It’s no secret that good training and good nutrition go hand in hand. As the saying goes “you can’t out train a poor diet”.
Like fitness training, nutrition is a tool we can all use to improve our health, performance and physical appearance.
Also, like training, you need to master some basic, nutrition fundamentals before you move on to utilizing the more specialized things like eating specifically for fat loss or for gaining muscle mass.
Here at Performance U – I’ve put together what I call “The 10 Commandments of General Nutrition”. These are 10 things, which we feel EVERYONE must do to create a good foundation of nutritional habits, regardless of who you are or what you’re training for.
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Keep in mind that these are only GENERAL guidelines, which are NOT specific to any medical condition, special population, sports or physique related goal. These are simply what use to lay a foundation of good nutritional habits before other, more specific recommendations are made relative to the individual’s needs/ goals.
10 Commandments of General Nutrition
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1. Eat every 3-3.5hrs
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2. Each meal should contain a lean protein, a fibrous carb (preferably green veggies) and a healthy fat. The lean Protein and veggies should be the largest sized portions on the plate.
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3. Meal size: If you’re not hungry in 3hrs after eating, your meal was too large. If you’re starving in 1.5hrs after eating, your meal wasn’t large enough.
(Just like auto-regulating your training, you should auto-regulate your nutrition)
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4. Emphasize low fructose fruits.
See this article for more on why we use this recommendation
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5. Consume starches relative to your activity level. Eat more starchy carbs on high activity days and less to no starches on low to no training (rest) days.
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6. Never consume a fruit or starch by itself, always eat these with a protein.
The glycemic index of fruits and starches only elevates insulin production, which limits fat burning, when the food is consumed by itself. Hence the above recommendation.
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7. Drink lots of water…shoot for at least 1 gallon per day.
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8. Always drink a Pre workout shake and a Post-workout shake.
See this Blog post for more information on our Performance U – Pre Workout Shake and this post for Post Workout Shake.
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9. Consume little to No processed products, Alcohol, Sweets, Diary products and/or Breads.
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10. Plan ONE meal per week to eat off plan (splurge meal)
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Simple is ALWAYS Better!
Not sure why most nutrition books need to take up 100’s (even thousands) of pages simply to tell you the same things that I just did in 10 quick bullet points.
Please feel free to copy our Performance U – 10 Commandments of Nutrition on your Blog. Or, to as to use as a client handout. Clients like simple and straight forward information – Especially to help them see through the confusion created by all the fad diets and misinformation out there today! Getting real results from optimal nutrition doesn’t get any more simple and straight forward than what I’ve just provided you here today!
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