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Licensed psychologist Dr. Jen McWaters, and wellness coach Kaitlin Reed, join forces to help women create an abundant life through holistic wellness practices, mindset shifts, and fostering a healthy relationship with food and their bodies. Join us as we take a deep dive and uncover the raw truth about mental health, nutrition, fitness, and beyond, offering insights and strategies for transformative growth.
Dr. Jen McWaters is a licensed psychologist and a holistic wellness coach for women. She is a Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional and is passionate about helping high-achieving women overcome their mental blocks, find freedom from anxiety, and create an abundant life inside and out. Find out more about her work at: awakeningholistichealth.com
Kaitlin Reed is a fitness, nutrition, and mental wellness coach on a mission to help women build the body and life they deserve and desire. She has BAs in Health Promotion and Wellness & Fitness Management, MA in Performance Psychology, currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Health Psychology. Her goal is to help women finally understand the science and strategy of nutrition and exercise so they can achieve their goals and live an empowered life. Head over to kaitlinreedwellness.com to learn more.
DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with your personal physician if you have any personal medical questions.
Welcome to the Counter Culture Health podcast. I'm doctor Jen McWaters. And I'm coach Kaitlin Reed. We're here to help high achieving women overcome mental blocks, find freedom from anxiety, create an abundant life, and build the body and life that they deserve and desire. In this weekly podcast, we'll uncover the raw truth about mental health, nutrition, fitness, and beyond. Let's get to it.
Jen:Hey, guys. Welcome back to another episode of Counter Culture Health. Today, we have our own Kaitlin Reed walking us through how to hit your macros and build your plate. A few weeks ago, we talked about how to find your macros, how to calculate your macros. So check out our archive to find information on that.
Jen:But today, we're gonna do more of a deep dive on, reminding us what macros are, how to divide them, and how to get those needs met over the course of the day. So take it away.
Kaitlin:Yeah. So, of course, my favorite topic. But we'll do we'll start with a brief overview of macros. So macros stand for macronutrients. So we have our protein, carbs, and fats is what makes up your macros and how that contributes to your caloric intake for the day.
Kaitlin:So before we talk about, how to build your plate and, distribute your macros throughout the day, I first wanna talk about how to categorize macros. Like, what foods fall under what macronutrient group? Because it's pretty hard to hit your macros if you're not sure, like, what certain foods are or where they belong. So, proteins would be egg whites, turkey, chicken breast, ground beef, shrimp, tuna, nonfat dairy. I say nonfat because we'll get in we'll get into that a little bit later, and kind of where that belongs, but when we're talking about strictly protein, it would be nonfat dairy.
Kaitlin:There. Now our carbohydrates, we have fruits, vegetables, dried fruit, potatoes, rice, honey, cereal, bread, English muffins, pasta. All of those foods and anything similar to that would fall under carbohydrates. And for fats, we have our olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, avocado, olives, whole dairy, cheese, nuts, nut butters. See if it can add anything else to that, ghee, things like that would all fall under fats.
Kaitlin:Now you kind of raised your eye brow a little bit when I said nonfat dairy under protein, and that's because, like, whole fat dairy has more fat in it than it does protein. So, technically, it could fit under the category of fat and proteins, but it has more fat in it than protein does. So we would categorize that into the fats, macronutrient.
Jen:Does that make sense? Yeah. It's just a trigger word for me, and I'm just kidding. But
Kaitlin:I I'm fine.
Jen:Only because, you know, fat's been so demonized in our culture and, in the the dietetics world. And oftentimes, things that are nonfat, low fat dairy are really, really high in sugar, and processed. So that's why because there's a process to remove all the fat from dairy, which is usually naturally occurring. Is that Yeah.
Kaitlin:And typically, yeah, replaced with something else, but typically, like, nonfat cottage cheese or nonfat Greek yogurt is it's just protein. It there's no, like, any other fillers or anything in there. So nonfat dairy is usually, like, pretty safe compared to, like, nonfat I don't even know. Like, processed foods or snacks or, like, diet bars or things like that that are out there. Now there's subcategories of each category of macros now too, and this is kind of where, like, the the fats will come into play too.
