Nutrition Basics, Part II
In part I, I discussed all of the technical mumbo jumbo of basic
nutrition. Here's something a bit easier to digest:
If you have to eat fast food for breakfast or for lunch, which
I highly do not recommend, but I realize that there are times
that it is unavoidable, avoid the breads and the fried potatoes.
Here are some tips when eating out at fast food restaurants:
- Substitute! Some restaurants will let you substitute a salad
for french-fries. Some will also let you substitute a bottle of
water for a soda in their value meals.
- Try eating your hamburger without the bun! Most fast food
places are prepared today to serve up your burger minus the bun,
they'll even give you a fork and knife.
- This doesn't mean that every time you eat out you will have to
avoid the fries, but more often than not if you choose the
salad, your body will think more kindly of you. When you get the
fries, get the regular or small size, do not super size any
thing.
Breakfast tips:
1. As you've no doubt heard, breakfast is the most important
meal of the day. When you are working hard, you need
nourishment, no matter what you are working on! Eating a good
breakfast will provide you with the sustained energy you need to
last the morning with good mental and physical acuity.
2. Have some source of protein in the morning. You need more
than a bowl of cereal and milk or some toast. These things will
burn off fast and will not last you over 1-2 hours. Having some
eggs with whole grain bread or muffin or even some breakfast
meat (not bacon) should get you off to a good start.
3. Here's something easy for those mornings you are running out
the door. The next time you buy a dozen eggs, hard boil them all
and leave them in the fridge. Hard-boiled eggs are easy to grab
and take with you when you're in a hurry.
Lunch time tips:
Lunch is hard because sandwiches and hamburgers are very easy
to take with you . The best thing to do is to eat left overs
from last nights dinner. If you make a sandwich, use whole or
sprouted grain breads, and use and abundance of vegetables on
them.
Dinner time:
--If you haven't already throughout the day looked at your food
in the 30-30-40 paradigm, it is very important to do so now.
Have a portion of meat, a serving size of meat is about 4oz or
about the size of a deck of cards. Have some raw vegetables like
a green salad, eat some slightly steamed veggies too. On the
veggies and salad you can have some fat, like a tablespoon of
butter or some salad dressing. Stick close to the serving size
portion on the labels or just under that amount.
What to drink?:
1. Any good nutritionist is going to tell you to drink plenty
of water. I'm really not going to defer from that rule of thumb,
but I'll give you a few choices:
-- 1st choice Water.
-- 2nd choice....water.
-- 3rd choice........water!! (smile)
2. It is imperative that your body is provided water. Drink
filtered water, because it's filtered and because it tastes
better than tap water. Try and avoid bottled water as much as
you can, it's not all it's cracked up to be. Take a look at
http://www.wellnessfilter.com/index.asp
3. Here is an easy formula to follow for daily water
consumption: take your body weight and divide it in half, this
is the amount in ounces your should consume each day. Example:
160/2 = 80 oz. Which is 10 cups or 5 pints or 2.5 32oz-water
bottles. However you need to measure it out, just do it. Your
body will get used to the liquid after a few days and you will
crave the water!
4. Soda's and pop deplete your system of all the nutrients that
you are trying to gain from eating a good diet, only let
yourself have them on special occasions.
Snacks:
1. Do you snack? It is okay to snack, especially if you have a
strenuous job, you'll need to keep up your energy. If you aren't
burning the calories with your job, you may think about having
smaller meals so that you can includes snacks in your day
without worrying about the extra calories.
2. What are some good snacks? Nuts and seeds, raw and unsalted
are the best, try not to eat too many salted nuts. Raw veggies
or some yogurt (avoid the aspartame).
3. Beware of energy snack bars, they usually contain a high
amount of sugar or refined carbs. They may also give you a quick
burst of energy, but it doesn't last long. Try instead, making
your own trail mix with nuts and dried fruit, putting it into a
baggie to bring with you.
4. Carry fresh fruit in your bag or car. When I was pregnant, I
never left home without a bottle of water or a snack like a
banana in the car with me.
5. If you are eating smaller meals because you are trying to
lose some weight, it's imperative that you eat small snacks
between meals to keep your metabolism moving so that you burn
fat and not muscle.
6. Meal replacement shakes, I've found, are not for everyone.
They usually don't replace the meal, but they can be good
snacks. Look at the labels carefully, some meal replacement
shakes have a ton of sugar in them, and not enough protein.