks carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to how much they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Carbohydrates that breakdown quickly during digestion are higher on the glycemic index because the blood glucose response is fast and high.

Carbohydrates that break down slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, naturally rank lower. If you are like me, you might be wondering right about now just how this glycemic index has anything at all to do with fat loss or muscle building. But do not let these technical terms throw you because blood sugar is very important to your fitness goals and overall health!

Fats

Of the three macronutrients, fats seem to cause the most confusion. The biggest challenge is convincing people that all fats are not created equal! Fats have a very bad reputation and everyone assumes that “fat is fat” and “all fat is bad for you.” This is completely false. For instance, there are fats that actually help burn body fat!