Kaitlin:So, like, we have leaner sources of protein and fattier sources of protein. So that would be the subcategories for protein. So, like, our lean proteins would be just egg whites. Egg whites, no egg yolk in there. Turkey breast, chicken breast is pretty lean.
Kaitlin:Lean ground beef, so there is, like, 937 or 964 compared to, like, 80 20 or 85 15. Shrimp is very lean. Tuna, like any white fish, is very lean, and then the nonfat dairies in there too. And then we have our fattier sources of protein, which would be, the fattier sources of beef, steak, salmon, like the red fish, and then our whole fat dairy could fall in there as well.
Jen:I have a question. Can I throw that to you? Because I was literally talking to my spouse the other day, and I'm like, when we have you know, we kinda meal plan for the week, and we we do eat a lot of, like, red meat, but also we throw in salmon and chicken. And I'm like, you know, the days, we might make everything else the same, but the animal source protein is different. And the days that I might just have chicken or salmon, I'm much more hungry and don't feel as satiated
Kaitlin:Yes.
Jen:Because of the fat content. Right? Yeah. Yeah. Which is interesting, but I'm, like, I'm more aware of that now of, like, well, I need to do other things then because it's it's not enough.
Jen:Like, my body's telling me, like, we're still hungry. We didn't get enough even though everything most of my plate's the same. And even, like, the the size of the portion might look the same, but, obviously, it's not actually the same as far as the nutrients go.
Kaitlin:Yes. Yes. If you are eating a ton of lean meat, it would be to your benefit to add other sources of healthy fats in there, or you're you're gonna be deficient in fat for sure. You know, if if all of your protein is coming from, like, fattier sources or red meat, like, you're probably gonna be okay, and that will fulfill your fat requirement for the day. But, yeah, I I never recommend just eating all lean meats and nonfat dairy.
Kaitlin:It's it's not gonna lead to a good place at all.
Jen:But a lot of people do that. Right? Like, they might just be pescatarian, or I know people who will only eat, like, chicken breast and maybe fish and eggs, and they won't they'll stay away from any fatty sources of of meat and protein.
Kaitlin:Yeah. For that fear of fat. Yeah. And just a reminder for people, like, fat is an essential nutrient. We have to have it to survive and to function.
Kaitlin:So it's not bad. It's not harmful. It is so necessary. And if we don't get enough, we will have problems.
Jen:Right. So, like, the new mantra is, like, fat won't make you fat. Right?
Kaitlin:You're
Jen:focusing on that.
Kaitlin:Love that. Yep. Yep. Absolutely. Now carbohydrates, there's, subcategories of carbs.
Kaitlin:So we have, like, more dense carbs and less dense carbs. So, typically, the dense carbs will be like our starchy carbs. So rice, potatoes, breads, pastas will be more dense, meaning it's a smaller portion that you have, will add up to your calories more. So you don't get to eat a very large volume of them. Still great to have and still important to contribute to your carbohydrate intake, but they're just more dense.
Kaitlin:So they do add up calorically quicker than, like, fruits and vegetables that are less dense carbohydrates where you can have a pretty large volume of them, and they don't add up, calorically as much.
Jen:Where does quinoa fall? Quinoa is kind of a grain
Kaitlin:more yeah. More more like a dense carbohydrate.
Jen:Okay.
Kaitlin:So yeah. Yeah. Still great to have, but it's definitely more dense than, fruits and vegetables. Now we could like, you can get pretty detailed in there too of of kind of pulling apart, fruits. Like, there's more dense fruits and less dense fruits.
Kaitlin:Like, a banana is way more dense than berries, So you could have way more berries, like a bigger portion of berries, than a banana or something. Watermelon's also not very calorically dead. Strawberries are fantastic. Mhmm. And these are all this is another reason why I love tracking too is because you learn all of this stuff as you track.
