How to be a healthy foodie!

Diet: What does that word really mean? To most of us, it means eat less and lose weight, right? Or it means depriving ourselves of things we like to eat. To be frank, diet is a hated word that no one likes to do, but at some point in our lives, we all try to do it.

But if you look up "Diet" in the dictionary, the definition is this: food and drink considered in terms of its qualities,composition, and its effects on health. So how can we apply that to ourselves and our daily eating habits?

The first part is the most important: quality. I always used to assume that to lose weight, I needed to have no fat and as few calories as I could possibly manage. Now I'm not going to lie, initially, this tactic works. You drop the first few pounds relatively easily, though you are probably grumpy and starving in the process. But what is even more frustrating is that eventually your body learns to function off of the very few calories you are giving it. What's worse, your body holds onto every calorie, storing it as fat and not allowing your metabolism to function at as high of a level as it can and should. So first and foremost: TO LOSE WEIGHT, YOU HAVE TO EAT! Believe me, no one had a harder time accepting and living by this as I did. But I quickly learned that by focusing on the quality of food I ate and the times that I ate it, I was able to not only eat more and feel fuller, but I felt better and had more energy all day.

Here's what I mean by quality: Eat the best types of each food group for your body. Eat the best carbs, the best protein, and the best fats. And eat them at the right time of day. Ideally, it is best to consume your carbs in the morning, so that your body has all day to utilize those calories for energy. It is also important to consume carbs pre- and post- workout for optimal performance during the workout and recovery after. Also (and ladies I know, this one was hard for me to grasp too) you HAVE to incorporate healthy fats into your diet. Otherwise, your body stores other food sources as fat, and again, this is not optimal for the metabolic process. And finally, the most important component, protein- this is what helps us build and rebuild muscle. Also, our body has a harder time breaking down protein, so it really fuels our metabolism.

Composition and quality really go hand in hand- eat foods that are composed of the best ingredients for the highest quality. The last part is the effect on your health- if it isn't going to impact your body in a positive way, try to avoid making it a part of your daily diet.

So what are you supposed to eat? Do you have to live on broccoli and baked chicken? Unless you are Kyle, no you do not! Healthy food tastes good, and even better, you feel good eating it knowing that it is benefiting your body.

Let's start with carbs: There are good carbs and bad carbs. Quick digesting carbs, such as sugar and anything not whole grain, are really only good after a workout, as it fuels recovery for your body. For the most part, you want to stick with slow digesting carbs as part of your daily diet. Examples of my favorites are Ezekiel bread, whole grain pasta, oatmeal and sweet potatoes. Almost all vegetables are "free" carbs, so add them into your diet anywhere you can!

Protein: This is the bulk of my diet. Protein sources that I like include eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, chicken, fish, and occasionally red meat. I try to eat some source of protein at every meal.

Fats: Really, my best sources of fat come from two things: Naturally More peanut butter and edamame. Other sources of healthy fats include olive oil, almonds, avocados, and generally anything high in Omega 3 and low in saturated fat.

So what does a typical diet look like? I have to say, between the weight training and dieting, my body completely transformed this summer. I have never felt so lean and strong and HEALTHY! I will address the weights in a different blog, but here is a sample of the diet put together for me this past summer:

PRE-WORKOUT:
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 (1/8 cup) scoop protein powder

POST-WORKOUT:
1/2 banana
1 tbsp. Naturally More peanut butter

BREAKFAST:
3 egg whites
4 oz. turkey
1 slice fat free cheese
French toast
- 1 egg white
- 1 slice Ezekiel bread
- 2 tbsp. sugar free syrup

MID-MORNING SNACK:
1 Carbmaster yogurt
1/4 cup Special K Protein Plus cereal

LUNCH:
1 slice Ezekiel bread
1 can tuna fish
1 slice fat free cheese
1/2 sliced apple

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK:
1 Carbmaster yogurt
1 Mama Lupe's Low Carb tortilla
1 tbsp. Naturally More peanut butter

DINNER:
1 cup broccoli
4 oz. chicken breast
1 slice fat free cheese
2 tbsp. BBQ sauce

EVENING SNACK:
1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
5 strawberries

LOOK at how much I got to eat! It is amazing how eating the right type of foods allows you to eat more, look great, and most importantly, feel better. I utilized Daily Burn to track my calories, which really helped me stay on track. What's even better, once a week I ate whatever I wanted for dinner. Literally. Dessert and everything! This one "cheat meal" a week served to rev my metabolism back up and satisfied my desire to have a yummy meal with no strings every once in a while.

Now that it is winter time and I do not have to be seen in a bathing suit anytime soon, I have definitely increased the cheat meals to more than once a week. I no longer hate the term "diet" but rather embrace it as a means to a healthy lifestyle. I hope you will do the same!