FWhat is the most important rule to follow for a healthy diet?

In terms of what foods you should and should not eat, remember that calories matter more than specific foods. Adequate macro- and micronutrition are indeed part of a healthy diet, but appropriate caloric intake is by far the most important rule regardless of the source and whether or not the food is "natural", "whole", "clean", or "dirty". Repeated studies have shown that having excess body fat, type 2 diabetes and weight gain are resultant from eating and storing more calories than one burns. Eating too many of any form of calories, whether from whole foods or not, will cause these problems. A Newcastle University team has recently discovered (2011) that Type 2 diabetes can actually be reversed by an extreme low calorie diet alone. In terms of the hormonal response to a single meal, a fast-food meal has been shown to elicit a similar response to an equivilent organic one. How do I calculate my macros? "Macros" is short for macronutrients. These include dietary carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Alcohol is a fourth macro, but it is not usually budgeted for on it own and its consumption typically comes at the expense of the carbohydrate allotment. Key to setting up your macro split is knowing your total calorie intake needs and the fact that protein and carbohydrates have ~4 Calories per gram, while fat contains ~9 Calories per gram. (Alcohol clocks in at ~7 Calories per gram.) While everyone will have different needs and preferences for their macronutrient breakdown, the following is a generic guide to get you started. We calculate macros from the ground up, but always in the context of total calorie intake. Protein Protein intake is the starting point. If calories are king, protein is queen. There is a large body of evidence emerging that shows adequate protein intake as a key element to achieving body weight and composition goals. (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8) One gram of protein per pound of body weight (1 g/lb) or 2.2 grams per kilogram (2.2 g/kg) is the traditional recommendation for protein intake. However, this can be considered the upper bound of target intake, with the suggested range being 0.68-1g/lb (1.5-2.2g/kg) of total body weight. Fat Fats are essential for many bodily functions including metabolism, brain function, and hormone production. For this reason, and despite decades of the low-fat dieting trend, fat calories are not "worse" than other calories. After your essential fatty acid needs are met in the diet, the remaining allocation for fat intake is largely determined by personal preference. A

general rule of thumb and good starting point is 0.4g-0.5g/lb (0.9-1.1 g/kg) of total body weight. Carbohydrate Now that the essential macros have been calculated, we must refer back to the goal calorie intake to tie it all together. As such, the remaining allotment for carb intake is determined by subtracting your goal protein and fat intakes from your calorie intake. Basically, whatever caloric intake is left over after determining your protein and fat needs is met by carbohydrate consumption. So your goal carb intake in grams = [Goal calories - (Px4 + Fx9)] 4 where P and F are target grams of protein and fat, respectively. This result can range from 0.0-2.2g/lb (0-4.8g/kg) of total body weight and beyond depending on performance needs and personal preference. To give an example of this process, let's look at a typical scenario: Billy is 22, 5'9 (175cm), and 175lb (79kg) and works out 3x/week. His estimated TDEE is 2450 but he wants to lose fat and gain muscle, so he is taking the advice given above and planning to consume 1890 calories daily. Using the suggestions above, Billy decides he should aim for 140g protein (0.8g/lb), 70g fat (0.4g/lb), and 175g carbs (1g/lb). Remember that protein is the cornerstone of any macro split. Once you set your protein goal, the remaining allocation of fats and carbs is largely personal in nature. Given matched protein intakes, diets differing in fat and carb make-up do not perform any differently in terms of weight or composition changes. Don't be afraid to experiment with different intakes to find the set up that works best for your goals. It's important to base your macro calculations on your own body stats especially protein. Calculating macros as a percentage of calorie intake can create situations where some intakes are inadequate or overkill. Also, if you are significantly overweight, using your total body weight would be inappropriate for this activity and would heavily skew your macro split. In this instance, instead base your calculations on your lean body mass. Conversely, if you are significantly underweight, you may instead want to use your goal body weight.