Kaitlin:Like, you, as you put in portion sizes and stuff too, you're like, oh, I can't. Like, bananas add up way more than berries. I'd rather have 2 cups or 3 cups of berries than a half a banana or something like that. You know? Like, you wanna eat more food to keep you full and satiated.
Jen:Yeah. Sugar thing too. Right? Like, when we talk about carbohydrate, sugar is carbohydrate. Right?
Jen:It spends like, that's what it breaks carbs break down to sugar. It's my understanding. So that's we can kind of already see that, like, a banana has so much more density and sugar compared to, like, a handful of berries. Right? So am I thinking about that correctly?
Jen:Like, also carbohydrate carbohydrate sugar is carbohydrate. Right?
Kaitlin:Yeah. Yeah. I mean, they they're they're they are our body recognizes them as all the same. So, like, a carb is a carb, but you'll just it's your portion sizes that are Got it. In this.
Kaitlin:Yeah. And also thinking about, like, staying full and satiated. You know, you don't want to have, like, very small portions of dense foods because it's not gonna fill you up as much either.
Jen:Okay.
Kaitlin:Yeah. So, just to clarify, like, fruits are great, and, yes, they have sugar, but they're still great. They're not harmful. It's not going to make you fat or anything like that. Fruits are amazing.
Kaitlin:Ton of nutrients, vitamins, minerals. Don't fear fruit. It's fantastic carbohydrate carbohydrate to have.
Jen:For sure. Usually, you're overeating fruits anyway. Right? That's kind of
Kaitlin:the Exactly.
Jen:Pretty hard to eat, like, overate bananas. You know? Yes. But we still we should have variety of fruits. And if you're only eating bananas, you're gonna spike your blood sugar quite a lot more.
Jen:So choosing different things or having variety is helpful or pairing that, like you've talked about, right, with, like, protein and fat.
Kaitlin:Yeah. It's something, like, with more fiber. That's the great thing about fruit. Like, that's not going to spike your blood sugar as much as, like, candy or whatever. Like, yeah, they're both carbohydrates, but fruit has fiber, so it stabilizes your blood sugar, more.
Kaitlin:So
Jen:Mhmm. More complex. It's not just about, like, looking at the ingredients label and, like, oh, this has 20 grams of sugar here. This, you know, this fruit plate, let's say, and this has 20 grams of sugar and it's just processed food or candy, how your body responds to that is completely different even if the sugar content is seemingly the same. To your point, the other pieces of that, the fiber, etcetera, proteins and fats, potentially that's involved help to change the way your body absorbs it and uses it and also changes your blood sugar spike as well.
Jen:So the quality of the food matters. Right? Not all food is equal.
Kaitlin:Yeah. Yeah. And great point of, like, it's it's so much harder to overeat real whole foods. Like, you're you're probably not gonna do it, whereas processed food is engineered and designed to keep people coming back for it. So just another great reason to include more whole foods because it's almost impossible to overeat those.
Kaitlin:Totally. And then fats, we have, you know, more dense fats, less dense fats. So say, like, our oils, avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, all of those things are more dense than, say, like, avocados or nuts or something. So very tiny portion of oils or butter is another very dense thing. So small portion of that to add up calorically compared to you can have more volume or a bigger portion size of, like, avocado or nuts compared to oil.
Kaitlin:So, like, one tablespoon. So you can kinda think of, like, how small that is is 14 grams of fat, whereas, like, a quarter of a cup of nuts would be 14 grams of fat. So you can kinda see the comparison. So, like, not saying that you should have oils and butters and stuff. It's just dense, and and that's what it is.
Kaitlin:So very easy to add up calorically for a very small portion size and volume.
Jen:Mhmm. Can you speak yeah. Yeah. It does. Can I ask a question here on that?
Jen:Just because I don't know as much about, like, keto diet or there's diets that focus on high fat, and there's, like, I think, a way to encourage your body to basically utilize fat more as fuel. Can you speak to that at all? Like, why what why people go down that route and, like, how the body responds to that?
