Bikini Body in 6 Days! Lose Those Love Handles! Get Slim Now!
Sound familiar? It’s almost impossible to walk into Ralph’s without being bombarded by bikini-clad magazine models begging for you to obligingly suck in your gut and hand over the $4.25. But why waste your precious pennies on false food facts when you can get the real deal on nutrition right here? The majority of fashion and health magazines publish false and misleading tips on obtaining a balanced lifestyle. To insure a wholesome balance of nutrients, look to these four food essentials that create the perfect meal mix:
Carbohydrates: It’s all too common for so-called fitness gurus and gym rats to wean out all carbohydrates in their diet. They believe that carbohydrates equal “bad” and tend to avoid them at all costs. Fortunately, for all us bread-lovers out there, carbohydrates make up the foundation of a healthy diet. Complex carbohydrates (think dairy, whole grains, soy, edamame, fruits, veggies, and beans) fortify our bodies with fuel. Next time you’re feeling fatigued, grab an apple, handful of carrots, or slice of whole-grain bread to snack on. Consume around 40 grams of carbohydrates for breakfast to rev your body up and running.
Protein: This nifty nutrient is what sustains energy from carbohydrates from one meal to the next. Pair powerful proteins with carbs in order to make the most out of your energy supply. Next time you hit the kitchen cupboard to satisfy those midnight munchies steer clear of the cookies and opt for almonds, egg whites, lean meat, greek yogurt, edamame, or soybeans instead. By including protein with your carb intake, you can insure your body’s energy will last until your next meal. Along with a breakfast of 40 grams of carbs, tag on 8-25 grams of protein to the end of your morning meal to get that sustaining power protein provides.
Fiber: Promising comfortable fullness, this go-to energy-saver is your new foodie favorite. Fiber flourishes in beans, avocado, pears, artichoke, raspberries, and whole grains like brown rice and oats. Typically one should consume 30 grams of fiber, but because that is a significantly massive amount to begin with, work up your fiber intake gradually. For a quick snack, Promax bars (my favorite energy bars) are ideal for an on-the-go eat. Be sure to purchase the Low Sugar (“LS”) option that is packed with 14 grams of fiber and 17 grams of protein!
Fat: We all tend to fear fat, but the fact is fat is actually a vital part of a healthy meal. Almonds, cashews, avocado, extra virgin olive oil, egg yolk, and salmon are chock-full of poly and mono-unsaturated fats- the “good” kind of fat that leaves your stomach feeling insatiably satisfied. Steer clear of yucky saturated fat, like the kind found in cheese, beef, and chicken skin. Fat can help sustain the power given to your body through carbs, and another bonus feature is fat’s propensity to leave you feeling physically satisfied via “mouth feel”, the pleasant physical interaction fatty foods create in your mouth while eating them.
If you want to begin a healthy, nutritious, lifestyle, steer clear of false facts scattered over the web and in the pages of fashion magazines. The foundation to an invigorating lifestyle lies in the variety of nutrients in a meal: carbohydrates, protein, fiber, fat. As the age-old saying goes; great abs start in the kitchen. As finals start to infiltrate your day-to-day schedule, gear up your brain by sticking to a nutritious, balanced food regime.
*All tips have been approved by a professional Los Angeles-based nutritionist.