HOW I GOT STARTED | HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
My Journey to Healthy Eating | Hear It From Me
What is it that fuels you? For me, it’s Balance.
My journey towards health and lifestyle started off strictly aesthetic and as soon as I hit rock bottom, I realized I deserved so much more. I realized I had to change my WHY. WHY was I wanting to be “healthy”? and WHY did I change the way I ate?
If you are a “beginner” and are wanting to kickstart a health journey or perhaps you simply just want to change your lifestyle… the foods you eat do have a big effect on your health and quality of life. Although eating healthy can be simple, there is a huge rise in diet culture, popular “diets” and lifestyle that can cause confusion. Social media is saturated with these lifestyle tips, progress pictures, and seemingly magical plans. In fact, some of these trends can distract you from the basic nutrition principles that are actually important which is quite the paradox as you are probably trying to achieve health am I right?
WHY SHOULD YOU EAT HEALTHY?
It is true that you are a product of what you eat and put in your body and a poor diet can be linked to future health issues. For example, eating healthy can improve aspects of your life such as brain function, energy levels, and physical performance. I noticed that when I eat more whole and healthy foods, I perform a lot better in the gym and at school. However, this should not be confused with allowing yourself to eat your favourite foods and celebrate if you want to from time to time. Over restricting yourself can actually distract you from your WHY and create an unhealthy obsession. It is healthy to be balanced and have one, two, or even three meals that are not necessarily “healthy” from time to time. Hear it from me, I began to take away the enjoyment from joyous occasions because of false beliefs regarding restriction and “losing control”. It took me far too long to realize this and as a product, I actually experienced that I felt fatigued, was burnt out and malnourished.
CALORIES
The importance of calories for me, have been pushed aside. However, total calorie intake still plays a key role if weight control is your aim. If you put in more calories than you burn you will store it as fat. One less exposed fact, is that you could also potentially store them as muscle. So if you are training hard at the gym and restricting your calories (like I did) you could be losing progress and should consider being in a caloric surplus(eating more calories than you burn) rather than a caloric deficit(eating less calories than you burn).
If you put in more calories than you burn, you will store them as new muscle or body fat. If you consume fewer calories than you burn every day, you will lose weight.
If you put in more calories than you burn, you will store them as new muscle or body fat.
If you consume fewer calories than you burn every day, you will lose weight.
If you want to lose weight, you must create some form of calorie deficit.
In contrast, if you are trying to gain weight and increase muscle mass, then you need to eat more than your body burns.
TAKEAWAY: Calories and energy balance are important, regardless of the composition of your diet.
MACRONUTRIENTS
I have pushed calories aside and focused more heavily on macronutrients and being more intuitive. I no longer track my food but try to incorporate all of my macros intuitively. I will track my food every once in a while to make sure that I am hitting my macros as I have been known to neglect my fat intake in the past. Overall, I feel more fulfilled, happy, and strong when I am ingesting carbohydrates, fat and protein adequately!
Macronutrient #1: Carbohydrates
Fill your plate with healthy carbs, including leafy greens, root veggies and whole grains, whole grain bread is great!
A few good picks: broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, squash, dark leafy greens, green beans, onions, cucumbers, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, potatoes and quinoa.
Macronutrient #2: Protein
You need plenty of protein and please do allow yourself to go crazy ordering greasy burgers and wings or choose: fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, herring), cod, lean grass-fed beef, turkey, chicken eggs and nuts.
For vegans/vegetarians: tofu, chickpeas, black-beans, and tempeh are great as well!
I do reach for supplemented proteins such as powders and bars but try to stick to plant-based supplements and/or more digestible ones.
Macronutrient #3: Fat
Getting plenty of healthy fats is important for healthy hormone levels, metabolism, mood vitamin absorption. Foods high in essential fatty acids include: coconut oil, olive oil, avocado, almonds, brazil nuts, and macadamia nuts.
EATING WHOLE FOODS IS IMPORTANT
The term “whole foods” generally describes natural, unprocessed foods containing only one ingredient.
If the product looks like it was made in a factory, then it’s probably not a whole food.
Whole foods tend to be nutrient-dense and have a lower energy density, meaning that they have fewer calories and more nutrients per serving than processed foods.
In contrast, many processed foods have little nutritional value but still, that does not mean you cannot balance some of your processed favourites with a portion of whole food.
I have often heard processed foods being referred to as “empty” calories and to be honest, that is just pure dumb in my opinion. Anything you consciously consume is worthy, do not doubt your cravings and your body!
For me, basing my diet on whole foods is an extremely effective but simple strategy to improve health, energy, and lifestyle.
I love vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, nuts, eggs, raw dairy as well as protein supplements(guilty as charged!). I also do not mind some plant-based proteins and enjoy a good juicy burger from time to time, perhaps accompanied by one or two slices of pizza
PORTION CONTROL
I have made it quite clear that I follow intuitive eating, so I do not portion control. However, I do listen to my body and stop when I am satisfied. This does not mean tI have made it quite clear that I follow intuitive eating, so I do not portion control. However, I do listen to my body and stop when I am satisfied. This does not mean that I do not give in to my cravings though! Sometimes, I am full but the food is just irresistibly good and I allow myself to indulge. It is a good practice to tailor portions to yourself and not use other diets for a ground of comparison. Beware of whether you are restricting yourself or binging as this can be super unhealthy for your mental health.
EXERCISE
Following a healthy lifestyle and exercising gives me a boost. I feel mentally more engaged, a lot happier, and tackle a lot of my emotions in the gym. When doing so, I have learned that it is crucial to get good SLEEP, HYDRATION, and REST. I am super passionate about the gym and can get carried away in exerting my body, but it was not until I allowed myself to rest, recover, and heal that I saw real results!
Health does stretch beyond pure nutrition. Exercising, getting good sleep and minimizing stress is very crucial. Put yourself first and maintain the BALANCE!
FOOD IS FUEL.
You do not have to eat less to eat right!
