The ​four macronutrients all have their own specific roles and functions in the body and supply us with calories or energy.

Protein can be found in animal sources like meat and dairy products, or plant sources like beans, nuts and seeds. According to the USDA, 10 to 35 percent of your calorie intake should come from protein. Every cell in your body contains protein, so meeting your protein requirement is essential for your health.

​Fat, protein, and carbohydrates make up the three main macronutrients in your diet. Carbohydrates come in various forms and are found in a wide variety of foods. Carbs are the most vital fuel source for the body and are necessary for a balanced diet, but some carbohydrate sources are healthier than others.

​Fat, protein, and carbohydrates make up the three main macronutrients in your diet. Carbohydrates come in various forms and are found in a wide variety of foods. Carbs are the most vital fuel source for the body and are necessary for a balanced diet, but some carbohydrate sources are healthier than others.

Protein is essential for growth and repair of the body and maintenance of good health. 

Refined or simple carbohydrates include sugars and refined grains that have been stripped of all bran, fibre, and nutrients. These include white bread, pizza dough, pasta, pastries, white flour, white rice, and many breakfast cereals.

Some great unrefined grains to have in your diet include whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole grain barley, and oatmeal. Unrefined carbohydrates refer to those carbohydrates that are in their natural state. Unrefined sugars are found in fruits and vegetables.

Choose foods with “good” unsaturated fats, limit foods high in saturated fat, and avoid “bad” trans fat. “Good” unsaturated fats — Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — lower disease risk. Foods high in good fats include vegetable oils (such as olive, canola, sunflower, soy, and corn), nuts, seeds, and fish.

We recommend limiting saturated fats – which are found in butter, cheese, red meat and other animal-based foods. Decades of sound science has proven it can raise your “bad” cholesterol and put you at higher risk for heart disease.

Vitamins and minerals are considered essential nutrients—because acting in concert, they perform hundreds of roles in the body. They help shore up bones, heal wounds, and bolster your immune system. They also convert food into energy, and repair cellular damage.

Dietary fibre is important for our digestive health and regular bowel movements. Fibre also helps you feel fuller for longer, can improve cholesterol and blood sugar levels and can assist in preventing some diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and bowel cancer.

Everyone responds to alcohol differently. Your height, weight and gender are just some of the factors that play a part in how alcohol affects you. Even what you've had to eat that day or how much sleep you've had can make a difference to how you feel when you drink.

Make sure you understand macronutrients and micronutrients and how they function in the body.

Nutrients are substances needed for growth, energy provision and other body functions. Macronutrients are those nutrients required in large amounts that provide the energy needed to maintain body functions and carry out the activities of daily life.

For many people however, it may be the combination of fat and carbs mixed together in meals that is the major culprit.

The Eatwell Plate is a pictorial summary of the main food groups and their recommended proportions for a healthy diet. It is the method for illustrating dietary advice by the Department of Health, issued officially by the government of the United Kingdom. Wikipedia

It's quite common to hear that calories don't matter and calorie counting is a waste of time. However, when it comes to your weight, calories do count, so is it worth counting calries or not?

Portion size is anything but obvious. Research repeatedly confirms that larger food servings not only provide more calories but also have two other effects. They encourage people to eat more and to underestimate how much they are eating.

Make sure you undserstand the role that macronutrients, vitamins, minreral and fibre have on your body.  You should also understand the role of alcohol and the bad macronutrient combinations.

What should you be doing next and in what time-frame?