The Three Food Do’s and Do Not's

You should expect to get out of your body what you put in it. If you are making healthy choices when deciding what to eat, you’ll have more energy, look and feel better.

Whereas, if you are getting breakfast or lunch from the vending machine, you’ll find yourself exhausted, overweight, and could lead to health problems in the future.

I want to give you a guideline of three foods you should incorporate into your diet, and three foods you should look to minimize and eventually eliminate.

3 Foods to Get More Of:

1. Whole grains. Whole grains are a great source of fiber and contain healthy nutrients such as potassium, magnesium and selenium. So aim to get more whole grain breads, pastas, brown rice and cereals into your diet.
2. Nuts & Oils.  Whenever I suggest this to my clients, they respond by saying, “There’s too much fat in nuts, if I eat them I know I’ll gain weight!”    
3. Vegetables. What can I say about vegetables that you don’t already know? They have vitamins, they’re good for you, and they make a great low calorie snack.

Now, to keep it simple I’ll say this — not all fat is the same. There’s “good fat” and “bad fat.” The “good fat” is what’s found in nuts, avocados, fish and seeds. The “bad fat” is from animals and animal byproducts. This would be red meat, whole milk, cheese and butter.

The “good fat” can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, hypertension, depression, joint pain, and help in aiding weight loss.

3 Foods to Get Less Of:

1. Fast food & fried food.  That shouldn’t be so shocking.  The biggest problem I have with fast food is that when people eat it, they have no sense of self control. If someone orders the double cheese burger, they also have to “super size” the French fries. This includes a larger soda, so it’s more calories.

This one meal could contain the number of calories an individual should have for an ENTIRE DAY! If you eat fast food on a regular basis, make an effort to eat it less. Make a better selection and I bet you will feel better that you did.

2. Sodium. You want to limit your sodium to about 2,000 mg per day. That is approximately 1 teaspoon of salt! So, adding a little here and a little there can add up to very high levels.

Sodium is important is small amounts. So, just be aware of the amount contained in processed, frozen and canned foods.

3. Sugar.  Most people aren’t surprised to hear that they should cut back on the amount of sugar they EAT each day. But, they are surprised that they need to watch the sugar they DRINK as well. Juices, sports drinks, smoothies, sodas all contain sugar.  The more sugar you drink, the more calories you consume, the more weight you gain. It’s really that simple.

If you have any questions about this blog, or have a topic you would like me to address, please email Chris@ChrisFitNY.com.