Nutrition

The number one question is… “WHAT SHOULD I EAT” ??!! Like we have said before, the more we learn, the more we realize how much there is to learn! What we do know is this – you can only trust yourself. The food industry spends billions of dollars in advertising – they are concerned about making a profit, not making us healthy. We hope this information we’ve put together for you will be your guide to help lead you on your way to achieving your FIT BODY!

Fit Body Food Rules – Summed up as simply as we can for you:
Eat a variety of fresh, whole foods in small frequent meals to fuel your body throughout the day. Ideally these 5-7 small meals (according to your fitness goal/nutritional needs) will include:

Moderate amounts of lean meat, fish, seafood, eggs
All of the non starchy vegetables you can eat Plenty of fruit
Moderate amounts of healthy fats
Moderate amounts of nuts and seeds
Whole grains (before or after workouts/activity or at breakfast)
Few legumes (peanut butter is a legume – try almond butter)
Few dairy products (eggs are meat)
No processed foods – make it yourself!
No sugars. Agave, organic honey, molasses, pure spun golden sunshine….it doesn’t matter. They are all equally bad for you. Moderate amounts once in a while is ok:)
No artificial sweeteners. These are not food! These are laboratory products with unknown safety records. Artificial sweeteners have been shown to produce an insulin response.

MEAT
Many different kinds of meat will work well for you. Here are some guidelines:
Animals, including fish, raised in commercial farms are not healthy so try to get grass fed beef, USDA certified organic meat, wild fish, locally raised animals.
If unable to do any of the above, then eat the leanest cuts you can and trim visible fat.
Eggs are good. Eggs from birds allowed to forage and run around are better.
Buffalo, elk, venison, ostrich and other types of wild game are excellent choices if you can get them.

VEGETABLES


Non starchy vegetables (all vegetables except corn, peas, potatoes, and a few others) should be a big part of each meal. Virtually all vegetables offer excellent nutritional value. Veggies are loaded with phytounutrients and also help your body to be in an alkaline balance.
When possible choose organic, locally grown vegetables that are in season. Each of these factors will improve nutritional value.
Experiment with sautéing, roasting and grilling your veggies. Try different recipes and different ethnic foods. Learn to use herbs and spices. Veggies can taste good!
Peppers, squashes, eggplant, garlic, leeks, onions broccoli, cauliflower, avocado, carrots, greens, cabbage, celery, kale, spinach, tomatoes, radish, parsnips, mushrooms….mmm!
When you eat starchy foods (before/after a workout/activity is ideal) try yams and sweet potatoes.
Avoid legumes. Peanuts, beans, peas, lentils and soybeans should be avoided – these are starchy and acidic-and a lot of times GMO (genetically modified organism -check out our link…scary stuff)!

FRUIT
Fruit has a lot of nutritional benefits. However, fruit is also a source of sugar. Try to eat lower glycemic fruits – especially those that you also eat the peel/skin.
Some fruits like bananas, pineapple, and watermelon have a high glycemic load. High glycemic fruits should be eaten before/after workouts/activity or in the morning (talk to us more about nutrient timing for your body).
You should consider how the fruit was grown as well as the type of fruit to evaluate nutritional value. You’ll also need to consider pesticide exposure.
If you can grow your own fruit or pick wild fruit – go for it!
Buy at local farmers markets for fresh seasonal fruit. Organic is best.
Try to avoid fruit from far away. Flying in kiwis from New Zealand is not really helping our health.
Avoid GMO fruit.
A little fruit juice (diluted with water) occasionally can be okay but, fruit juice is really candy…fruit juice is sugar.
Wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly to minimize pesticides.
Berries! Eat lots of berries! They are great for heart health and high in antioxidants! Exercise is great for you; however, it does produce free radicals. Berries are a great source of post workout nutrition to attack those free radicals.

NUTS & SEEDS
Nutrition that satisfies – a great snack choice!
Nuts and seeds are packed with protein, fatty acids, enzymes, antioxidants and lots of vitamins and minerals, especially potassium and magnesium. It is possible to mess up your fat profile with nuts though. A lot of nuts have an unacceptably high omega 6 / omega 3 ratio.

Here are better choices: Almonds, Walnuts, Macadamia Nuts, Pecans.
Nuts in moderation are very healthy, but overeating them can stall weight loss. Cashews are delicious but surprisingly high in carbohydrate and contain too much omega 6. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.
Peanuts are not nuts. Do not eat peanuts or peanut butter. Peanuts contain lectins and other anti-nutrients which can cause health problems.
A lot of packaged, shelled nuts are covered in trans fats! Read the label! It’s best to buy raw, unsalted nuts and spice them at home. When in doubt, buy raw almonds, walnuts and/or macadamia nuts.

FATS


Fat is good for you. Fat is essential to your well being and happiness. Having the proper fat profile makes a huge difference to your mental outlook and moods. Fat is a great source of energy. Fat triggers our sense of being full. Fat is an essential part of many of your cellular and hormonal processes.
However….there are many bad fats in our food supply.
Fat from healthy animals is good for you! Chicken, duck, goose, lamb, beef and pork fat can all be eaten and is an excellent choice for cooking because of heat stability. Lard is internal fat from around the kidneys. Lard from naturally (not grain) fed pork and beef is a very good choice. Lard from grass fed animals is hard to find though, so butter can be used instead.
Butter contains milk solids and water as well as fat. Butter from grass fed cows is very good for cooking and enhancing the flavor of steamed vegetables.
Coconut oil is good for you and a good choice for cooking because of its heat stability. Choose organic, cold processed coconut oil. It’s also great for your skin!
Olive oil is very healthy. Go for the extra virgin, cold pressed and use liberally. Olive oil does not have great heat stability so use something else for high heat frying.
Flaxseed oil is very good but…it should not be heated at all and oxidizes rapidly. Store flaxseed oil in the refrigerator and use quickly.
Avocado is the nectar of the gods and should be eaten regularly.
Fats to Avoid:
Trans Fats – fats damaged by heat. Trans fats can be extremely destructive to our health. Trans fats can be made at home!! Start with a healthy, unrefined oil, naturally high in beneficial omega-3 fatty acids – apply excessive heat and presto! Health wrecking trans fats. Use butter, chicken stock, or coconut oil for cooking.
Hydrogenated and/or partially hydrogenated oils. Terrible! That’s just another sneaky way to hide the words Trans Fats from the average label reading consumer.
Canola – should be avoided. Canola has a very good omega 6/ Omega 3 ratio. However, to be used commercially it has been genetically modified, highly refined, partially hydrogenated and deodorized. Yikes! This is the main ingredient in most salad dressings.
Margarine – see trans fats and/or plastics…hmm???
Peanut, cottonseed, soybean and wheat germ oils…Not good!

As you’ll find out when shopping for these healthy foods – you’ll find most of them at your local farmers’ markets, or around the perimeter of the grocery store. You’ll save time (and possibly $$$) when you shop for these foods and avoid the fancy cartoon character labels! When grocery shopping, the less ingredients, packaging/labels the better.

Fitness goals and wellness can only be achieved with a healthy, real food diet. There aren’t any fad diets out there that will work (for a lifetime) and keep your body healthy from the inside out. 70% of diseases can be prevented by what we choose to eat and drink. 80% of your results for your fitness goals will be determined by how you fuel your body.
Eat to live, don’t live to eat!

Nutritional Information and Summary courtesy of Robb Wolf