These are 6 Basic Nutritional Guidelines we at Core Principles believe in. If you can incorporate these habits, you will be well on your way to having control of your nutrition and eating well without ever counting calories or weighing food. These guidelines should shape your eating choices and help you make the right decisions no matter the situation you are in.
Don’t worry about your mistakes; instead, focus on what you did well, and build on those successes so that you can continue to grow and learn about your nutrition.
The 6 Basic Nutritional Guidelines:
1. Eat Frequently
This doesn’t mean that you need to eat 6 meals a day. We recommend eating every 3-4 hours, but don’t sweat the details; we know your schedule often determines when you eat. At first, just try to get in consistent meals and one snack each day. You are also less likely to binge if you eat consistently every 3-4 hours. The meals can be moved around to fit your schedule.
You shouldn’t be so concerned about eating at the exact right time that you can’t focus on anything else. The important thing is that you are prepared; either bring some food with you or know where you will get it. Understand when you need to eat.
2. Eat a Complete Protein at Every Meal/Snack
Protein is the staple in our nutrition plan. It helps support your lean mass, a bunch of other essential things and it will keep you full.. You can also use the palm of your hand as a guide for protein servings (a portion the size of your palm will provide approximately 20-30 grams of protein). You should try to get about that many grams at each meal. Clean, low sugar/ sugar substitute protein powders are a great way to ensure you get your protein. Our favorite is the vanilla protein powder from Bio-Chem.
http://www.biochem-fitness.com/
3. Eat Vegetables at Every Meal
Eat a lot of vegetables. Eat a ton of them. We all know the endless benefits of eating vegetables. We think they should be a major part of your diet. You will have to be creative and find ways to work them into your meals and try some new vegetables. Veggie snacks can be key. Being prepared with veggie snacks such as carrots, celery, and other quick to eat veggie sources is helpful.
4. Be Real Carb Friendly Food!
Carbs are not the enemy, but limiting carbs from processed foods and low quality ingredient foods will go a long way. Carbs are essential, but the source of the carb is as important. Your nutrition will benefit if you get carbs from a whole food such as fruit, real whole grains. Think about the quality of the food. Truth is, if you limit a majority of your carbs until after you workout. You will likely loose fat faster. If your goal is fat loss, restricting a majority of your carbohydrate consumption to within 2-3 hours post workout for a period of time can help with fat loss.
After a workout, our bodies are primed to utilize those carbs for energy and to repair our muscles. After a workout, we want to replace the energy stores we used during the training sessions and use them to repair our muscles and make sure we are recovering well.
5. Eat Healthy Fats Daily
Fats are not the bad guy! You should work to eat a good balance of fats (saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated—just no trans fats!). Fats help regulate hormones in your body and keep you full. It is important that you don’t limit your fat intake to help with weight loss. The quality of the fat in most cases comes with the quality of the food. Real food is the best place to find essential fats
6. 90/10
We set a 90/10 goal for clients at Core Principles to make your nutritional benchmarks realistic. The 90/10 idea states that you will get great results if you follow your program and nutritional habits 90% of the time. Were not thinking you should keep track, rather it represents how you live. That means making good decisions most of the time, the more it becomes a lifestyle and then that is the way you live your life.
