Simple Nutrition Insights

Transform Your Nutrition with The 3,2,1 Method

• Leonila • Episode 4

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Ever feel like you're stuck in a nutritional rut, unsure of what to eat for a truly balanced meal? Let me, Leonela Campos, be your culinary compass as I recount my own hesitation when embarking on new journeys, much like the trepidation you may feel when tweaking your diet. In this episode, we unravel the mysteries of macronutrients, those vital building blocks in our meals that include proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. With a focus on how they fuel our bodies and contribute to overall health, I'll guide you through understanding proteins' role in constructing amino acids, the breakdown of carbohydrates into sugars, and the transformation of fats into fatty acids. It's not just about listing food sources—which you'll get plenty of—but about mastering the art of crafting meals that are as nutritious as they are delicious.

Channeling the simplicity of the MyPlate visual guide, I break down the five essential food groups and introduce a streamlined 'three-two-one method' for meal preparation that promotes fullness and keeps those pesky blood sugar levels in check. Whether you're someone who routinely skips the first meal of the day or not, I'll share strategies to optimize your meals for sustained energy and well-being. This episode isn't just a lesson in nutrition—it's a recipe for transforming the way you think about food and its profound impact on your life, one balanced plate at a time. Join me on this edible adventure and watch your relationship with food, and perhaps even your waistline, change for the better.

Free 3-Day Nutrition Masterclass 
https://sunny-creator-207.ck.page/40b5f2a2ff

Nutrition Guide 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tQyhfCoHNgLhDRlYPSrrZW76fofGLq8Y/view?usp=share_link

Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to this podcast and share with a friend. If you would like to know more about my services, please message at fueledbyleo@gmail.com

My YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0SqBP44jMNYSzlcJjOKJdg

Speaker 1:

Hey, hey, welcome to the Simple Nutrition podcast, a show that helps you learn practical and actual nutrition tips from an expert. I am your host, leonela Campos, a registered dietitian with over 8 years of experience in the nutrition field. Alright, my friend, welcome back to episode number 4. I am so excited that you're here and I can't wait to start this new episode, and I wanted to go back to the basics. So I have been talking about diet and detoxes and so I want to go back to the basics to get you started right. But first of all, I want to share my happiness about being able to do a podcast. Excuse me, at first I was so nervous I'm still nervous, but I have been delayed doing a podcast because of imposter syndrome and these other fears and uncertainties. But now that I started right, sometimes that's what happens when you do the first step and you're like, oh, nothing bad happened to me, right, I didn't die. I'm actually really enjoying it. But I look forward to Mondays, because that's usually when I record my next episode, and so, as I'm going over the topics that I want to talk about, or what I want to talk about, I get really excited, right. And Monday mornings, I prepare myself mentally and I just get so excited. So hopefully you are as excited as I am. But the reason why I'm sharing, why I was feeling starting a podcast and all these emotions that I get, it's because a lot of my patients, when they come to me and they want to change their nutrition or they want to change the way that they are eating, they have the same fears, right, or similar fears of starting something new and asking themselves a lot of the times this is going to work for me, because they try so many things, right, and oftentimes, unfortunately, I am the last resort and that's okay. Right, because I'm the expert and so I'm able to help them. But usually we try these other things. Right that we hear that they're working, or my friend is doing that and that's working for her, or my mom did that and that's working for her, but oftentimes that's not the case, right, and so something is just stepping away from that fear and just saying, okay, I am going to do these and I know that I'm going to do my best and see what happens, right. And so, anyway, going back to the reason why we are here today, right, and that is to go back to the basics, and this is nutrition basics, right. So why? Right? Because once you understand the basics and once you understand how balance meals and how to make your meals balance, it's going to be a lot easier for you to make nutrition changes.

Speaker 1:

So let's start with macronutrients, right? What does that mean? A macronutrient is basically a big molecule, macro, right. That's what it means. And so entrance of nutrition macronutrients is just your main nutrients that our food is composed of, that is, protein, carbohydrates and fats, right. Everything that we eat, obviously with the exception of water, but everything that we eat in essence is broken down in our bodies into those simple macronutrients and then into very small molecules. So, for example, proteins are broken down into amino acids right, which are the building blocks of our bodies. Carbohydrates are broken down into sugar right. Or glucose molecules, which are the fuel or the energy source of our bodies. And then fat are broken down into fatty acids right. That helps us insulate our bodies and, you know, helps our brains, and it helps it with hormones and other these other factors that you know functions that happen in our bodies. But that's how food is broken down. And then then we also have our micronutrients, right, smaller molecules like our, your vitamins and your minerals and your trace minerals, which we're not going to talk about that today, but that's how our food is broken down into right.

