8 Nutrition Tips if you want to eat healthy and lose fat

July 16th, 2009 by author

Here are just a few basic nutritional guidelines that you can apply today to start eating a healthy balanced diet full of all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients your body needs for optimal wellbeing. If used with a regular routine of exercise you can lose fat, increase your energy levels and give you a better sense of wellness.

1. Eat a selection of foods, especially colorful fruits and vegetables for a wide variety of nutrients and a small amount of calories per serving. Also condiments such as low-sugar tomato sauce and salsa can help increase the nutrient content and taste factor of a meal. Fruits that are nutrient dense include raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries, while other fruits such as grapefruit, oranges, and apples contain high levels of the soluble fiber pectin that helps slow digestion and gives you a sense of fullness.

2. Keep away from foods that contain trans-fats (also known as trans-fatty acids or hydrogenated fats). This relates to most processed convenience foods found in a bag or a box (chips, crackers, fries, pastries, etc.) as well as most margarines. Learn to read food labels; trans-fats currently aren’t listed in the nutritional informationfor most foods!

3. Aim to eat 3 moderate meals and 2-3 small snacks [each ¦ every] day rather than 2-3 large meals. A sample meal plan would include breakfast, a small morning snack, lunch, a small afternoon snack, a sensible dinner, and a small evening snack. Smaller, more frequent meals help you utilize all nutrients better, maintain more vitamins, and control your blood sugar levels. Controlling your blood sugar is important to avoiding hunger and fatigue

4. Eat low-glycemic carbohydrates instead of processed carbohydrates. Low-glycemic carbohydrates include vegetables, oatmeal, and whole-wheat products, and are digested slower. That means your blood sugar levels won’t crash and you won’t get hungry or tired.

5. Fish, such as Sardines , provide omega-3 fatty acids that are associated with good cardiovascular health. Many Heart Associations recommends eating fish twice per week. Discuss with a doctor or registered dietitian about other sources of healthy fats if you don’t like to eat fish. A popular recommendation is to use a fish oil supplement.

6. Avoid drinking your calories – keep away from soda and sugary drinks. Moderate your alcohol intake. Each shot of alcohol, glass of beer or wine is about 150 calories. If you add a mixer to the drink, this can take the amount of calories to between 300-1000 calories per drink. It’s very easy to see how alcohol intake can add up fat gain. Restricting your alcohol and sugary beverage intake will help you lose pounds of fat in a very short time.

7. Research has shown that the caffeine content of over the counter coffees can vary on a daily basis depending on water content and brewing time. One day you might get up to 600mg of caffeine in a grande coffee while on another day only 200mg (which is already a high amount)! Make a note of your caffeine intake if you use a food journal (I recommend that you do) and be sure to take notice of the extra calories that are extra in beverages in the form of cream and sugar – these add up really quickly before you know it and can have a negative impact on trying to lose fat.

8. Do the family grocery shopping on your own. Research suggests that adults spend more money at the grocery store when they shop with their children and are more prone to buy high-calorie foods. On your own you’re likely to just buy the foods on the shopping list. Buy fewer labels and fewer products containing sugar. This means buy as much whole raw foods as possible, the less refined packaged food you and your family eats the better.

Applying all of these tips or just a handful of them can really make a difference when trying to drop fat or looking to feel better. A good balanced diet is more than just about improving your appearance it is vital to maintain a healthy functioning body and mind helping to prevent illness, slow down aging, stay active, combat stress and perform well. With these sort of benefits isn’t it time you changed your eating habits …your body will thank you for it.