You are what you eat
You may have heard the phrase,
“You are what you eat”. It’s not literal
and if it were, I’d be a peanut
butter and banana yogurt parfait…
mmmm. What is really being said
is, “You feel what you eat”. To be
frank, if you eat junk you will feel
like junk.
March is nutrition month and I hope to share some information with you over the next few weeks that will help you make the best choice possible towards your health and wellbeing, achieving your fitness goals and looking and feeling food. One of the first places to start is to do a self-assessment.
The following are questions that I ask my clients and then we review the answers together and pick a particular area to work on.
You may be surprised to hear that I don’t usually start with the worst one. I don’t set people up to fail. We start with something achievable in a month or less so that the feeling of success motivates them to tackle the harder stuff. I also don’t give all the answers right away because, sometimes the truth hurts and if someone is lacking confidence, they don’t want to feel stupid. I don’t think they are, it’s just that many are lacking detailed education in nutrition and health, which is why they need me. I will give some basic answers to these questions so you get a sense of where you are at and how you can improve.
Q. Do you eat at least three meals a day (i.e. morning, afternoon, evening)?
A. There is no wrong answer to this but it’s a good idea if you eat at regular intervals on a daily basis.
Q. Do you snack between meals? Are the snacks healthy or unhealthy?
A. Most people hear the word snack and think of junk food, but snacks can be crucial to a healthy diet and I can give you a list of over a hundred healthy snacks.
Q. How many meals and, or snacks do you eat from a restaurant or convenience store per week?
A. It is not wrong to do this, if you are making smart choices. Most of the time these meals are high in salt, sugar or fat or carry little nutrient content.
Q. What do you eat between dinner and bedtime?
A. Your body needs food for energy and movement. It’s typically best to allow yourself an hour or two before bedtime with no food. If you do eat something, best to opt for one of those small healthy snacks that are light on sugars.
Q. What do you drink during the day that’s non-alcohol?
A. Best answer is water. Milk, pure juice, herbal tea are good in small amounts. A cup of coffee and one glass of wine are alright. Steer clear of sugary drinks and pop.
Q. On average, how many alcoholic drinks do you have per day / per week?
A. One a day is not bad and less than four to six per week is ideal. It’s not ideal to save the four to six for all in one day. Alcohol is seven calories per gram and the sugary nature of it gives you a bad headache / hangover. Tip: drink water between drinks to flush the sugar.
Q. Do you eat at least three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit?
A. Fruits and vegetables provide fibre, essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. You need fruit and vegetables to regulate your body processes and prevent disease/ sickness. Opt for lower glycemic options.
Q. Do you eat at least one serving of unprocessed grains (oats, brown rice, quinoa, barley, millet, etc.) and one to two servings of healthy processed whole grains per day (whole grain bread, cereal, pasta, muffins, cookies, etc.)?
A. This usually stumps people so don’t worry if you are not sure how to answer it. If you eat the grain as a whole, it must be cooked or cracked for benefit, then you will get the most vitamin, mineral, protein and healthy fat content. If you eat it processed, make sure to check the label. The grain should be listed first. It should NOT say enriched flour, it should not have sugar or molasses, and the sodium content should be low. Aim for less than 200 to 250 milligrams.
Q. Do you choose meat such as poultry, eggs, or fish at least one serving per day?
A. These are leaner cuts of meat meaning they have less of the unhealthy saturated fats we get from animal products.
Q. Do you choose healthy alternatives to meat such as nuts, seeds, legumes and beans at least one serving per day?
A. These alternatives have high protein contents, little to no carbs, healthy fats and beans and legumes are high in fibre, all necessary for a heart healthy, muscle building diet.
Q. How many servings per week on average do you consume meat such as beef, pork, lamb or duck?
A. These cuts of meat are higher in saturated fat, the kind that can lead to heart disease, stroke and obesity. Less than seven servings a week is recommended.
Q. How many servings a week do you consume butter, margarine, shortening or lard or products containing these?
A. Even the so-called healthy margarines have lots of synthetic ingredients that are not good for you. Make sure you are using these for no more than one item a day or less.
Q. Do you choose calcium rich milk (dairy or non-dairy) products at least two servings a day?
A. We need about 1200 milligrams of calcium a day and two servings should just about do it.
Q. Do you consume processed grains made with all purpose or enriched flours. This is the kind we refer to as white bread, pasta, muffins, cookies, etc.)?
A. Steer clear of these as much as possible or cut them from your diet. They have little to no nutritional value.
Q. How often do you consume snacks such as candy or chips?
A. Hopefully this is only for special things like Halloween, Easter, or the occasional snack at a party. More than a couple times a week could be your culprit for hidden diet dangers.
Q. How often do you consume deep fried foods or processed meats?
A. These carry a high amount of fat and sodium, enough to make you have a heart attack when you see the numbers compared to the recommended amounts. Processed meats also have nitrates which greatly increase your risk for cancer.
Q. Are you familiar with suggested portion sizes for most foods or do you struggle with this regularly?
A. Most people think they know, but they don’t take the time to measure it out.
Q. Are you aware of how to cook and prepare most foods or do you struggle with this regularly?
A. Non-cooks are at epidemic proportions. This is why many people fail because they don’t know how to prepare foods. They also lack the proper kitchen tools to prepare things, however you don’t always need MasterChef worthy Kitchen sets.