Speaker 1:

And so let's start with the macronutrients, right? So Protein, as I said, is, you know, it's composed of amino acids, which are the building blocks our bodies and Every single part of your body has an amino acid. It's, you know, has a protein molecule, and so some protein sources, you know we have animal in, in plant-based, your animal protein sources are going to include your chicken, your fish, your beef, your turkey, your eggs, you know, your Greek yogurt in your All your animal, your animal sources. And then you also have, you know, supplements like a protein powder or a protein bar, and then you have your plant sources, which are your beans, your legumes, your tofu, your Aramame, your tempeh, nuts and seeds will give you some some protein as well. And so when? Keep that in mind, right, as we move on to the next macronutrients and that would end how we are going to create a balanced meal with them and the next one, right? Well, let me give you a little bit more on Protein, right? So one gram of protein is going to give you four calories, four calories per one gram of protein.

Speaker 1:

Now let's talk about carbohydrates. Right, it is a bigger, it's a bigger group, right, you have, even though beans and legumes also give you protein, they also give you some carbohydrates, so they are included in the carbohydrates to. Your fruits are part of the carbohydrates, your starchy vegetables as well, like potatoes, peas, corn, winter squashes, like pumpkin and Barnard squash and acorn squash. And then you have your grains, right, your pastas, your rice, your tortillas, your bread, your cereals. They all, they are all part of your carbohydrates. And what does it say? Same thing as protein, right, one gram of carbohydrate is equal to four calories. You don't have to Guess the over one with that information is just just to give you that piece of information, as because it is part of basic nutrition. And then again, remember, carbohydrates are digested into smaller molecules, which are your, your sugar or your glucose molecules, and that's how your body uses that as fuel, right, to give you energy.

Speaker 1:

The next macro nutrient is fat, right, or fatty acids, and you find them in fatty fish like salmon or sardines. You also find it in your nuts, in your seeds and avocados, olives and all your other oils. You also find it in Fatty meats. What else I said no. Nuts oils, peanuts and peanut butter, right? And Fats are converted into fatty acids, which also give you energy, but they are more energy energy dense. So one gram of fat is equivalent to nine calories, nine calories per one gram of fat. So it is over twice as much of what protein and carbohydrates are going to give you.

Speaker 1:

It's essentially, we need a little bit less versus the carbohydrates and the fats, but we still need them, right? They are carbohydrates, just as carbohydrates. They are also part of our foods and we cannot eliminate them. There is such a thing as a fatty acid deficiency, and so we need them as well, right? So then there's that. There there are your, your macro nutrients, right? Proteins, carbohydrates and fat. Protein and carbohydrates will give you for calories per one gram, and then fats will give you nine calories per one gram.

Speaker 1:

So how can we use this information To create balance meals? Right? And this is a concept that I use with every single patient that comes to see me, and that is I call it, which is register at the three two, one method, right? I'm trying to make it as simple as I can make it, so that way we can use it every single time. And so the three, two.

Speaker 1:

One method is you want to aim for at least Three ounces of protein, whatever it is the protein that you want to eat, right, three ounces of protein. And you want Two servings of vegetables about, you know, two cups. You, one cup of cooked vegetables is equivalent to two cups of raw vegetables. And then you want one serving of carbohydrate right, that could be three-quarter to a cup of rice or pastas or noodles, two tortillas, two slices of bread, any carbohydrate that you want to add a sweet potato, another starchy vegetable, and then those are the three components that you want to add with every single one of your meals. And you might ask the question but why? Because when you have the combination, it's going to help you to feel satiated, right, satisfied and satiated for a longer period of time, and that's going to help you to maintain your blood sugar levels more stable versus.

Speaker 1:

Oh, let me just eat, you know, a begel, right, with some cream cheese. Begels are really dense, right? So, depending on how big it is, if it's just a regular-sized begel that you buy at a begel shop, that is going to be about four servings of carbohydrates. And then you add some cream cheese, which is mostly fat, and you feel satiated, right, you feel at that moment because it's a dense carbohydrate, but you're going to have a sugar spike, just naturally in your body. It's going to take care of it because you know if you don't have diabetes or any other sugar issues or insulin issues. Our bodies love that, right, we're going to try to use it as energy, but then the sustainability of that energy it's what starts to drop, and then you start to get hungry or you start to have cravings, because we forgot another main component, right, which is your protein. So think of your protein as keeping your hunger more stable, keeping those blood sugars more stable, because you're digesting it not as fast, right, as a carbohydrate, and so you want to have that. You want to try to have at least those three groups combined with each, every single one of your meals.

