Grade 1 - Basics to Diet

 Basics to Diet

Importance of Diet

    Diet is probably the most important factor in deciding your fitness. Diet is simply anything you consume on a daily basis; this includes food, water, and supplements. Diet can directly affect your lifestyle, exercise, and overall health. This means it should not just be skimmed over. I will be explaining the absolute basics to dieting.

Dieting for Everyone

    Everyone has different needs in their diet, so knowing yours is crucial. However, if you just want to focus on a simple way to diet, I will teach you how. You may be dieting to lose weight, gain weight, or even just maintain weight, but the most important part of a diet is to keep it consistent. If you only diet for one day or one week you will not see any difference in your weight. I would say it takes around 3 months to see your first results, so be patient. 

Rules of Dieting

    Dieting has a couple very important rules, that if followed can keep you very healthy and happy:

• Stay hydrated!
• Prioritize vegetables and fruits.
• Limit processed and sugary food.
• Keep meals colorful.
• Listen to your body. 
• Moderation, not deprivation.
• Drink at least 4 bottles of water a day. 
• Plan ahead.

Importance of HYDRATION!

    Hydration is key to fitness success. You can go around 28 days without eating, but only 3 days without water. Water is what makes up 60% of your own body. Most people require around 2 liters of water a day. That's about 4 bottles, or 8 cups a day. If you exercise, however, you may need more. Some athletes may need up to around a gallon of water a day. Be warned though and don't chug as much water as you can all day. Too much water can be bad for you and result in water intoxication. This is a very serious condition that may be fatal so I wouldn't recommend drinking over a gallon a day. 

    Now you can be hydrated by most drinks but why do people recommend water. Water is that key thing that hydrates you and drinking it in its pure form is ultimately best. Water also helps keep you full and energized through the day. I would say when in doubt choose water as your drink of choice.

Count Colors Rule

    A common rule that many people use to eat a balanced diet is to count colors. This simply means that when getting food try to make sure your plate is as colorful as possible. This is because most colorful foods are fruits, veggies, and healthier foods in general. I would recommend trying to have at least 3 different colors on your plate for each meal. An example would be, for dinner, chicken breast - white, baked potato - yellow, and broccoli - green. This meal is very balanced and healthy all around. 

Easy Substitutions

    When you're cooking or eating there is usually something that can be substituted out for something better. For example, instead of cooking with butter cook with olive oil, or instead of eating 80 20 ground beef have 90 10. These usually won't affect the taste or texture of the food you're eating, but still make it much healthier. Now remember you should never restrict yourself from foods you love. Everything is good in moderation. I will be making a chart of easy substitutions you can find on my blog. 

Moderation is Key

    Remember foods fall into two groups: good and better. Foods are never bad, so please never think of them in that way. Food can be comforting to many people and taking that away from them is never healthy. You shouldn't be scared of food just because they are considered worse than others. You can eat anything whenever you want all you need to do is keep moderation. Instead of having 3 slices of cake have only 2 slices. This way you still get the satisfaction of having one of your favorite foods without the overabundance of it. 

Supplements 

    Supplements are things that can help you reach your nutritional goals. Supplements are usually in pill form that helps you get nutrients that you might have not gotten through the day. Supplements are such an easy cheat code for health. In my opinion, and to keep it simple, you should consume a multivitamin and fish oil every day. This will make sure your nutrient needs are met.

Goals for Diet

    In my opinion, you should use this as a guide for your daily diet and meals:

• 3-4 meals a day
• 1-2 snacks a day
• At least 3 colors per meal
• Well-portioned meals
• Food you like
• 4 bottles of water a day
• At least one serving of veggies and fruit per day