WHAT IS GOOD NUTRITION?

Everyone has different needs and requirements when it comes to nutrition. Instead of covering what a person needs specifically I want to go over which principles and concepts that are usually found in good nutritional programs. That way you can use it as a guide when you’re creating your own program or deciding on which one to follow.

Here’s some of the characteristics of a good nutrition program:

IT IS SUSTAINABLE – It must be something your willing and capable of doing for the rest of your life. Avoid following extreme diets that you can only do for short time. That includes diets that exclude entire food groups like carbs, or diets that focus on only one or a few foods, like the egg diet. Instead look for something you can incorporate into your lifestyle. Otherwise, it easy to fall in the yo-yo cycle of on a diet to lose weight until you stop the diet and gain it back. Look for habits and behaviors that you can modify or add to your current program so that you benefit from healthy eating for a lifetime.

IT GETS YOU RESULTS – An effective nutrition plan is not only sustainable but it also gives you the results you’re looking for. Whether that is weight loss, muscle gain, performance or any combination. If what your eating is not giving you the results you want then it’s time to make some changes. You’ll have to take an honest look at what you’re consuming and be open to trying some other strategies that may give you more results for the all the work you’re doing.

IT MUST FORTIFY HEALTH – Perhaps the most important thing we can do in terms of health and fitness is being aware of what we eat. In order to have health and vitality, we need to consume a variety of nutrients, plenty fiber, healthy fats and appropriate amount of carbs and proteins. These nutrients are found in abundance in whole natural foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein sources. Making sure that you’re eating all these foods daily is a great way to ensure that your body has what it needs to function and maintain health.

IT SUPPORTS ENERGY LEVELS AND PERFORMANCE – If you are walking around like a zombie with barely enough energy to get up off the couch then it’s time to adjust your calorie intake or your diet all together. A good nutrition program provides your body the nutrients it needs to create energy for all of it’s function, maintenance and performance. You need to be able to work out, do a training session, walk around the neighborhood, meet with family and friends, etc. If you’re exhausted then your exercise and other areas will suffer. And you’re not any healthier even if you’re losing weight. Health and fitness comes from the body adapting to the challenges of exercise, movement and participation. We can’t do that on an empty tank.

WHAT CHANGES DO YOU NEED TO MAKE?

Take a good inventory of your current nutritional intake. How are your energy levels, is your nutritional program supporting your activities? Your training?

Is it something you want to do for long term and most importantly is it making you healthy? How can you improve and make your nutrition plan better?

Keep Moving and Keep Improving,

Ed Scaduto
Precision Fitness