Nutrition 101: Part Two

So Now What Do I Do With All of This New Information?

      I'm glad you asked. Now that you know that it's important to eat foods from each of the different categories of macronutrients, using the percentages I gave you, and once you've calculated your daily intake...you just choose what to put in your belly. It's that simple. Keep in mind there is NO such thing as perfect, but we strive for progress instead. Depending on what your personal goals are, (i.e. get super shredded, eat healthier, or get off of some of your medications)...that is what is going to make the difference in some of your food choices.

   I grabbed this chart off of google images, you can click on it to see it bigger, but I think it does a nice job illustrating better food choices. Now, keep in mind, everyone is going to have a different starting point, and depending upon availability of organic foods and price points, I usually just encourage people to start to make better choices. So, if you can't afford all organic food, that doesn't mean that you can't eat healthier. And by the same token, just because you eat all organic food, doesn't mean all of your choices are always healthier, because they make plenty of processed organic food as well. 

   One of my favorite books on nutrition, that is an easy read, and will keep you entertained is: In Defense of Food, An Eater's Manifesto- by Michael Pollan. It's fairly basic but goes better in depth of good food choices, and why they are healthier choices. It also addresses what most people in America are eating today, and why this is breeding our health epidemic. 

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     So instead of posting yet another food list promoting certain foods over others, I think Michael Pollan's food rules have a nice way of summing things up. Most people KNOW that packaged and processed foods that have an incredibly long shelf life aren't that good for them. I hear all of the time that pop tarts, or chips are quick and super easy...well so is an apple, or some carrot sticks. I think we need to start taking more responsibility for what we eat, and what we feed our kids. To start, read Michael Pollan's 10 food rules:

1) Don't buy anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food, like anything orange that isn't salmon, a carrot, or an orange.

2) Avoid products containing ingredients that can't be found in an ordinary pantry. Even better, avoid anything that contains 5 or more ingredients. Better still, if you can't pronounce most of the ingredients, you don't want to eat them.

3) Don't buy anything that lists sugar in it's first three ingredients. And NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, not even a little.

4) Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay away from the middle-that's where most processed food is shelved.

5) If it came from a plant, buy it (and eat a lot of it), if it was made in a plant, pass it by.

6) If it says lite, low-fat, or nonfat on the package, put it down. You'll be more satisfied if you eat a little bit of the real thing.

7) Avoid food that is pretending to be something that it is not. This includes soy-based mock meats.

8) Food making health claims on the packaging is not food that you want to buy. Don't take the silence of the yams as a sign they have nothing valuable to say about your health.

9) Avoid food that is advertised on television. And remember, if it is delivered through a window of a car, it is not food.

10) Get out of the supermarket. Look to farmer's markets for the majority of your food and snacks.

*If you follow these rules you will be purchasing and eating real, whole food most of the time-and that's the simple way to a healthy diet.

Now obviously there will be some exceptions to these rules, like you can find nuts and seeds in the middle of the supermarket for example. However, most of his rules make it easy to choose items in the store that will be better choices for your overall health. Eating out once in awhile, or having cake at a wedding or birthday party is a part of living, so don't stress yourself out! But those are exceptions and special occasions, not everyday choices, note the difference.

   

The missing link to health if your nutrition is on point is ACTIVITY. You don't have to commit yourself to some crazy new exercise, or join a gym per say, it could be something as easy as going for a walk outside 3 times each week. Ideally, to stay healthy, mobile, and flexible, it's best to include some sort of weighted exercises as well as some cardio conditioning, and stretching or yoga. But what if I don't have a gym membership or any workout equipment at home? No problem, you can start out by just using your own bodyweight to do fantastic exercises such as push-ups, lunges, squats, planks, and tricep dips to name a few! My push for anyone looking to get healthy in the beginning, is just to get started with some short term attainable goals. That might be anything from getting in all of their water for a week straight, to setting a goal to get active 3 times during the week, for at least 30 minutes. 

I will elaborate more on exercises & activity as a part of your health, but I mostly just wanted to address nutrition in this post. So, for now, I will leave you with this quote:

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