Eat protein at every meal
Protein should make up anywhere from 25–35 percent of your total daily calories. We need protein for growth, to repair bodily tissues, for formation of components necessary for bodily functions and for energy. If you eat meat, choose complete sources of protein like animal-based products that are hormone/antibiotic free and grass fed. If you are vegetarian or vegan, choose a grain source such as quinoa or an algae source such as spirulina. The protein found in grains, beans and nuts is considered incomplete, although they do count towards your daily protein requirements. A balance of complete and incomplete will help you meet your daily nutritional requirements.
Go organic
Saying hello to organic foods means you can say goodbye to chemicals such as pesticide residues, artificial colourings, preservatives, flavourings, trans-fats, enhancers, stabilizers, fillers, sweeteners and other food additives. Choosing foods labeled organic are healthier, which in turn give our bodies the nourishment they need to function at an optimum level. Keep in mind that processed foods will always be processed foods. Organic whole foods are what we should be aiming to buy – this includes meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables.
Get your probiotics
Probiotics help to ensure we have an ample amount of healthy bacteria in our guts for better general health and a stronger immune system. Foods high in probiotics include: any traditionally fermented food (miso, sauerkraut, tempeh), some yogurts, and kefir.
Grab some greens
Green vegetables are low in fat, high in dietary fiber, and rich in folic acid, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium. It’s easy to switch up your greens throughout the week too. Choose from kale, collards, Swiss chard, spinach, broccoli, arugula and more. One serving of leafy vegetables is one cup raw or ½ cup cooked and fresh or frozen vegetable serving of ½ cup. Aim for four servings a day.
Get a good night's sleep
Sleep has an important role in physical health. Whenever possible, maintain a regular bedtime and wake time throughout the week and try to get seven to eight hours of sleep per day. It’s also important to try to avoid watching TV and phone or computer use in bed. These devices emit light of a blue wavelength, which tricks our brains into thinking it is daytime, disrupting the brain’s natural sleep-wake cycles.
Eat Omega 3s
Omega 3s are polyunsaturated fatty acids and are very important to good health, primarily because of their anti-inflammatory affect on the body which promotes better health and can ward off disease. They can be found in EPA and DHA form naturally in fatty fish like wild salmon and in ALA form from flax. If you don’t have a high fish diet, you can take Omega 3 supplements often found in pill form.
Reduce stress
Although we can’t remove all stressors from our lives, it’s important to work on regulating reactions to the stress levels we’re experiencing in healthy ways, by exercising, getting adequate, high quality sleep and proper nutrition. There is a cyclical affect between stress and diet, stress levels influence the food choices we make and the food we consume influences stress. To help stay balanced choose foods that are not processed and high in added sugar, instead get your fill of vegetables and fruits and whole grains.
Read food labels
Become aware of what you consume! Reading labels is one of the best ways to control what you fuel your body with. When looking at a product, you should be checking to see how high in sugar it is, how many ingredients it has (less is best), what vitamins and nutrients are offered and how much fat it has. Foods without labels are an even better option. Think of fresh fruits and veggies, they are label free.
Hydrate
Water is critical to all of our bodily functions. To help ensure you’re getting enough, try this handy daily water intake formula: take your body weight (in pounds) and divide in half. Use this number but in ounces to reveal your recommended daily water intake. For example, a 180 lb person should drink 90 ounces of water per day.
(180 ÷ 2 = 90)
Exercise
Don’t forget to exercise! Exercise will of course help you maintain a healthy body weight, but it also has very positive effects on blood sugar regulation and is a great stress reliever. Make sure you switch up your routine to keep things feeling new and exciting. Add some fun group fitness classes or sign up for a challenging BootCamp. Sign in or register to see our full list of classes.