NUTRITION FUNDAMENTALS

I'm gonna try to keep it short and sweet today. 

There is so much going on in EVERYONE'S life right now that finding the time to read a blog post (or writing one) can feel like a hassle.

So today I'm making it easy. And this is also reiterating a post I wrote a couple of months ago on healthy eating and nutrition, No Such Thing As The Best Diet. 

Building on that post, I wanted to add a few things that would be considered Nutrition Fundamentals that are true of ANY eating pattern (diet) you follow, whether it's Paleo, Keto, Vegetarian, Vegan, Mediterranean, etc. 

Nutrition Fundamentals:

1. Emphasize Whole Foods - Eat the baked potato instead of the tator tots.

2. Get Enough Quality Protein - Legumes, Poultry, Fish, Lean Beef, Lean Pork and Eggs are good examples of quality (less fatty) proteins.

3. Incorporate LOTS of Vegetables - Eat a rainbow of vegetables and fruits to make sure you're hitting as many vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, antioxidants, fiber, and other healthy nutrients as possible.

4. Prioritize High Nutrient Density - If you're going for the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, try to choose whole wheat bread over bleached (and nutritionally empty) white bread, natural peanut butter with less sugar and additives, and a lower sugar jelly. Or if you're craving something salty as a snack, maybe try salted almonds or air-popped popcorn instead of potato chips.

5. Eat Slowly Until Satisfied - The slower you eat, the sooner your stomach will feel full and the sooner you will reach satiety. 

6. Minimize Processed Foods - If you're craving something sweet, try to eat the apple before reaching for the Poptarts.

These are the basics of ANY healthy eating pattern. Trying any ONE of these things will help you toward better nutrition and healthier behaviors.

They don't all have to be done at once. In fact, not many people are doing every one of these things on a daily basis for every bite of food they take.

But if you want to start making these changes in a way that is long-term and sustainable, here are a few tips to get started.

1. Start with ONE new daily practice. It can be to eat slowly until you feel full (NOT stuffed). It can be adding more veggies to your diet. Just pick ONE and do it CONSISTENTLY for a few weeks.

2. Make the new practice as EASY as possible. If you're trying to eat more quality protein, maybe add it to your lunch each day, or a high protein snack in the afternoons. But whatever it is, start SMALL and set yourself up for success. There is actually an entire book written by B.J. Fogg called Tiny Habits. And the entire premise is that small changes lead to BIG success if done consistently over time and making it very small and easy to do!

Which leads right into....

3. Go For CONSISTENCY, not perfection. If you try to eat five servings of veggies every day and it's just not working for you, it's totally fine to scale back to four, or three, or whatever works for you. If you don't TOUCH veggies, but find that you can handle eating baby carrots in the afternoons as a snack, GO FOR IT. Build from there. Don't expect to be perfect as you start out. Just shoot for consistency.

And remember, making changes that last takes TIME. Quick fixes come and go, but LASTING changes take effort and time to make it happen. And trying it this way won't make you feel miserable, you won't feel deprived, and you can figure out what works best for YOU!

Until next time....