Kaitlin:Yeah. You know, everyone is so different based off of how they feel, on certain ratios of macros, and just how their body processes it and digest it their their digestion too. So sometimes people just feel better on high fat, lower carbs. Sometimes people feel better on higher carbs, lower fats. And I say that's all to to pay attention to just how you feel.
Kaitlin:Your mood, your energy, your digestion is a big sign. Mhmm. So really paying attention to that, and then you can kind of, you know, build your diet based off of your preference and what you feel best on. But I just don't want people to build their diets based off of, like, fears, like fear of carbs or fear of fats or thinking that, you know, certain things are good or bad for them, but really building it based off of how they feel.
Jen:Mhmm. Yeah. And my understanding too is there's there can be a lot of value in those more extreme eating protocols, particularly if you are healing from something. You're dealing with chronic illness, disease, even sometimes infertility. They'll put people on very specific diet protocols, and I think they have a place.
Jen:And I think, again, people might feel better because they're healing. Their gut might be in a bad place, whatever it is. And so I think there can be, again, a place for that for a time limited, amount of time, hopefully with guidance with, like, a nutritionist or specialist. And I think for most people, the goal is to give back to more diversity and more balance. Right?
Jen:But I think that might be a temporary thing to help you along your healing journey.
Kaitlin:Absolutely. Yeah. I I mean, I firmly believe in therapeutic approaches with with nutrition and diet. Like, there is a some people need that. There is a time and place for that.
Kaitlin:You know, fasting, keto, there it can be very therapeutic for some people. But like you mentioned before, using that as, you know, a specific period of time to be able to get back to that balance.
Jen:Right. Yeah.
Kaitlin:So now that we know how to categorize foods and what foods fit into what macronutrient group, we can kinda talk about how to actually hit your macros throughout the day. So, a few weeks ago, we talked about how to find your macros and calculate them. So now we can, talk about how to hit them and how to set yourself up for success and and create build your plates in your meals. So I'm gonna stick with the example that we used a few weeks ago, just for ease. So that was, a 150 grams of protein, 50 grams of fat, and a 190 grams of carbs, about, rough estimate.
Kaitlin:So a good way to a helpful way to be able to hit your macros is take your total macros for the day divided by how many meals you're going to have each day. So, say, I want to have 4 meals. I'm gonna take a 150 divided by 4 to know how much protein I need to hit per meal to make sure that I get a 150 grams by the end of the day. So if I take 1 50 by 4, I need to eat about 38 grams of protein per meal. So then I can kinda set myself up or build my meals and create my plates, to make sure I get about 38 grams per meal.
Kaitlin:And then do the same thing with carbs and fat. So, 50 divided by 4 is 13, so I need at least 13 grams of fat per meal. And then 190 divided by 4 is about 48 grams of carbs per meal. So if I can build each meal close to that and kinda use that as my guide, I know I'm gonna get to the end of the day and hit all of my targets. And the easy way to do that is to if you're using a tracking app, log the foods that you want to have, and then you can adjust the serving sizes and the portions to get close to these numbers.
Jen:Remind me too. What's the tracker that you recommend?
Kaitlin:I use Cronometer, and it is so amazing. Yeah. So user friendly. The database in there for foods that you can find is incredible. It has a a bar scancoder or a bar Scanner.
Kaitlin:Scanner.
Jen:Barcode scanner. Barcode scanner. I got you.
Kaitlin:Or you can just, you know, scan the barcode in there, and it just, you know, pulls whatever you're having right in there. And then you just adjust your portion sizes and and amounts in there. So it's super easy to use.
Jen:If you or someone who maybe your target is 3 meals, but you also do snacks, would you still would you divide it by 5 or by 3 and then see if this max is, like, bonus, if that makes sense?
Kaitlin:Yeah. So, it kinda depends, like, how you like to eat. That's thing with this is, like, there's no right or wrong. It's not like, okay. 3 meals is gonna get you better results than 5 meals or 5 meals is gonna get but that's not what works.
