This time I am going to cover my top 3 tips and tricks that I use. I know these tips will benefit you as well.
I just want to say that these are just some of the tips, tricks and rules that I believe in. There are a bunch of other tricks and rules that you can use for yourself, as long as it works and benefits you, that’s what matters most. These things that I am about to talk about work well for me and for so many others that I know. I think that these are all very basic tips/rules that a lot of people are able to benefit from.
3. Prioritise protein, healthy fats, then carbohydrates
Protein should be the number one priority when it comes to any sort of nutrition/diet. Whether you work out or not. Protein is super beneficial to any lifestyle. Protein is a building block for your muscles. That means it doesn’t get used as a fuel source. Protein keeps your muscles healthy, help you recover better and they don’t influence our blood sugar levels as much, just to name a few things. Proteins should be the cornerstone and base of every meal/snack that you consume for the reasons I named above and here are some more:
- Increase of muscle mass and strength
- Muscle maintenance
- Replacement for the ”sugar cravings”
- Supports weight and fat loss
- Helps you recover from injuries
- Protein carries oxygen through the body to different muscles, body parts and organs
- Makes you feel satisfied after a meal
- 4 calories per gram, which means more food/bigger portions
Like I have talked about before, fats are hugely undervalued and often a wrongly accused nutrient. Fats are beneficial to our daily nutrition because they give us more calories per gram and that keeps you satisfied for longer. Just like proteins, fats don’t have a negative impact on our blood sugar level. They actually have a positive impact because we can replace those sugar cravings with foods that have a higher fat content. In turn, this allows the bloods sugar levels to go back to normal (if you’ve read my blog on fats and carbohydrates you will know how important this is). When we’re talking about adding more fats into our nutrition we are not talking about consuming as many fried foods as you possibly can. We want to focus on getting healthy fats in, especially the omega 3 fats( wild caught fish, grass fed meat and eggs). Focus on Quality of foods (we’ll get back to this later on).
When it comes to carbohydrates, we want to focus on consuming vegetables and fruits as much as we can. Vegetables have a very good nutritional value (which means they offer a lot of important micronutrients for the portion you’re eating). Because vegetables are so low in carbohydrates they have the ability to make you feel full, while at the same time not impacting the blood sugar level all that much. Fruits are easily digestible for the body and offer a lot of micronutrients for every bite that you take. This is what makes vegetables and fruits the best sources of carbohydrates in a lot of people’s daily nutrition.
2. Enjoy what you’re eating
I can’t tell you how important this point is. It might seem counter-intuitive but that’s just because healthy food and meals get a bad reputation sometimes. Just because some foods are healthier than other doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy them or make them taste good. Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to taste. if I would be to describe my nutrition to a stranger they would probably agree that it sounds and looks pretty healthy. Now I am not the best cook out there but I know and have found easy ways to make my food enjoyable for me while maintaining the health factor. I look forward to and I am excited about every single meal because I know I am going to enjoy it while still supporting my lifestyle and health. I can only urge you to find the same results for your own nutrition and lifestyle.
The reason why it’s so important to enjoy your nutrition is because that’s what’s going to keep you going strong. Just like anything else in life, if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing there comes a day where you can’t find the energy/motivation to do it and you will quit. It’s natural for that to happen and I have heard and seen it happen many of times. Whenever I give nutrition advice to someone I make sure to make this point very clear because it could truly make or break your chances of being/staying healthy.
1. Whole foods
My number 1 nutrition tip: Focus on buying and eating whole foods as much as possible. This tip finds itself at the top of my list because everything else that we have talked about so far basically falls into place when you do this. Of course we still have to make conscious and smart decisions about our nutrition on a regular basis but it all seems to be easier when we know that we’re choosing the right food to begin with.
Eating whole foods will make you stay far away from all the processed foods that you are able to find in the supermarkets nowadays. When you think about it, eating predominantly whole food based nutrition is the first step in the chain reaction that will get you to a healthy lifestyle.
Buying/eating whole foods –> less processed foods –> less sugar and ”bad fats” –> less impact on the blood sugar levels –> more energy throughout the day –> more energy to workout –> more/better workouts –> better fitness results/reaching a goal –> Feeling accomplished/happy/satisfied –> feeling empowered to keep going –> healthy lifestyle
This is the big chain reaction that you set in motion by simply focusing on buying and eating whole foods. That feeling of accomplishment or feeling happy about your own life and turning it into a healthy lifestyle is what it’s all about!
A list of whole foods:
- Fruits: Berries, citrus fruits, pears, peaches, pineapple, bananas, etc.
- Vegetables: Kale, spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus, peppers, etc.
- proteins: chicken, beef, lamb, eggs, seafood/fish etc. (preferably grass fed and wild caught)
- Starchy vegetables: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, etc.
- Whole grains: Brown rice, rolled oats, quinoa, brown rice, barley, etc.
- Healthy fats: Avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, unsweetened coconut, etc.
- Légumes: Peas, chick peas, lentils, peanuts, black beans, etc.
- Seeds, nuts and nut butters: Almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, natural peanut butter, tahini, etc.
- Unsweetened plant-based milks: Coconut milk, almond milk, cashew milk, etc.
- Spices, herbs and seasonings: Basil, rosemary, turmeric, curry, black pepper, salt, etc.
- Condiments: Salsa, mustard, nutritional yeast, vinegar, lemon juice, etc.
Plant-based protein: Tofu, tempeh, plant based protein sources or powders with no added sugar or artificial ingredients.
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