By: Taylor Empey, Nationally Certified Fitness Trainer and Nutrition Specialist
ISSA – CFT, SFN, SET, SSN, and Elite Trainer Level I
In this week’s fitness post, I’m giving you some seriously effective nutrition advice in a simple format so here are some quick questions to ask yourself each day to help you keep your eating habits on the right track. If your answers don’t correspond with those provided below then simply adjust your nutrition habits accordingly to reflect them.
When Did You Last Eat?
If it’s been longer than 3-4 hours, then it’s time to eat again. Meal frequency keeps your blood sugar more stable throughout the day, thus preventing spikes, lows, and cravings, and helping to keep you on track with your meal plan.
Where Is The Complete Protein?
Are you about to eat at least 1 serving of complete protein? If not, you need to eat some. Healthy lean protein sources help elevate your metabolic rate so you can burn more calories, they develop and maintain lean muscle, and they also help curb appetite.
– 1 serving of protein for women is about 20-30g.
– 1 serving of protein for men is about 40-50g.
Where Are The Veggies?
Are you about to eat at least 2 servings of veggies? Prepare them any way you like (except boiling), but eat them with every meal or snack. If you’re going to live a health-and-fitness-oriented lifestyle, you need to make sure you are getting adequate micronutrients from veggies.
– 1 serving is about 1 cup and your target is 5-10 cups of veggies per day.
Where Are The Healthy Carbs?
If you haven’t worked out yet, you should not eat dense carbs like pasta, bread, rice, or other starchy carbs. Focus on eating 1-2 servings of fruits and veggies instead. If you’ve just worked out, then you may eat a variety of healthy carb choices including some dense carbs.
Where Are The Healthy Fats?
Make sure you are getting an adequate amount of healthy fats from animal sources, oils, nuts, and seeds. Spread them throughout the day, but make sure to add them into your diet. Remember you need to eat healthy fats in order to burn fat.