Kaitlin:There's there's no right or wrong way. The only thing that works is what works best for you and your schedule and what you're gonna be consistent with. So you could take, you could divide it by 5 if you want, like, 5 smaller meals throughout the day. Or if you want, like, 3 larger meals, you could divide it by 3 and then kind of have your snacks, like, half the size of your meal. So you're having, like, 3 larger meals but 2 smaller snacks.
Kaitlin:So you can really divide it however you want to that works best for you and your preference and what makes you feel the best.
Jen:And to your point earlier, so, like, my example where I might do that and then depending on, like, the animal protein source I'm using, I might feel hungrier. So then I would play with those ratios. Right? Particularly if I'm, right, I mean, obviously, if I'm tracking, I'm gonna know that. If I'm not tracking like that, then that would be a sign that, like, okay.
Jen:Like, my ratio was offered this meal. I need to actually up my fat because I have a leaner protein source.
Kaitlin:Yes. Yes. And that's where, like, building your I like to use the word build your plate. So we're incorporating a protein, a carb, and a fat with every single meal. Once you're getting all your macronutrients in, but, also, it's it's fulfilling.
Kaitlin:It it keeps you full and satisfied when you're incorporating all of them instead of just, like, one macronutrient. Like, having just a meal of carbs is not gonna keep you as full and satiated as having some protein and carbs and fats. Right? So making sure you build your plate and incorporating all of it. So if you're building your plate and you're like, oh, I have some like, this is lean protein right here.
Kaitlin:I need to add another fat source to this. So you can kind of, like, have a checklist of like, okay. Do I get my protein? Do I have my carbs? Do I have my fats?
Kaitlin:And build it in that manner.
Jen:But do you have any advice for folks who are really struggling with hitting their targets? Like, I think about, some women that I've coached or coaching. And when we talk about food and more generally and talk about, like, protein in particular, I often hear, like, it's just so hard to get enough in. And I resonate with that because it is. It's hard for me to get what I know I need.
Jen:And so do you have any advice for, like, busy moms and busy women who are just like, I I get it and I wanna do it. And, like, by end of the day, I'm like, oh, like, you know, I, for whatever reason, didn't hit that target, and it's really hard to get enough in when you were so busy and may not, like, a ton of time for food prep.
Kaitlin:Yep. Well, yeah, protein is very fulfilling and satiating. It it keeps you it fills you up quick, and it keeps you full for a long time. So I always encourage people to it's also, like, so important. So I always encourage people to eat that first.
Kaitlin:Like, that should be your priority in what you get in first, and then you can have everything else. So if you're, filling up on all your side dishes or carbs or whatever first, and then you're like, oh, I'm so full. Now I can't even finish my protein. You're always going to be lacking in in that protein. So I always encourage people prioritize protein first in your meals, eat that first, and then have everything else.
Kaitlin:Most times, people fill up on the protein first, and then there's not a lot of room for anything else either. But kind of, you know, Americans and just our way of eating, it's always reverse. It's everything else first and then protein or, rather than the other way around. So that's one suggestion too. Make sure you're eating protein first.
Kaitlin:If you're full and, you know, satiated after that, that's great. Maybe you don't have room to finish the rest of your meal. But then, also, supplements can be super helpful, you know, finding a a good protein source. And I always encourage people to, get as much real whole foods as possible and get your protein from real whole foods. But sometimes, like you mentioned with schedules, it's just not possible.
Kaitlin:So that's where a protein supplement can be super helpful in adding that in too. One a day is great. I usually don't like when people are having more than 2 shakes a day and just kind of being dependent on supplements rather than, whole foods, but I would say up to 2 is fine as well. So I could always, you know, always have a protein powder available and accessible, you know, have a throw some with you in the car or have your shaker bottle ready or whatever. There are some okay protein bars as well, but just like protein powder, don't be dependent on them and use just, you know, use them sparingly and when you need to.
Kaitlin:I always feel like Greek yogurt and cottage cheese is a pretty easy way to, like, you can get that down pretty quick rather than compared to, like, a steak or something. You know? Like, it is
Jen:For dairy intolerant folks, then not so much.
