Before every exercise session it is essential that you fuel your body with protein and simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates(fruit, fruit juice, gatorade) will provide instant energy to your muscles. The protein will help you recover faster after your workout by rebuilding the muscle fibers damaged and in need of repair. A 4 to 1  carbohydrate to protein ration is recommended.

It’s not necessary to eat a full three course meal before your workout.  Meal replacement shakes or protein shakes can provide instant energy for your workout.  A glass of water with diluted fruit juice mixed with a scoop of  whey protein meal replacement mix will give you the ratios you want. Eating too much can cause gastric distress during your workout so keep it light and simple. If for some reason you don’t have access to a meal replacement shake or protein shake, a small apple or a banana will at least provide  enough energy to work hard.

Don’t be afraid to mix it up and find what works best for you.  Try different foods before your workouts and pay attention to how you feel. Avoid foods that make you nauseous or cause gastric discomfort. Some examples are: dairy products, foods with high fiber content or high-fructose foods (Candy, cookies, ect).

After your workout the cells in your body are on the hunt for nutrients to help your body recover.  The sooner you are able to get nutrients like protein into your body the more your body will be able to absorb and the faster you will recover. It is especially important to eat immediately after exercise if you weren’t able to eat before your workout. If you are consuming .8 grams of protein per lb of body weight each day, it is recommended that your pre and post workout protein consumption is between 20 and 45 grams.

Don’t workout without fuel in your body. Too many times people will wake up in the morning and go straight to their workout without eating anything. This practice is decreasing your results. Pre- and Post-Workout nutrition will allow you to see yourself perform better during your workout and recover much faster after your workout.

An Athlete’s Step by Step Guide to Meals that Maximize Performance

Like to cook? I hope so — but even if you don’t, if you’re an athlete, you need to take an interest in what goes into your mouth. You can’t put low quality fuel into your body and expect to receive high quality performance results. I like to tell athletes that they need to, in some sense, eat as if they were pregnant. Like pregnant women, athletes need to make every bite count. Every bite, if possible, should contain some nutritional value, because if you are putting your body through a punishing training regime on a regular basis, you will need to provide it with raw materials to repair damage and to build strong, pliable muscle tissues. Even if you don’t like to cook, you should be able to handle the following simple steps to a diet that will support your training:

Step 1. Base at least one of your meals each day — and preferably two — on green leafy vegetables, such as green leaf or romaine lettuce, parsley, spinach, kale, etc.

You could make a salad the basis of your meal, try making a green smoothie with LOTS of greens and some fruit, stir fry your greens, or add them to soup — whatever will get them into you on a regular basis. Green leafy vegetables contain nutrients that can help the mitochondria — the power generators — in your body’s cells work more efficiently, which means more energy, and better endurance, for you. Green leafy vegetables are also high in glutamine, an amino acid that helps the body to build more muscle mass. Green leafy vegetables, believe it or not, are excellent sources of protein. Think of green leafy vegetables, not bread, as the staff of life — and you’ll be off to an excellent start.

Step 2. Add a carotenoid-containing vegetable to every meal, if possible.

Carotenoids are the substances that add vibrant colors to foods. You can add carotenoids to a salad, stir fry or soup by simply dicing in some carrots, tomatoes, or sweet potatoes. Or you could try a serving of beets (if you’re into juicing your vegetables — a very healthful practice — add beets to the vegetables you are juicing). Why is this important? Adults who have plenty of carotenoids in their diets tend to have better hip, knee and grip strength as they get older. In addition, carotenoid-containing vegetables are high in potassium, a mineral that helps muscles to contract and relax more efficiently. Athletes who eat plenty of carotenoids tend to have higher concentrations of lean muscle mass in their bodies.

Step 3. Include high quality sources of protein in your diet, such as beans, nuts, lean meats, and the green leafy vegetables mentioned above.

