Friends, family and students often ask me for diet plans. In the past I have given these out, but see little point in developing such plans. Let me explain why…
What I like to eat and what you like to eat are very different. For example, one of my favorite foods is oatmeal. I could eat oatmeal at almost every meal. Most days I eat it at least twice. Others for example hate oatmeal and cringe on the thought of eating this food. Case in point, if I develop a nutrition plan and say to eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast, this would be torture to anyone who doesn’t like oatmeal. Even if you agreed to eat this food for weight loss purposes, this is not realistic because you can not eat something you do not like for a long period of time. Take for example the all to famous soup diet. If you eat soup at every meal you will loose weight…well dah? If you eat very little of anything you are will loose weight. Realistically, however we cannot live on soup and eat this at every meal. Sure we could eat soup for 2-3 weeks, but for the rest of our life. I don’t think so!
From the time of birth we all ate different foods. Since this time our brains and taste buds are wired to like and dislike different foods. For example some of us crave salty foods (chips, wings, pizza) while others crave sweets (chocolate, ice cream, etc). This relationship with food is very different for each person. Case in point, we all like different things; are brains are wired this way!
Another problem I encounter when providing diet plans is affordability. Most students do not buy their own groceries, as they cannot afford a grocery bill. Most students mooch off their parents; I know this because I was once a student and still mooch on occasions. Therefore, if I provided any student with a diet plan, chances are they would not like these foods, but also they would have no control over buying these foods.
So what can I do? I can make recommendations that are easy to follow and are more conducive to your current taste buds. You can be as creative as you want and eat whatever foods you like; just keep in mind the following.
These Recommendations come from Tosca Reno – The Eat Clean Principles – If you follow these simple habits, you will not only look better but feel better as well. These are some basic principles I LIVE by :-)
1. Eat five to six small meals spread out by two to three hours every day.
2. Combine lean protein and complex carbs at every meal.
3.Drink two to three liters of water each day.
4. Carry a cooler packed with clean-eating foods to get you through the day.
5. Avoid pre-packaged, over-processed refined foods.
6. Avoid white sugar and flour, saturated and trans fats, colas, juices and alcohol.
7. Consume healthy fats (EFA), fresh fruits and veggies!
8. Stick to proper portion sizes.
Finally - Exercise at least 3-5 times per week!
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