Kaitlin:I forgot about that. I've For all the dairy people. It is easy to get pretty quick and easy to get down to.
Jen:I'm envious of that because it is. It is easier. And when you can't, it is much harder to find sources.
Kaitlin:So But they are making lactose free cottage cheese and Greek yogurt now.
Jen:It still has casein. It still has the protein that
Kaitlin:So it's the protein that you're not the lactose. Mhmm.
Jen:Okay. Can be one or both for people. The options are really sensitive. It's it's really a both and thing. K.
Jen:And you'll still have digestive upset. But, yes, I know that would be nice. But to your point, like, I'm I'm on the same track. I agree. I think it's, like, up to 2.
Jen:So for me, it'd be, like, a shake in addition to my breakfast to get more protein and then maybe, like, a bar. I will make a plug for Paleo Valley because they make pretty clean bars that are definitely not like the store bought stuff, and they're full of actually vegetables and bone broth protein. It's only, like, 10 grams, so it's more of like a snack on the go, but it's, like, pretty clean, whole food ingredient. Of course, it's still processed. It's mashed to go on a bar, but, you know, those are, like, my two things from the day to try to get as close as I can to my targets.
Jen:And I think that's just what you have to do right now in our busy culture and society.
Kaitlin:Yeah. Yeah. I might disappoint some people right now, but bone broth, just like collagen, is not a complete protein. So it doesn't contribute to our, our our total No. Intake for the day.
Kaitlin:I know.
Jen:I know. Is I just use them for a snack, really, but, yeah, I hear you. Like, it's not not
Kaitlin:Yeah. Just like collagen, it doesn't have all the essential amino acids, so our our body doesn't rec I mean, still some benefits to it, but our our body doesn't recognize it and utilize it as a complete protein because it doesn't have all the essential amino acids. So it can't count as our total protein intake for the day, which is a huge bummer. I actually, emailed them not too long ago to have a conversation with them about this because they don't they don't state that. But, you know, they really promote themselves as clean quality protein, but it's not a complete protein.
Kaitlin:And so I it's just I just feel like they're fooling a lot of people and doing a disservice because they're not getting that complete protein source.
Jen:I feel like that could be I agree with you, and that's helpful to know because I knew about collagen, but I didn't know that about bone broth protein, which that company specifically sells a protein powder based on the bone, which people love. And also collagen, same thing. Right? They're not labeling that on there, like, not a complete protein source. They label as collagen protein, and then on the back, label as protein, grams of protein.
Jen:Right? So Yeah. It's really hard to decipher that, and, yeah, we could definitely use some better information and labeling and education. I know.
Kaitlin:Yeah. All the yeah. Like, all they put on there is, you know, how good it is for weight loss and getting your protein and all stuff. But, yeah, you don't see anywhere on those labels that it's incomplete. Should I think it should be, like, a warning sign on there, definitely labeled somewhere.
Kaitlin:So I know that might be disappointing for some people, but helpful because now you know.
Jen:And, also, if someone wants to invent kind of, like, that kind of clean bar with a, you know, full protein source, that would be wonderful. I'll definitely buy that.
Kaitlin:Yeah. And, you know, so helpful for people that is, intolerant to whey or casein or, you know, all of those things too. Like, we need complete protein options for those people.
Jen:Yep.
Kaitlin:So, any questions on any of those things that we covered?
Jen:I don't think so. I mean, that definitely popped my bubble there a little bit, but I'll recover fine.
Kaitlin:You could honey, egg white protein might be a good option for, people that have some intolerances.
Jen:Yep. That can work for people for sure. Yeah. It's just hard to really find like you said, if you wanna try to find the cleanest version available, you really have to look. Like, it took me a while to find, like, a clean protein source because I can't do dairy or gluten.
