5 Nutrition Truths You Need to Know
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It’s time for me to bring you some REAL TALK on nutrition, sister! Because I know SO many of you think you’re doing the best thing for building the body you want, but in reality, you’re making it so much harder on yourself by making the wrong nutrition decisions. That’s why I want to clear the air and bring you 5 nutrition truths I think you absolutely need to know!
Let me quickly give you a recap…
Fat doesn’t make you fat
Carbs don’t make you fat
Protein doesn’t make you bulky
Calories in, Calories out WORKS, but MORE is not better.
You can still reach your goals by eating whatever you want, but nutrient-dense foods are still important.
If you loved this episode, you’ll also love…
Episode 18: What Happens When You Don't Eat Enough and Episode 111: 7 Weight Loss Truths You Need to Know
TRANSCRIPT:
Hey there beautiful human, you're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter. A podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I dish you a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get in and let's get go.
Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Embrace Your Real Podcast. I am so excited about today's episode. I know I say that for a lot of these episodes, you guys. But whenever I get to talk about nutrition on this podcast, it really lights me up, because nutrition was the key missing component for so many years of my life that I just wished that I knew more of. And so my goal is to teach you everything that I've learned so that it can hopefully create a shortcut in a sense of not having to go through so much trial and error in order for you to see results. And I know that so many of you may be thinking that you're doing the best thing for building the body that you want, your goals, but you might just be making it harder on yourself. I know for me, for a decade of my life, I was making things so much harder than they needed to be.
And so in today's episode, that's why I want to clear the air and bring you five nutrition truths that I know to be true and that I know will help you. But before I do, I have to share this super sweet review. It comes from Princess Dice, I believe the username is. "Pure and real life approach. I've been following Julie for a long time now through Insta and through Ledbetter, I've always perceived her to be such a pure, kind being. She has such a realistic and honest view when it comes to health and fitness. Incorporating mindfulness into these aspects of my life has been a game changer. It's hard for me to discuss these things because of the negative cycles with food and body image in the past, but she has done such a great job at spreading the word for women. Thank you, Julie, for being you and helping us empower us to take care of ourselves. Much love to you."
Thank you so much for this review. I appreciate every single one of you guys. If you leave a review, if you leave a second review of a specific podcast that maybe you really felt compelled or felt just inspired or encouraged or empowered, I would love to know. So you can scooch over to Apple podcast, scroll all the way down and leave a rating and review. It really does help us out in the podcast world. And me specifically, it helps me spread the message of Embrace Your Real to women all across this world. Okay, so let's dive into today's episode. We are doing five nutrition truths you need to know. Number one, fat does not make you fat. So eating fat does not make you fat. Let's chat about this, because this is the number one thing that I hear from women inside of emails and DMs daily and weekly. And honestly, it was me for a decade of my life. So I know this all too well.
But I was led to believe that eating fat would actually make me fat. And I didn't really understand how eating fats actually benefited my body. So in case you were like me and you believe this too, let me just break it down and give you some basics of the functions of fat and how they're used in our bodies. So first things first, fat is nine calories per grams. You hear me talking about macros all the time. So when I count my macros, I don't count calories. Because when you're counting your macros, you are actually counting calories without even knowing it, because one gram of fat is nine calories. So if I'm counting my grams of fat, the calories naturally add up. When you know the amount of fat that you're able and that your body needs to consume, the fats are the building blocks for your hormones, your brain, your nerve tissues, the protective layers of ourselves. They also help manage inflammation and help to absorb vitamins.
So having fats, especially essential fatty acids, can help to insulate us, aka, not making you feel cold all the time. It can help you protect your organs, and it can also be used as a source of stored energy. So think about it like this, think about it like a light switch. When our body uses all of the carbs that we have in our bodies for fuel, it will then move on to fat to continue to burn and allow you to have more fuel. So once you are depleted of all carbs, so you ate carbs, your body's using that as energy, then it moves on to fats. Once you eat carbs again, your body's going to go back to that. So your bodies are going to go back to the carbs and they will become the primary fuel to burn for energy and then move on to fats.
So now that you know all the amazing functions that fat has in our body, I need you to be rest assured that eating fats in and of itself does not directly lead to fat gain. It is the over-consumption of fat that will lead to a caloric surplus that can then lead to weight gain. And so it's not even specific foods. There are specific foods that you may have been led to believe that, oh, well, this food is bad for me, it's going to lead me to weight gain. You guys know food in and of itself is going to directly lead to weight gain. You have to know that it's an over-consumption. An over-consumption of calories that your body is like, I don't need this many calories. And that's when it's not burning as many which can lead to weight gain.
I want to just break down and give you some of my favorite fat sources. Note, please, I'm not saying that these are the best or that one is better than the other, but these are just some of my personal faves and that I personally eat on a daily basis. So any kind of cheese, I'm a cheese lover, sliced, shredded, string cheese, anything like that. Almonds are a great source of fat. I personally love almonds, they're my favorite nut source. Avocados, cream cheese, whole eggs, butter, especially on any sort of bagel or bread, and peanut butter. Those are my main fat sources. And when I talk about this, I'm going to be talking about fat dominant foods and secondary dominant foods. So a dominant food is going to be like, when you look at a nutritional label, it's going to be whatever of the three macronutrients is the highest.
So when I say these fat dominant food sources, that just means that the amount of fat in a serving is the highest of the three macros. So I'm just going to give you an example of peanut butter. Peanut butter is a fat dominant food source. So when you look at the nutritional label, the fat is the highest amount of the three macronutrients. So in two tablespoons, it's 16 grams of fat, seven grams of carbs and eight grams of protein. So this peanut butter is a fat dominant food source with the secondary dominant being protein, because it's eight grams. And then third is total carbs, which is seven grams. So just keep that in mind as I talk about this. I'm going to be saying, this is a protein dominant, or this is a fat dominant.
So some other fat dominant food sources can be yogurts, cottage cheeses, olive oil, chia seeds, sunflower seeds. At the end of the day, though, I need you to know that you are here to make this lifestyle your own. One that you enjoy and one that you customize to make your own. We all have different food preferences that both make us feel good and that we like. And so that will likely reflect what food choices you choose to have in terms of your fat intake daily. Remember, at the end of the day, the lifestyle that you enjoy is 10 times more likely going to last than one that makes you feel restricted.
The second nutritional truth that I need you to know is that carbs don't make you fat. You may have heard this and you may understand this concept, or maybe this is a completely foreign concept to you, and you have been led to believe that carbs make you fat. And so you've been trying to cut them, you've been trying to lower your carb intake. And I know that it can feel confusing and so conflicting with so much information out there and so many coaches saying this and saying that and keto is this way and low carb, all these different things. But I'm here to tell you that carbs don't make you fat. In fact, eating low to none carbs daily can give you headaches, fatigue, weakness, difficulty concentrating, nausea, constipation, vitamin, mineral deficiencies, and so many other things. This can happen because carbs are your body's main source of energy.
They are designed to help you fuel your brain, your kidneys, heart muscles, and central nervous system. It can give you the energy that you need to train harder and longer and gives you the energy that you need to get through the day to prevent potential health problems down the road. Now, carbs inherently don't make you fat, just like fats don't make you fat. Where people can get confused is that it's the over-consumption of carbs that can lead to weight gain. I'm here to remind you of the main rule, calories in versus calories out. If you have lost weight by cutting carbs out of your diet in a short amount of time, that's great, maybe that worked for. But did you know what I just mentioned in a previous episode, episode 111, that most of the weight that you initially lost super fast can come from water.
Your muscle uses carbs to fill in and absorb water to ensure muscle fibers are functioning optimally. And it's one of the first places to go when you cut it out. Meaning that your water weight is going to drop fast, which is not sustainable because it can actually lead you to derailing your progress. So just remember that carbs are so essential in our daily intake, and they can really provide you with a lot of energy. It's just knowing how many carbs your body needs based on where you're at and what your goals are. So some of my favorite carbs sources ... again, not saying these are the best. These are just some of my personal faves and where I get my carbs daily; bread, bagels, rice, protein bars, which can sound contradictory. This is why it's so important to read a nutritional label, because oftentimes you hear the term protein bar and you immediately think, oh, I'm just going to get protein from that.
You have to understand the protein dominant or carb dominant or fat dominant food source, and then the secondary food source. So for my specific protein bar that I eat daily, which is the one bar, it has 20 grams of protein and 22 grams of carbs and seven grams of fat. So it's actually a primary carb source with protein being secondary, because there's still a decent amount of protein in it. Obviously 20 grams is a good amount. And then there's seven grams of fat coming from them as well. So that is a carb dominant food source that I eat daily. Yasso bars. PS, if you haven't tried Yasso bars, they're the best frozen yogurt bar. And they're dipped in chocolate, which makes them so, so good. Those are a carb dominant food source with the secondary being fat. And those are amazing. Honestly, anything Italian. So, pasta, oats, cereal, those are other food sources that I get my carbs from.