You probably already know why — you need that protein to help you build muscle mass. If you are worried about intestinal gas caused by eating beans, try adding just a little bit of seaweed (kombu is a good choice) to the pot when you are cooking the beans. The enzymes in the seaweed will start to predigest the beans, so that they are a bit more digestible by the time they hit your intestines. Don’t look at me like that — seaweed is edible and delicious, but if you can’t stand the thought of eating it, add it to your cooking pot as a large piece instead of dicing it in like a spice. Then pull the whole piece of seaweed out before you dish out the beans — if you are cooking for guests, they need never know it was in there.

Step 4. Include complex carbohydrates, such as whole grain breads.

Carbohydrates are to an athlete what gasoline is to a car — an important source of energy that you simply must have. Have a slice of sprouted grain bread with your salad, have some brown rice with your stir fry, or have one of those new pastas that have bean flour mixed in (by using sprouted grain bread or a pasta that has bean flour mixed in, you can sneak a little more protein into your diet at the same time). But, if you are prone to irritable bowels, go gently on the whole grains, and opt for white rice or a slice of French bread instead.

Step 5. Make sure that you have a good quality fat, such as fish, avocados, nuts, olive oil, or even butter or cheese in your diet every day.

Remember, fat isn’t bad — you need it to fuel your cells, to provide your nervous system with the raw materials that it needs, and to help you feel satisfied from eating your meal — you’re only human. Moreover, many vitamins, such as vitamin A, are fat soluble, so you can add vitamin A to your diet by eating fish or putting butter on your bread. While you are at it, try adding nuts to your salad, or grate some cheese over it. When you stir fry vegetables, don’t skimp on the olive oil. You can add olive oil to soups and stews, too. Get in the habit of including a little bit of fat with every meal. Or, chase your meal with a nice piece of chocolate — one that contains 70% or more cacao — that much cacao is enough to make your chocolate bar into an antioxidant rich health food, so enjoy.

Why haven’t I added a step that says, “don’t forget the fiber”? Not because fiber isn’t important — but because if you complete the steps above, you will be getting plenty of it without even having to think about it. Likewise for vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients…you’ve got it covered!

Brett Warren is a biochemical engineer from Boston, Massachusetts who develops sports supplements for Force Factor. He has done extensive research on nutrition and is an expert on nutraceutical science. He also has a passion for fitness and health. Brett’s work at Force Factor is supplemented by an active family life with plenty of gym time and outdoor recreation.

Well, guess what? If you’re a food lover like me, getting your poolside-worthy figure can be easy. All you have to do?

Keep loving food.

(The right food.)

Getting Up Close and Personal with What You Eat

“Nutrients.” This word has almost been lost from our vocabulary, thanks to the nation’s widespread disconnect with our food sources (and our strange indifference to nutrition labels).

“According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics, the average American family spends 37 percent of its food dollars at restaurants and fast-food joints,” writes fitness go-to guy Joe Kita in the February issue of Reader’s Digest.

We eat out a lot. The problem with that, aside from a serious dent in our budgets, is that we become estranged from the food we’re putting in our bodies. We are forced to trust the contents of prepackaged and restaurant meals. Should we?

Another problem is that we’re slowly forgetting what real food tastes like. We’ve been conditioned to taste ingredients that simply aren’t there. Before we know it, we’ve counted guacamole Doritos as one of our daily vegetable servings, and chicken nuggets as a protein source.

The first step to slimming down: get closer to your food. Ask it some questions, like what are your nutritious properties? Where did you come from? How were you prepared? Kita’s advice is to eat at home more often than you eat out: the more healthy, home-cooked meals you have, the better you’ll be able to appreciate quality food and shun its chemically-manufactured cousins.

Where’s the Value, Again?

Feeling the economic pinch of the last two years, more Americans have been cruising the drive-thrus. The $4 billion spent annually on fast food advertising is reinforcing the idea that dollar menus are a windfall for the busy and the broke.

Even trusted health authorities are trying to fool us into enjoying fake food. Take a look at this surprising deal between McDonald’s and Weight Watchers. Starting in New Zealand, this renowned weight loss program has assigned points to McDonald’s menu items. Consumers recognize this sanctioning emblem and eagerly place their orders, thinking they’re on their way to losing weight. But Weight Watchers’ points system is leading you astray: it’s not enough to eat less crap. You’re still eating crap. And it’s still going to keep you out of that swimsuit.

