NUTRITION! What to eat in a day and how to build your plate...
I hope that the beginning of 2023 has been off to a good start! Whether your the "NEW YEAR, NEW YOU" type or you just keep on keepin' on doing your thing, the important part of being healthy is creating good and lasting habits!
The bottom line is that any type of diet that you stick to will give you results as long as you stick to it! But when you restrict your food too much that's when you throw in the towel. Here's a concept of an eating habit that might work for you FOR THE LONG HAUL!
In a day this is what you can shoot to eat - 5 servings of vegetables, 4 servings of protein, 3 servings of carbohydrates, 3 servings of fruit, and 2 servings of fat, 1 serving of dairy per day (optional). Here's an example of what one day of eating could look like:
Breakfast: 2 egg with spinach and a sprinkle of cheese on top of a piece of whole grain bread with a banana
Snack: Cucumbers
Lunch: Large salad with chicken, balsamic dressing and an apple
Snack: Strawberries with a protein bar or shake
Dinner: Hamburger with the bun, cheese, lettuce/tomato/pickles and 1/4 an avocado
I've got a freebie coming soon that will elaborate more on the above plan!
Another option if you want to keep it really simple and just in general create a better habit - Each meal make 1/2 of your plate veggies, 1/4 plate protein, 1/4 starch/carb. Especially when going out for dinner, this is a simple way to help keep yourself on track. For snacks focus on a piece of fruit or another quick source of protein.
Planning is a key part to making good nutrition successful. There will be another post where we go into detail with planning. For now, figure out the best method for grocery shopping and prepping your food will be important along with having quick snacks on hand to get through hungry times.
With all of this said, eating in this manner MOST of the time allows for those times when you have that special dinner or a birthday where you're going to have dessert. Eat what you want at the special dinner and have the cake at the birthday event. When you're not depriving yourself you are much more likely to stick to a LIFE LONG habit of good eating than having another DIET that you follow for a short period of time and then it becomes too much and you fall off again.
If this is a brand new concept for you but you're looking to become healthier then just start with ONE simple habit - dividing your plate or getting in more veggies or protein. Once you have a handle on this, start adding more in. Bad habits weren't created overnight so fixing EVERYTHING won't happen right away! Just get started, you've got this. I have faith in you! And if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me, I'd love to help! ~Jen