11 tips for improving your diet
First of all I don’t like using the word “diet”, because it implies that “you’re on a diet”, and everyone knows that just mentioning the word diet conjurer up negative thoughts. After all “diet” is a four-letter word. I only used it to get your attention and it seems the word “diet” does have our attention. I googled the word “diet” just now and got 466,000,000
results; everything from diet plans, pills, recipes and tips, etc., no wonder that the word “diet” is a daunting thought to digest. I prefer to simply call this basic activity we all do multiple times a day… “EATING”. That’s it… just eating, i.e., “what are you gonna eat today?”
I get asked all the time. “Well Lee what do you eat then?” “It seems like you’re telling me everything I’ve been eating is bad for me, so what do you eat?” You can skip to #10 below if you want some food choices right now. Well the answer is not all that easy, but what is a little easier is learning a few basic con- cepts that will frame all your eating and I tell anyone that is interested these 11 easy ways to eat healthier and improve their health:
1. Eat More whole foods
Start eating Whole Foods. Foods that are unprocessed and have no additives or chemicals and have their enzymes intact are called whole foods. This means avoiding foods that are in a box, bag or can or otherwise processed. Also avoid eating foods that are microwaved too. Avoid foods that are highly heated and “pasteurized” as the process of high heating destroys the enzymes. Avoid junk foods. Most fast foods may also be a junk food. Look into the calories, salt (white-bleached, iodized, highly processed, and the only kind found in processed foods and restaurants & not the healthy pink sea salt I recommend-which is actually good for you) and saturated fat content present in the fast food you are eating.
Eating whole foods allow you to know exactly what you’re eating. Less reading ingredients on the side of the boxes, bags or cans. Think of eating the way food show up in nature… raw, unprocessed and unrefined:
• Whole grains avoid (if you can’t avoid substantially limit) wheat and gluten grains. • Fruits and vegetables (unless you have your own garden or go to your local farmers market try to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables. If you can’t buying frozen vegetables is a good option)
• No dairy unless it is raw, unpasteurized and non-homoge- nized. Otherwise I suggest no dairy products. 2. Read the nutrition label
If you must eat out of a box, bag or can please read the nutri- tion label. Don’t ignore the nutrition label. Understanding the nutrition label is crucial for anything you plan on putting your mouth and is essential to good health. Tips on understanding the nutrition label.
3. Eat foods that crunch
Believe it or not, eating crunchier foods can help you curb your cravings and make you feel more satisfied. Eating crunchi- er foods will also make you chew more, which helps the diges- tive process and helps you get more nutrients out of your food (see #6 below). There are many foods with great texture and crunchiness. Some excellent simple choices are carrots, celery, apples, walnuts.
4. Don’t eat late at night
The late night meal or snack is something we are all very familiar with and, lets face it - we all do it. Late night snacking is
26 USA Wrestler
a key contributor to obesity and unwanted weight gain. A late night snack before bed isn’t so bad every once in a while, as long as you are eating healthy foods that are easy to digest. Eating healthy foods late at night, however, can be beneficial and necessary right after a hard workout. The main problems with late night snacking contribute to: • Giving your body more calories than it needs. • Eating unhealthy, calorie dense foods to satisfy a craving. • Making bad food choices, especially when out late at night because most places that are open late at night offer foods that have high saturated fat content and little to no nutritional value. 5. Eat healthier snacks
Making the effort to eating healthy meals is destroyed by con- tinual snacking throughout the day (in between those healthy meals) on things like chips and candy. A daily “healthy” snack isn’t so bad and it can even prevent overeating during meal time if it’s a healthy foods like: • Strawberries, cantaloupes, mixed vegetables like broccoli,
carrots and cauliflower, oranges, bananas, peanuts A quick and easy way to eat healthier is to snack healthier. 6. Thoroughly chew your food when eating Completely chewing your food can help you feel satisfied
sooner. If you eat at a fast pace without properly chewing the food, you run the risk of eating more than you actually need to. Chewing your food properly also helps your body breakdown and digest food and allows your digestive process to work the way is was designed to.
7. Eat most of your calories, stop drinking your calories Many people add such a large amount of excess calories to their daily diet by drinking beverages other than water. A soda or a sugary latte will not make you feel full. If you get tired of plain water or just want a little taste you can add a slice of lemon or a few drops of organic peppermint oil, or pink sea salt to your water.
8. Eat five or six small meals per day
Splitting your meals into smaller portions and eating five to six meals a day, instead of the standard three meals a day, is a quick and easy way to eat healthier.
The five to six meals a day plan will prevent you from overeating because it will curb your hunger and cravings before they get out of hand.
Eating small, frequent meals throughout the day can also help boost your metabolism by giving your body a constant sup-
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