I’m all for quick and cheap food, but fast food is not the solution: it isn’t quick, it isn’t cheap, and it isn’t food.

In less time than it takes to do the Wendy’s drive-thru loop, you can pack these healthy snacks into your lunch bag. That frees up your lunch break for something better, like taking a walk (double points!).

But I can have a “value meal” for under three bucks, you say? True, fast food can be cheap. The consequences of habitually eating out are not. Your health, mood and, of course, your figure will pay for it. And think of all the money you’ll fork out to undo the damage—doctor visits, prescriptions, weight loss programs… When you look at the bigger picture, devoting just a little more dough to quality food seems like pennies on the dollar, doesn’t it?

Worst of all, fast food is a grab bag. This I learned from working at a few fast food places as a teenager. In fact, that behind-the-scenes peek has cured many of their trust in fast food restaurants. Maybe you’re a risk-taker, or you just can’t kick your stubborn hankering for hamburgers. Well, when you decide you’re curious about what you’re eating, you might want to read this piece about the sketchy ingredients in popular fast food.

Forgive a Little

Back to loving food. A miserable food relationship is not the ticket to getting in shape. It usually makes the problem worse, provoking us to run with open arms right back to bad eating habits. So, instead of diving headfirst into a tyrannical diet, learn to love healthier food. This approach is sustainable for life! Appreciate the taste and appearance of fresh, healthy, high-quality ingredients. Junk food will start to look and taste gross pretty quickly, and voila! You have overcome the biggest obstacle between you and your coveted figure.

Real food—even the higher calorie stuff—is a hundred times better than non-food. So if you’re going to indulge in an occasional hamburger, have a hamburger, not a 20-ingredient “industrialized chemical.”

You don’t have to stay confined to fruits, veggies and whole grain toast; eat balanced meals with lots of variety. And it’s healthy to treat yourself to a few calorie-packed things you enjoy once in a while. Go with Ballantyne’s 90/10 rule: eat healthy 90% of the time, and give in to temptation the rest!

From IdealShape, more tips to slim down by loving what you eat.

Stubborn Cravings? Tell Your Brain Who’s Boss!

Pros and Cons of Weight Watchers

Should You Cut Carbs from Your Diet?

Exercise a considerable amount of damage to our muscles. To repair our muscles we need protein. Not only will protein repair damages in muscles, but it will also build more muscle to make them stronger, larger, and able to contract with greater force. Don’t worry protein isn’t going to make you bulk up into the Incredible Hulk, but it will help you stay lean and increase your metabolism making your body more efficient at burning fat.

To increase or maintain muscle mass it is recommended that you consume about .6 to .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight a day.  Bodybuilders will often intake 1 gram per pound of body weight.  For example, if an individual weights 200 lbs they should be eating between 120-160 grams of protein per day or between 480 and 644 calories.  It might seem like a lot of protein, but in a 2000 calorie diet,644 calories of protein is only 32% of calories consumed. You will be surprised how easy it is to reach your recommended dose, especially if you are supplementing your diet with a protein shake.

The best sources of protein are found in animals products such as whey, meat, cheese (cottage cheese) . When deciding what type of animal protein to eat a good rule to remember is, “The less legs the better”.  Fish have no legs and are probably the healthiest source of protein available, depending on how it is prepared. Chicken only has two legs and is also a good source of low fat protein, again, if it is prepared in the right way. Red meats from cows or pigs can also be healthy, but you need to make sure to buy the leaner cuts of meat.  There are proteins found in plant material, but these sources are usually lacking in essential amino acids and because of their fiber content, are not easily absorbed into the body.

To make sure you are getting the greatest benefits from your protein it is best to take  between 15 to 30 grams of protein 20-30 minutes before your workout or within 20 minutes after your workout. Pre- or Post-Workout shakes or meals should have both carbohydrates and protein. If your body doesn’t have enough carbohydrates your body will take protein from muscle to meet energy demands, which would completely destroy the purpose of eating protein in the first place.

