The Hierarchy of Nutrition

1. When it comes to weight loss, maintenance or weight gain, calories are number one. You need to ensure you are consuming the proper amount of calories each day to achieve your goals. Body fat can only be burned when you are in a caloric deficit. Mass can only be put on if you are eating in caloric surplus.

2. Understanding the proper amount of carbohydrates, fats and proteins your body needs for your goals is paramount to optimal body composition, performance and health. This is the focus of the chapters of this book.

3. Nutrient timing refers to when you eat your carbs, fats and protein - pre, intra and post workout, intermittent fasting, or how many meals you eat in a day all fall under this category. When the focus is on fat loss, the caloric and macronutrient balance are the most important.

4. Food composition focuses on the quality of the food you are using to fill your macronutrient targets. Of course, we want to fill our day with as much quality food as possible - those rich in micronutrients. Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals that are responsible for many o the physiological processes of your body, good health, recovery and energy but they play no direct role in fat loss. There is a focus on fibre in this book, but I don't dive into micronutrients as I believe in building the foundation of good nutrition first.

5. Supplements are the very least important when it comes to building good nutrition. Many people pay far too much attention to their supplements, yet have no idea what their calories and macronutrient ratios should be! We contend that all people are extremely individual and supplementation should be examined with a professional who can identify what your deficit is and recommend to you the best source ( and not waste your money).