Dr. Berardi's Good Nutrition Rules
1) Eat every 2-3 hours - no matter what.
Are you doing this - no matter what? Now, you don't need to eat a full meal every 2-3 hours but you do need to eat 6-8 meals and snacks that conform to the other rules below.
2) Ingest complete, lean protein each time you eat.
Are you eating something this is an animal or comes from an animal - every time you feed yourself? If not, make the change. Note: If you're a vegetarian, this rule still applies - you need complete protein and need to find non-animal sources.
3) Ingest vegetables every time you eat.
That's right, every time you eat (every 2-3 hours, right), in addition to a complete, lean protein source, you need to eat some vegetables. You can toss in a piece of fruit here and there as well. But don't skip the veggies.
4) If want to eat a carbohydrate that's not a fruit or a vegetable (this includes things like things rice, pasta, potatoes, quinoa, etc), you can - but you'll need to save it until after you've exercised.
Although these often heavily processed grains are dietary staples in North America, heart disease, diabetes and cancer are North American medical staples - there's a relationship between the two! To stop heading down the heart disease highway, reward yourself for a good workout with a good carbohydrate meal right after (your body best tolerates these carbohydrates after exercise). For the rest of the day, eat your lean protein and a delicious selection of fruits and veggies.
5) A good percentage of your diet must come from fat.
Just be sure it's the right kind. There are 3 types of fat - saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Eating all three kinds in a healthy balance can dramatically improve your health and even help you lose fat.
Your saturated fat should come from your animal products and you can even toss in some butter or coconut oil for cooking. Your monounsaturated fat should come from mixed nuts, olives, and olive oil. And your polyunsaturated fat should from flaxseed oil, fish oil, and mixed nuts.
6) Ditch the calorie containing drinks (including fruit juice).
In fact, all of your drinks should come from non-calorie containing beverages. Fruit juice, alcoholic drinks, and sodas - these are all to be removed from your daily fare. Your absolute best choices are water and green tea.
7) Focus on whole foods.
Most of your dietary intake should come from whole foods. There are a few times where supplement drinks and shakes are useful. But most of the time, you'll do best with whole, largely unprocessed foods.
8) Have 10% foods.
I know you cringed at a few of the rules above - perhaps #6 in particular. But here's a bit of a reprieve. 10% foods are foods that don't necessarily follow the rules above - but food's you're still allowed to eat (or drink) 10% of the time. 100% nutritional discipline is never required for optimal progress. The difference, in results, between 90% adherence to your nutrition program and 100% adherence is negligible.
Just make sure you do the math and determine what 10% of the time really means. For example, if you're eating 6 meals per day for 7 days of the week - that's 42 meals. 10% of 42 is about 4. Therefore you're allowed to "break the rules" 4 meals each week.
9) Develop food preparation strategies.
The hardest part about eating well is making sure you can follow the 8 rules above consistently. And this is where preparation comes in. You might know what to eat, but if isn't available, you'll blow it when it's time for a meal.
10) Balance daily food choices with healthy variety.
Let's face it; during the week -when you're busy - you're not going to be spending a ton of time whipping up gourmet meals. During these times you're going to need a set of tasty, easy to make foods that you can eat day in and day out. However, once every day or a few times a week - you need to eat something different - something unique.
So, what about calories, or macronutrient ratios, or any number of other things that I've covered in many other articles on my own web site and elsewhere? The short answer is that if you aren't already practicing the above-mentioned rules, and by practicing them I mean putting them to use over 90% of the time (i.e., no more than 4 meals out of an average 42 meals per week violate any of those rules), everything else is pretty pointless.
Moreover, many people can achieve the health and the body composition they desire using the habits alone. No kidding! In fact, with some of my paying clients I spend the first few months just supervising their adherence to these rules--an effective but costly way to learn them.
If you've reached the 90% threshold, you may need a bit more individualization beyond the habits. If so, visit my web site. Many of these little tricks can be found in my many articles published there. But before looking for them, before assuming you're ready for individualization; make sure you've truly mastered the habits. Then, while keeping the habits as the consistent foundation, tweak away.
© Copyright Dr. John Berardi and Science Link, Inc.
No reproduction of this article is permitted without the express written consent of the author.
For A Free Sample To Build A Better Body Click Here
Follow @MikeGetsRipped
About Me
About Me
Hey there, it's Mike Jamieson,
, and I'd like to welcome you to my blog. The original "get ripped" blog. I started this to spread the word about a new way to build more muscle,
and show more definition. I struggled in the beginning so I hope I can help others reach their goals.
I tried everything and finally found what works. Don't listen to the guys saying you 3 or 4 different supplements.
Right Here is What I Used to Get Ripped in 30 Days...
Step 1:
PYTHON's Power
(Take Once in the Morning)
Get Ripped and Gain Energy Fast. PYTHON's Power is the key step in this stack and helped me harden my muscles like you wouldn't believe.
Step 2:
NOX Edge
(Take once in the morning and before your workout)
This step is essential! Completes this essential fat burning stack. Instant strength increases, and rapidly burns body fat.
No Risk Trial Expires: !