Nutrition Instead Of A Diet

“You are what you eat” they say, so does that make you a chicken if you eat poultry?  Maybe not, but what you eat definitely determines the way you look and feel about yourself.

Let’s start this article with probably the most overused and misunderstood word in the English
vocabulary: Diet.

The Encarta world English dictionary describes the word diet as ‘food or drink that is intended for
people to lose weight’.
 
Newsflash: Forget dieting. It doesn’t work. The problem with dieting is that it has to end at some point.

Excuse my use of pun, but if you look at the first three letters of the word its ‘die’.

Instead of dieting, look at your nutrition plan as an eating blueprint for life. Something that lasts longer.

Finding the balance between healthy eating, exercise and the foods you love will allow you to live and perform better, be it at work, sport or life’s daily activities.

Below are listed 6 best on improving your nutrition plan and lifestyle.
 
1. Plan ahead
Start with making a list of all the healthy options you can think of and that could help you improve your energy and lifestyle demands.
Secondly, plan your meals and snacks ahead of time. Finding healthy food on the road can be a nightmare, so If you’re going to be away all day, make sure you prepare your food before you leave home. Make healthy choices that keep you well-nourished and energized throughout the day.
 
2. The 80/20 rule
There is no perfect ‘diet’ or ‘nutrition plan’, so stop putting pressure on yourself. Nobody is perfect and no eating plan will be either
Aim for the 80/20 rule. That means staying on track 80% of the time and ‘letting go’ 20% to enjoy the ‘forbidden foods’.
Feeling guilty about having a treat now and again isn’t worth it. Allow yourself to have that chocolate when you feel you've deserved it. Believe me, if you are following the 80/20 rule you won’t see a difference. Also your body and mind needs treated from time to time.
 
3. Smarter, better options
Start with one less sugar in your coffee, low fat instead of full cream milk and order the sauce separate to the pasta. These small changes are what I mean when I talk about smarter choices that can make a difference to how you feel and look.
 
4. Forget what your mother told you
Instead of the traditional three big meals per day we were brought up on, eat smaller, more often. Aim to have 6 - 8 smaller meals per day. Here’s why:
By eating smaller portions more often spread across the day, allows you to burn fat more efficiently and provides the body with a steady energy flow in place of that heavy feeling you have after a big meal that requires more energy to digest.
 
5. Pro lean = Protein
Include a lean protein source with every meal. Options include chicken, fish and lean red meat.
These better choices provide a low fat and lean option of eating.
After exercise the body is in a catabolic state (the breakdown of muscle tissue). By taking 15 grams of protein, within 30 minutes of intense exercise, helps the body to recover faster and aids damaged muscle tissue. The easiest and best way after exercising or competing is to take a shake with a ratio of 80% protein to 20% carbs.
 
6. Hollywood
Next time you’re at the supermarket checkout, grab one of those magazines that most likely will have either Brad Pitt or Megan Fox on the cover. These magazines, like the fashion and fitness ones, all portray a false image of how one should look.

These Hollywood diets are quick fix, temporary solutions.

 

You should assess yourself on the effort you gave and took to reach your goal,

rather than the goal itself.

An extra one for the road: Become a ‘human doing’ instead of a ‘human being’.

by Utprabh Mohan, Marketing Executive