guitarslinger
Don Juan
As a nutrition student, I know a thing or two about nutrition. The following is a guide for those of you just getting into proper nutrition. I will make no mention of calorie counting, but yes, if you want to design a really good diet you need to count calories, there is no better way. These tips should get you on the right track and you should see some improvement in your physique within a couple of weeks if you follow them.
If it looks bad for you, it probably is bad for you
Fried chicken, pizza, kebabs, chocolate, sweets, donuts, if there is any question in your mind that the food you're looking at is not good for you, it's probably not. Your body is the most sosphisticated piece of machinery on the planet, and like all machines it needs fuel. You can put in premium or regular, your choice. As for me, I don't put s**t in my machine.
Protein
No surprises here, protein is the building block for muscles and takes the most energy to process into energy than carbs or fats. Try and incorporate at least two decent serves of protein into your diet every day. If you're having a sandwich for lunch, make it a meat sandwich and ask for double meat. Spaghetti bolognese? Add a bit more meat and have a bit less pasta. If you are serious about buiding muscle the protein component of your meals should be the biggest. Whey protein shakes are awesome straight after a workout, and then half an hour later. Cottage cheese is another really good source of protein just before bed as it breaks down overnight providing your body with goodness. My personal favourite is the small cans of tuna you can buy at the supermarket, they come in all different flavours now and a small can will give you about 13g of protein per can, good snack.
NB: Depending in your genetics, you can only absorb about 20-30g of protein per meal for muscle growth, the rest will be converted by your body for energy/fat. This is why it is important to eat many small serves throughout the day rather than 5kgs of chicken at night.
Carbohydrates
There has been a lot of talk recently about low carb diets for fat loss, and yes they do work for some people, but they will leave you feeling tired and irritable. This is because carbs are our main source of energy. You need these, not as much as protein for muscle growth, but carbs are much easier for your body to break down for the energy you need to function. Complex carbs break down slower than simple carbs due to their mollecular structure, and are generally the better choice as they break down more slowly, providing you with energy for longer. Simple rule of thumb, brown is better than white. Brown rice is better than white rice, brown bread is better than white bread. Change from eating white to brown and you will find you have a more consistent energy level. Carbs are also more easily stored as fat, so try not to eat too much after about 3pm, keep your carbs low in your dinner, or they wil be stored as fat when you go to bed. A good example is this, you eat a whole bunch of pasta then go for a run, you have the energy you need. You eat a whole bunch of pasta then go to bed, your body has a lot of energy but nothing to do with it, it gets stored for later, and as another downside it lessens your quality of sleep.
Fats
You need fats, fats are not bad, but they are the most easily stored as fat and are not required in big portions. Try to get most of your fats from fish sources, or flaxseed oil, as they contain omegas 3,6 & 9, these are the good ones. The bad ones are pretty much anything else. If you are going to eat fatty food (which I hope you aren't), grab a serviette a press it on your pizza, chicken, whatever, and soak off the exterior fat and grease, this will help knock out about 30%. When eating takeaway meals in containers take your servings off the top and leave then bottom centimetre or so of food, this is where more of the fat will be.
Fruits & Vegetables
Next time you are at the supermarket pick up a load of fruits that you like. Fruit is good for you and tastes good too, it is natures candy. When you go to work or school take a couple of pieces with you for snacks. If you feel like a chocolate bar, have a piece of fruit. Grazing on fruit keeps your appetite in check and gives you energy that you need, as well as vitamins. I like vegetables a lot less than fruit, and the are generally less nutritionally valuable, but they do provide good fibre. Try and have a good serve of vegies with your dinner. Pick green ones if you can, they are the most fibrous.
Beverages
Water is the key to all life, and water is what you should be drinking. No sports drink filled with sugery s**t is better for you than water. Try and drink 10 glasses a day, and keep a big bottle next to you when you go to bed. If your body is dehydrated even 2 or 3% your metabolism can be affected up to even 30% in some people. Water is cheap, it is good for you, drink it. DO NOT drink soda. Soda is full of sugar, sugar makes you fat and weak with bad teeth. Also worthy of a mention here is green tea. Green tea has a lot of beneficial antioxidants, and also has some fat burning properties, I try to drink a couple of cups a day. Remember how healthy the old asian guys in martial arts films look?, that's because they're always drinking green tea.
