8 Nutrition ideas for losing fat and improved health
Here are just a few basic nutritional guidelines that you can apply today to start eating a healthy balanced diet full of all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients your body needs for optimal wellbeing. If used with a regular program of exercise you can lose fat, increase your energy levels and give you a better sense of wellness.
1. Eat a mixture of foods, especially colorful fruits and vegetables for a wide variety of nutrients and a small amount of calories per serving. Also condiments such as low-sugar tomato sauce and salsa can help increase the nutrient content and taste factor of a meal. Fruits that are nutrient dense include raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries, while other fruits such as grapefruit, oranges, and apples contain high levels of the soluble fiber pectin that helps slow digestion and gives you a sense of fullness.
2. Avoid foods that contain trans-fats (also known as trans-fatty acids or hydrogenated fats). This relates to most processed convenience foods found in a bag or a box (chips, crackers, fries, pastries, etc.) as well as a good number of margarines. Learn to read food labels; trans-fats currently aren’t listed in the nutritional facts for most foods!
3.Try to eat 3 moderate meals and 2-3 small snacks each day rather than 2-3 large meals. To achieve this goal an element of forward planning will be necessary . Eat soon after waking up, and then every 3-4 hours thereafter until you go to bed. Smaller, more regular meals help you use all nutrients better, retain more vitamins, and control your blood sugar levels. Controlling your blood sugar is a key to avoiding hunger and fatigue
4. When eating out at a restaurant, take care to avoid excess sugar, fat, or extra large . Restaurant meals are often too big to eat in one sitting and contain more than enough food for one person. It’s key that you identify the pitfalls of dining out. Stick with the foods recommended by nutritionists as often as you can: healthy, high-fiber and low sugar whole foods such as lean protein, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and whole grains.
5.Consume healthy fats from olive oil, nuts, salmon, and omega-3 fortified eggs. Nuts and olive oil are high in monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fats are associated with good cardiovascular health. Excellent sources of monounsaturated fats include olive oil,walnuts and almonds. Instead of eating a bag of chips, eat ½ ounce of nuts (10-12 almonds).
6. Avoid drinking your calories – keep away from soda and sugary drinks. Limit your alcohol intake. Each shot of alcohol, glass of beer or wine is about 150 calories. If you add a mixer to the drink, this can take the amount of calories to between 300-1000 calories per drink. It’s very easy to see how alcohol intake can add up fat gain. Restricting your alcohol and sugary beverage intake will help you lose pounds of fat in a very short time.
7. Research has shown that the caffeine content of over the counter coffees can vary on a daily basis depending on water content and brewing time. One day you might get up to 600mg of caffeine in a grande coffee while on another day only 200mg (which is already a high amount)! Keep track your caffeine intake if you use a food log (I recommend that you do) and be sure to take notice of the extra calories that are added to beverages in the form of cream and sugar – these add up really quickly before you know it and can have a negative impact on trying to lose fat.
8. Do the family grocery shopping on your own. Research suggests that adults spend more money at the supermarket when they shop with their kids and are more prone to buy high-calorie foods. On your own you’re likely to just buy the foods on the shopping list. Buy fewer labels and fewer products containing sugar. This means buy as much whole raw foods as possible, the less refined packaged food you and your family eats the better.
Applying all of these tips or just a handful of them can really make a difference when trying to lose fat or looking to feel better. A good balanced diet is more than just about improving your appearance it is vital to maintain a healthy functioning body and mind helping to prevent illness, slow down aging, stay active, combat stress and perform well. With these sort of benefits isn’t it time you changed your eating habits …your body will thank you for it.
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