6 Essential Nutrition Commandments

1. Eat Every 2-3 Hours

Eating every 2-3 hours is essential to keep your metabolism boosted. This enables the body to constantly have food digested therefore providing your body will endless energy and constantly feeding your body the nutrients it needs-especially if you are on a strict workout plan. If you are cutting fat, smaller portions are necessary. The term “grazing” is often used. Eating 3 large meals and grazing on snacks all day to keep your metabolism up and body fueled to its full potential. If you are trying to bulk on some mass,  constant intake of higher calorie meals every 2-3 hours will give you the most for the time your spending in the gym.

2.  Eat Clean Foods

What is eating clean? Eating clean is cutting out all the processed food from your diet. Packaged meat, processed cheeses, chips, coke, beer, hamburgers, hotdogs, fries, even canned pastas and soup are some of these. Many packaged products are high in fat, sugar, cholesterol and extremely high in sodium which increases the water retention in your body.  Cutting down on condiments and dressings will also decrease much of the unwanted saturated fat in your diet. So what do you eat? Buying meats at the deli is a good start. Vegetables, fruits,  and whole wheat bread and pitas are also great investments in your body. If you are eating tuna from a can, it is always good to strain it, so it rinses most of the sodium out.  Clean foods will give you the most nutritional value for what your are putting in your body.

3.  Prepare Lunches and Dinners

A lot of people that work construction, or rush to classes in school, or even work steadily at a desk with little breaks feel they hardly have time to eat frequently. Is there  a way around this? There absolutely is, you must start with packing a full-fledged meal the night before. The meal must be so substantial with healthy food you should be bragging about it… apples, banana, almonds, raisins, a pita, a bag of vegetables with carrots, broccoli and peppers. A sandwich with tomato, asparagus, turkey breast and spinach.  This is an example of a delicious meal that is too much to eat all at once. Eat a solid breakfast before you go to work or school, then graze on your lunch throughout work or in class. At lunch eat the heaviest ( the sandwich) and then graze on the rest until you are finished. Eat a well balanced dinner of carbohydrates, protein when you get home, and perhaps eat something very light a couple hours before bed.  Preparation is the key to a healthy energetic mind and body.

4. Eat Balanced Food Groups.

Your body needs the appropriate amount of Carbohydrates, Protein and Fats.  50% of your calories should come from carbohydrates, 30% should come from fat and 20 % protein.  However this is recommended by USDA, for the average individual. If you are working out hard in the gym your body will require more protein to fuel muscle recovery. To figure out how much protein you consume, do the following calculation:

1. Weight in pounds divided by 2.2 = weight in kg

2. Weight in kg x 0.8-1.8 gm/kg = protein gm.

The more active you are use should a higher amount; I would recommend 1.5x your weight in Kg.

5.  Choose the Right Meal & Time It around

Workouts

There is always the controversy about what to eat before a workout, what to eat after, to take a protein shake, prior or post.  Firstly it is important to eat carbohydrates an hour before a workout so you can have sustained energy to fuel you through your workout.  Eating 1 hour before will allow the food to settle, so that you can push yourself hard without feeling it in your stomach.  A protein source immediately after the workout is extremely necessary. If you don’t have the chance to eat a well-balanced meal of high protein, greens and carbs, then drink a protein shake after. Your muscle tissue is torn after the workout and it needs protein molecules to feed it for recovery.  You can work as hard as you want in the gym, but you won’t get the most out of it unless you feed your body what it requires.
To reiterate take a mostly carbohydrates before, and mostly protein after.

6. Eat for your Body Type

Many people give advice to others in the gym about to lift and what to eat to get the results they have. Truth is you could follow exactly what they say and have totally different results. It all depends on your metabolism which reflects your body type (endomorph (soft features gain fat easy), ectomorph (thin, lean, hard to gain mass) or mesamorph (bigger build, muscular, can put on muscle mass relatively easy.))
If you are an endomorph you need to extremely focus on keeping your unsaturated fats low, cholesterol low, sodium low, and carbs whole / low glycemic index.  If you are an ectomorph,  your desire is more likely to be to put on muscle. Therefore you must eat heavier carbs to achieve this ( whole wheat-bread/pasta/rice). If you are a mesamorph  having a strong balanced healthy diet is key for reaching your goals.