Developing good nutritional habits is a continuous process. Every day we face a multitude of choices about what to eat. Nutrition is the execise of developing knowledge about food and making informed decisions. It is not only about what to eat, but also timing meals in a way that they affect your body in positive ways. The more you know, the better and more satisfying your strategy will be. Read on for some practical advice.
Sounds basic, but you must look at food labels if you want to get the facts about nutrition in the foods you eat. In particular, look closely at the portion sizes; if that can of chips lists the average serving size as 10 chips, it’s a pretty good bet that you’re going to be eating some multiple of that number, so you should figure that into your estimates of what the food will be doing for (or to) you, nutritionally speaking.
To understand nutrition better, read about food groups. This is the basis of a healthy diet. Make sure you eat aliments from all these groups everyday in reasonable quantities. The main food groups are carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, dairy, oils and meats. Learn how to classify aliments according to their groups.
In making decisions about nutrition, you should cast a wide net. If you take mind and spirit into consideration in other aspects of your life, you should also do so in regard to nutrition. One writer who does this is Sally Fallon in her book, “Nourishing Traditions”.
Buying from a small farm near where you live has nutritional benefits. It can also have other benefits that are less calculable. If you go to the farm and talk with the farmer and see how the food is grown, you will gain a personal connection and satisfaction with your food.
If you are dealing with a picky eater, try to give them smaller portions at each meal. By doing this, they won’t feel overwhelmed with the amount of food in front of them and if they are hungry, they will be more inclined to eat their entire meal since it is not a huge serving size.
If you are on a vegetarian or vegan diet, you need to find plenty of ways to incorporate protein into your diet. Protein is an important building block for muscle development, and it is very easy for vegetarians to lose muscle mass when they reduce the meat and animal products from their diet.
Try eating canned salmon. It is full of vitamins and minerals your body needs and is low fat. Try new things from time to time, which can make your diet fun and exciting.
If you are trying to cut down on the amount of soda that you consume and think water is too plain, try flavored water. This tasty alternative comes with the same amount of water that you require, and does not have the high sugar and calorie content as soda.
When you go grocery shopping, be sure to make a list ahead of time and try setting a time limit for your shopping. If you have a list, you are less likely to purchase items that are unhealthy for you. When you set a time limit, this can prevent you from going into parts of the store that has processed food.
Believe it or not, salad is not always your best bet when it comes to dining out. Fast food restaurants and chain eateries often offer up side salads that reach into the thousand calorie range – and that’s before you add dressing and croutons. If you are at a restaurant and the salad still looks like your best bet, ask your waiter to bring out the dressing on the side. This ensures that you will not be forced into consuming an unnecessarily generous amount of dressing. Better yet, opt for fat-free dressings.
A great nutrition tip if you’re pregnant is to make sure you’re getting enough iron. Iron is crucial for helping blood carry oxygen throughout the body. You need iron as well as your baby. A good way to get iron is by taking a supplement or you can get it from eating meats.
Balance your daily diet against your body’s composition. If you use a body fat scale, you can see what percentage of your weight is fat, muscle, and water. For optimum health, you want to keep a low body fat percentage. If yours is high, reduce the amount of fat in your diet. If your muscle mass percentage is high, consider increasing the amount of protein in your diet, to feed that muscle.
Practicing good nutrition is not an exact science. Human nature dictates that you won’t be able to make perfect choices about food one hundred precent of the time. Throwing a curve ball into your nutrition plan will help to suprise your body and boost your metabolism. Aim for success 95% of the time and you will reach your goals without compromising your sanity. And put into practice what we preach in this article.
