So You Want To Be In The Best Shape of Your Life - 10 Nutrition Tips for Females
1. You must eat regularly throughout the day, usually 5-6 meals a day. Every 3-4 hours eat something starting with when you first wake up in the morning. Eating breakfast as soon as you can when you wake up is very important. You have been in a fasting state all night long and your body needs fuel to bring your blood sugar out of the gutter and get you out of a catabolic state. Your body will not burn body fat when it is in a starving, catabolic state. Don’t wait more then 30 minutes to eat something in the morning and then eat every 3-4 hours throughout the day. You want to try to eat before you get hungry in order to maintain your blood sugar levels. This will keep your blood sugar stable and feed your muscles all day long. If you don’t eat throughout the day your blood sugar will drop and so will your metabolism.
2. Try to eat different foods every day. You need to eat a wide variety of foods. Don’t eat the same things every single day. You get different nutrients from different foods so try different vegetables and fruits and meats. Have you ever tried Ostrich or Buffalo meat? They are very lean meats with good quality protein. Most people get into habits of eating the same thing everyday and miss out on vital nutrients and vitamins. A good rule of thumb is to wait four days before eating the same food again to avoid building up any kind of a sensititvity to it.
3. Eat whole, natural foods. Stay away from any processed foods. Eat organic when possible. If it ran, swam or walked you can eat it and if it grew from a tree or the ground you can eat it…otherwise stay away from it.
4. Pay attention to the percentages of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in the foods you eat at each meal. These percentages do make a difference in your energy production, in your physical and mental performance, in your weight control, etc. So, it’s definitely worthwhile to fine tune your diet to meet your specific, individual needs. Everyone is different… some people do well on a higher protein diet while others do well on a higher carbohydrate diet. Start paying attention to what your eating and how you feel.
5. Eat protein at every single meal and eat a mixture of different proteins. Eating sufficient protein at each meal will maximize your energy, trim your waist, and assure peak performance. Never eat carbohydrates alone as a meal or a snack. This means all 5-6 meals need to have some source of protein along with a good carbohydrate. This will keep your blood sugar stable throughout the day.
6. Use grains in moderation. Do not consume any refined grain products made with white flour or enriched flour. All baked goods should contain only whole grain flours. No white flours! Use spelt bread, rice bread or ezekial bread. Closley monitor bread consumption and always have protein with it.
7. Use fats and oils freely. Use Olive oil to cook with. Fat will not make you fat or sluggish especially good fats. Take an Essential fatty acid supplement as well.
8. Stay away from alcohol. It is poison to your body. Your body must detoxify it and neutralize its adverse effects. It is a simple sugar and will wreak havoc on your metabolism.
9. Drink .6-.7 x your bodyweight in ounces of water per day. Water is key to losing weight and attaining a lean physique. Limit
caffeine intake to no more than one to two cups per day. This includes coffee, tea and diet sodas. Instead drink water when you are thirsty!
10. Use a diet journal to focus on changes in your appetite, cravings, energy and moods following each meal. Write down everything… what you ate, how you feel, if your hungry, if your tired, if you have energy, etc… It’s just a matter of understanding your body language- listening to your body talk to you and paying attention to what it’s telling you. Writing your food down is an excellent way to keep track and figure your own body out.