You are doing a lot of hard work to meet your weight loss goals so don’t ruin your progress by not eating enough protein.

It’s true what you have heard about Breakfast, it is the most important meal of the day, and sadly, it continues to be the most skipped meal of the day. Believe it or not skipping breakfast can actually slow down the progress on your weight loss journey.

While we sleep our bodies will use the nutrients available to rebuild and heal our bodies. Because our bodies use these nutrients throughout the night, our bodies wake up in the morning with an empty tank.

An empty tank means that there is nothing left to fuel the brain and get our bodies movin and groovin. In it’s search for nutrients, one of the first places our bodies will turn to, when the tank is empty, is to our muscles.  In other words, our bodies begin to eat itself.

When our bodies have to use muscles(protein) for energy this decreases our muscle mass which causes our metabolism to slow down. Eating breakfast ensures that you are keeping your metabolism burning high and hot and keeping our weight loss progress going full speed ahead.

Some people will turn to caffeinated beverages to start off their day. While this may give you a boost and make you feel energized, it does not keep your body from taking nutrients from your muscle mass. Don’t rely on caffeine alone, make sure you are are getting healthy food into your body each morning.

It’s important that your breakfast is balanced with a combination of carbohydrates, proteins and good fats and fiber. Quaker Oats are probably the healthiest source of good breakfast carbohydrates. Plain old Cheerios are also a good source of carbohydrates in the morning. Other cereals are usually overly processed and packed with sugars and have little nutrient value.

Instead of drinking processed, sweetened fruit juice, try just eating the fruit itself. This will give you an unprocessed source of all those healthy vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. Good sources of protein in the mornings might include egg whites or low fat milk or your favorite protein shake mixed with berries or other fruity favorites.

It can be hard to find the time in the morning to prepare and eat breakfast, but if you are trying to lose weight and stay fit, it is crucial that you squeeze it into your schedule. Keep your breakfast natural and healthy and you will be setting yourself up for weight loss success.

Five Meals a Day

When trying to slim down, it can be dangerous to think of meals in terms of only breakfast, lunch and dinner. Oddly enough, to be successful at losing weight we need to increase our meals each day to five.  Kind of crazy, i know, but it will all make sense shortly.

Often times when eating three meals a day we allow ourselves to become ravenous between meals, which tends to make us over eat with each meal. This wouldn’t seen like a big problem if you were staying within your recommended calorie intake, but it can still cause problems.

The average person will only burn between 300-400 calories in a three hour period at rest, so anything eaten in excess of that will be stored away as fat and cause our metabolism to slow.

When we are trying to stay trim and lose weight the last thing we want our body to do is to store fat. We want to increase our metabolism so our bodies will burn and use nutrients as fast as possible to provide energy. We can increase our metabolism by making sure we eat small meals throughout the day and never allow ourselves to overeat.

Another mistake people make when trying to lose weight is starving themselves by drastically decreasing their daily calorie intake . By starving ourselves our body go into starvation mode and will begin to use muscle as an energy source, causing a decrease in a our lean muscle mass, which will decrease our metabolism. The more muscle mass we have the higher our metabolism and the more calories we are able to burn at rest so keep those muscles around.

The best way to make sure you are not overeating at each meal or allowing your body to go into starvation mode is by dividing your recommended daily caloric intake by five and make sure the calories of each of your meals does not exceed that number.

For example, a person who has a recommended caloric intake of 2000 calories per day would not want to eat more than 400 calories per meal. (2000/5=400)

Eating five small meals a day is like putting small logs on a burning fire. As soon as they hit the flames they are consumed. Keep the meals frequent and small and your metabolism will increase and your body will become efficient at turning food into energy instead of storing it away.

Does carbo-loading for marathons work? I asked sports nutrition gurus and scoured dozens of (ahem, rather dry) studies from research institutions around the world.

The verdict?

Sure it works. Sometimes. Unless you do it wrong. Or you’re a woman.

