10 Nutrition
Strategies
1.
Eat every 2-3 hours.
Are you doing this – no matter what?
Now, you don’t need to eat a full meal every
2-3 hours but you do need to eat 6-8
meals and snacks that conform to the other rules below.
2.
Eat complete, lean protein each time you eat.
Are you eating something that was an
animal or comes from an animal – every time you feed yourself? If not, make the
change.
Note: If you’re a vegetarian, this rule still
applies – you need complete protein and need to find non-animal sources.
3.
Eat vegetables every time you eat.
That’s right, in addition to a complete,
lean protein source, you need to eat some vegetables every time you eat (every
2-3 hours, right?).
You can toss in a piece of fruit here
and there as well. But don’t skip the veggies
4.
Eat carbs only when you deserve to.
Well, not ALL carbs – eat fruits and
veggies whenever you want. And if want to eat a carbohydrate that’s not a fruit
or a vegetable (this includes things like simple sugars, rice, pasta, potatoes,
bread, etc), you can – but you’ll need to save it until after you’ve exercised.
Yes, these often heavily processed
grains are dietary staples in North America, but heart disease, diabetes and
cancer are medical staples – and there’s a relationship between the two! To
stop heading down the heart disease highway, reward yourself for a good workout
with a good carbohydrate meal right after (your body best tolerates these carbohydrates
after exercise). For the rest of the day, eat your lean protein and a delicious
selection of fruits and veggies.
5.
Learn to love healthy fats.
There are 3 types of fat – saturated,
monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Forget about that old “eating fat makes you
fat” maxim. Eating all three kinds of fat in a healthy balance (about equal
parts of each) can dramatically improve your health, and even help you lose
fat.
Your saturated fat should come from your
animal products and you can even toss in some butter or coconut oil for
cooking. Your monounsaturated fat should come from mixed nuts, olives, and
olive oil. And your polyunsaturated fat should from flaxseed oil, fish oil, and
mixed nuts.
6.
Ditch the calorie containing drinks (including fruit juice).
In fact, all of your drinks should come
from non-calorie containing beverages. Fruit juice, alcoholic drinks, and sodas
– these are all to be removed from your daily fare. Your best choices are water
and green tea.
7.
Focus on whole foods.
Most of your dietary intake should come
from whole foods. There are a few times where supplement drinks and shakes are
useful.
But most of the time, you’ll do best
with whole, largely unprocessed foods.
8.
Have 10% foods.
I know you cringed at a few of the rules
above. But here’s the thing: 100% nutritional discipline is never required for
optimal progress. The difference, in results, between 90% adherence to your
nutrition program and 100% adherence is negligible. So you can allow yourself
“10% foods” – foods that break rules, but which you’ll allow yourself to eat
(or drink, if it’s a beverage) 10% of the time. Just make sure you do the math
and determine what 10% of the time really means. For example, if you’re eating
6 meals per day for 7 days of the week –
that’s 42 meals. 10% of 42 is about 4.
Therefore you’re allowed to “break the rules” on about 4 meals each week.
9.
Develop food preparation strategies.
The hardest part about eating well is
making sure you can follow the 8 rules above consistently. And this is where
preparation comes in. You might know what to eat, but if isn’t available,
you’ll blow it when it’s time for a meal.
10.
Balance daily food choices with healthy variety.
Let’s face it, when you’re busy during
the week, you’re not going to be spending a ton of time whipping up gourmet
meals. During these times you’re going to need a set of tasty, easy to make
foods that you can eat day in and day out. However, once every day or a few
times a week, you need to eat something different, something unique and tasty
to stave off boredom and stagnation.
Try putting these strategies into use for your own nutrition and daily lifestyle! These are just 10 strategies that can help you with your overall nutrition and help you to make some lifestyle changes that will get you to the healthiest you!
Feel free to post comments or email me with questions! Also check out my website - www.runwithmemeghan.com - check out the training and nutrition tabs for additional resources and education topics!!
Happy Healthy Running :)
