Food
for Fuel
Eating
for total body health.
There are many myths about what it takes to eat
right:
- No fat?
- All protein?
- Low carbs?
- Points?
- Aerobic exercise?
It's not any one of these things. Being
healthy, eating healthy, is about a healthy lifestyle
that includes eating good foods
in proper portions.
7 Healthy
Steps
Our goal is a total-body, healthy lifestyle, so
take some time to incorporate these healthy habits
into your life to make it part of your life.
- Eat the right
number of calories each day.
Fast metabolism? Slow metabolism? Super active?
Moderate exercise? Many factors play a part
in what your ideal daily calorie count
is. Talk with your health professional or one
of the trainers
at MAC Fitness to help you figure it out so
you know how to eat for your healthy
ideal.
- Eat smaller
meals more frequently.
Breakfast, lunch dinner: 3 meals a day. That's
old school. Eating a small meal, every 2 to
3 hours, can help increase your metabolism,
level your blood sugar, and increase your energy
levels. It can also leave you feeling more satisfied,
which can keep you from driving through the
closest fast-food joint to satisfy those cravings.
- Drink lots of
water...and little else.
Soda? Nope. Sports drinks? Adds to the calorie
count and your sugar intake. Fruit juice? Eat
the fruit--more vitamins and minerals. Your
body can do without the caffeine and sugar found
in a lot of the drink alternatives to water.
Your body doesn't need those--it needs
water.
- Eat a little
of ALL the good stuf: Protein, Fats, and Carbs.
All protein diet? Fad. Low card diet? Fad. No
fat-low fat diet? Fad. Your body needs all three--protein,
carbs, and fat--to be healthy. Choose lean red
meats, chicken, fish and eggs (whites or whole)
for your protein. For carbs? See #5.
- Eat the 'good'
carbs and 'good' fat.
'Good' carbs are the complex carbohydrates,
the ones that take energy (calories) to break
down and nurish your body: whole grains, brown
rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, etc. The 'bad'
carbs are the simple carbohydrates that convert
almost immediately to sugar which, unused for
energy, becomes fat: white rice, potatoes, cookies,
cakes, white breads, etc.
'Good' fat foods are those without
trans fat and very little saturated fat: nuts,
olive oil/fish oil/flax seed oil, and fish.
Remove from your daily diet anything that has
trans fat: most fast foods, all junk food, and
most pastries.
- Eat lots of
fruits and vegetables.
They have lots of vitamins and minerals the
body needs and they can be very filling. Eat
up.
- Exercise.
It's good for your heart, good for your metabolism,
supports your skeletal structure and boosts
your energy. AND if your daily routine doesn't
burn the calories you're taking in, the exercise
will take up the slack.
How do
I get started?
Click here
for some help on portion
sizes.
Click here
for good (and bad) fast
food choices (courtesy of www.CalorieCounter.com).
The contents of
this Web site are not intended to offer professional
medical advice. You should seek the advice of
your physician or other qualified health provider
with any questions you may have regarding a medical
condition and your personal situation. Never disregard
professional medical advice or delay in seeking
it because of something you have read on this
site.
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