Nutrition 101 - Beginners Guide To Nutrient Dense Foods & Healthy Meal Plans
Remember, food is fuel. You need to eat the right food to fuel and energize your body throughout the day and through your workouts. Think of your body like a high performance race car. Always use the highest octane fuel in order to get the best results. This is a good analogy to use when thinking about what foods to put into your body. Always use nutrient dense power foods to provide enough energy (octane) to really boost your performance so you can run at optimal levels.
Key factors to include in your high performance nutrition plan:
Eat a nutrient dense meal every 2-3 hours
Eat 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day
Learn how many calories your body needs per day
Include a lean protein source at each meal
Eat enough protein for your bodyweight (chart below)
Drink at least drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day
Make sure to eat a nutrient dense healthy breakfast
Eliminate processed sugars from your dietary plan
Your Training Goal Daily Protein Needs
Bodybuilding 1.0 - 1.6g/lb bodyweight
Power & Speed 0.9 - 1.1g/LB bodyweight
Dieting 0.35 - 1.0g/LB bodyweight
Endurance 0.7 - 0.9g/LB bodyweight
Trauma Recovery 0.9 - 1.4g/LB bodyweight
Stressed 0.45 - 0.7g/LB bodyweight
Focus on nutrient dense foods which includes lean protein, whole grain carbs and the right kind of fats. You need food to fuel your body and increase your metabolism. The less you eat, the lower your BMR gets and your body eventually goes into a starvation mode where it holds onto fat as much as possible.
Remember to "eat breakfast like a king and dinner like a peasant". Your breakfast should be large and each meal after this becoming smaller and smaller. Your dinner should be much smaller than your breakfast. Your body is slowing down at night and doesn't need high calories to fuel it. Stick with a salad with lean meat (chicken, turkey) and steamed veggies.The main focus should be eating clean nutritious food while eliminating all the empty calories from your nutritional plan.
Lean Protein Sources (chicken breast, turkey breast, fish, egg whites)
Healthy Starchy Carbohydrates (brown rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal)
Lean Fibrous Veggies (broccoli, mushrooms, squash, zucchini)
Fiber Packed Fruit (apples, berries, oranges, grapes)
Healthy Fats (flaxseed oil, avocados, walnuts, olive oil)