Jen:Yeah. And so finding that, the, like, minimal ingredient, found it. And then I thought I had the bars locked in, so obviously not. So I have to look a little bit more for that, but it's hard. Unfortunately, there's just not a lot of not a lot of options, at least not easily known or accessible.
Jen:Yeah. So I just wanna, you know, advocate for that. And, you know, if you guys find stuff, like, tell your friends about it. Email us, tell us about it. If you find those little golden gems and small companies that are doing that, they just maybe aren't known yet.
Kaitlin:Yep. Yep. Do you wanna talk about alcohol a little bit and how to track alcohol?
Jen:Well, sounds like you do, so let's do it.
Kaitlin:Well, I feel like, this so, eye opening for a lot of people, because they realize how quickly alcohol adds. Mhmm. So one of the biggest, I think what people are confused on is that they think they're doing a good thing by choosing, like, a low carb alcoholic beverage. You know, those seltzers, those whatever. Because on the label, it'll say, like, 2 grams of carbs.
Kaitlin:They're like, oh, yay. I'm only consuming 2 grams of carbs. But what they don't know is that alcohol also has 7 calories per gram, which is almost as dense calorically dense as fats that have 9. So you can see how, like, quickly that could add up and how many really empty calories you're consuming by having alcohol. So, yes, if you are drinking pretty regularly, you know, every evening, on the weekends, it does impact your health and your results and what you're able to achieve or not.
Kaitlin:So just to, like, kinda put it into context, say we have, how to track alcohol. So when you log it log it in into an app, it will add up calorically, but it doesn't add up on any of the other, like, protein, carbs, or fats. It doesn't show up on there, but it shows up on total calories. So what you have to do is take your how many calories that beverage has and then divide it by 4 because we we need to take those in order to stay within your caloric range for the day, we have to take those extra calories from somewhere. So I always suggest people to take it from carbohydrates because protein is essential nutrient.
Kaitlin:We need that. Fat is an essential nutrient. We need that. So we don't wanna take extra calories from essential nutrients that we need. So I would suggest people take it from carbs, And so we would take the total calories from the alcoholic beverage divided by 4 because there's 4 calories in 1 gram of carbs, and then that is how many carbohydrates you need to take away from your total carbs for the day.
Kaitlin:So it's like you're trading completely empty calories and really get nothing out of it for some nutrient dense foods that you could have that, you know, fill you up, keep you satiated, help you move closer to your goals, give you energy, help with your performance, building muscle, all these things. So it's like
Jen:Bad trait?
Kaitlin:Do you like, is this trade off make sense? Or is, like, is it really worth it? Let me give you an example of some numbers to kinda, like, put it into context. So, give me a beverage.
Jen:Well, classic, I think, in my generation is a glass of wine. Red that's red wine. Glass of red wine.
Kaitlin:Red wine. What's that? Like okay. Merlot. Is that Yeah.
Kaitlin:Okay. So, okay, so one glass of red wine has a 117 calories. So if we needed to allow for those calories and take from carbohydrates, we would have to subtract 30 grams of carbohydrates from our day to allow for this one glass of wine. 30 that's like, like, one apple, humble cups of fruit, a cup of rice. Like, that's that's what you're sacrificing for this one glass.
Kaitlin:And then how often do people only have 1.
Jen:Right?
Kaitlin:So it's also like if you're having if you're having 2 or 3, that's 60 90 grams of carbs, that's over that's half your carbohydrates for the day that you no longer get to eat and are drinking and getting zero benefit from. So it's like when people I have a chart that I give to people, and when they see this, they're like, oh my gosh. This isn't worth it. Or, like, it's a realization of, like, well, no wonder I'm not seeing any results or progress because I'm drinking all these extra empty calories, and it really is adding up. I mean, if you think you do this every evening or weekend, you're consuming, you know, thousands of extra calories on top of your diet already that provides zero nutritional benefit or value for you.
Jen:And So that would make sense why people are having trouble with weight gain, right, if they are maybe even eating sufficiently and eating what they need to be eating, but then they're also drinking. So they're exceeding what they're they need, but that stuff's empty.