Now that you’ve completed your self-assessment, choose one thing you think you can change in the next couple weeks. Then choose one more thing after that and so on.
March is nutrition month and I hope to share some information with you over the next few weeks that will help you make the best choice possible towards your health and wellbeing, achieving your fitness goals and looking and feeling food. One of the first places to start is to do a self-assessment.
The following are questions that I ask my clients and then we review the answers together and pick a particular area to work on.
You may be surprised to hear that I don’t usually start with the worst one. I don’t set people up to fail. We start with something achievable in a month or less so that the feeling of success motivates them to tackle the harder stuff. I also don’t give all the answers right away because, sometimes the truth hurts and if someone is lacking confidence, they don’t want to feel stupid. I don’t think they are, it’s just that many are lacking detailed education in nutrition and health, which is why they need me. I will give some basic answers to these questions so you get a sense of where you are at and how you can improve.
Q. Do you eat at least three meals a day (i.e. morning, afternoon, evening)?
A. There is no wrong answer to this but it’s a good idea if you eat at regular intervals on a daily basis.
Q. Do you snack between meals? Are the snacks healthy or unhealthy?
A. Most people hear the word snack and think of junk food, but snacks can be crucial to a healthy diet and I can give you a list of over a hundred healthy snacks.
Q. How many meals and, or snacks do you eat from a restaurant or convenience store per week?
A. It is not wrong to do this, if you are making smart choices. Most of the time these meals are high in salt, sugar or fat or carry little nutrient content.
Q. What do you eat between dinner and bedtime?
A. Your body needs food for energy and movement. It’s typically best to allow yourself an hour or two before bedtime with no food. If you do eat something, best to opt for one of those small healthy snacks that are light on sugars.
Q. What do you drink during the day that’s non-alcohol?
A. Best answer is water. Milk, pure juice, herbal tea are good in small amounts. A cup of coffee and one glass of wine are alright. Steer clear of sugary drinks and pop.
Q. On average, how many alcoholic drinks do you have per day / per week?
A. One a day is not bad and less than four to six per week is ideal. It’s not ideal to save the four to six for all in one day. Alcohol is seven calories per gram and the sugary nature of it gives you a bad headache / hangover. Tip: drink water between drinks to flush the sugar.
Q. Do you eat at least three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit?
A. Fruits and vegetables provide fibre, essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. You need fruit and vegetables to regulate your body processes and prevent disease/ sickness. Opt for lower glycemic options.
Q. Do you eat at least one serving of unprocessed grains (oats, brown rice, quinoa, barley, millet, etc.) and one to two servings of healthy processed whole grains per day (whole grain bread, cereal, pasta, muffins, cookies, etc.)?
A. This usually stumps people so don’t worry if you are not sure how to answer it. If you eat the grain as a whole, it must be cooked or cracked for benefit, then you will get the most vitamin, mineral, protein and healthy fat content. If you eat it processed, make sure to check the label. The grain should be listed first. It should NOT say enriched flour, it should not have sugar or molasses, and the sodium content should be low. Aim for less than 200 to 250 milligrams.
Q. Do you choose meat such as poultry, eggs, or fish at least one serving per day?
A. These are leaner cuts of meat meaning they have less of the unhealthy saturated fats we get from animal products.
Q. Do you choose healthy alternatives to meat such as nuts, seeds, legumes and beans at least one serving per day?
A. These alternatives have high protein contents, little to no carbs, healthy fats and beans and legumes are high in fibre, all necessary for a heart healthy, muscle building diet.
Q. How many servings per week on average do you consume meat such as beef, pork, lamb or duck?
A. These cuts of meat are higher in saturated fat, the kind that can lead to heart disease, stroke and obesity. Less than seven servings a week is recommended.
Q. How many servings a week do you consume butter, margarine, shortening or lard or products containing these?
A. Even the so-called healthy margarines have lots of synthetic ingredients that are not good for you. Make sure you are using these for no more than one item a day or less.
Q. Do you choose calcium rich milk (dairy or non-dairy) products at least two servings a day?
A. We need about 1200 milligrams of calcium a day and two servings should just about do it.
Q. Do you consume processed grains made with all purpose or enriched flours. This is the kind we refer to as white bread, pasta, muffins, cookies, etc.)?
A. Steer clear of these as much as possible or cut them from your diet. They have little to no nutritional value.
Q. How often do you consume snacks such as candy or chips?
A. Hopefully this is only for special things like Halloween, Easter, or the occasional snack at a party. More than a couple times a week could be your culprit for hidden diet dangers.
Q. How often do you consume deep fried foods or processed meats?
A. These carry a high amount of fat and sodium, enough to make you have a heart attack when you see the numbers compared to the recommended amounts. Processed meats also have nitrates which greatly increase your risk for cancer.
Q. Are you familiar with suggested portion sizes for most foods or do you struggle with this regularly?
A. Most people think they know, but they don’t take the time to measure it out.
Q. Are you aware of how to cook and prepare most foods or do you struggle with this regularly?
A. Non-cooks are at epidemic proportions. This is why many people fail because they don’t know how to prepare foods. They also lack the proper kitchen tools to prepare things, however you don’t always need MasterChef worthy Kitchen sets.
Now that you’ve completed your self-assessment, choose one thing you think you can change in the next couple weeks. Then choose one more thing after that and so on.
