As per my last post, I’ve been wanting to share a few more ways you could be mindful about your eating. Below I’ve listed 3 more ways you can be mindful about your food in your day to day.
1. Protein is King!
When putting together your meals, be sure to have protein as the largest portion on your plate! Carbs and fats are easy to find. Protein is a bit more challenging to find if you haven’t meal prepped. One thing I’ve noticed when my clients send me their food logs is the lack of protein in their day to day eating. The foods people go for are usually high in carbohydrates and/or fat content. This makes sense as the combination truly creates hyper palatable foods.
There’s nothing wrong with getting in an appropriate amount of carbs and fats. Just make sure your protein intake is high as well. Of course one could argue too much protein is bad on your kidneys, but trust me, most people can use more protein on a regular basis. My clients have all noticed an improvement on body composition, energy and strength simply from increasing their protein. When I create their meals plans for them, the idea is to find meals each person enjoys while simultaneously getting in the proper portions of each, protein, carbs and fats. With an emphasis on consuming the right amount of protein.
2. Counting macros.
When it comes to nutrition, someone with a goal and no experience should not freely consume any amount of food. There are people who enjoy what is called “intuitive eating”, however it’s likely not for you. If you’re in the position of trying to lose weight now, it means your mind is not currently in tune with food. Fear not, this can be improved! It’s going to take a little bit of work, but I can assure you, it’s absolutely doable.
Learning how much food to consume for your goal is vital to your success. Not having structure is probably one of the reasons you’re in this position, so let’s sort it out.
I’ll keep it short. Everything you eat has a caloric value, which I have listed below.
1g of Protein = 4 calories. 1g of Carbohydrates = 4 calories. 1g of Fat = 9 calories
These are numbers to live by. Once you understand the value of the food you eat, you’ll be able to see how often you were overeating in the past. There are many ways to calculate what your macros should be and it’s ok if you are unsure of what your numbers are, everyone starts somewhere. I’ll post a link to a website I’ve found to be relatively accurate (Calculator). Keep in mind this website will only give you an estimate, this is not 100% accurate. In order to find the numbers closest to your true count, you should seek help from someone who knows what they’re doing. Online coaches are a great option to take out the guess work.
3. Prioritize whole food.
This one speaks to me. It should also speak to you. Humans are not made to consume garbage, yet the majority of the western world eats nothing but processed junk. When you’re trying to lose weight, the most common thing to focus on is calories. Although this is the correct way of thinking, you must also consider food quality.
Eating in a caloric deficit is most definitely how you can ensure weight is lost. However, this does not mean you’ll feel healthy internally. There is a matter of micronutrient importance as well as macronutrient value. Eating within your macros is vital for overall weight loss, but in order to feel good and function properly inside, healthy whole food has to be your focus.
Almost everything you eat has a list of ingredients with more than just 1 item. Your goal should be to find food that is exactly 1 ingredient. Beef, fish, chicken, rice, potatoes, asparagus, beans, broccoli. These are the best types of foods anyone can eat. If it has a label, it’s likely not the best choice and more often than not, has a list of ingredients you or I cannot even pronounce.
Summary:
It’s important to be mindful about your food choices. Picking whole healthy food, and eating the correct amounts is exactly how you can be sure to reach your desired body goals. It’s not easy to figure it out on your own, and you don’t have to. Check out our Online Coaching program here at NFormedCoaching.ca. Our clients tell us their goal, we crunch all the numbers and create programs solely for you.
