Eating the proper foods is essential to staying fit and feeling great about your body. The 70/30 in health is 70 or 80 percent of what you eat, and about 30 or 20 percent of exercise determines overall fitness.
There are many debates on which rule is more exact, but the biggest takeaway is that what you eat is much more important than exercise, even though training can give you the specific shape, tone, or build of how you want your muscles to look. Also, suppose you only focus on training and eat whatever you want. In that case, the efficiency of how fast your metabolism works to burn off bad foods can be counter-productive and make you feel worse after exercising rather than better.
Dieting is helpful for certain people (refer to a registered dietitian for specific help). Still, awareness of food intake can be tremendously beneficial when added with regular exercise.
Overall, there are excellent healthy foods that anyone can use to balance what they eat. So here are some helpful nutrition tips that can help you be mindful of what goes into your body and how it can set you up for success when paired with exercising.
1. EAT THE RIGHT TYPE OF FATS AND PROTEIN
- I’m not saying ditch meat altogether, but plenty of foods provide all the protein you need. A lot of people have personal conflicts when it comes to eggs. But the scientific data on eggs shows that it is an excellent source of protein, including vitamins like B2, B6, and B12. Black beans, lentils, and almonds are also excellent sources of protein.
- These foods raise your good cholesterol or your high-density lipoproteins. (HDL) cholesterol is terrific for your body because it removes toxic forms of cholesterol from your bloodstream, allowing better blood flow and lower heart disease risk or high cholesterol. Since eggs raise your high-density lipoproteins, this gives your body an extra boost to remove the cholesterol that it doesn’t need and prevents your arteries from getting clogged.
- This knowledge means that you should also beware of trans fat, as trans fat is known to raise low-density cholesterol levels, which increases the cholesterol that you don’t want, and is also known to increase the risk of heart disease.
2. BEWARE OF SUGAR
- Glucose is the sugar energy that your body utilizes to make more ATP. It is an excellent and efficient way of processing your metabolism and giving you the power you need. Glucose can come from bananas, potatoes, beans, and oats. All these foods have high storages of carbohydrates, which can convert into glucose.
- Fructose is the sugar that comes from juice, bread, soda, and candy. Fructose is sweeter than glucose, and scientific data reveals a secure link between sugar and dopamine. Dopamine is a group of neurotransmitters released when the brain triggers a pleasurable experience, such as sex or taking certain drugs. The component by which fructose triggers dopamine presents the logic of why sugar can be so addicting for people.
- When you increase your blood sugar, you increase the chance of weight gain because sugar can dysregulate certain hormones in your body that tell you “enough is enough.” Therefore, causing additional sugar cravings and a higher likelihood of fat from overeating. That’s why research shows that sugar links with several diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
3. EAT MORE COLORFUL VEGGIES AND FRUIT
- This one goes without saying that there are many health benefits when adding more vegetables and fruit to your diet. The easy one about this is that not much thinking is involved. Just add those veggies to the meals you’re cooking and remember that apple a day.
- A tip that proves to be helpful is to remember your colors! Science gives data that red fruits and veggies can reduce high blood pressure and high cholesterol. This fact is because of the antioxidants that are rich in these foods. They restore damage to lipids, proteins, and DNA found in your body. This protective mechanism can protect your body from the proliferation of cells that leads to cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The main factor is that these foods give your body energy at a cellular level, which is fantastic.
- Blue and purple fruits and veggies regulate healthy digestion and contain MORE antioxidants than any other food group. That means a boost to your overall immune system, lowering bad cholesterol, and protecting your urinary tract against disease. This function is vital because your urinary system is essential for clearing away wastes from your body.
- Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables are excellent for ensuring robust bone health, protecting your nervous system, and maintaining your skin. One thing that these foods contain are flavonoids, which function as your cell regulators. They have high biological activity, which serves well for antiallergic properties due to reduced inflammation for proficient cellular function.
- Green fruits and vegetables are full of phytochemicals. Plants initially make these chemicals and, when digested, act to serve as a defense against pathogens or foreign substances that attempt to attack human cells.
- Finally, white fruits and vegetables are home to nourishing natural killer B and T cells in the lymph. Lymph nodes circulate in the bloodstream and are responsible for protecting the immune system by using T-cells and B-cells to send chemical instructions when the immune system is prone to failure. Overall, these cells minimize the risk of prostate, colon, and breast cancer.
4. DRINK MORE WATER
- There can’t be enough emphasis on drinking water. Even though a significant percentage of our body is water, there needs to be a consistent intake of water fluids to not only replenish our fluids but help our cells function smoothly.
- For example, blood is more than 90% of water. Your blood is essential for carrying oxygen to different tissues and organs in your body. Water is necessary because the more water you drink, the more oxygen that carries itself through the blood to the body tissues that need it the most. That’s why when you exercise or perform any physical activity, you need to stay hydrated to prevent cells from malfunctioning.
- Most people don’t know when they are dehydrated until they start exercising. That’s why it’s crucial to drink water throughout the day periodically. When the body becomes dehydrated, you sweat less because more cells are trying to hold on to that water function. If you sweat less, you’re prone to fainting because of the rise in body temperature through activity and the lack of oxygen from there not being enough water in your body.
- An excellent tip to drink more water is to purchase a water bottle that you fill throughout the day as you drink. Make it a point to take sips throughout the day and do the same when filling up a cup or a glass of water.
5. INTEGRATE MORE PLANT-BASED MEALS
- I’m not saying you should never eat meat again, but study after study of scientists gives evidence of plant-based eating’s beneficial health effects. A helpful tip could be to eat more plant-based meals and less meat. Not having to eradicate meat, but being more self-aware of the intake.
- Along with environmental benefits, plant-based meals can lower blood pressure, which helps those who have type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or at risk of stroke. Eating more plants can also help with weight loss without diminishing muscle gains seeing as how there are plenty of plants that offer the same amino acids and proteins in their ingredients. A reason for the weight loss is that when more whole grains and vegetables are a part of the diet, they have a low glycemic index, which means they digest slowly. When the stomach digests foods slowly, the proper nutrients nourish effectively to various parts of the body. That also promotes fewer desires to eat more because of the antioxidants and fiber of eating more plants.
All in all, I hope these five tips help you to live a more conscious lifestyle when picking out foods—the better meals you give your body, the better results when exercising and training. You get out what you put in.
Sources
“Egg, Whole, Raw, Fresh Nutrition Facts & Calories.” Nutrition Data Know What You Eat., nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/111/2.Missing
Satija, Ambika, et al. “Plant-Based Dietary Patterns and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in US Men and Women: Results from Three Prospective Cohort Studies.” PLOS Medicine, vol. 13, no. 6, 2016, doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1002039.
“The Importance of a Colorful Diet.” Winneshiek Medical Center, www.winmedical.org/our-services/clinics/family-medicine/healthy-eating/the-importance-of-a-colorful-diet/
