Nutrition

Hi Again,

 

Good to see lots of you at last night’s nutrition seminar. For those of you who missed it, and those of you who want a reminder, here are a few notes on the key points:

 

·         Take time to plan your meals- time spent on eating right is time you don’t need to spend working out to burn off the fat. Think nutrition not diet; give your body good, fresh, nutrient rich food to keep it healthy and working well for you

·         Drink water- lots of it. Start as soon as you wake  up, and keep sipping all day. 25-30mls/kg of body weight per day. Tea/coffee/juice etc don’t count

·         Drink more water! An extra litre for every hour of exercise. Why is water so important? Because without being fully hydrated your body can’t work properly and get the full benefits of exercise and burn off fat

·         DON’T follow the traditional food pyramid- it’s outdated and just plain WRONG! In fact a grain-based, carb heavy diet is believed to be the cause of the current obesity epidemic, as well as a major contributor to heart disease, diabetes, cancers, depression, high blood pressure and more

·         Eat 9+ servings a day of vegetables, lean protein (chicken, fish, red meat, eggs, protein powder etc), and little or no grains or starchy carbs. Do eat good fats; they make you feel full and therefore less likely to snack

·         Eat varied, local, seasonal, colourful produce. The fresher, the better. Variety is good- have lots of different colours on your plate.

·         Eat until you’re 80% full. Chew each mouthful 30-40 times to slow down your consumption. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to realise you’re full, so if you eat till you feel full, you’ve already overeaten

·         What are good carbs? Veg, salads and a small amount of fruit (1-2 pieces per day max). Avoid bread, cereals, cakes, pasta, rice, flour, potato and sugar (including sugary drinks). At each meal have 2 palms or a whole handful of healthy veg and salad. If you have ‘poor choice’ carbs, then a portion  is only 1/3 of your palm!

·         Good protein: any protein is good, so long as it’s not fried or burnt. Eggs, chicken, turkey, fish, seafood, Tofu, lamb, game, beef, yoghurt (plain and add your own fruit), soft cheeses. How much? 1- 1 ½ the size and thickness of your palm

·         Fats are good! Raw or cold fats including nuts and seeds, avocado and avocado oil, flax oil, coconut oil (great for stir fries), olive oil, nut oils. Don’t overheat and burn oils- they will become carcinogenic. Use 2 fingers worth of solid fats, or 1 tablespoon of liquid fats per meal

·         Eat well within 1 hour of exercise; this is when your body is best able to process the nutrients

·         If you have snacks then a portion is three fingers’ worth; mainly protein and a little carbohydrate

·         NB: the palms, hands and fingers above are yours, not your friend’s who is 6 foot 6 with hands that themselves are the size of dinner plates! Your portions need to match your body size :)

 

Like exercise, make nutrition a habit you can maintain long after the 12 week challenge is forgotten:

 

·         Don’t skip meals

·         Chew your food and enjoy each mouthful

·         Eat fresh, local, colourful and varied food. Eat less packaged food.

·         Eat more veg and salad, plenty of protein, and as little carbs as you can manage

·         Eat to hunger, not habit (despite what your mother told you, you don’t have to finish everything on your plate)

·         Drink water, all day, every day

·         Eat smaller meals- use smaller plates (it really does make a difference!)

·         Avoid high fat foods, sugar and alcohol (but you can have a small glass of wine a few times a week. Preferably a nice red)

 

Lastly, if you don’t manage to stick to all of that, don’t give up. Just because you didn’t manage it today, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try tomorrow. Change takes time, and new habits take even longer, so be kind to yourself and don’t beat yourself up just because you sneaked a treat in! Just resolve to keep on doing your best.

 

As always, give me a shout if you have any questions.

 

Cheers,

Brendan