Multivitamins
More of a supplement than a food, but worthy of note here. Go to your local health food shop and get the best multivitamin you can afford. The vitamin content of food since industrialized farming has dropped significantly, so one of these a day will fill in the gaps that you may still have in your diet.
If it looks bad for you, it probably is bad for you
Fried chicken, pizza, kebabs, chocolate, sweets, donuts, if there is any question in your mind that the food you're looking at is not good for you, it's probably not. Your body is the most sosphisticated piece of machinery on the planet, and like all machines it needs fuel. You can put in premium or regular, your choice. As for me, I don't put s**t in my machine.
Protein
No surprises here, protein is the building block for muscles and takes the most energy to process into energy than carbs or fats. Try and incorporate at least two decent serves of protein into your diet every day. If you're having a sandwich for lunch, make it a meat sandwich and ask for double meat. Spaghetti bolognese? Add a bit more meat and have a bit less pasta. If you are serious about buiding muscle the protein component of your meals should be the biggest. Whey protein shakes are awesome straight after a workout, and then half an hour later. Cottage cheese is another really good source of protein just before bed as it breaks down overnight providing your body with goodness. My personal favourite is the small cans of tuna you can buy at the supermarket, they come in all different flavours now and a small can will give you about 13g of protein per can, good snack.
NB: Depending in your genetics, you can only absorb about 20-30g of protein per meal for muscle growth, the rest will be converted by your body for energy/fat. This is why it is important to eat many small serves throughout the day rather than 5kgs of chicken at night.
Carbohydrates
There has been a lot of talk recently about low carb diets for fat loss, and yes they do work for some people, but they will leave you feeling tired and irritable. This is because carbs are our main source of energy. You need these, not as much as protein for muscle growth, but carbs are much easier for your body to break down for the energy you need to function. Complex carbs break down slower than simple carbs due to their mollecular structure, and are generally the better choice as they break down more slowly, providing you with energy for longer. Simple rule of thumb, brown is better than white. Brown rice is better than white rice, brown bread is better than white bread. Change from eating white to brown and you will find you have a more consistent energy level. Carbs are also more easily stored as fat, so try not to eat too much after about 3pm, keep your carbs low in your dinner, or they wil be stored as fat when you go to bed. A good example is this, you eat a whole bunch of pasta then go for a run, you have the energy you need. You eat a whole bunch of pasta then go to bed, your body has a lot of energy but nothing to do with it, it gets stored for later, and as another downside it lessens your quality of sleep.
Fats
You need fats, fats are not bad, but they are the most easily stored as fat and are not required in big portions. Try to get most of your fats from fish sources, or flaxseed oil, as they contain omegas 3,6 & 9, these are the good ones. The bad ones are pretty much anything else. If you are going to eat fatty food (which I hope you aren't), grab a serviette a press it on your pizza, chicken, whatever, and soak off the exterior fat and grease, this will help knock out about 30%. When eating takeaway meals in containers take your servings off the top and leave then bottom centimetre or so of food, this is where more of the fat will be.
Fruits & Vegetables
Next time you are at the supermarket pick up a load of fruits that you like. Fruit is good for you and tastes good too, it is natures candy. When you go to work or school take a couple of pieces with you for snacks. If you feel like a chocolate bar, have a piece of fruit. Grazing on fruit keeps your appetite in check and gives you energy that you need, as well as vitamins. I like vegetables a lot less than fruit, and the are generally less nutritionally valuable, but they do provide good fibre. Try and have a good serve of vegies with your dinner. Pick green ones if you can, they are the most fibrous.
Beverages
Water is the key to all life, and water is what you should be drinking. No sports drink filled with sugery s**t is better for you than water. Try and drink 10 glasses a day, and keep a big bottle next to you when you go to bed. If your body is dehydrated even 2 or 3% your metabolism can be affected up to even 30% in some people. Water is cheap, it is good for you, drink it. DO NOT drink soda. Soda is full of sugar, sugar makes you fat and weak with bad teeth. Also worthy of a mention here is green tea. Green tea has a lot of beneficial antioxidants, and also has some fat burning properties, I try to drink a couple of cups a day. Remember how healthy the old asian guys in martial arts films look?, that's because they're always drinking green tea.
Multivitamins
More of a supplement than a food, but worthy of note here. Go to your local health food shop and get the best multivitamin you can afford. The vitamin content of food since industrialized farming has dropped significantly, so one of these a day will fill in the gaps that you may still have in your diet.