Again, remember that we are all different. We all have different preferences of both what makes us feel our best and what we actually enjoy eating. So I want you to find carbs sources that you both enjoy and that make you feel good. Number three, protein does not make you bulky. I thought this for so many years, you guys, for so many years. Even going into this lifestyle shift, I was still scared of protein. But what I've learned is that on your way to working to transform your body, your muscles need your help by consuming more protein in your diet. Do not let the concept of gaining muscles scare you because it doesn't mean you're going to get bulky. It means that you're going to be able to build, maintain, and preserve lean muscle tissue that you're working so hard from during your weight training sessions.
This is a concept that I talked about in previous episodes, but muscle is more dense compared to fat. It's going to help you to appear leaner without having to drop your body fat percentage dramatically. Muscle also aids in burning up to three times more calories compared to fat, which is great. Which means that about 30% of the calories that you get from protein sources are being burned through digestion, which means that protein is the most thermogenic compared to carbs and fats. So when your body breaks down protein through digestion, it's actually at a slower rate, which means that you're likely going to feel more full and satiated for a longer period of time. The best part is that protein is the building block that your muscle needs. And so if you're working out more regularly or in a sustainable caloric deficit, you're going to need more protein.
I would hate for you to not see results from all the work that you're putting in, in your weight training sessions, simply because you're not eating enough. But I know that's where so many people are at. They just have no clue how to properly fuel their body, or they're scared of eating protein because they think it's going to make them bulky. They think carbs are going to make them fat, and they think that eating fat is going to make them fat. You guys, it's all about learning the basic fundamentals. And from there, you'll start to see that you can actually get results, sustainable results, while enjoying the process, which is absolutely the best part of this whole thing. So, some of my favorite protein sources ... again, not saying these are the best, but these are some of my personal faves, where I get my protein daily; chicken, tuna, protein powder, cottage cheese, egg whites, cheese, and protein bars.
So one thing I wanted to bring up about protein is I think that so many people, when they first start counting macros, they get so stressed because they think they have to be eating copious amounts of chicken or have to literally drink their egg whites. This was me. I'm half kidding. But honestly, when I first started, I thought I had to drink egg whites to get the protein intake that was for my body and my goals at the time. And it's just not the case. The fact of the matter is, the secret weapon to hitting your protein goal without having to eat a ridiculous amount of one protein dominant food is that you have to find alternatives of food that have secondary protein sources. So you have to just be aware of the other foods that you're eating and see what of those foods are secondary protein sources, because having six grams here or nine grams there can really add up big time.
So let me give you just a basic example, so Joseph's lavash bread. This is the wrap that I use for my nightly dessert, if you follow me on Instagram. It's also the wrap that I use for burritos or lunches, anything. I mean, it's so versatile. You can use it like chips, like pita chips, but that has 12 grams of protein for the entire lavash bread. So even though you would likely consider that to be a carb dominant food source because it has 18 grams of carbs for one, it's a secondary protein source because there's 12 grams. So let's just say you made a wrap with four ounces of chicken, 28 grams of shredded cheese. You would end up getting 45 grams of protein, 18 grams of carbs and 12 grams of fat in that meal alone. So just an example of how you can see that secondary protein sources like lavash bread being a carb dominant food source, or shredded cheese being a fat dominant food source can give you more protein.
So it's just all about learning foods. The more that you become aware of foods, what they're actually comprised of, the easier and more intuitive it will become when putting together balanced meals. And maybe some of you guys listening, you're vegan or vegetarian, I'm here to tell you that there are tons of other food sources that don't involve meat or dairy products that can help you get your protein intake. You just need to become more aware of them. So lentils being a primary carb source, but a secondary protein source. There's vegan protein powder, which is a main protein dominant food source. Tofu. You can prepare it so many different ways to make it yummy. Tempeh, edamame, and tons of other alternative, dairy free cheeses, meat alternatives, and so much more. The key to this is if you want to become more familiar with food, I just encourage you to go to a grocery store.
I know that sounds silly, I know that sounds lame, but if you just look around in the dairy or the meat aisles, or just ... I mean, honestly, just go down the aisles and look at food that you're interested in or that maybe perks your eye and look at the nutritional label. Because the more that you do that, just like anything, any skill that you want to acquire, you have to learn. There's a learning curve. It's the same thing when it comes to just being more aware of what's in your food. And so that way you are able to know both what foods that spark your interest and that sound good to you, you know and become more familiar with them. And then you're also able to know what's available to you in your local grocery store. Because what I've found, especially working with women all across the world is that it varies from place to place, what you have access to.