Speaker 1:

Before I go on and I've talked about this in my previous episodes too but because we are in the sense of talking about basic nutrition, I want to go back a little bit. Right, because I'm talking about food groups, and so we have five food groups, right, if you can remember, this is a long time ago we used to have the MyPriamid, right? The USDA created that United States of Agricultural Department I think that's what it is, usda and so it wasn't very user friendly. But the information was there, but it wasn't very user friendly. So then they created a MyPlate using the five food groups, because then you can visualize how your plate looks like and what components that you can add.

Speaker 1:

But for the purpose of today, we want to learn about the five food groups, right, and this is something that I teach my or that I share with my clients as well. So we have protein, grains, fruit, vegetables and dairy or high calcium, high vitamin D foods, like your plant sources of milk, right, or yogurt. And so with that in mind, right, and with the three, two, one method in mind, you want to have at least three of those food groups, always a protein, always a vegetable, and then you can decide with the third group if you want to do a healthy fat, you want to do a fruit, if you want to do a grain, whatever is the case, maybe, or whatever you feel like having at that time. But again, that combination of the protein, the combination of the fiber from the fruits or the vegetables or the whole grains, and then your starches or your carbohydrates, whatever you want to choose, or a healthy fat is what keeps you satiated and those energy levels and those sugar levels sustain for a longer period of time. But also you're not going to be having these rollercoaster in your sugar levels, right, and that's what you want.

Speaker 1:

Now here is the thing that, if this happens probably 80% of the time with patients that come in to see me is that they tell me I don't eat breakfast and we get used to it. Our bodies get used to it. The amazing thing is that our bodies are able to adapt and adjust, and so if we get used to eating breakfast, then your body adapts. The problem is when you don't have breakfast and then your next meal you skip it for whatever reason, and now you are at dinner time. But in the meantime, as it's coming to dinner time, you're getting all this craving to get, this anxiety or the sense of feeling, or feeling of wanting to eat everything that is around you. And that's because you're buying as a hey, you haven't fed me for a long time and my energy levels and my fuel is running out, right, or I'm using a lot of fuel, and so now we're having these behaviors of eating everything that's around us, or if you're the one that's cooking at home, you're eating chips or pretzels or whatever that is around you while you're cooking, and that's one of the reasons why, right, because we're not fueling our bodies with these balanced meals throughout the day. So when we do have the time to eat, we tend to eat a lot Bigger. Portions are really fast in all those things, right, all of those factors contribute to how we feel and how our body is digest food and the cravings and those energy levels, and so I want you to.

Speaker 1:

It's fine if you don't want to have breakfast, right, that's your choice. But I want you to make your next meal a balanced meal and I want you to use that three to one method. Right, at least we're on this protein, which is equivalent to about the pain and what kind of protein you use 21 to 25 grams of protein. So you want to have that, you know at least. And then you want to choose. You know your two servings of vegetables. You can also add, you know, one serving of vegetable, one serving of fruit, a medium sized fruit, and then you can choose if you want to do a carb or a starch, or a grain or a healthy fat. But that's how I want you to have your, your first meal, or your next meal, if you're not having breakfast, and then that that's how I want you to have your next meal. To the point where every every time we sit down to eat, you look at your plate plate and you say, okay, do I have the three to one method? Right, do I have that balanced meal, my protein, my vegetables, my grain?

Speaker 1:

As you start doing that, you are going to see a huge change. Number one, on your energy levels. Right, because, again, you know, you're adding these nutrients that are supporting your energy. You're not going to feel as tired. Obviously, you're not going to see it in one day, right, because these habits that you've been doing, you're not starting them in one day, but if you stay consistent, right, your body's getting these nutrients, your body's getting this fuel that it can use for other things other than just surviving, right? So that's why you want to deal with your meals.

Speaker 1:

If you say, okay, I want to start eating breakfast, because I wasn't eating breakfast, because I don't have time, or because I was fasting, or whatever the case may be, the same concept applies. Right, you want to make sure that you have at least you know, at least 25 grams of protein with that meal. And then you can choose your vegetable, your grain or your healthy fats. Of one example, you can use, right, half a cup to one whole cup of egg whites, right, you can scramble them, add some veggies, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers, whatever you want to do and then a slice of bread, right Does a balanced breakfast, and you're starting your day with a high protein breakfast, and what that does is that you know your body's going to have that sustainable energy that when it comes lunchtime but you're not hungry or you don't know what to eat, or your brain can function because you haven't filled up your brain.

