Wow . . . it has been a while since my last post. Sorry . . . had a small little thing to participate in (I GOT MARRIED!) and the holiday season is flying by. So now I am back and thought this would make a good tip sheet to help with your meal planning.
With the help of Tony Horton and in no particular order, yet all very important:
Processed sugars: White sugar, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, or pretty much any kind of sugar that came from a factory instead of a piece of fruit. Processed sugar negatively affects your metabolism, your insulin response, even your mood—and all for totally empty calories. Cutting sugar out of your diet means you're going to have to read some labels, because it is by far the most common food additive in the U.S.
AND - once you cut this junk out of your diet your taste buds will reward you with the added benefit of actually enjoying the natural sweetness of things like fruits.
Alcohol: Calories that are as empty as sugar, and at 7 calories a gram, booze can really pack it on. Alcohol also dehydrates your body, which compromises muscle growth. Plus it slows your metabolism, so you burn fewer calories. In short, drinking gives you less muscle and more fat—you're just undoing everything you're trying to achieve with your workout. * Now with the holidays here it can be very easy to add hundreds of calories just with the holiday cocktails. If you feel you must indulge, try your best to select low-cal mixers to go along with that alcohol, and drink plenty of water in between those drinks!
Caffeine: As much as we rely on this potent energy booster it comes at a cost. It increases cortisol levels in your body, which inhibits lean muscle growth. Plus, it can negatively affect your sleep patterns. The bottom line is that if you exercise regularly, eat healthy and get enough sleep, your "need" for caffeine will diminish. It won't happen overnight so you need to put some effort in - but well worth it.
Gluten: Trust me on this one - you do not need this in your diet! Gluten is a grain-derived protein found in lots of different foods, mostly wheat, rye, and barley products. Back in the day it was also used as glue. Remember those school projects where you used flour water and paper? Hello! might as well have a few spoons of Elmer's glue. Just about the same thing . . .
Even if you're not one of the millions who are sensitive or allergic to gluten, you'll be operating a much cleaner machine if you cut it out of your diet. There are plenty of other healthier gluten-free alternatives, like millet, amaranth, quinoa, and oats.
Animal products: Although I have nothing against those who choose to not eat anything that has a face, however I love my meat! But, as with anything else you can find in the store, you must be careful where your animal products come from. It used to be that you could find some decent lean meat sources, but in the last few decades, the hormones, antibiotics, and chemicals that have been used to process meat and fish make them pretty worthless as a source of protein. So, put the effort in to find organic meats and products. This means no hormones, antibiotics and chemicals were used in the feeding, treating or processing of the animal.
Processed foods: Know what you are eating! Look in your freezer, fridge or pantry and star pulling out all the packaged processed food. Now read the labels - if there are words that are hard to pronounce or you do not know what they mean, do you really want to put them in your body? Plus, much of the processed dinners out there use a lot of additives for flavor or preservation. They are just empty calories that do much more harm than good.
Well I hope these tips help you get on track for a healthier eating lifestyle . . . .
