One of the most important things you can do when you are trying to get healthy and lose weight is to pay attention to what you are eating. This does not take any time from your schedule and you will feel much healthier when you eat the right foods in the right proportions.
One of the best ways to change your diet is to focus on eating real food. What does this mean? When deciding what to eat, make sure the food you choose is limited in ingredients. This means that instead of eating refined or processed foods, that contained many ingredients to make just one food – a typical granola bar is composed more than 5 ingredients. The average avocado consist of only 1 ingredient. You get the idea?
You should also increase your consumption of protein, minerals and vitamins. To do this it is good to add a high quality source of protein to each meal of the day. High quality sources of protein include pasture-raised eggs, grass-fed beef, wild-caught seafood and pasture-raised chicken. Not only would you be getting protein, but these foods also contain many of the required vitamins and minerals that your body requires in absorbable forms. (grass-fed beef liver is natures true multi-vitamin, but more on this in a later post)
Despite the many diets out there, one of the most important factors to each of these diets, are the complete elimination, or drastic reduction in junk food. This will include candy, chips, popcorn, ice cream, milk shakes and soda. You can get creative and substitute these highly palatable foods with fruits and vegetable snacks instead. I know this doesn’t sound as appetizing as a cookie dough ice cream, but your waist line and health will thank you for it.
Instead of sodas you can drink water or even add high quality electrolytes supplements with water for flavor. You will find this makes a huge difference in your sugar intake. You will feel healthier and have more energy when you change your diet with these small changes. At first you may feel a little different from the removal of some of these foods, but this will soon pass and your body will work better and more efficiently. You will have more energy and feel like an entirely new, better person.
Remember, looking after your health and staying fit is an investment in yourself and something you should not neglect. The longer you go with unhealthy eating habits and lifestyle patterns, you will find that you’ll likely regret it later in life. Diet is one part of staying healthy that does not take much time and you will reap the benefits throughout your life once you get into a good habit. With these few points you can make huge strides towards staying healthy and being able to do the things you want to do.
Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach 