5 SIMPLE NUTRITION RULES (for better health and fat loss)

I'll make it as simple as possible, because it's not supposed to be complicated. Nutrition is a topic which often gets people confused - there's so much contradicting information out there, and advertisers are shoving all sorts of bullshit (on top of the good information) your way constantly. No, you don't need the latest fat loss pills, superfoods, supplements or bullshit shakes they make you believe are good for you (often quite the opposite, actually). So how are you supposed to know how to eat to be healthier and to aid fat loss as well as you can? I want to make things clear and straightforward, so here's a list of the things that'll guarantee you'll get better fat loss results from training, as well as nourish your body optimally. No starvation, no restrictions, no fad dieting. Ever.

  1. Minimum 2.5 litres of water daily (plus tea/coffee on top if you like)
  2. Protein with every meal
  3. Vegetables (or fruit/berries) with every meal
  4. Healthy fats every day (avocado/oily fish/nuts/extra virgin olive oil...)
  5. REAL food 80% of the time (you'll recognise real food by checking out the ingredient label in the supermarket. If there's a single ingredient in it, it's real food.)

Dedicate the next 2 weeks to following these principles. You'll notice just how easy it is to lead a healthier lifestyle. Note, that I'm saying REAL food 'just' 80% of the time?! That's right, you can have #naughtyfood freely, as long as it's not the basis for your diet. It means being able to eat chocolate and drink beer, guilt free, WHILST losing body fat.

[[More about the Freedom Diet here]]

 

/Erika

BEST PROTEIN SOURCES for meat eaters and vegetarians

Protein helps you stay fuller for longer - it is the macronutrient with the highest satiety factor (over carbohydrates or fats). Protein also, very importantly, helps build and maintain lean muscle mass in your body, which is super important in keeping your metabolism high throughout your life, and helps in building and maintaining a lean body that burns fat effectively.

To oversimplify, if you are currently inactive, make sure you get an absolute minimum of one gram of protein per every kilogram of bodyweight, every day. So if you weigh 80 kg, you should aim to get at least 80 grams of protein daily. You can track your protein intake easily with an app like MyFitnessPal (by going to the nutrition section in your food diary).

Here's a simple list of the best protein sources:

  • Poultry (chicken, turkey...)
  • Red meat (beef, pork, lamb...)
  • Seafood (tuna, salmon, mackerel, prawns, scallops...)
  • Eggs
  • Dairy (yoghurt, cottage cheese, fromage frais, milk, cheese...)
  • Whey protein powder (not necessary, but great if you struggle to get enough protein in)

And if you're a vegetarian, here are the best foods to help with your daily protein intake:

  • Beans (kidney, chickpeas/hummus, haricot...)
  • Legumes (lentils, peas, peanut butter...)
  • Nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews...)
  • Seeds (sunflower, flax, pumpkin, hemp...)
  • Milk alternatives (almond/cashew/hazelnut/soya/rice drinks etc. ...)
  • Soy/tofu
  • Whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, oats, bread...)
  • Veggies (peas, broccoli, spinach, kale etc. ...)
  • Protein powder  (hemp protein/pea protein/rice protein etc. ...)

For optimal health and best results from any training you do, try to include a source of protein with every meal you have.

Good luck, and make sure to join The 10 Minute Body team on Facebook where you can ask nutrition and exercise related questions.

/Erika