Understanding Energy

We’re going to cover:

How does the body create energy?

How does the body use energy?

What are the different types of energy?

What’s the best type of energy to use?

What is energy?

Our body breaks down food into fuel that it can use to power all the muscles and organs.

Biological energy is usually measured in Kcal (calories). One kilocalorie is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water by 1°C.

Calories don’t tell the full story as they combine the fuel that’s created from proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

PROTEIN

Protein is vital for muscle development

We generally consume protein from meat, dairy and nuts

Each gram of protein you consume provides 4kcal of energy (fuel)

CARBOHYDRATESCarbohydrates are a fast burning fuel that can be broken down quickly for use by the body

We generally consume carbohydrates from fruit, wheat (bread) and grains (rice) as well as starchy vegetables (potatoes)

Each gram of carbohydrates you consume provides 4kcal of energy (fuel)

FATSFats are a slow burning fuel that can be stored for a long time and used slowly by the body as needed.

We generally consume fats from nuts, certain cuts of meat & eggs.

Each gram of fat you consume provides 9kcal of energy (fuel). You’ll note that’s more than the other fuel sources.

WHAT FUEL ARE YOU RUNNING ON?For some reason, our society has made a collective decision to run on carbohydrates (in general).

Running on protein will only occur if you are sick and your body resorts to breaking down muscle as fuel (out of desperation)

Fats are a viable energy source for humans as they can be stored easily, produce lots of energy per gram (like diesel fuel)

WHAT FUEL SHOULD WE BE BURNING?The short answer: FATS

Imagine your body is burning fuel to keep it’s flame going.

Carbohydrates are like adding paper to the fire, it can be used, but it only can impact the fire for a short time before burning out.

Fats are like adding a big log into the fire. It’s going to take longer to get hot but it can keep the fire going for a long time.

CAN WE FLIP BETWEEN FUEL SOURCES?

Yes! Your body is amazing. It can flip from burning carbohydrates predominantly to burning fats for fuel. You just need to adjust what you’re putting into your mouth.

As you become more adapted to a fuel source your body becomes more and more efficient at using it.

HOW WE KNOW WHAT FUEL WE’RE BURNING?

The easiest, most practical way to find out is by measuring your blood sugar and blood ketones

You can do this at home using a diabetes glucometer. More on this later.

SUMMARY

Dietary protein, carbohydrates and fats are all able to be used by the body as fuel.

Depending on what you eat and when you eat it will determine which fuel your body is running on.

The healthiest fuel to run on is FATS! (contrary to popular opinion)

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