You wake up early, head to the gym, workout, then shower, dress up, and head to the nearby café for a coffee and a chocolate filled croissant. You could eat anything for breakfast, now that you’ve worked out, right? Wrong. Yes, exercise and nutrition work in tandem. But nutrition trumps all on the path to fitness.
According to research, what we eat, and how much, has the largest and most long-lasting impact on our health and fitness. Without nutrition, exercise is not enough to maintain a healthy body and a sharp, healthy mind. One’s nutritional habits can influence one’s long-term wellness. And to this end, healthy eating should not just be a seasonal change, but a lifestyle one which requires determination and perseverance on the daily.
Foods to reach for in the shopping aisle
If you find yourself walking into the confectionary or biscuit-and-chips aisle in the supermarket, stop yourself. Instead, redirect to the whole grain section or the the area where fresh veggies and meats are in abundance. Just the fact that they are fresh and unprocessed, makes them healthier.
Even among fresh produce, it matters what you reach for. Picking superfoods that are nutritionally dense and rich in vitamins, antioxidants and minerals is imperative to a good diet. Leafy greens are a great choice, for they consist of powerful antioxidants that reduce inflammation within the body and aide in detoxifying. Likewise, berries, especially blueberries, are rich in antioxidants. Whole grains such as oats, quinoa, brown rice and freekeh are great sources of good carbohydrates and fibre; and avocados, peanut butter and olive oil are sources of healthy fats. For protein, lean meats like chicken and turkey, eggs, fish, beans and legumes are preferred. Eliminating any of the food groups is a big no-no; only a diet which is balanced with all the food groups will provide true health benefits.
Calorie Counting
If you want to be fit, you have to eat clean. There is no other way to achieve your fitness goals. One cannot out-exercise a bad diet. And just counting calories, but not looking at the source of calories is not the ideal way to go about maintaining a balanced diet.
Calorie counting is important, because eating in the proportions required for the body to function with ease is necessary. However, regulating where the calories come from will affect one’s overall wellbeing. For example, a fast food hamburger might claim to be an only 300-calorie meal. But eating a 300-calorie meal of green, leafy veggies, bell peppers and oven-roasted chicken is packed with so many more nutrients.
Dodging Lifestyle and Nutrition
Our lives are increasingly busy, with work, social commitments and family responsibilities. It’s hard to find some time to oneself, let alone have the time to cook three meals every day. So it’s easy to resort to store-bought foods, pre-packaged meals, and mass-produced snacks that are filled with artificial flavouring, sugar and preservatives. Not an ounce of nutrients in sight!
But the shift to home-cooked, healthy, clean meals must be made and maintained for it is crucial to providing your body and those of your family with the adequate nutrition needed to function and flourish.
One way to tackle this issue is to remove yourself from the mindset that cooking home-cooked meals has to be a production. Having healthy food on the table need not be a long process if you make easier food choices like salads, dips and veggies, one-pot meals and tray bakes. Such meals can be extremely delicious while also being incredibly health giving.
Another way to ensure you eat healthy is meal planning. Cooking a bunch of different foods over the weekend like chicken, quinoa, sautéed veggies and mixing and matching combinations while pre-packing them and placing in the refrigerator for each day will eliminate the need for you to cook daily, and will quash the urge to order takeout.
So, take some time. Rethink your nutrition strategy. Educate yourself with the abundance of nutrition education out there. And make changes that will effectively improve your health.
