Basic Eating Guidelines

1. Eat small meals or snacks every 2-5 hours with each one containing a complete protein (supplement with a protein shake if necessary)

A complete protein is one that contains ample amounts of all 22 amino acids; an incomplete protein does not.

Because animal proteins (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy) contain amino acids combinations similar to humans, they are easily absorbed by our bodies and are considered “high quality proteins”.

Beans, nuts, legumes, vegetables and fruits often have limited amounts of only some amino acids (not all 22) and are not as easily absorbed. For this reason, they are considered inferior or “low quality” proteins.

It is possible to increase the quality of incomplete proteins by combining certain foods (i.e. beans + rice).

2. Have color and variety with each meal (fruits/veggies)

3. Aim for at least 30 grams of fiber each day

There are two different types of fiber.

Soluble fiber

Fruits (citrus fruits, strawberries, apples)
Oats/Barley
Beans, rice, seaweed, seeds

Insoluble fiber

Plant leaves/stems/skins
Carrots
Beets
Bran
Whole grains
Beans

4. Make sure that most of the fats in your diet come from EFAs (3-6-9)

Most experts agree that 25-30% of your calories should come from healthy fats. For example, let’s use a person who has a 2100 calorie/day diet.

2100X.25=525 calories from fat

Fat has 9 calories per gram.

525/9=58 grams of fat

So, using this formula, a person on a 2100-calorie diet would consume approximately 58 grams of fat each day.

It is generally agreed upon that most Americans should increase their consumption of omega-3s while decreasing their consumption of omega-6s.

Good sources of omega-3s are:

Salmon
Sardines
Herring
Albacore tuna
Anchovies

In order to reduce your consumption of omega-6s, you should decrease your intake of the following:

Beef
Pork
Corn oil
Sunflower oil
Peanut oil
Sesame oil
Cottonseed oil

5. Eat mostly whole, unprocessed foods

6. Monitor calories in vs. calories out

Most experts agree that the following formula works as a baseline for determining daily caloric needs.

Body weight X 12 = weight loss

Body weight X 14 = maintenance (neither losing nor gaining weight)

Obviously, this is only a starting point. No two people have the same metabolism or activity level, but this simple formula does provide an adequate place to begin.

So, for example let’s use a 150-pound person who wants to lose body fat.

150X12=1800 calories

Now you simply need to divide your total calories by the number of meals you intend to eat.

1800/5=360 calories at each meal

This is a simple way to ensure that you don’t eat 80% of your calories by lunchtime or only 42% by bedtime.

FitDay is a free online food journal that we recommend to our clients. www.fitday.com