Nutrition 101
Welcome to my first ever blog whether it be nutrition or otherwise. My goal is to give you the basic tools needed to help you progress with your nutrition over the next few weeks. If you have any further questions, or need some help, please feel free to reach out.
Firstly, a disclaimer. I don't claim to be a Dietitian or Doctor that knows all the answers. I am a qualified nutritionist who has worked in the health industry for over 15 years. I have tried many methods and styles of eating which have led to great results, disasters and everything in between. I am a small business owner, father and husband with limited time and energy, who enjoys a burger and the odd beer, so I believe I can certainly relate to many of you. My goal, like many of yours, is to always strive to become a healthier version of myself. I believe what I have learnt over the years in terms of tricks and time-savers could certainly be of some value to you.
As a gym and community we don't just want to see you get stronger and fitter. We want life-long changes in your actions and views of health, and that starts with what you choose to consume on a daily basis. As CrossFit states; ‘A theoretical hierarchy exists for the development of an athlete. It starts with nutrition and moves to metabolic conditioning, gymnastics, weightlifting and finally sport’.
For most of us we are ticking the boxes in terms of training 4 times per week and doing some sort of healthy activity each day. But as the saying goes; you can't outtrain a poor diet. Believe me, I’ve tried! So where should you start?
Yes, counting calories and following a very strict eating plan is going to be the most successful way of changing your body composition. But for the 90% of the population, it’s just not going to happen, or at least accurately. If you can do that, more power to you and you should just keep doing what you're doing. I would certainly recommend anyone to give calorie counting a try for a small period of time to at least have an understanding of what certain foods are worth, in terms of calories and where they lay on the scale. For the vast majority of you, you need to just start doing the basics well, consistently, over a long period of time.
So what does that look like? It all begins with eating real foods; ‘Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and little sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat’. Greg Glassman (the founder of CrossFit) has been screaming this since the year 2000 and it still holds true. Let's begin to apply this methodology to you!
What's your goal?
Lose body fat
Maintain weight and improve performance
Gain muscle
This is important to know as it’s the catalyst of how much you need to eat.
If your goal is to lose body fat then your meals should look like this.
¼ plate lean proteins
¼ plate fats
½ plate vegetables or fruit
+ 3 times per day with adequate water consumption.
If your goal is to maintain weight and increase performance then your meals should look like this.
EVERYDAY MEAL
¼ plate lean proteins
¼ plate fats
½ plate vegetables or fruit
POST-TRAINING MEAL
¼ plate lean proteins
¼ starchy carbohydrates
½ plate vegetables or fruit
+ 3 times per day with adequate water consumption.
If your goal is to increase muscle mass then your meals should look like this.
¼ plate lean proteins
¼ starchy carbohydrates
½ plate vegetables or fruit
(plus a thumb size serving of fats)
+ 3-4 times per day depending on your size with adequate water consumption.
Here are some examples of each of those components;
Lean proteins:
Red meat
Eggs
Seafood
Greek yogurt
Poultry
Tofu
Cottage cheese
Healthy Fats:
Avocado
Eggs
Olives
Nuts
Cheese
Starchy Carbohydrates:
Potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Rice
Pastas
Bread
Fruits and vegetables:
Apples
Blueberries
Bananas
Broccoli
Carrots
Now I'm not expecting you to be perfect at this! I don't know anyone that is. But if you’re following these principles for 80-90% of the time you will very quickly begin to see results. Three meals a day, 7 days a week, equals 21 meals per week (hopefully my math is correct). Being 80-90% on the money, allows for up to four of those meals to not fit the mold. Reason for this? Enjoy your life. If you enjoy pizza Friday nights, and pancakes Sunday morning with your family - that's great! If you’re doing the right things for the other 90% of the time you will still get great results and not feel restricted.
Your goal for this week - if you’re not doing this already! Is to start small. Start to build meals in your head, analyse your current eating habits and see what needs to change to get you the results that you need. I love talking about nutrition so if you want to speak further on this, please feel free to reach out. Next week we will be looking at a basic meal plan and hopefully begin to help you build your own.
Much love, Danny x