Friday, April 24, 2009

EATING DO'S AND DON'TS

I wanted to post some quick do's and don'ts when putting together a meal-plan for your health and fitness regiment. As always, these are only suggestions and you should consult with your medical professional before undertaking any plan. I've found that keeping your meal plan very simple will allow an individual to achieve their goals easier. So, in light of my last post, here are some quick do's and don'ts:

DO

* Drink plenty of water throughout the day...one ounce per kilogram of bodyweight (1 kg = 2.2 lbs.)
* eat food that is raw or organic (i.e. fruits and vegetables)
* eat 4-5 meals per day...don't "snake" it...this will increase your metabolism
* drink 8 ounces of water 30 minutes before you eat a large meal (like breakfast or dinner) and drink 16 ounces of water IMMEDIATELY when waking up
* PLAN AHEAD! VERY IMPORTANT! Pack fruit, trail mix, yogurt, and other portable foods ahead of time in your purse, backpack, or bag...this will keep your from relying on veding machines, convenience stores, and fast food
* Snack consciously...mindless or emotional nibblind can lead to overeating...try to eat a snack without doing anything else. Don't watch TV or study at the same time, especially if you are under stress
* Choose nutried-rich foods such as whole grain muffins and crackers, baby carrots, popcorn, fresh fruit, yogurt, low-fat cheese, peanut butter, and nusts and seeds
* Be aware of hidden calories, fat, and sugar, especially if you are less active...generally, foods that have more than 3 grams of fat/100 calories are considered a high-fat food...when reading food labels, if more than half of the carbohydrates are sugar, consider this a high-sugar food item (beware of cereal bars, sports drinks and fruit drinks)
* Look at the label for what is a serving of a particular item. You might consider an entire granola bar to be a serving but, on the label, one half of the bar might be called a serving. You would then need to double the calories, fat, protien, etc. when calculating calories
* Eat about an hour to an hour-and-a-half before a workout--this meal should be relatively high carbs (i.e. 50%) with balanced portion of fat (25%) and protein (25%)...ideal pre-workout snacks are yogurt, apples, celery w/peanut butter, oatmeal (1 serving)
* Eat about 30-40 minutes post-workout...this meal should be higher in protein (50%) and equal parts protein and carbs (25% each)
* FIBER-FIBER-FIBER!! The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for fiber is about 25 grams per individual--this is too low! Fiber has a multitude of uses within the body, such as providing satiety (feeling "full"), intestinal fortitude and motility, retain health and tone of intestines and stomach, reduc risks of several types of cancer, reduce cholesterol and strengthens heart, regulates body's absorption of glucose (diabetics included)...I recommend my clients eat 50-70 grams of fiber a day, whether via food, supplement, or grains

DON'TS

* Count calories, but watch what you eat
* Starve your body
* put extra salt, butter, msg, or other garbage on your food
* drink more than a cup of coffee, soda, juic (non-organic, from concentrate), wine, beer, per day
* drink Gatorade, juice, or alchohol instead of water...water is separate and should be treated as such
* exercise and not eat...eating is critical to feeding the body and replenishing/regenerating with proper nutrients
* Starve your body

Notice I put starvation in twice...it's that important. Losing weight is not the same as not eating. In future posts I will talk more about nutrition and exercise specifically but, for now, I think this will give you a good start to taking proper steps for your meal plan. Also, look for recipes and specific meal ideas in the future.

Thank you!

A

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