And so if you can just go to your local grocery store for even 30 minutes and just browse the aisles and look at the nutritional labels, you'll be way more prepared the next time you go in for an actual grocery haul once you have the specific amount of protein, carbs and fats that your body needs based on where you're at and what your goals are. Number four, calories in and calories out works, but more is not better. Yes, a caloric deficit is important for weight loss. That's plain and simple. But being in too much of a caloric deficit will actually halt your progress. And being in too much of a caloric deficit for too long can actually slow your metabolism down even further, aka, metabolic adaptation. So I've talked about this before in the podcast in multiple different episodes, but your metabolism is adaptive, which is beautiful.
It's amazing that God makes our metabolisms like this, but that means that your metabolism can adapt. So if you're eating more, if you're slowly eating more, slow and gradual like a reverse diet, your metabolism is going to adapt to that, which is amazing. Meaning that it's going to level out your weight and you're not going to lead to weight gain, which is why I always talk about the importance of reverse dieting. And I actually talked about this in episode 46, the only diet that I support. So go tune in there, if you haven't already. But reverse dieting, you guys, is amazing because your metabolism can adapt slowly over time to that gradual increase in calories. However, if you are decreasing your calories and then you continue to decrease your calories and then you continue to decrease your calories, your metabolic capacity is going to adapt to that.
Therefore, you're going to find yourself in this place where you are drastically cutting your calories and you maybe see amazing results at first, but then your body and your metabolism will adapt to make sure that it's matching it's input and output. And then you'll experience the plateau. So you'll cut the calories even more and then you'll see results, but then your body and your metabolism will adapt or you think it's slowing down, but it's just adapting. And then it's going to try and even out, and then you'll plateau and then so on and so forth. And that's why people typically cut their food intake so much because their metabolism keeps adapting to it. Then they get to this point where their calories are so low, that it's not sustainable and it's not enjoyable. So you'll often see people go completely whack and they'll go into a caloric surplus, or they'll just eat "regularly" and they'll gain weight back because their metabolism has adapted to that low amount of calories that they were eating. And then likely that leads to more weight gain and so on and so forth.
And that creates the vicious cycle that you always see or that you hear me talk about. So maybe that's you. I know that was me for so long. I didn't understand the metabolic adaptation. And so as a result, I'm like, my metabolism is broken. No, Julie, your metabolism was not broken, it was just that you kept feeding it less and less and less, and your metabolism is so smart that it's going to adapt to that. But again, the beautiful thing about that is because our metabolisms can adapt, you can actually train your metabolism to slowly start to increase calories over a time period, where your metabolism will be like, oh, okay, we're starting to eat more calories and I'm going to adapt to this. And then by the end of your reverse diet, you will be out of a caloric deficit into a surplus, and that will allow your body the opportunity to then get to a place where you can actually reach your weight loss goals without having to go into a severe caloric deficit.
I know this is a lot and it can be nitpicky, especially when it's audio and you're just listening to this. But all that to say is, number one, tune into that reverse diet episode, if you haven't and if you're curious about reverse dieting. Maybe you're like, hey, this is totally me and I need to learn about this. Because I always thought I was just blessed with a broken metabolism, not so blessed, but blessed with a broken metabolism or I thought my body was broken. And the fact of the matter is, oftentimes it's just that we've done something so long that our body has adapted to it. I discussed more of this in episode 111 as well, seven weight loss truth that you need to know. So be sure to tune in there.
But you just need to make sure that you're giving your body a break, you are understanding the different cycles. There's three different cycles that you can either be in. You are either in maintenance mode, so the calories in versus the calories out, they match. So you're maintaining your weight. You're in a caloric deficit, meaning that the calories in are lower than the calories that you're expending every day, whether it's through your daily activities and also your workouts. Or you're in a caloric surplus, meaning that your calories in are higher than the number that you are burning each day. So there's three different phases. If you've heard me talk about this, you've probably just heard me talk about phases.
So I always talk about the caloric deficit, maintenance and caloric surplus. You can only be in three. And even people that don't count macros, they're in one of those three. Because it's one of these things that the amount that your body needs doesn't change, whether you know it or not, it's just you becoming more aware to it. So for me personally, I switch phases. I'll stay in maintenance mode for a while. And then, for example, during the honor your body challenge, I might do a four week cut or a six week cut and then I'll reverse diet back to maintenance. If I'm really wanting to build muscle, which in the last four-ish years, I really haven't been in wanting to build muscle, but I have been in a caloric surplus. So I just go back and forth, and just know that your phases are going to change based on the season of life that you're in and the goals that you have.
