What you need to know about healthy eating

What you eat has a profound effect on your physique and overall health. It’s important to think of food as fuel.  Proteins are an essential nutrient for the human body. They are one of the building blocks of body tissue and help sustain lean muscle mass. The more muscle you have the higher your calorie burn even while at rest. Think recovery fuel. Carbohydrates “carbs” are your body’s primary energy source. Eating the right amount of complex carbs at the right times will help fuel your workouts and provide energy throughout the day. Not eating enough carbs can compromise muscle growth as your body will use protein as energy. You don't want this to happen because you want to have enough protein in your body to rebuild cells and feed your new lean muscle. Think energy fuel. Fats are also an essential nutrient that your body needs to encourage fat loss and proper heart and brain function. They also help create healthy strong nails and hair as well as aid in vitamin absorption.

CHEAT MEALS

While being healthy and fit requires balance cheat meals are not a part of that equation. It’s important to make healthy choices that will encourage a lifetime of abundant health and wellness. This takes a great amount of discipline and dedication. Eating high fat, greasy, or sugar loaded foods might sound good right now but after a few weeks of healthy lifestyle choices they might end up turning your stomach.

Eating in this manner not only affects your physique but also your mood, hormone levels, heart, brain, and other organs. It’s important to not think of food as a treat. High cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases are not a good way of “treating” your body. Learning how to love and treat your body with respect will help keep you on track and encourage you to make healthier choices. Instead try rewarding yourself with a new outfit in a smaller size (for motivation or to update your wardrobe), new workout clothes, a spa treatment or something else that makes you feel strong and healthy. This will keep you in the right state of mind.

PROCESSED FOODS

Making healthier choices requires educating yourself on what is best for your body. Understanding how to read labels and doing research on the effects of certain ingredients and chemicals is fundamental. This will ensure you are putting the right kind of nurturing foods in your body which will yield amazing results in not just your physique but your overall health. Avoid processed foods containing ingredients that you can't read. Try to eat as many whole clean foods as possible. This will not only aid in weight loss but also make you stronger and healthier. Whole clean foods are foods that are in their natural state….unadulterated food. If you keep your temple (body) pure you will create a free channel for change and abundance. Note: Your liver is responsible for cleansing your body of harmful chemicals as well as breaking down fat. If it’s too busy ridding your body of chemicals found in processed foods it is not efficiently breaking down fat therefore hindering your weight loss efforts.

PLANNING FOR SUCCESS

Your goal is to eat 5-6 small complete meals per day containing a combination of protein, carbs and healthy fats. You should aim to eat every 2-3 hours and not skip a meal. You want to keep your metabolism fired up in order to burn unwanted calories. If your body knows it is going to be eating consistently it will have no problem letting go of what it doesn’t need. If you skip meals it will hold onto it and store it as fat. So make sure to be consistent with your meals.

Planning ahead by creating a shopping list, cooking in bulk and prepackaging your meals on your off days will ensure that you are not just reaching for unhealthy snacks when you are hungry. Make sure you prepackage snacks that you can grab-n-go when you are running out of the door in a hurry.

If you fail to plan....you plan to fail.

Failure is not an option so make the time to plan out your week to ensure success.

THINGS TO AVOID

Many believe that moderation is key. I don’t necessarily agree with that way of thinking.

Moderation:  action of making something moderate: the limiting, controlling, or restricting of something so that it becomes or remains moderate.

This plan is not about restrictions. This is about learning how to create a healthy lifestyle in which you learn how to discipline yourself. It’s not about sacrifice or temporary changes. This is about understanding how your body works, reconnecting with it and nurturing it with the right food, exercise, and lifestyle habits.

In order to create healthy life long habits you must eliminate and avoid making unhealthy ones. There are foods that not only will hinder your weight loss and fitness goals but are also detrimental to your health. It’s important to educate yourself on the effects of eating these foods and do your best to avoid consuming them. Your health is in your hands...so take control.

Do your best to avoid the following ingredients and replace them with these healthier alternatives to yield the greatest weight loss results:

Avoid  ..................... Replace With

refined sugar/artificial sweeteners for baking......pureed fruit, fresh fruit juice, dates, real maple syrup (use all of these sparingly)

salt........dried or fresh herbs and spices (use freely), Mr.Dash, Bragg's Amino Acids (use sparingly)

salad dressings.....citrus juice (lemon, lime, orange), vinegar, fresh salsa, hummus

white potato..........sweet potato, butternut squash, cauliflower

white bread..........brown rice wrap, Ezekiel sprouted grain bread

white pasta..........brown rice pasta, spaghetti squash, julienned veggies

butter...........for mashed potatoes use veggie broth, for toast use nut butter or avocado

oil.......for baking use unsweetened apple sauce or fruit puree, for cooking use veggie broth

soda/juice........sparkling water or regular water with lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit slices. or unsweetened hot/cold tea

Starbucks or specialty coffees.........black coffee with plant milk, flavoring extracts, spices or fresh (mint, vanilla, pumpkin spice, ginger..etc) and Stevia (limited)

packaged snacks (salty)......hummus with raw veggies, bake your own chips, unsalted brown rice cakes, unsalted raw nuts

packaged snacks (sweet).......apple w/ nuts, brown rice cake w/ nut butter a few banana slices and cinnamon (limited)

milk products........unsweetened plant milk (soy, hemp, oat, almond...etc. No coconut milk)

Note: Bragg’s Amino Acids resembles the taste of soy sauce. It can be used in stir fries, soups, sautes..etc. It can be very salty so use a little at a time and sparingly.

*This is the list of food rules that I make available to my clients along with a menu plan. If you are interested in your own menu plan please contact me for more information. Vegetarian and vegan options also available.

Note: I am not a certified nutritionist. The information given is strictly for educational purposes and does not replace the advice of a licensed professional. I provide this information in the hopes to educate you and empower you to make your own healthy lifestyle and food choices.