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ELEVEN Nutrition and Fitness Pros share their best tips to improve YOUR nutrition.
There is so much nutrition information floating around the internet these days it can be hard to know what advice to follow! I asked ELEVEN professionals in nutrition and fitness the question “What is a nutrition tip you live by?”. I thought it would be great to hear what people that spend their lives exercising and teaching others how to live a healthier lifestyle actually do for themselves and what they share with their clients.
Although Instagram makes it seem like healthy nutrition is all about superfoods, cleanses, and fancy diets.. You’ll see that most of the info here is straightforward. Really, its all about the simple stuff. No matter if you are a fan of a certain diet, or if you prefer to go ‘by feel’, you’ll see that most of us preach the same things- eat real food, listen to your body, lots of fruit and veggies!
11 Nutrition and Fitness Pros answer the question “What is a nutrition tip that you live by?”
Holly Priestland
StrongFirst L1
Spartan SGX L1
Precision Nutrition L1
“There is a bunch of fancy things you can do around food prepping, planning, macros etc., but if you aren’t eating mindfully, you’re kind of wasting all your effort.
One of the things that has helped both me and my clients make the biggest changes to their relationship with their meals is also SUPER simple and something every single person can do:
**Put your fork down in between mouthfuls.**
As in – if there’s food in your mouth, there’s nothing in your hands.
This one simple cue will slow down your eating – helping with digestion, absorption, satiety, and actually noticing and enjoying the food you are eating.
Luke Holmes
CrossFit Level 3 – CCFT
When looking to make changes to your nutrition and behaviours surrounding food you need to take care of the easy wins first. You have to be objective in what you are trying to do and then create a system that allows you to be compliant, with wiggle room for those social occasions and when you want to kick back. An easy example of jumping too far ahead is counting macros and going down the road of weighing and measuring your food- many people want the ultimate plan and macro split but have no idea of what their food intake is at the current moment. Whatever you do, make it manageable and realistic! For a tip that’s a little more actionable- clear all the processed and crap food out of your kitchen, only buy quality foods and set aside an hour a day to cook your dinner and the next days food.
Diana Díaz-Rizzolo
Doctora en medicina
Nutricionista
Profesora universitaria
Investigadora biomédica.
In general, there are 6 principles I use:
1- “Promote lifestyle change over dieting” It can be time consuming to create a habit, and it needs to be created bit by bit, but it is also hard to lose a habit. Prioritizing habits over a strict, unsustainable diet is key.
2- “Eat a higher protein diet” Protein favors muscle regeneration and an optimal level of health, and it also has a high satiety factor. This helps us adjust the energy that we consume.
3- “Prioritize plant based foods”. This is applicable even in our protein intake, since we have seen that a plant based diet is associated with a reduction in risk of chronic illness.
4- “Increase your intake of carbohydrates from vegetables, legumes and fruit.” These three groups should be prioritized over starches, cereals, flours and grains.
5- “Your diet should be based around unprocessed foods.” Try to avoid processed, highly palatable foods with flavor enhancing additives (not additives that increase shelf life).
6- “Stop demonizing food, and avoid using terms like ‘cheat meal’. “ Eating foods outside of these principles shouldnt cause guilt. Having a strict diet that includes a day without control can promote disordered eating and compensatory behaviors.
Princeless (Colectivo de Mujeres en el Deporte, Salud y Nutrición)
Entrenadoras
Psicologas
Fisioterapeutas
Most of us train every day, for a few hours. Some of us have higher goals than others, but it is clear that training is important to us.
We eat in a way that takes into account the amount of energy we need in order to perform well in training and also stay healthy. Each one of us has different caloric or nutrient needs, pero mostly we try to choose foods that are as natural as possible. Quality foods that have enough calories and nutrient density, that fill us up and give us energy!
A tip? LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. It speaks for it self. There isnt a rule that works for everyone, since every body is unique. Dont obsess over being on a super strict diet, give your body what it needs! Take care of yourself, and enjoy some less healthy foods every once in a while! You only have one life, so finding a balance that works for YOU is key- trial and error.
Irene Piquer-García
Diplomada en Nutrición y dietética
Licenciada en Ciencia y Tecnología de alimentos
Mast Gestión e Innovación Alimentaria
PhD Biomedicina (Metabolismo y señalización celular)
Certificación ISAK I
Vitamins and minerals play an important role in our bodies, and a lot of them have a direct effect on the metabolism. A quick way to add a variety of vitamins and minerals to your diet is to try to have at least 6-8 colors on your plate every time you eat. These colors should come mainly from plant based foods like veggies and fruit. The dominant color in each of these bioactive compounds will help you absorb different bioactive compounds, which can help in immune system health, muscle regeneration, o preventing certain types of cancer. Aside from this, we also eat with our eyes! Making your plate more attractive can be a great way to help you eat more veggies. Stop eating salads that just have lettuce, tomatoes and carrots. Try adding red cabbage, avocado, corn, beets, pomegranate, bean sprouts, nuts, blueberries, broccoli, etc! I can’t eat without seeing a ton of colors on my plate.. What about you?
