Nutrition principles and tips

Instead of making nutrition a chore, with strict diets, meal plans and calorie counting, it’s so much more powerful to have some simple tools, not rules. Here are the simple tools or principles I recommend people focus on, followed by some of my top nutrition tips.

 

My nutrition principles

  1. Focus on nutrients not calories - pick foods full of nutrients

  2. Fill up on salad, veggies and a little fruit first

  3. Include some good quality protein at each main meal

  4. Healthy fats and slow burning carbs are an important part of a healthy diet

  5. Avoid refined sugar, processed foods, trans fats and vegetable oils where possible

  6. Eat the best possible quality of the food you’re craving

 

My top nutrition tips

  1. Eat a protein breakfast with some fibre and a little fat (no grains) to help you stay in fat burning mode for longer, reduce cravings, increase energy and focus throughout the day.

  2. Visual portion guides for active women with weight loss goals (double these for active men): palm = protein portion, cupped hand = starchy carb portion, thumb = fat portion, fist = minimum non-starchy veggie portion.

  3. Reduce sugar because it increases cravings and energy crashes, doesn’t signal appetite hormones that tell you you’re full at ALL, and because you can’t burn fat when insulin is high (which happens after simple carb/sugar intake).

  4. Don’t be afraid of carbs, but understand the difference between ‘slow carbs’ and ‘fast carbs’ and how your body reacts differently to each of these, therefore which is appropriate and when.

  5. Know the difference between healthy and unhealthy fats and the effects they have on your body and results. Also understand portions for the good fats.

  6. Educate yourself on how to read nutrition panels – what’s important and how to assess them quickly. But mostly choose foods that don’t come with nutrition panels – stick to the outside of the supermarket, mostly avoiding the aisles.

  7. Educate yourself on eating out – how to quickly make a menu decision that is in line with your goals and still allows you to indulge and enjoy yourself!

  8. Educate yourself on fun foods – what alcohol/chocolate/fast food choices are the healthiest?

  9. Be a nutritional explorer. Be curious and experiment with food, see how it makes you feel. Do dairy and gluten containing products work for you? How about soy? These food groups don’t work for everyone.

  10. Keep a food journal, write down what you eat and how it made you feel (emotionally and physically, include energy and digestive), review daily/weekly for improvements.

  11. Don’t put morality on food - food isn’t ‘good or bad’, it’s just food.

 

Want to learn more?

Get started with my BUF Girls online program BUF Body.