Eating Healthy

For June the challenge is to eat healthy. I figured since last month we incorporated cardio that it would be a great idea to double down on getting fit and healthy this summer. Bonus points for you if you are continuing the cardio trend (I am). As a side note I found that doing thirty minutes of treadmill on a steep incline at 3mph is the sweet spot for me. It’s difficult, but not too hard and the time goes by quickly because I watch an episode of a show. 🙂 

How to eat healthy

Copyright © 2008. For more information about The Healthy Eating Pyramid, please see The Nutrition Source, Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, www.thenutritionsource.org, and and Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy, by Walter C. Willett, M.D., and Patrick J. Skerrett (2005), Free Press/Simon & Schuster Inc.”

Most people have some idea about what healthy eating is, but just incase you don’t I will go over the basics.

  • Eat lots of protein
  • Eat lots of vegetables
  • Dairy is good if you can tolerate it
  • Fruits are good in moderation
  • Whole grains are good, make sure to get your fiber somehow
  • Stay away from simple sugars, only eat these for a treat not in excess
  • Oils are okay, but have a lot of calories so use sparingly
  • Try to keep your salt intake low-moderate, you need more salt if you are exercising/sweating more often
  • Lastly, and most importantly, if you want to lose weight eat less calories than you burn a day, if you want to gain weight eat more calories than you burn a day

 

Guidelines I follow

I focus on protein. At minimum I like to eat at least my body weight in grams of protein a day. So if I weigh 170lbs I would like to eat at least 170 grams a protein daily. I workout though so I need lots of protein. Women can eat .8 grams of protein per lb of bodyweight. 

I eat lots of veggies and fruits. Veggies are low in calories, but high in nutrients so they are really good to eat. Fruits are high in sugar and calories, but have good vitamins that we need. I love fruit and can’t help myself. So for my diet I take this into account and cut back on other areas to make up for the fruit. 

I also eat a decent amount of dairy daily. Mainly to get my calcium and extra protein. 

I love sweets, but try to keep them to a minimum. 

I eat oatmeal or rice sometimes,  but I tend to keep my intake of grains low. 

I also track my calories when I can to make sure I am meeting my calorie goals.

So to make it simple just 

  • Eat 1 gram protein for lb of LEAN bodyweight. If you are heavy you don’t have to eat quite as much 
  • Get about 20% of your daily intake of calories from fat. Fat is important for hormone balance so you need to get some
  • Eat carbs to finish up your calorie goals. More carbs for gaining weight and less carbs for losing weight.
  • Stay away from fast foods and sweets 
  • Drink 1/2 to 1 full gallon of water daily for proper hydration and sufficient vitamin and mineral transport 

Follow these rules and add in your cardio and maybe even some weight lifting and you will have the body you want. It takes time though it’s important to be consistent and do this for the long run. Lasting change is slow so don’t get discouraged if you don’t see changes immediately. You can do it!

 

There you have it a quick and simple guide to getting into the shape you’ve always wanted. Even if it’s just cutting out a few meals of fast food this month, it’s a step in the right direction and you can meet your health goals if you’re willing to put in the effort!

Feel free to contact me if you would like more information or advice.

If you could drop a like and share this post I would appreciate it!

You can see last month’s challenge below.

Should I Do Cardio?