Kaitlin:Easy. Yeah. Yeah. And just think of, like, how quickly, you know, one glass goes down, and how it is easy to over consume. And then you're just left feeling inflamed and with a headache.
Kaitlin:So I
Jen:would say I always feel like I would always trade I'd rather have a dessert than a glass of wine any day. I'm not a drinker anyway, but I'd rather have my calories in that way in dessert and and be able to get some other nutrients in there. Right? Because oftentimes, you can't find dessert that will have, obviously, fat, but sometimes even protein sources, right, and have other benefits so it doesn't feel as empty.
Kaitlin:Yep. I would way rather have a real full meal than a glass of liquid.
Jen:I'm with you. That's good because I think that's that's so helpful because people often just really diminish the impact of that. But to your point, it's really accumulative over the course of, like, the week and the weeks and the month. And then over time, it's like, well, why, why aren't I losing weight despite eating maybe really well? Like, I've had clients that eat really, really whole food and eat clean and really care about their health, but they might also be drinking, and they might be then just over time exceeding their caloric limit and not seeing progress or even gaining a little bit of weight, and just not not moving.
Jen:Usually, not moving the needle either way.
Kaitlin:Yep. Yep. It it really does, add up, and it really does impact the outcome and the results that you get for sure.
Jen:On top of, like, how it hurts your brain, all those other things we could get into, but it's it really is poison. Go back to that. That is important to previous episode. Alcohol is poison, and that sounds harsh, but it is just the reality. There's just not a lot of or any redeeming qualities at this point about it.
Jen:Mhmm. So that's kinda where we are with it, unfortunately.
Kaitlin:Yep.
Jen:So, you know, if you do, it's fine. Like, you know, no judgment if you choose to have a glass here and there, but be aware. Right? And be aware and mindful of that and your consumption levels.
Kaitlin:Yeah. And don't complain that you're not getting results if you wanna drink often.
Jen:Harsh, Caitlin.
Kaitlin:But true.
Jen:Don't come crying to Caitlin if you're struggling and you're still drinking.
Kaitlin:I'm always happy to help. But Yeah.
Jen:Seriously, we both have so much commotion. Like, not not at all that we do it perfectly or, like, I used to definitely drink, and I'm sure Caitlin did too. So it's a journey. Right? Like, it's like you when you know better, you do better.
Jen:So no judgment. Like, we're all in a different part of that journey, but definitely, you know, again, when once you have the knowledge, it's like now you have to do something with that. Now you have the awareness of that. So now it's your choice if you want to change that and get more in line with your values or if you wanna continue. Then that's our each of our own responsibility to take.
Kaitlin:Yep. Yep. And I've never heard anyone say they feel worse after not drinking. So
Jen:That is true. Only good things come from that.
Kaitlin:Right. Okay. So just a little recap today. So we, went over how to categorize like, what foods fit into what macronutrient group. So now you know, you know, what kind of foods are proteins and carbs and fats, and then we went over how to, break down your meals to make sure you hit your macros by the end of the day.
Kaitlin:So taking your total macro targets divided by how many meals a day you're going to have, and then that can be your target per meal. So, of course, reach out if you have questions. Always happy to help and kind of break it down even more or, maybe present it in a way that's, clear or more understandable to you.
Jen:Awesome. Well, thank you for covering this today. And, again, if you guys have questions, reach out to Caitlin or either of us, and our information is in the show notes. We appreciate you guys. Again, if you love what you're hearing, please consider liking, following, this episode or the other ones to friends and family.
Jen:But we will see you guys next week. See you. Thanks for joining us on the counterculture health podcast. To support this show, please rate, review, and share with your friends and family. If you wanna be reminded of new episodes, click the subscribe button on your preferred podcast player.
Jen:You can find me, Jen at awaken.holistic.healthand@awakeningholistichealth.com.
Kaitlin:And me, caitlin@caitlinreed wellness and caitlinreed wellness dot com. The content of the show is for educational and informational purposes only. As always, talk to your doctor and health team. See you next time.