Dietary Guidelines

Your food is broken down very simply to carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Most people get enough protein, too much fat and the wrong kind of carbs. The kind of carbohydrates you need are complex carbohydrates. That means when you eat them, they give you sustained energy throughout the day. This type of diet isn't just for training purposes, it will help you work longer and be more productive in every aspect of life. An example of this is a bowl of oatmeal, a whole wheat bagel or pasta. There are plenty of carbs in pastry or a doughnut, but that is a simple carbohydrate, in other words you get a quick energy burst followed by the feeling of tiredness or physical depression. Here is a small list of foods that will give you sustained energy throughout the day:


Breakfast

Whole wheat bagels, oatmeal

Shredded wheat or other whole grain cereals

Fresh fruit (your choice), 100% fruit juice

Whole grain or multi-grain toast (bread)

Whole grain pancakes or waffles

Eggs (limited quantity - 1 yolk for every two whites)

1% or skim milk or an alternative such as soy milk

OK, just some tips about the things above. White breads or really anything white is refined and don't give you 'good' energy. Whole wheat and whole grains is what you want to eat. If you are used to white then it may be a bit of a difficult switch but brown is so much better. As far as your boxed cereals go, you must become a label reader - if you see sugar, glucose, fructose, corn syrup, high fructose or malt extract in the first 2 or 3 ingredients don't eat it. They are just trying to hide sugar under a lot of different names. Cane sugar is ok because it is a natural sugar and unrefined. Instant oatmeal’s are woefully bad as they are LOADED with sugar.


Lunch/Supper

Grilled chicken or turkey breast, LEAN beef, pasta

Any amount of salad, baked or roasted potatoes (Sweet potatoes are GREAT)

Again the whole grain breads, packaged fresh pastas

Fresh fruit, soups, steamed veggies

Rice (Brown is infinitely better!) Stir Fry

A major concern for everybody is prep time for dinners but a lot of stuff can be prepared pretty quick. Also, there are some great fresh pastas on the shelf these days that take only minutes to cook and are light years better than McDonalds or the like. If you need a quick bite I would endorse Subway as a pretty good option. Now, if you use oils in your cooking change to Olive Oil (best choice would be Extra Virgin Cold Pressed). Go easy on any dressings, mayo and all types of cream sauces, they are LOADED with high fat and extra calories you don't need. For your pasta sauce go with tomato and stay clear of the cream sauces like Alfredo sauce. Now, if you only remember two things from this handout -- LISTEN UP! Don't buy anything with HYDROGENATED OILS. It may say partially hydrogenated or just hydrogenated oil and can be ANY of the oils that are listed this way (cottonseed, vegetable, etc.). Without a lot of explanation any dietician will tell you to stay clear of this stuff. It wrecks the body, simply put, it is the same as eating plastic. Over time it is a killer. Monosodium Glutamate is another ingredient you need to stay away from. The bad news is if you go and look in your cupboards now you will find hydrogenated oils in ALOT of your foodstuffs. The Food and Drug administration knows how bad this stuff is, but it is cheap to make, and most people don't care. About eating, nibble all day. Your body can't absorb all the nutrients when you have a huge meal, so eating small and more often is the way to go. Carry a bagel with you, a piece of fruit, or a protein bar to snack when you can. Try to eat 4-5 small meals a day. These are a lot of changes for most people but do what you can. Small changes can lead to big improvements.

Finally, the most important thing you need - WATER! WATER! WATER! Almost everybody is dehydrated. Carry a bottle with you everywhere. Sip all the time. Muscles need water, without it you look flat and drawn. It is used in every function of the body and EVERYBODY is dehydrated all the time. A 3% loss of water during exercise translates to about a 20% decline in performance!! Drink water ALL THE TIME! Thirst is not an indication of your body's need for water