Koi Hogg
NSCA-CPT
CFL1
Pro Rugby Player: FC Barcelona
I try to keep things simple and fresh when it comes to eating. My tips are simple! When you look at your plate you should see 3 main things, protein, carbs and veg!
I’d also add to not put more in the fuel in the tank than you need, i.e. don’t over eat. I normally cut down on carbs a bit on a non training day.
Inma Albert
Técnica Superior en Dietética.
Actualmente cursando postgrado de PNI.
Vegetables are on my plate at lunch and dinner. If you want to be healthy, you should eat them daily and make sure that veggies are present in all of your main meals.
An example of a good portion of vegetables would be a salad as a starter and then vegetables cooked with protein and/ or carbs as your main dish.
Luz Health Coach
Certified Personal Trainer
Eat more natural foods and less products created by man!
Water is life. Drink water or eat foods that have a high water content.
Chiara Marongiu
Licenciatura Inef
Master entrenamiento personal UPM
Master Nutrición deportiva UAB
Postgrado en Dieta funcional
CPT, NSCA
My nutrition tip is: doesn’t matter if you are an athlete or just a recreational exerciser.. Your nutrition should be one of your health priorities!
In order for your diet to help lower inflammation in your body and keep you healthy, remember these simple rules:
- Eat enough protein- since protein is the building block of our body’s structure- and don’t forget about healthy fats, since they are important for a lot of our cellular and hormonal processes.
- Choose foods that are as natural as possible (real food!), not contaminated, local and cook them in a way that preserves their nutritional value.
- Drink water and rest!
My recommendation for eating is that just like in training, we give the body a bit of rest (intermittent fasting periods). These should be progressive, and adapted to individual needs, so we can maintain the highest level of wellbeing and energy possible.
My rule for success is: don’t change more than one thing at a time! Small changes are what are going to help you reach your future goals. Start today!
Luis Benitez
NASM-CPT
Precision Nutrition L1
EXOS Performance enhancement specialist
USAW, FRC
Healthy eating can be tricky since it’s really individualized. The biggest tip I try to focus on is eating consistency. The human body thrives when it has consistency and it makes it easier to identify what changes have the biggest effect. When it comes to nutrition focus on creating a consistent schedule and menu first, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Once you have the hang of that then we can look at what to add in order to fill any nutritional gaps. Give yourself a minimum of two weeks before adding or removing anything from your menu so you can see and feel the difference. If the change helped you feel better then keep it, If not then go back and try adding something else. Just like training or learning a new skill, It’s going to take you a little while to figure out what works for you and how your body reacts to those changes.
Amira Blecua
CF L1-Powerlifting Coach
AEP- 1er año
CAFYD- TSAF Acondicionamiento fisico
Nothing should be taken to extremes, take care of your health but don’t forget to enjoy your food because you can only keep up something you don’t enjoy for so long. Work on cooking things you like and on food presentation. Another tip is to plan in advance, you are most likely to eat your veggies if you make them yummy and have them ready, shakes are a great way to get fruits and veggies in as well as salads.
and LAST but not least.. ME!!
Gillian Bennett
Precision Nutrition L1
Institute for Integrative Nutrition
ANEF Nutrición Deportiva
In my own nutrition, I stick to some pretty basic principles. Eat vegetables in every meal (yes, even breakfast!). Choose fruit as your dessert (most of the time!). Start your day with a giant glass of water. Read the ingredients on EVERYTHING. Limiting processed sugar is key- and the less of it you eat, the less you will crave! Don’t think you have to be “perfect” to make your nutrition work for you- just stick to the basics, create a set of ‘non-negotiables’ that you can do day in and day out, for pretty much ever. In the end, a couple of treats throughout the week isn’t going to throw your whole diet off, but remember to choose them wisely- there’s really no point in eating some donuts from a package when you can go to a bakery and get a delicious homemade one!
With all of these tips, its clear that there are a few things that we should ALL keep in mind when it comes to nutrition. Staying consistent is key to seeing success. Eat less processed food, and more fruit and veggies. Habit change over strict diets. Figure out what feels good for YOU and stick to it.
Any more questions for these amazing nutrition and fitness professionals? Find them all on Instagram, or send me an email and I can direct you to one of them!
This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)