In a recent blog post we tried to cover the very basics of nutrition and dietary planning. In this article we will focus more on the major food groups and try to provide a bit more specific guidance on the creation of your individual diet/nutrition plan.
As probably everyone knows foods can be divided in protein rich, carbohydrate rich and fat rich foods. A balanced diet will included all of them. In regards of a health promoting diet the main question isn’t what the ratio between carbs, protein and fat should be, but from what sources should we obtain these macro nutrients? The answer is – the more natural and unprocessed the source, the better results you will get. Below you can see a list of good and healthy sources for carbs, fats and protein.
Carbohydrates:
• Fruits (Limited portions are fine, but please don’t go crazy on these)
• Tubers (e.g. potatoes, yams, etc)
• Rice
• Oats
• Vegetables (e.g. carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc )
• Natural honey
Healthy fats:
• Animal fats (e.g. lard, eggs, quality butter, etc)
• Fish and fish products like cod liver oil
• Cold pressed olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Nuts
Protein:
• Poultry
• Game
• Red meat
• Fish and other forms of seafood
• Eggs
• Dairy
Some general rules you should follow:
1. Try to include vegetables in most of your meals – it’s an excellent source of minerals and vitamins.
2. Don’t go crazy on reducing fat in your diet. Just make sure that you obtain fat from good sources.
3. If you are doing a lot of cardio exercises try to slightly increase your carbohydrate intake for that extra boost. It will help to maintain your energy reserves.
4. If you want to gain lean muscle mass, focus on increasing your protein intake while keeping carbs and fats at the same level. If you don’t eat enough while you are engaged in a demanding fitness regime, your body will start to break down your muscle tissue in order to provide enough nutrients/energy for the vital bodily functions.
Here is a sample of how your day in terms of food could look like:
Breakfast: Fried eggs and sausages. Fruit with Greek yoghurt.
Lunch: Chicken with potatoes and loads of vegetables.
Supper: Grilled salmon with rice and vegetables.
If you want to eat something between meals, just snack on some fruit, nuts or dark chocolate.
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