Eat Lots Of Vegetables!

The best way to eat is lots of vegetables, a couple of fruits, some animal protein, an egg or two, some nuts and seeds, and plenty of healthy fat every day. I know there are so many schools of thought when it comes to the ideal diet. The last 20 years could not be any more confusing for the average person looking to lose some weight and eat healthy. After studying nutrition in school, then reading just about every best selling diet book that was published and finally using my experience working with a few hundred personal training clients over the years, I have concluded that eating whole natural foods are the way to go.

You have to eat a rainbow of colorful vegetables every day. Vegetables offer excellent nutritional value with minimal calories. Vegetables are my favorite source of carbohydrates. They provide steady energy, and are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, while very low in calories. All vegetables are good for you but check out my list of the Top 10 Healthiest Vegetables.

Some of my best friends are vegetarians; however, and they will not agree with me but lean organic meats are a great way to get your protein. Lean cuts of red meat, chicken, pork, wild game, fish and whole eggs are all healthy ways to get your protein, iron and healthy fats. I’m not talking about eating a 16-ounce steak every night for dinner or a double bacon hamburger for lunch every day. What I’m talking about is four to six ounces of chicken, fish or meat per serving. Small servings of meat can go a long way to fill your protein requirements. Check out this article Do Athletes Need more Protein. It will give you an idea about how much protein you need even if you’re not an athlete.

Keep an eye on the amount of fat you are eating but don’t be overly concerned if you are at a healthy weight. Most of my calories come from the healthy fat in my diet, even though my diet compared to conventional wisdom is high in fat. I usually keep my body fat around 9% to 10%. My cholesterol is always good and I’m in my late forties. The only time I get into trouble is when I start eating too many grains or drinking beer. Most of the fat in your diet should be in the form of Omega 3’s and monounsaturated oils. Some saturated fats are ok as long as you don’t over do it. But at all cost avoid trans-fats that are found in processed food like cakes and cookies, and limit your intake of high omega-6 oils.

This Principle is all about avoiding processed foods and replacing them with whole natural foods. When you eat simple whole foods you can’t go wrong.

Source: Mike Cola, Personal Trainer