Tired of all the miracle diets, or the companies making a killing from selling you products you can buy for yourself at half the cost? This simple guide to eating healthier will help you ditch your Jenny Craig, blow your Weight Watchers Group out of the water, and help you on your way to becoming healthier for the rest of your life!

Your body is something you use everyday, so why not take care of it like it’s your most prized possession!?

This simple guide will help you understand what a healthy diet consist of and will give you the knowledge necessary to make better decisions about food and your health.

So let’s get this party started. First I want to lay down the foundations of a healthy diet and go over what role carbs, proteins, fats and fiber play and then with my next post, Calories, The Right Way to Count ‘em, I’ll go over exactly how many calories you need from each source. Then the next article will be a guide for knowing what exactly to look for in the grocery store!

Carbohydrates

The low down on Carbohydrates, aka carbs, pasta, bread, and sugar. Carbs provide your body with energy, energy to do your daily activities or to have a kick butt workout! However, if you take in too many carbs and your body doesn’t use them for fuel they are stored as fat and we want to avoid any excess fat storage!

• Approximately 40% of your daily calorie intake should be from carbohydrates.
• Half of the carbs you consume in a day should be  for breakfast and post workout. The other half should be split evenly among 3-4 other meals.
• 1 gram of a carbohydrate equals 4 calories.

Good Sources of Carbs:

• veggies
• whole grains
• whole wheat breads
• whole pastas
• fruits
• nuts
• legumes

Bad Sources of Carbs:

• anything with high fructose corn syrup
• white pastas
• white breads
• baked goods, cookies, cakes, tasty treats
• sodas
• candy

*the above are “bad” sources of carbs because people tend to over indulge. If you eat smaller proportions then the above aren’t as bad for you. You are in control!

Protein

Protein is the essential building block of muscles and also helps maintain your organs, skin and blood. Protein also helps boost your immune system which helps your body defend against disease.

• Approximately 30% of your daily caloric needs should be from protein.
• Protein should be split up evenly among 5-6 meals.
• 1 gram of protein equals 4 calories.

Good Sources of Protein:

• lean red meat
• fish
• chicken
• milk products
• tofu
• nuts
• seeds
• legumes
• beans
• grains

Fat

Fat provides you with energy just like carbohydrates do, except the energy from fats is higher. Fats insulate and help lubricate your joints and Omega 3 fatty acids assist in the growth and development of your brain. Often times people do no fat diets which are very unhealthy. Fat is good for you, and in order to have the results you want you need a healthy balanced diet that contains plenty of fat!

• Approximately 30% of your daily caloric intake should be from fat
• 20% of your intake should be from unsaturated fat
• 10% can be from saturated fat
• fat should be slip up evenly among 5-6 meals
• 1 gram of fat equals 9 calories

Good Sources of Fat

• Unsaturated Fats
  • vegetable oils
  • salad dressings
  • avocados
  • flax seed
  • nuts
  • seeds
  • fatty fish, like salmon, sardine, and mackerel
• Saturated Fats
  • beef
  • pork
  • dairy products
  • butter
  • snack foods

Bad Sources of Fat

• Trans Fats
  • AVOID!!!!
  • margarines
  • some deep fried foods
  • doughnuts
  • some snack food

Fiber

Basically Fiber helps your body digest other foods, although fiber itself doesn’t digest all the way. Fiber helps lowers your cholesterol, and also helps decrease your risk of heart disease, and type 2-diabetes.

• Approximate intake
  • Women – 21-25g/day
  • Men 30-38g/day
• Fiber is also a carb that is only partially burned
• 1 gram of fiber equals about 2 calories

Good sources of Fiber

• whole grains
  • brown rice
  • wild rice
  • oatmeal
  • barley
• whole wheat products
  • wheat bread
  • cereal
  • pasta
• Veggies
• Fruit
• Legumes

Quick Recap!

Sorry, I know that was a lot of info so here it is plain and simple. Oh, and I recommend writing this down..it’ll help you along the way achieving your goals of living a healthier life!

• Eat 5-6 smaller meals a day
• 40% from Carbs
• 30% from Protein
• 30% from Fat.

Stick to:

Whole grains
Veggies
Fruits
Nuts
Lean Meat
Chicken
Fish
Legumes
Olive oil
Water

Avoid:

high fructose corn syrup
soda
candy in high doses
over indulging in fried foods
pre-packaged meals – these are loaded with sodium!

This is the first of a series of articles I’ll be writing about achieving a healthy diet so stay tuned.