8 Simple Nutrition Rules You Should Stick To

Your looks bespeak the kind of food you take. Unhealthy food are known to deprive you of muscle mass and energy while giving you much fats, digestive problems, and skin conditions. A lot has been said about what you should eat and reasons for doing so but you can whittle them down to eight. Here are eight rules that can help you bulk up, lose fat, and grow stronger.

1. Eat breakfast

If you energize yourself at your waking hour, you’d find yourself less ravenous throughout the day. So get into the habit of eating breakfast. It sets a trend for the day as it compels you to choose healthier meals thereafter. Go for omelets, cottage cheese, and smoothies. Here are a few more healthy breakfast ideas and tips.

2. Eat every 3 hours

In addition to your three square meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), eat two meals, one after workout and one before bed. Eat two snacks in between too. Be sure to stick to a schedule for these meals, to train your body to become hungry at the appointed time. Example: 8 am, 11 am, 2 pm, 5 pm, 7 pm, 8 pm, and 10 pm.

Consequently, you’d be less hungry and have fewer cravings. Unlike taking in a few large meals, plenty of small meals can slim down your waistline. You’d be satisfied faster. Overlong intervals between meals tend to make you overeat.

3. A protein for each meal

To build and keep muscle, you need protein. It is also a great weight loss aid because it has the highest thermic effect and makes you feel full longer.

“How much protein should I eat?” you ask again. Aim for a gram per pound of your body weight. If you weigh 200 lbs, then eat 200 g daily.

To meet your requirements ever day, choose whole protein sources for your meals. Good choices include red meat like beef, lamb and pork; eggs; poultry like chicken and turkey; fish like tuna, sardines and salmon; and dairy like milk, cheese and yogurt. Whey is not really needed but it makes for a good post-workout shake. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, you can research for other protein sources.

4. Never forget fruits and vegetables

Incorporate fruits and vegetables into every meal. Calories are the least you have to worry about; fruits and vegetables are most certainly low in them. eat them to the hilt without having to worry about weight gain. They will help you gain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants instead.

Great fruit and veggie choices are apples, bananas, beans, berries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, oranges, pineapple, pumpkin, roman lettuce, spinach, and tomatoes chicory.

5. Only eat carbs after workout

You cannot completely boot out carbs from your diet. You still need it for energy. Just don’t exceed what you need. Eat whole grain and avoid white carbs. The best carb blocker is non other than Meratol – blocking up to a massive 82% on carb intake. If you’re scrawny, eat carbs not only immediately after workout but also post-workout, more if necessary.

6. Eat healthy fats

Fats of the nutritious kind hasten loss of fats and improve your fat loss dividends. As they are slow to digest, fats can be satiating, not to mention affordable. Stay away from margarine and trans fats.

Conversely, go for saturated and monounsaturated fats. The former, e.g. real butter, red meat, and whole eggs, is known to improve levels of testosterone, which is needed for muscle building. The latter, e.g. extra virgin olive oil, olives, and mixed nuts, guards you against cancers and cardiovascular ailments.

Polyunsaturated fats may also help you raise testosterone levels, lose fat, and reduce inflammation. Fish oil and ground flaxseeds are best choices.

7. Hydrate

Since weight training gets you to lose so much water from sweating, interrupting muscle recovery, make sure to drink water. Other than preventing dehydration, drinking water can also avert hunger since it fills your stomach somehow.

Strive to drink a gallon of water daily. Drink a cup first thing upon rising from bed. Have two more cups in every meal. Also drink lots in the course of the workout.

Then again, you should be on your guard against water intoxication. Don’t go overboard like guzzling three gallons of H₂O in 20 minutes.

8. Almost all of the time, eat whole food

Eat whole food 90% of the time. Whole food refers to unrefined, unprocessed fodder or one close to its most vigorous state. On the contrary, processed foods are what they are, usually with sugar, trans fats, sodium, corn syrup, and chemical additives. Example: fruit bars, pizza, sausages, and frozen meals.

You need not eat healthy 100% of the time. The difference in health benefits between eating healthy 90% of the time and all the time is middling. So feel free to eat 4 unhealthy meals out of 42 meals every week, for the same reason you can down sweet beverages and alcohol 10 percent of the time.