3 ways your body uses your diet
We’re about to go over 3 ways your body uses your diet, so you won’t have excuses for not knowing what carbohydrates, fats, and proteins do for you and WHY each is important in its own special way. Something like brothers … or not. Here we go!
Carbohydrates – Your body uses carbohydrates when you are on the go, especially at higher intensities!
When you exercise, you are left with energy, and that energy is made up mostly of carbohydrates. Your body uses carbohydrates to fuel your workouts and high-intensity movements throughout the day, like sprinting to your local food truck before you run out of hot dogs. Yes, protein can be used for energy in this case once carbohydrates are depleted, but they are not as efficient as carbohydrates in fueling this type of activity. Just put, carbohydrates are used when you are moving throughout your day.
Fats – Your body uses fats when you are NOT moving or when you are asleep.
Yes, you read that correctly … fats are used by your body for fuel when you are at low intensities. Low intensity times include when you’re sitting at that long boring office job listening to Ryan’s Roses and scrolling through Facebook, BUT this also includes when you’re sleeping. Asleep? Asleep. In fact, you’ll use more fat for energy when you sleep than at any other time of the day, especially when you’re on a structured training regimen that maximizes your body’s oxygen demand at rest. Fats are used in the less intense parts of the day, and this includes when you sleep..
Proteins – Proteins are used by the body to recover and maintain it.
When your muscles are sore and you see progress reflected in the mirror as the pain subsides … this is protein in action. Protein is what makes your body’s optimal recovery possible, and this is why any silly joke in history has a protein shake at the end point. Plus, in addition to the 70% of your body that is water, protein is what your body makes the most of! That is why it is sometimes difficult to switch to a vegan or vegetarian diet, because protein is obtained mainly from the consumption of meat, dairy, etc. When carbs are low and you need a friend, protein can also help fuel your body once it is broken down into amino acids. Protein is used for the recovery and maintenance of your body, and can also be used sparingly for energy.
I hope this simple breakdown helps you with exactly what your body is using all of your food for, and may help you eat better to FUEL than to FILL your body. If you take this into account, I promise you will be less likely to overeat as you will see no reason to do so other than “Ben and Jerry told me to.”