A brief history of carbo-loading

Carbo-loading has been a popular way to fuel for marathons, metric century bike rides and other endurance events since the 1950s.

Studies have found that the muscles are capable of stockpiling carbohydrate, or glycogen, is excess.

Many studies have also found that a carb surplus (what the big kids call “increased starting muscle glycogen”) can help stave off fatigue for those 4- or 5-hour treks to the finish line.

Thus, the concept of carbo-loading (aliases: carbohydrate loading, glycogen loading) came about.

Today, athletes swear by it, trainers tout it and research institutions back it up. But I’m not totally sold.

Why? Of the 25-odd carbo-loading studies I read through which showed improved energy, few actually quantified the improvement. And those that did, well, they reported energy extension ranging from 20%, to a paltry 2-3%.

Which begs: even if carbo-loading techniques do boost glycogen storage—and, in turn, do improve endurance performance—is it enough to make it worth the trouble?

How is gobbling Pasta Carbonara trouble, you ask? Well, let’s take a look at what the classic carbo-loading regimen entails.

Carbo-loading no cakewalk

The standard carbo-loading method calls for total carb depletion before you load. It’s not enough to simply up your carb intake before a big event—before you get to touch that five-pound baked potato, you have to earn it with five days of turkey, beans and protein bars.

Carb-starving yourself induces the muscles to ‘thirst’ for glycogen and in turn store up more than it would otherwise hold, Charla McMillian (author of Boot Camp Abs) explains.

To drain glycogen stores, the classic method begins one week prior to race day with a rigorous workout. On days 2-4, you’ll taper training and eat a low carb diet (roughly 10% of your intake). On days 5-7, you’ll ratchet down your physical activity to a minimum and skyrocket your carb intake—all the way up to 90% of your diet.

Hey, you say. One highly-regimented week doesn’t sound too bad. But how do fatigue, irritability and a weakened immune system sound? According to Joel Maloof, a sports health scientist, even a short period of severe carb depletion can cause all of the above pre-race joys.

Still might be worth it, you think?

Well what if I told you that following the carbo-loading regimen to a ‘T’ is no guarantee it’ll work?

A glimpse of the studies

The Sports Science Institute of South Africa reported that carbo-loading can sustain an athlete’s energy by up to 20%. So for a 90-minute run, you could add 18 more minutes of energy.

The Australian Institute of Sport also found carbo-loading to be an effective way to boost endurance. The same study found that eating carbs immediately before, during and after a workout can also keep an athlete going for hours. Gee. Why not skip the carb rollercoaster and just munch on cereal and sandwiches all day?

And what about the ladies? Well, I’m glad you ask… because most researchers don’t. The majority of carbo-loading studies use only male participants. Meanwhile, women may be scarfing double the carbs with nothing to show for it.

Apparently carbo-loading in women is a whole ‘nother ballgame. McMaster University conducted two female carbo-loading studies and found that women simply can’t store as much muscle glycogen as men. In fact, in its first study, after a 4-day carbo-loading regimen female participants came away with no glycogen surplus at all. Zilch.

Women might be able to boost our carbo-loading threshold, Baylor University found, if we simultaneously double up on calories. But wait. Does this open up the possibility that the energy boost some female athletes see “with carbo-loading” could actually be influenced by other factors—like eating more calories?

And then there was the University of Helsinki study. It concluded flat-out that carbo-loading doesn’t always cause higher muscle glycogen stores. It’s a crapshoot. (Side note: this was an all-male test group.)

…

If you’re itching to add a few more minutes to your next bike ride, you might give carbo-loading a try. But with results so iffy, and carb math that could make an engineer’s head spin (even with that handy-dandy carbo-loading calculator), then why bother?

Especially if there are simpler ways to keep your energy up—some of which still involve, thank goodness, a big bowl of fettuccini.

Related posts:

• Fitness deadline? Don’t wreck yourself
• 7 deadly sins of race training
• 3 lessons on increasing speed from Usain Bolt

You can see how it would get difficult to get a grip on reality when it comes to knowing how much food is appropriate, so I set out to find how much of certain foods is healthy.

