Simple Changes To Improve Nutrition
Eating right doesn’t mean you have to devote your life to food. There are a lot of people out there that have mastered this life skill and live by it every day, but there are also those who simply can’t get anything to stick to their lifestyle, even though they have created a wonderfully effective dieting plan. If you’ve ever counted calories, ate for only half the duration of the day or have ever cut your portions, this guide is for you.
Remember, you only need to eat right to fulfill your goals and dreams, but there are certain rules that everyone must abide by. If you take these into account and put them in your dieting plan, you can play the dieting game far better. There are eight of these rules and they will satisfy every aspect of your dietary needs, so without further ado, here’s how to eat better!
1. Get More Protein!
Just saying “eat more protein” seems foolhardy, but before you denounce it as unsound advice, go through your diet plan. You will need to learn a few things such as – do you get enough protein? Do you eat it at the right intervals so it’s used as effectively as possible? Is it real protein? Are you eating too many protein supplements? When you have the answers to all of these, it’s much easier to create a diet plan that will stick with you. Remember, your body needs a gram of protein for every pound of your body weight just to run, and you will need to be certain it’s from whole foods such as chicken, fish, eggs, lean meats, Greek yogurt and low-fat milk and dairies. Supplements are meant to be used as protein, of course, but only after a workout and when you need a quick boost of protein and have nothing else to eat.
2. Regulate Your Fat!
When you speak to the regular gym enthusiast, they’ll tell you that fat is bad and you should remove it from your diet. This is wrong. These people think that the more fat you consume, the more it accumulates in your body and becomes our kind of fat – cellulite. This is also wrong for the most part, since fat can be a very useful tool in providing fuel for your training. Fat regulates your hormones, hunger and energy production, but you will need to get it from healthy sources of fat like olive oil, nut butters, avocados and mixed nuts. A gram of fat has 9 calories to the 4 that protein and carbs have, so keep your intake low – it will still power you up! You need anywhere from half a gram to 0.8 grams per pound of body weight every day.
3. Watch Your Carbohydrates!
Carbs are made to be eaten and loved, since they provide us with the necessary nutrients, energy and all-around happiness, but they have taken a bad rep over the last few years. Everyone who diets suddenly wants to cut carbs and nobody can enjoy any of them anymore since the carb-cutting dieters are everywhere. However, you won’t need to do twice the work in the gym, just be smart with your carbs! They’re actually a good thing and the preferred energy source of our bodies. They aren’t a must-have requirement, but they are necessary if you work out at any level, from regular gym Joe to high-intensity professional athlete. You will need two grams of carbs for every pound of bodyweight for four weeks just for your body to adjust. Change it up according to your needs afterwards.
4. Time Your Meals!
Intermittent fasting and IIFM (if it fits your macros) have taken over the dieting world due to sheer effectiveness, but extreme steps like those two dieting concepts aren’t really necessary. Every year new fads like this keep popping up but you will need the serious, well thought-out concept to really get into gear. Try a plan that isn’t a popular internet fad but sounds logical such as this – eat well-balanced and nutritional meals all throughout the day, at the right time. You don’t need a quick fix, just do that and you’ll be fine. You will need the necessary amount of protein, fats and carbs but you’ll also need vitamins, minerals and all sorts of other things. It’s not really that hard. Keep in mind that you will need to keep this up for a longer time, you won’t be able to eat things whenever you want but you also won’t need to fast for longer periods of time!
5. Eat as Much as You Need!
Not as much as you want! If you’re trying to put on some muscle mass, other people that want to do the same have probably told you that it’s really hard to do, but their victimized faux-interrogation mode of conversation isn’t what you need. If you want to put on weight, just look at your goal and make sure that you write down everything you eat for three days. After you have the list, sit down and analyze it to make sure it’s consistent. Chances are, it won’t be. Re-make it so that it includes everything on this list and then use it.
6. Rotate Your Nutrients!
A lot of the diet plans out there will make you eat one single thing every day without changing it. While some things are good to be eaten daily, most aren’t, and switching up your diet will help you become healthier by simply having a more complete nutrient palette in your body. Try to eat a few different types of veggies and fruits for carbs and micronutrients. Get your protein from more than just tuna cans – get meat, beans, fish and dairies. Get your essential fats from fatty fish, nuts and oils! Remember, having a varied diet means your body gets a larger number of nutrients and will benefit from it.
7. Know the Numbers!
People will keep counting every single calorie and gram that goes into their bodies, but keeping files and folders on multiple apps and on paper won’t help anyone achieve their goals if their plan isn’t sound. Even though they keep finding new ways to track numbers, somehow it hasn’t worked. Getting lost in all kinds of apps and trackers might make you lose sight of your goal and especially the way you have planned to get there. You need to know the numbers of course, but you don’t need to turn into a mathematician to get it done. Your body won’t care for an extra gram or a few extra calories – just keep it in the ballpark!
8. Realize That There Will Be Mistakes!
In my experience, I’ve notice people that want to workout usually have an all-or-nothing attitude towards exercise – they either go full speed ahead and work on everything, or they do nothing. These are your typical folks that start everything on Mondays.
Understand this… You don’t need an optimal environment for everything and you won’t need it for this – results will follow without starting on a Monday if you follow your plan. I
If you want to start having healthier eating habits and optimized your overall well-being, do it right after reading this.
Waiting isn’t beneficial for you or your health. Also, if you’ve had a bad day of eating, just continue where you stopped.
There is no point in throwing an entire day in the gutter just because you’ve made a mistake. Deal with your mess and move on – it’s not the end of the world.
Making yourself a good enough (for you) meal plan with the guidance of a professional isn’t hard or complicated, but you will need to watch every step you take before putting your plan into practice. Don’t over-think everything and don’t micromanage every little thing.
Use these tips to improve your life, your diet and finally achieve those goals you always wanted.