To begin with, if you have read the other sections of this site, you know I am not really talking to competitive bodybuilders. I like to eat enjoyable foods, so I cannot begin to recommend a diet of skinless chicken breasts, baked potatoes, and protein powders. I do, however, believe in eating a healthy diet.

When I talk about percentages, I am referring to the percentage of CALORIES eaten, NOT THE VOLUME of a particular macro nutrient. Remember, Carbohydrates and Protein each have about 4 calories per gram, whereas Fat has about 9 calories per gram, so if you eat the same VOLUME of Fat as you do Protein, then you have ingested MORE THAN TWICE THE CALORIES!!! That being said, I recommend consuming 20-25% of your daily calories in the form of protein, 15-20% in the form of fat, and the remainder, 55-65%, in the form of carbohydrates.

In a word YES! Your body cannot function without fat, so you should not try to eliminate it from your diet completely. What you should do, is try to get the majority of your dietary fat from unsaturated vegetable sources such as Peanut Butter, Olive Oil, Canola Oil, and so on. It is the saturated animal fats that gum up your arteries, so try to limit those.

I usually get most of my protein from non-fat dairy products such as yogurt and fat free milk. Lean meats are an excellent source of protein as well as poultry, (skinless), and fish. If you cannot easily digest milk products, you may look into commercial, lactose free, protein powders, but these can get awfully hard on the bank account! Soy proteins are relatively inexpensive, and research is showing that they are much more effective than the Whey protein manufacturers would like you to think! Here is something to think about; protein powder manufacturers are always releasing new studies, that detail how one type of amino acid profile or another, is so much better than natural eggs, milk, etc..., but why do you think they are choosing those foods to try to belittle? Because they are the best possible sources of protein that's why! Only if you, I, and everybody else realizes that, then the Manufacturers gold mine will dry up!

This is a subject that is simply too involved to go into in detail about. As a guideline, try to limit simple sugars in your diet, and get plenty of fiber. Carbohydrate digestion centers around the speed at which your body absorbs the carbs, and the amount of insulin it releases in response. Simple carbs have a simple molecular structure which is broken apart quickly and easily in your digestive system. Complex carbs have a more complex molecular structure, and they take longer to digest. However, this is based on carbs being the only thing in your stomach. The rate of absorption slows in the presence of other macro nutrients, (protein, fat, and alcohol). Therefore, the one thing that may be the most important, is to eat meals that have a mix of all three macro nutrients,(not counting alcohol), so they are absorbed by your body the way nature intended.

It is fairly well established that eating smaller, more frequent meals, is more efficient and less conducive to fat storage, so eat about 4 - 5 times a day, instead of 3 large meals.

This is something you need to figure out for yourself. As for body weight control, first you need to know how many calories it takes to maintain your steady body weight at your present activity level. Keep track of all your calories for a week or two. If you do not lose or gain weight, than this is your "maintenance level".

LOSING WEIGHT

To lose weight, you want to burn approximately 500 more calories than you ingest in a day. This will result in about a pound of weight loss a week. (If you try to lose much more, your body will react by slowing down your metabolism and it will backfire on you). The best way to create this 500 calorie a day deficit is not by exclusively cutting out 500 calories from your diet, but by a combination of diet and exercise, (eat 250 calories below your maintenance level, and burn 250 extra calories with extra activity). As you lose weight, your caloric maintenance level will probably go down, so every so often you will need to adjust the numbers accordingly.

If you want to gain weight, increase your calories by 300-500 per day, (any more, and you may just get fat). But remember that to stimulate muscle growth, your expanded daily diet must contain approximately 0.75-1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, and must be accompanied by intense weight training!

The only reliable way to know how much you are eating is to keep an accurate account for awhile. Don't fudge on the accuracy, you will only be fooling yourself!! (As a rough guideline, most active men seem to need approximately 2700-3000 calories per day, whereas active women need approximately 2000-2300 calories per day.) Keep in mind your activity level and metabolic rate dictate your caloric requirements, and they vary from person to person. Another thing worth noting is that research seems to indicate that your body gets used to a specific diet, just as it gets used to a specific workout routine, so even though you want to eat an average amount of calories daily, you may want to vary it from day to day to keep your metabolism guessing.

H20 (that's water)

This is an extremely important, and yet commonly overlooked aspect of the dietary picture. Water has so many functions in our body, that I won't even begin to list them. I would be willing to bet the vast majority of people do not drink as much water as they should. A good guideline is at least 6-8 16 oz. glasses a day. This number can go up under hot, humid, and strenuous conditions. Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink water, because then you are already starting to feel the effects of mild dehydration. Make it a point to drink water on a regular basis, regardless of thirst. Another thing, soda pop, (especially caffienated soda), is not a replacement for water. The same goes for coffee and tea.

I have a fairly simple philosophy about this. I think you should take a multi-vitamin, vitamin C, calcium, and magnesium.
(see: Supplements)

Ah, here's a sticky question! Technically, alcohol is a macro nutrient, containing 7 calories per gram, and it has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels. Obviously, however, medical research has proven that too much alcohol is very detrimental to your health, so don't overdo it. But if you want to drink some brews while watching the Broncos , then go ahead! (see: Alcohol and Drugs)

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