First, however, it helps to have a strategy in place for practicing portion control. Try using smaller plates, bowls and glasses to regulate how much you eat at home, according to the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Also, by filling up half of your plate with veggies and fruits, you help yourself reduce the amount of calorie-laden starches, meats and sweets you consume, the ADA remarks. At restaurants, try sharing an entre with a friend or family member or take half your meal home in a to-go box, the CDC recommends. After all, most restaurant portions are far more than the average adult needs in a single meal. Another good tip is to keep a healthy snack on hand such as a piece of fruit, a serving of black beans or a handful of nuts for in between meals to take the edge off your hunger. This helps keep you from eating too much too fast at regular meals.

Now, let’s start with portion control of meat, typically the favorite thing on the plate for your average enthusiastic carnivore. The appropriate portion size for most meats is the size of a deck of cards, or the size of a checkbook if we’re talking about fish. So if you have visions of a steak covering three-quarters of your plate, you should probably share that T-bone with your spouse or a friend instead of gobbling it all down by yourself. Fill up instead on veggies, whole grains and other essential foods to complete your meal.

The next thing to think about is mixed foods, such as spaghetti & meatballs and cassaroles. Many people fill up their plate with foods like this and call it a meal. In reality, this should take up at most a half of your plate, depending on the calorie count, and your meal is likely incomplete without the addition of veggies.

Last but certainly not least, we look to the most overlooked food group veggies. The traditional USDA food pyramid suggests healthy adult men and women should eat between 2 to 4 cups (or more) of veggies a day. By one cup, the pyramid is talking about raw or cooked vegetables or veggie juice. For leafy greens, which are very important to a healthy diet, 2 cups of raw leafy greens constitute one cup in terms of the food pyramid, the USDA explains. Most people try to get by with a salad consisting largely of iceberg lettuce, but consider that iceberg lettuce has very small amounts of most nutrients with the exception of fiber, so sub in or mix in spinach, arugula and other greens in your serving of leafy greens. Remember: people are generally at less of a risk of overdoing it with vegetables than meats, breads, or desserts. I’ve learned from personal experience that your digestive system will let you know when you’ve had too many veggies and fruits!

Guest Author: Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online college. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com.

Journalist-turned-nutrition vigilante, Pollan wrote two food manifestos before Food Rules: The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food. Also involved in the documentary Food, Inc, Pollan is here to say WTF about our growing health problems and shrinking concern for nutrition.

Pollan wrote on Huffington Post that the American diet is hugely to blame for our health care crisis. He also said that having a healthy diet is much simpler than we’ve been led to believe. (There are those pesky marketing dollars again.)

I guess I was one of many duped into putting nutrition blinders on. I’ve been avoiding a full-on exam of my eating habits for years, fearing that it would lead me down a tunnel of complicated, waffling, paradoxical information. Maybe I was afraid, too, that I’d discover everything I know and love (to eat) is wrong.

As it turns out, there IS a simple path to healthy eating. Phew! There’s even a little room for error. Start with just a few of Pollan’s food rules and you’ll be on the path toward radical health improvements.

Here are some great rules from the book:

Rule 63: “Cook”

Pollan says “the decline in home cooking closely parallels the rise in obesity”—not because we flock to fast food places, but because most restaurant chefs go crazy with sugar, salt and unhealthy oils. (See: Why is Sugar So Bad for You?)

The only way to ensure a healthy meal is to make it yourself. But cooking takes so much time, you say? New York Times’ Jane Brody counters: “you can make up time spent at the stove with time saved not visiting doctors or shopping for new clothes to accommodate an expanding girth.”

Point taken.

Rule 60: “Treat treats as treats”

Food marketers want us to believe that we get pleasure from eating foods that are bad for us (the old “you deserve it” trick). Having one “cheat day” a week helps curb overindulgence.

Pollan has a more structured variation of the rule: “No snacks, no seconds, no sweets except on days that begin with the letter S.”

If you must snack (I must), have dried fruits, granola or a handful of nuts.

