Your Diet – Do and Don’t
As your trainer, I will never ever tell you to go on a diet; let alone a detox diet or “Hollywood” diet, colon cleanse, or liquid/juice diet! However, detoxing your body by limiting some of these unnatural (and natural) ingredients will help you feel better and perform better in your workouts and your every day life.
DON’T use these in excess or even at all!
- Salt- learn to appreciate the natural flavors of the food you are eating. If you crave salt, try cooking with strong herbs and spices to replace the salt.
- Monosodium Glutamate (Msg)- is a flavor enhancer that is added to so many of our foods (Chinese food, processed meats, chips, crackers (even flavored Triscuits and wheat thins), canned vegetables, canned soups, and many more). Msg has been know to cause things like headaches, bloating, sweating, nausea, and rapid heartbeats. The FDA has said that Msg is safe to add to our foods, however it is not natural…..so you might as well just stay away.
- Alcohol- can be okay for your in moderation. Besides the empty calories, if you over indulge in alcohol, you will pay the price! Not only will you most likely have a terrible headache and hangover, you are more likely to eat bad foods late at night or the morning after a binge drinking night. Alcohol can make you feel bloated and lethargic. For those of you who like to drink a lot of alcohol at one time, it can have many health effects on your body. To name a few: arthritis, increase risk in liver, pancreas, breast, mouth cancers, raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose (sugar), kidney disease….and I could go on and on. So, if you are going to have a drink, remember to alternate each drink with a glass of water.
- Saturated fat- This type of fat comes from animal fat, most of the time. Saturated fat is typically not good for us because it raises our total cholesterol levels and LDL’s (bad) which can increase your chance of heart disease. Bad fats can also increase your chances of type 2 diabetes.
- Trans fat- This is a type of fat that occurs naturally in some foods, especially foods from animals. But most trans fats are made during food processing through partial hydrogenation of unsaturated fats. This process creates fats that are easier to cook with and less likely to spoil than are naturally occurring oils. These trans fats are called industrial or synthetic trans fats. Research studies show that synthetic trans fat can increase unhealthy LDL cholesterol and lower healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. This can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. -Mayo Clinic
- Processed Sugars- After every meal, do you crave something sweet? If so, try eating fruit instead of processed junk food. The junk foods give you empty calories. Sugar in excess can increase your chances of having type 2 diabetes.
- Artificial sweetness- When you are trying to watch your weight and cut those calories, often times artificial sweeteners come into your diet. Sweeteners have been the subject of scrutiny for many years. Many people claim that they cause many health problems, including cancer. A lot of times artificial sweeteners will cause you to feel bloated or gassy. If you are feeling a little bloated, try cutting back on the sweeteners and eat more fruits and veggies.
DO Practice these habits
- Eat fresh, natural unprocessed foods- More bang for your buck! That’s right. If you stick to foods that have not been processed, you will get more nutrition in a less amount of calories. This translates to: you can eat more in quantity for less calories. So chow down on those fruits, veggies, lean proteins, beans, and nuts. Your body will thank you.
- Drink plenty of water- I know that drinking water keeps coming up in my posts, but that is because I truly believe that by drinking A LOT of water, it will help you not only keep your weight in check, but also get rid of toxins.
- Eat Often- Your diet should consist of 3 larger meals (about 300-450 calories/meal) and 2 smaller snacks or meals (about 100-200 calories/ meal). You should know how many calories you need in a day and about how many calories you burn in your cardio sessions and workouts. If you do not know either of these numbers, it is a good idea to figure them out and you can do so by going to the “Tools” page.
- Eat good for you fats- Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated fats. These fats help regulate blood sugar control and also may help improve cholesterol levels. Foods like Avocado, olive oil, olives, nuts, flax seed, fatty fish.
Remember, NEVER cut your calories below 1,000. If you were to lay on the couch all day long and not move a finger, you would still need at least 1,000 calories. Your body uses energy to pump your heart, circulate your blood, breathe, brain function, etc. If you go below 1,000 calories you body will go into starvation mode and your body will start eating away at your lean muscle. Not to mention that you will probably be grumpy, have zero energy, and not be a fun person to be around. You are smarter than that so give your body exactly what it deserves for working hard for you all day long and that is the proper nutrition……AND, every once in a while something like chocolate, chick fil a, or ice cream if you are craving it. Remember, everything in MODERATION is OK! Chow.
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