There is a lot of confusion about how and what to eat in this country. This is not surprising if you consider that a search for nutrition books on Amazon.com turns up over 50,000 books! Are there really 50,000 ways to eat? Possibly, but my opinion is that effective nutrition programs have more similarities than differences.
Let’s set aside the differences and go back to basics. Here is a list of basic nutrition tips that will help you lose weight and improve your health:
1. Drink More Water
Start your day by drinking a glass or two of water when you first wake up, then drink water throughout the day. How Much Water Should You Drink? Expert opinions vary on this but I personally use half my body weight in ounces of water as a guideline. I weigh 194 pounds so I should drink about 97 ounces of water a day. If you feel that you have to lose weight then try drinking only water or green tea.
2. Eat a balanced diet
Experts have many different opinions on this, including the Zone Diet, Atkins, Pritikin, metabolic typing, the government’s food pyramid, and more. I like to keep things simple. Have some meat (lean beef, chicken, fish, or eggs), some starch (brown rice, quinoa, etc.), and some vegetables (spinach, chard, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, bell peppers, etc.). Research in nutrition is beginning to show that we are all individuals and our metabolism is affected by our genetics and lifestyle. There is no definitive answer on what to eat short of getting genetic testing and adjusting it for your lifestyle. Nutritional genomics is the future of diet prescription but incorporating all of the above foods will get you on the right track.
3. Have breakfast
I meet a lot of people who start their day with coffee or coffee and a bagel and then end the day with a big meal before going to bed. This is the exact opposite of what they should be doing. When you wake up in the morning, your blood sugar is lower than during sleep without eating. Make sure you start your day with breakfast following the guidelines mentioned above about eating a balanced diet. You are not hungry in the morning? No problem, just eat whatever you can and gradually increase the quantity till you have a complete breakfast. After a while of doing this you will find that when you first wake up your body will crave for food. As soon as you start giving your body what it needs at the start of the day, you should notice an improvement in your energy levels and mood.
4. Eat Several Small Meals Throughout the Day
Not only should you eat a balanced breakfast, but you should also eat 3-5 meals/snacks during the day. These meals and snacks should be eaten every 3-4 hours. How many should you have? This is a complex question that should be addressed with a professional. A more general answer would be: If you’re hungry, eat. Some people have metabolic or psychological problems that cause them to feel hungry even if they have recently eaten. Most likely you are not one of these people so don’t starve yourself. Eat only when you are hungry.
5. Minimize processed food.
I really want to say never eat processed food, but let’s face it: Some of this stuff tastes good and many of us won’t cut it out of our diets completely. That’s fine but keep in mind that the more you eat, the more difficult it will be for you to keep the weight off and improve your health.. How do you identify processed food? Just read the label only. Forget about what the marketing says on the package, the nutrition information on the label will give you the best information about the product. Ingredient labels have to list certain things and meet government standards.
Ingredients are listed from largest ingredient to smallest ingredient. For example, if the ingredient list contains: water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar and orange juice, you know the product is in fact made from water, high fructose corn syrup and sugar; There probably isn’t much juice in it. Also, if you read the label and the product contains words you can’t pronounce or sounds like chemical warfare agents, there’s a good chance it’s a processed food. Keep the consumption of these products to a minimum.
6. Eat in or prepare your meals at home
This can be inconvenient at times, especially if you don’t consider yourself a good cook, but I believe that preparing your own meals is an essential key to getting your diet in the right direction. Many restaurants and fast food places keep costs down by buying the cheapest ingredients. Also keep in mind that most restaurant meals are prepared to taste good, not necessarily to help you with your nutrition goals. Some cooks need to add things that you can’t do when cooking your own food in order for it to taste good. You don’t know how to cook? That’s okay, just learn a few basic concepts to get the job done. Cooking scrambled eggs and making salads is a great way to start.
7. Follow the 90/10 Rule
Everyone is busy and we all give in to delicious temptations. Don’t stress too much about it and don’t place unreasonable expectations on yourself. Instead try following the principles of good eating 90% of the time. Even if 90% is too much behavior change for you, try 60/40. Eventually you can increase the percentage but start with something that is suitable for you. Just make sure that your healthy food outweighs the unhealthy food and you will be on the right track.
8. Listen to your body
Our bodies are very complex and there are many systems in place to provide feedback on how what you eat is affecting you. For example, you may eat too much ice cream. It may taste great when it’s going down, but the stomach pain or sluggishness you feel afterward is your body’s way of reacting to your eating habits. Your body is an amazing machine so make sure you listen to it!
Source by Ted Ryce
