Nutrition 101 by:Carlos Regueira

We all know what healthy eating is all about

We all know what healthy eating is all about. We just choose not to do it. Everybody knows that fruits and vegetables are better than cakes and chips or that a baked potato is better than french fries. Lots of people ask me for help with their diet and I go into a complicated explanation about nutrition. It doesn't have to be complicated though. Just the other day, I was taking a sports nutrition class and the instructor, Mr. Stafford, broke down basic nutrition into five easy steps.

1. Drink water instead of sodas, diet sodas, alcohol, flavored water, sports drinks, etc. Water helps with digestion and cleansing-carbonated drinks do not.

2. Eat as many small meals per day as you can, every 2-3 hours. The stomach is a muscle and by eating small meals throughout the day your body has to work, which in turn burns more calories. By eating small meals everyday our bodies become used to our intake amounts and do not need to store fat-normally your body stores fat because it doesn't know when it's going to be fed again.

3. Eat protein in each meal. Specifically complete protein, which is anything that is or comes from an animal. Complete protein has all the amino acids needed to build muscle and the more muscle you have, the more calories are burn.

4. Try to eliminate starches and sugars (cakes, candy, pasta, etc.) from your diet and replace with dark grains and dark vegetables. This is what gets you fat-the simple carbs (non-fiber) are more easily stored in the body as fat. On the other hand, complex carbs are rich in fiber and are absorbed by the muscles and the liver. When looking at food labels, choose foods that have a sugar to fiber ratio of 5 to 1. This ensures that the food is high in fiber.

5. Limit carbs to twice the amount of protein in each of your meals. A good rule of thumb here is if the piece of protein is the size of your palm the source of carbs should only be the size of two palms.

So there you have it-5 easy steps that are guaranteed to make you lose weight, gain muscle and look good.

About the author

Miami-based and certified personal trainer, Carlos Regueira, is passionate about helping men and women achieve their ultimate body. It is through his over 5 years of experience working with clients where Carlos has developed his widespread expertise in advanced health, nutrition, and fitness strategies. Carlos earned his personal training certification from the National Federation of Professional Trainers. For more information, visit www.buildingbetterbodiesfitness.com.

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