Nutrients

This is an area of research that will most likely change every few years. There was a time when every product tried to remove “fat”, because everyone thought it was bad and terrible. Then it turned out fat might actually be healthy and better than carbohydrates. So now every product tries to remove that because they are bad and terrible.

You get the point. We’re still not 100% sure what different nutrients do and how much you need. And food packaging will just say whatever they need to say to get you to buy the product. Don’t listen to that.

This is why I dislike a phrase like “counting calories”. It’s a lot of work … to get a number that means nothing. Calories aren’t inherently bad. Our body is quite adept at changing nutrients into other nutrients, so the number will be wrong. And different people, with different lifestyles, need different amounts.

Variation & Balance

Instead, the magic word is variation and balance. If you change some parts of your diet every day, it doesn’t matter if you eat too little or too much. If you miss a few important nutrients on Thursday, because you will get them on Friday or Saturday.

Your intake should be balanced based on what you need. You shouldn’t see getting fat as a mistake or penalty. It’s a sign from your body that your current diet is not working. So change it to something else, see what happens. Keep iterating until you find the balance that works for you.

A remark

I adviced to ignore claims on packaging or counting calories. But there is one thing I do recommend: looking at the exact contents of what you eat. Here in Europe, suppliers are required to put this on the packaging in a standard format, clear and easy to read.

This is where you actually see what’s inside, broken down by nutrient type.

Studying this will help you remember the different nutrients and in what products they typically appear.

It will also surprise you.

That said, let’s go over the different types of nutrients.

Carbohydrates

This is a type of sugar, but slightly different. They are an easy and consistent way to get energy. That’s why they are the backbone of most diets around the world.

Bread is a main source of carbohydrates. Starch is also filled with this. (Which is a crucial part of the diet here in the Netherlands, thanks to potatoes.)

Our body is perfectly capable of turning other nutrients into energy. But this doesn’t mean you should completely throw out all the carbohydrates. They are more efficient energy sources and should be used as additional sources.

There’s another reason, maybe even more important, why bread is a staple all over the world. Most carbohydrates come with fiber as well, which is great for your bowel system. More on that later.

Protein

Building blocks for everything in your body. More protein is usually good. More diversity is also good.

Surplus will be turned into energy, or fat if not used. But our body doesn’t like that and this conversion is very inefficient. So yes, you can eat too much protein, but it should not be a great concern.

In Dutch, this nutrient has the misleading name “eiwit”, which is literally “eggwhite”. This gives many the impression that you can only get this by eating eggs or dairy products. This is not true. This is where you find protein:

• Dairy products
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Vegetables

Vitamins & Minerals

Crucial. Always good. A surplus of them is simply ignored by your body. (But it’s hard to reach such a surplus!)

These are commonly found in vegetables, fruit, nuts, and seeds.

Beware! Many products hide artificial additives with something that sounds like a vitamine or nutrient. It is not. Those additives are very unhealthy and most of all unnecessary.

My mother has always refrained from buying anything with aritifically added flavours or chemicals. It’s an easy way to sidestep all sorts of health issues—and I will always continue to do the same.

Vitamins and minerals come naturally with, well, natural products. By default, the more something has been processed or “designed by humans”, the more likely it has lost all this good content.

Some vitamines are hard to get through food, especially for vegans. Vitamine D is made by walking outside, in the sun. Vitamine B is more available in meat products.

Fat

They are similar to carbohydrates. In general, though, it’s been shown in recent years they are preferable. But only if you eat the right type of fat. (And, as always, eating more than you need remains bad.)

The good ones are unsaturated fats. The bad ones are saturated fats.

If you are very physically active, you need more carbohydrates and fat to keep up the energy, and more protein to rebuild your muscle.

If you see a product claiming “0% fat”, be wary. Fat isn’t bad by default—it’s the type and amount of fat related to other nutrients. And if they removed fat, they’ve likely substituted it with something even worse … like sugar.

Sugar

Most people know sugar is bad for you. What people don’t realize, is exactly how bad it is. Well, it’s bad enough that one of the upcoming chapters is completely about sugar!

Anything else

Anything else? Not a nutrient. At best, it’s ignored by your body. At worst, it is stored or used, and builds up to a massive problem over time.

Even sugar can barely be called a nutrient.

Alcohol or caffeine are not nutrients. Anything artifically made or added, is not a nutrient. Because they have no nutritional value. They are like a sickness that your body has to deal with. Waste that goes in, and you just have to hope that it also goes out.

Conclusion

The remaining question is of course: how much do I need to eat of each nutrient?

I’ve explained why this is individual and shouldn’t be set in stone. But yes, of course, there are general guidelines and truths for the human diet. Next chapter talks about that.