Friendship with Your Food: Part Two

In part one, we talked about why you need to have a relationship with your food. In this post, we move from feelings to a bit of science that will help you sustain that relationship. We'll keep it practical - just enough basics to help you make good choices.

We'll focus on three core pillars: Energy Balance, Macros and Micros. Let's dive straight into it.

Energy Balance

The principle of calorie balance is centuries old. Luigi Cornaro, a 16th-century Venetian nobleman, famously improved his health and extended his life through calorie restraint, long before the term "calorie" existed.

Calories are your body's energy currency - it burns energy all day, and food refuels it. Eat more than you burn, and you gain weight. Eat less, and you lose. Maintain the balance, and your weight stays steady. Energy balance works, always has.

You don't need to keep tracking your calories forever. But if you haven't done it even once, it's more than worth doing - just like auditing your finances from time to time.

Here's how to make it work:

Macros

Most foods are made up of three big nutrients: protein, carbs, and fat. These are your macros and knowing them helps you build balanced meals without overthinking.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are your body's main fuel source, especially for your day-to-day activities. They're often unfairly blamed in mainstream fitness advice, but that's far from the truth. Also, a little more or less in a meal is totally fine.

Fiber: The Unsung Carb

Fiber is a special type of carbohydrate your body doesn't digest but your gut bacteria thrive on it. It slows digestion, supports gut health, and helps keep blood sugar stable.

Fats

Fats play a crucial role in your body - from supporting hormones and brain function to aiding the absorption of vitamins. The most important thing to remember is they are essential but calorie-dense. It's easy to overdo them, so be mindful and keep them in moderation.

Protein

Protein is essential, but it can be tricky. Some staple diets tend to be low in protein, while social media often overhypes it to the other extreme. The basic rule is simple: adults need at least 0.8g per kg of body weight, even without workouts. You'll need more if you're strength training regularly (1.2-1.6g/kg) or over the age of 40-50 (1-1.2g/kg).

Hydration

Hydration might not be a macronutrient, but it's just as important - your body is mostly water, after all. It plays a key role in digestion, energy levels, brain function, and even appetite regulation.

A simple rule: aim for 6-8 glasses of water/day.

You'll feel the difference - fatigue, brain fog, and sudden cravings often trace back to dehydration.

Micros

Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are essential building blocks that support countless functions in your body. There are a lot of them, and trying to optimize each one individually isn't realistic for most people. These interactions are complex (iron needs vitamin C, vitamin D depends on calcium, and calcium can inhibit iron absorption), so it's easy to get lost in isolated facts.

A Simple Guide to Building Your Plate

Based on both Harvard's Healthy Eating Plate principles and the fundamentals we discussed above (energy balance, macros, and micros), here's a simple way to structure most of your meals:

• 🥩 1/4 plate protein (e.g. lentils, tofu, chicken, eggs)
• 🍚 1/4 plate carbs (e.g. rice, roti, quinoa, sweet potato)
• 🥦 1/2 plate vegetables (raw or cooked)
• ➕ Add a thumb-sized amount of fat if not already included (e.g. olive oil, ghee, nuts)

This model helps you turn everything you've learned into a practical, visual habit you can repeat meal after meal.

Things You Do NOT Need to Care About

Don't get distracted by buzzwords like 'Gut health boosters', 'Antioxidant-rich', 'Anti-inflammatory', and 'Energy boosters'. Real healthy food isn't marketed as healthy - it's just sold. If your meals are balanced, you're hydrated, and you sleep well, your body knows what to do. Stick to the basics - they work.

Wrap Up

Across these two posts, we've taken a journey - from shifting your mindset around food to understanding the basics that make up a healthy, sustainable way of eating. If there's one thing to remember, it's this:

Your relationship with food is one of the most powerful relationships you'll ever build. Make it simple, make it sustainable, and make it yours.