Rule 13: “Eat only foods that will eventually rot”

Sometimes things become such a staple in our diet that we forget they aren’t actually food (you’re familiar with this example). When we stop eating real, rot-able food, it seems that we—just like the major food manufacturers—only care about the bottom line. But in our case, it’s the wrong bottom line… we go for the cheapest, fastest food we can find, with little regard to how it lowers our quality of life, or how much time and money we’ll pay later to fix the damage.

A few more rules of thumb for finding real food: “If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t” and “shop the peripheries of the supermarket.”

Rule 48: “Consult your gut”

Pollan finds that we are visual eaters: we dish up according to the space we have to fill on the plate, not in our stomach. We also eat everything we’re given. That’s why dishes and portion sizes are getting bigger without protest from us. We’re being tricked into consuming more.

Today I stopped at a frozen yogurt place for a cup of frozen yogurt with fruit, but there were no cups—only 24-oz and 32-oz buckets. (A tricky way to get customers to take more, since they charge by weight!) I considered Pollan’s observation and put only a cup’s worth of yogurt and kiwis into my gigantic bowl.

When dishing out, Pollan says hunger, reason or hand size should be your guide: “eat when you’re hungry,” “stop before you’re full,” and “never eat a portion of animal protein bigger than your fist.”

Summary

Food Rulesrecaps what we’ve been saying all along: get closer to your food, enjoy fresh in-season produce, and eat for quality—not quantity. But Pollan adds many new angles, such as an argument for why large-scale agriculture is not after quality or healthfulness but economy and profitability.

In the end, Pollan shows us how to let common sense and gut intuition—not crafty ads and packaging—guide us to simpler, healthier food choices.

More good reads:

• Putting Natural Energy Boosters to the Test
• Why Eating Simply Isn’t Always So Simple
• The Health Benefits of Bell Peppers (and How to Eat ‘Em)

When people are improving nutrition for long-term weight loss, there are two approaches they take: they either make a 180-degree turn and change everything, or they create one new habit at a time. Both can be effective. It just depends on your personality type.

If you’re in the change-a-little-bit-at-a-time group, I want to share with you the three changes to implement first.

#1 – Start a Nutrition Journal

If you’re trying to lose weight, I can’t overemphasize the importance of first understanding how you got where you are. Get a nutrition journal and start writing in it before you make any changes to your eating habits. Write for a week and answer these two questions for each meal:

1. What are you eating? (Track calories and macronutrient content, i.e. carbs, protein, and fat)
2. Why are you eating? (Are you bored, hurried, hungry, stressed, following tradition?)

Doing this will give you insight into your relationship with food and specific things that you’ll have to change along the way. Be honest and don’t judge your answers—at least not yet.

#2 – Focus on Creating Good Habits First

Start adding specific foods and good habits to your daily nutrition pattern. Early on, don’t worry about the unhealthy things you might need to cut out. Rather, focus on improving nutrition by getting the food your body needs to have more energy and feel better.

Pick a specific group of foods you should be eating more of: fruits, vegetables or lean meats are good places to start.  Having them accessible and finding easy ways to prepare them will boost your chance for success in the changes you make.

#3 – Keep It Simple by Having a Plan

Nutrition is simple if you stick to the basics. Make it easy on yourself by knowing what and when you’re going to eat, then making sure it’s available. The fast food industry has grown by leaps and bounds because they know that if they provide a quick and simple solution for your meals, you’ll end up at their window by default.

Life is insanely busy. That’s why improving nutrition is impossible if you don’t plan ahead. You’ll always be left with tough choices (and a pretty good chance of making the wrong ones). Make healthy food readily available and you won’t default at the drive-thru. If you know you’ll be out for long periods of time, take your food with you.

Maybe I should start a fast food restaurant called “All You Should Eat” and give people a healthy option to pick up food in the right proportions.

If there were a fast food restaurant called All You Should Eat, would you go?

Do you have other nutrition musts for us?

Leave your thought in the comments

More good reads:

• What Diet Are You On?
• Is “Food Rules” Worth Reading?
• At IdealShape: Boot Camp for Your Grocery List