And number five, you can still reach your goals by eating whatever you want, but nutrient-dense foods are still important. So if you've been following me for a while, you know I'm a huge advocate for eating the foods that you love. And if you count your macros and you hit them consistently, you can and will reach your goals by eating the foods that you love alone. But here's the thing, the foods that we love most are usually less nutrient-dense. So if we only eat those foods, sure we could see results, but we need to ask ourselves, how is that going to make me feel? I know for me, less nutrient-dense foods, if my day is filled, let's say for example, 60 to 70% less nutrient-dense and maybe 20 to 30% nutrient-dense, I'm not going to have as much energy. I'm not going to feel vibrant. I'm going to likely feel more hungry because these foods are not higher in volume and fiber.
And so, when you're not giving your body enough nutrients, it's going to ask for more food because it's craving more nutrients. So if you continue to fuel it with this huge ratio of less nutrient-dense foods, it's likely going to continue to crave more nutrients and continue to make you feel like you need more food. When in actuality, you might not need more food, you need more nutrients. And this can trigger you to actually eat more than your body actually needs. So yes, while less nutrient-dense foods are more delicious, they are not more satiating. Meaning, less nutrient-dense foods won't leave you feeling full as long as more nutrient-dense foods will. So if you aren't eating enough nutrient-dense foods, but still hitting your macros, that's totally fine. But it won't be as enjoyable because you're likely going to be battling hunger a lot more.
So I just encourage you to find that happy balance. For four or five days out of the week, I am probably pretty close to a 70/30, 80/20, 70 to 80% of my days coming from more nutrient-dense foods, 20 to 30% coming from less nutrient-dense foods, which is typically my dessert at night. And then on the weekends, that might switch up a little bit. So just finding that balance is really important. But one thing that I've really recognized, the more that I prioritize more nutrient-dense foods, I just am not battling hunger all day long and I feel more energized and I feel more vibrant. So take that with a grain of salt, you know your body best, you know your tendencies best, and I will never say to cut out entire food groups. I just say, find that delicate balance between it.
So there you have it. Those are the five nutrition truths that you need to know. Let me give you a quick recap. Number one, fat does not make you fat. Number two, carbs don't make you fat. Number three, protein does not make you bulky. Number four, calories in versus calories out does work, but more is not better. Being in a severe caloric deficit is not better. And number five, you can still reach your goals by eating whatever you want, but nutrient-dense foods are still important. You got to find that delicate balance. If you loved this episode, I know you'll also love episode 18: What Happens When You Don't Eat Enough, and episode 111: Seven Weight Loss Truth That You Need To Know. Also, if you are wanting to learn about how to properly fuel your body, I have a program that has helped over 10,000 women in the last five years. It's called the Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy. And it really helps you to understand how to nourish your body with what it needs.
So not only is it going to help you break free from living in a weight loss mode, but it's going to help you understand the different phases like I talked about and mentioned earlier that you need to cycle through so that you can build the body that you want. And it will also help you to structure your meals daily so that you are ensuring to set yourself up for success all while still eating the foods that you love. You can get instant access to this program. Learn more by clicking the show notes below, or you can head over to www.macrocountingmadesimple.com. And there, you're just going to learn all about what is inside the program, what you can receive. So be sure to head over there if you want to learn more.
I hope that you found this episode helpful. This might be one that you want to bookmark and maybe listen a second time or a third time. I know for me, when I was learning more, just about nutrition, at first glance, things were very overwhelming and they can be like ... it's almost like this random talk that you've never heard. So nutrition labels, protein dominant, fat dominant, food sources. But trust me, the more that you become aware with it, just like anything, any skill that you're acquiring, the more familiar you're going to be with certain terms and the easier it's going to come. And also, know that you're investing in yourself. You're investing in your body and that is one of the absolute best investments we can make. Because I truly believe if we don't have health, if we don't have energy and vibrance, we don't have anything.
We are here to serve the people and do the things that we feel like we have all been given gifts and we all have been given a purpose in life. But without health and having the energy to do that, it's going to make it nearly impossible. So just remember that investing in yourself, investing in your health is not selfish. If you have somebody in your life that you feel like would really benefit from this episode, I just encourage that you share it out with them and you can send it to them in a text message, you can post it up on your story. Tag me, Julie Ledbetter, tag Embrace Your Real account. We love connecting with you guys. Thank you so much for tuning in, and I'll talk to you guys in the next episode.
All right, sister, that's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you're not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so, Julie A. Ledbetter. Yes, it's with an A in the middle, for that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me, it means the absolute world. And I'm going to leave you with one last thought, the most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real, because you're worth it.