After laying out my 5 keys to weight loss, I realized that each of those points would eventually need to be further explained. As such, I will first speak in more depth about what I feel is the most important part in leading a healthy life: food.
It’s amazing how complicated a topic such as food can be, but even in my own studies, it takes countless sources and a variety of opinions before one can come out with worthwhile information, and even then there may be a study coming out next week debunking the last most probable data. Either way, there are a few things that I do feel confident in saying when it comes to eating. As I said before, if you eat more than you expend, weight loss can never be achieved. What I would like to focus more on, however, is how to get the right foods, therefore promoting proper caloric intake, and also helping you to lose fat, since that is really what people want when they are trying to lose weight.
The guiding principles behind a healthy diet and fat loss reside in finding foods that are naturally produced and provide more for you than just you carbs, protein or fat for the day. When it comes to eating, vegetables are king. Eat as many veggies as you can and you will be on the right track. Spinach, avocadoes, tomatoes (though technically a fruit), broccoli, zucchini, red and green pepper, carrots, and cauliflower are just some of the many types of foods that you could stuff yourself with all day and end up with a very healthy body.
Another important plant group is fruit. While I would encourage you to enjoy fruit throughout the day, fruit should not be consumed in the same manner as vegetables. The difference is that fruit is high in sugar. It’s true that when you eat fruit it’s not the same as eating a spoonful of table sugar, but sugar is sugar, and too much can unhealthy. I will explain the dangers of sugar later, but for now, 2-4 pieces of fruit per day is going to be a safe bet. My personal favorites include: watermelon, grapefruit, cantaloupe, strawberries, raspberries, mango, blueberries, apples, and bananas. These are a great substitute for dessert if you are a real sweets lover.
I would also recommend getting some good lean meat in your diet. Unless you are vegetarian, where beans and nuts are your main sources of protein, it is just easier to make sure you are getting all of the essential amino acids by eating meat. Chicken, lean beef, fish, and dairy products are good choices. This doesn’t mean that just because you eat meat you cannot have beans or nuts. These are both healthy food items that should not be neglected.
The last type of food to include in your diet is grains. Now this one can be tricky because it is easy to get into trouble with sugars again when you start eating grain products. That is why I recommend whole grain items, mostly from whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, brown rice, and whole grain oatmeal. When you eat whole grains, you are eating more than just the starch (which is basically a string of sugar bundled up together)—you are getting fiber, vitamins, and minerals that keep the sugar from hitting you system as fast.
These are my recommendations for eating, but diet is a lifelong experiment. You must discover for yourself which foods are most enjoyable, manageable, and available. Remember the guiding principle of natural foods with lots of veggies, but discover the details of your diet for yourself. As this post is already long enough, I will save the rest of my thoughts for next week. For now, start thinking about which parts of your diet are healthy, and which parts you might want to change. It is important to be mindful of what goes into our bodies; otherwise we are at the mercy of our cravings to determine what we eat. Check in next week where I will speak more specifically about the affects of sugar and fat in ones diet. Good luck and happy eating!
-Colin
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