Lets Talk Nutrition

How important is your diet in relation to reaching your fitness goals? Well, let me ask you this….how important is air in order to live? You can’t survive without air, and your goals are never going to be met unless your diet is on point as well. Keep a food journal for just 2-3 days, you will be amazed how many things add up and the little things that add fat and calories. I’m talking the cups of coffee or tea a day you drink, think of all the sugar and cream you put in. The mayo or ketchup on your sandwich, how often you reach for a handful of chips or wheat thins. These little things add up and heavily affect your success.

 The key is to eat foods that will keep you full for a longer period of time, foods that provide satiety. Oatmeal is my bff….best friend forever, this is a power food that has actually been proven to reduce belly fat. I am amazed every time I eat breakfast, my body immediately feels more energized and warmer! The fiber benefit alone should be reason to add this to your diet. Fiber contains only 1.5 to 2.5 calories per gram, while other carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram. Fiber-rich foods also necessitate more chewing and slow the passage of food through the digestive tract.

The fiber in carbohydrates helps prevent those peaks and valleys in blood sugar levels that can cause cravings and poor food choices. They also may stimulate a satiety hormone in the brain.

Carbs or no Carbs? Listen people you need carbs to survive, they provide most of your energy and without them you will be a zombie. Now there is a difference between good carbs and bad but don’t cut them completely. Try to avoid refined carbs (white bread, white rice, white pasta, sugar). Refined and simple carbs can wreak havoc on satiety (feeling of being full) by causing rises and falls in blood sugar triggering hunger every few hours.

Good Carbs: Veggies, Fruits, Oats, brown rice, yams, lentils, whole grain breads and pastas, potatoes.

Pre-workout is all about providing an energy source for your workout. While fatty acids can provide much of the required energy, once a certain intesity level is passed carbohydrates are required to provide the additional energy. If no carbohydrates are available, you release cortisol in order to break down protein (muscle) into glucose. Low GI carbs are a good choice pre-workout because they provide that energy source with less of an insulin response.

Post-workout is all about recovery. The faster you recover, the sooner you will be ready to workout again. Insulin is required for fast recovery as it allows carbohydrates, fats and protein to enter the individual muscle cells that are doing the work. Simple carbs at this time trigger the pancreas to release more insulin, especially if taken with protein.

A great website to use to monitor your food intake and calories used is myfitnesspal.com I use it all the time and recommend it to everyone.

Any Questions feel free to contact me. Jenkfitlife@yahoo.com, have a great weekend everyone!