Speaker 1:

Here's a fact about the brain it uses 20% of your energy, right, and so if you're not eating enough, right, or if you're not making balanced meals or having balanced meals, your brain is only using you know what's available. And so then, a lot of the times that this is another thing that I hear a lot from my clients is you know, if you're foggy, I can seem to think I get frustrated, my mood changes, and that is not by coincidence, right, that is how we are feeling, our bodies, and so, especially if you have a job that requires a lot of mental power. Your brain is using so much of that energy, right? And if you're not feeling yourself correctly, how do you expect your brain to function? Think of it as an athlete, too, right?

Speaker 1:

If you're not feeling properly, or anybody that is now exercising, how do you expect your body to function if you're not feeling yourself properly? It can only do whatever is available, right, but it needs to recover. It needs to repair, and the way that it does that is by making sure that you feel yourself properly, and that is one of the ways, right? That probably is like the number one way that you should be doing when it comes to nutrition. So, to recap on that, I want you to start your meal, or I want you to have your first meal, whatever that meal is right. Ideally, hopefully, it's not. You're not skipping meals all day, but I want you to have the first meal with that concept in mind. The three to one method right, at least three ounces of protein, your two cups of vegetables, or you can do one cup of vegetables and one serving of fruit, and then the third one, the one serving of carbohydrates, right, or starches, or grains, or one serving of healthy fats or cuttles, nuts or seeds. Get into that habit, right, and start changing your meals like that.

Speaker 1:

My next episode is going to be on tips of meal planning and meal prepping and how to help you tackle that goal. Right, because that's the next thing. Like okay, now I have this knowledge, I have that disinformation, but how do I put it into practice? Right, and that's one of the things that I want you to also take into account. Right, having the knowledge by not putting it into practice is just not going to help you. Right, you're gonna forget it and it's not going to work. So, practice is knowledge, even if it's not perfect. Right, even if you're like okay, she said to have at least protein, if the only thing that you can think about that you can remember from this episode is protein, prioritize that right, make sure that you have your protein and then you can work on to the next components. And that is it, my friend.

Speaker 1:

Nutrition doesn't have to be difficult. You don't have to have these complicated plans that are diets that are not giving you what your body needs. Right, it's very simple have your protein, have your fruits and vegetables, have another type of carbohydrate or healthy fat, and that's how you get a pretty well-balanced meal and that's how you get the fuel that your body needs and the energy, and that is it right. Then we can focus on adding a variety of foods, or adding a variety of vegetables and fruits and grains, but start with the basics, right. Start with those basic things, that basic method that I'm giving you, and work on that right, and that is it.

Speaker 1:

I am in the notes, in the show notes. You can find a resource there that you can use as a guide. That has, well, pretty much what we talked about today, right the macronutrients, the five food groups and examples of what one serving is, and so that way, that can help you. Right to get you started, you are an individual, you're a unique person, and so this is just a starting point, which is just a guide, a general guide, right? If you need more individualized guidance or a plan, send an email, reach out to me, and then we can work on that. That reminds me I am actually doing a free three-day nutrition class, and the information is going to be in the show notes too.

Speaker 1:

That is going to be next week, as a matter of fact, monday, tuesday and Wednesday 12 pm, pacific time. It's completely free, and that's what I'm gonna be talking about, similar to what I talked about today Basic nutrition tips on how to meal plan, things that you can do to get you started if you're wanting to change your nutrition or your healthy habits. Again, it is completely free, you don't have to pay anything, so take advantage of that. If you know anybody that needs this class, share the link, share the information. Again, it is next week, on February 12th, 13th and 14th at 12 pm Pacific time. It's going to be life, and so come in, join me, share the afternoon. You can come and have your lunch as well, since it is lunchtime, but it will be available too as a recorded episode if you're not able to make it.

Speaker 1:

I think that is it, my friend. Again, stay with the basics, start with the basics. You don't need another diet, you don't need another complicated plan. We need to come back to the basics, making sure that you have those three groups, the three following the three-to-one method. It works, my friend.

Speaker 1:

I use this with every single patient that comes to see me and we see results, and then we change things as we go along, but that's the main thing. Check out the show notes for the resource that I provided or that I mentioned to help you get started and then also check out the information on my free three-day nutrition class next week. Share with a friend. And that is it for today. Thank you so much for joining me. Remember to stay strong and stay healthy and I will see you next time. I'll see you next week. Thank you so much and bye-bye. For now. This podcast, the links and resources provided are for the purpose to educate only and are not a replacement for medical advice or nutrition therapy. I suggest you seek out the help of a trained professional to help you with your specific situation and needs.