If you’re at the beginning of your fitness journey and tired of sifting through the fitness influencer B.S. and Bill Nye the science guy jargon, you’ve come to the right place.
Maybe the thought of going to the gym gives you anxiety and fills you with dread.
Maybe you’ve tried trendy fad diets, detox teas, juice cleanses, and waist trainers.
Maybe you want to feel better, and change your lifestyle… For good this time.
This guide is for you if you're at the beginning of your fitness journey.
This blog post is the first of TNN’s Nutrition Basics series! We will be posting several blogs giving you the no-B.S. and easy-to-understand run down on everything nutrition related that you need to know to be successful in your fitness journey.
START HERE:
Let’s start with the basics of nutrition, and how to add whole and minimally processed foods into your everyday diet. But first, what exactly is whole and minimally processed food? It's food that's had little or no transformation from its original state. Here's an example using an apple:
Whole and minimally processed food are the easiest for your body to digest, is more likely to keep you fuller for longer, and is less likely to cause digestive issues (i.e. bloating).
Here are three easy ways to spot whole and minimally processed food at the grocery store:
Typically “perishable” (i.e. no preservatives = spoils sooner)
Is easily identifiable (i.e. apple vs. applesauce. An apple LOOKS like an apple. Apple sauce does not LOOK like an apple.)
The ingredient list is small (i.e. a can of beans)
Here’s a short list of my favourite whole and minimally processed snacks:
Sliced mangoes (with a sprinkle of bagoong (Filipino shrimp paste) or Tajin)
Sinigang (a traditional Filipino tamarind-based soup dish)
Apples + peanut butter
THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR:
1. Pay attention to food labels/nutrition labels: In Canada, ingredients on nutrition labels are listed from largest amount to smallest amount (pro tip: if sugar, artificial sweetener, or an ingredient you cannot pronounce is first on the list… it’s time to look for another product.)
2. Sugars vs artificial sweeteners: Just because a package says “sugar-free” doesn’t mean it’s *really* sugar/artificial sweetener free. If you’re purchasing a food item that contains natural sugar (i.e. from fruit), your body will have an easier time digesting it than an artificial sweetener like maltodextrin. Fun fact: overconsumption of some artificial sweeteners can cause bloating, gastrointestinal issues, and/or diarrhea. Yup, you read that right! That “sugar-free” food item that you bought might be causing you more harm than good.
TRACKING:
If overall health and wellness is your long-term goal, knowing what works and doesn’t work for your body is important.
You can do this by downloading a free app like MyFitnessPal, tracking food in the “notes” section of your phone, or using a notebook (or if you’re anything like me, whip out one of the notebooks you bought and never wrote in because you’re a sucker for stationary….but, I digress..) and start tracking WHAT you’re eating.
I don’t care about the calories at this point, and neither should you. Again, if you’re here for the long term, learning WHAT works for your body comes first.
Once you figure out what food works for your body, you will then be able to determine what food makes you feel good, what food makes you feel not so good, and what you might have eaten that you *probably* didn’t need to.
After you become familiar with what works for your body, you can start to pay attention to portion sizes and tweak portion sizes to your goals. But that’s a conversation for another blog post.
My goal is to provide you with long-term tools, so you don’t have to keep starting over.
Stay tuned for next month’s blog post where you’ll learn everything you need to know about FATS! But until then, see how you can incorporate some of the tools listed above into your current lifestyle.
TL;DR
TNN’s Nutrition Basics Blog Series is for you if you are at the beginning of your fitness journey
Start by prioritizing whole and minimally processed food.
Knowing what works for your body and what doesn’t work for your body is important. You can track how food affects your body by tracking (using a notebook or app).
Prioritize consuming food that makes you feel good and agrees with your body before calorie counting.
Drink Water & Eat Well,
The Nourish Note
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