NUTRITION 1 - CARBS, PROTEINS AND FATS
You don’t need to go hungry to be healthy. In fact, eating a well-balanced diet means ensuring your body gets the right amount of nutrients and supplements every day. While you’ll want to aim for more whole foods and less sugar, there is a place for protein, carbohydrates, and fats in a sustainable diet.
Tony Horton, creator of the popular P90X video workout program, is a great example of someone whose health was drastically improved by following a sustainable diet. I consider myself to be someone who has benefited from diet and exercise, but by no means am I a certified expert in these areas, so I interviewed Tony for this book. In the interview, I learned that Tony stays lean and healthy by not starving himself: He actually eats five meals a day, which keeps his body fueled for his many workouts. His secret to eating all day and not getting fat is more about what you eat; every morsel matters.1 Tony’s number one nutrition tip is to eat more whole, unprocessed foods and to steer clear of sugar. Here are his examples of good sources of proteins, carbs, and healthy fats:
Good Sources of Protein:
Your body uses protein to build and repair tissues. You also use proteins to make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals. Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. Some good sources of protein include eggs and egg whites, protein bars, turkey breasts, fish, and chicken breasts. Lean meats are also a good source as long as you don’t get the packaged, precooked meat, as it has too many preservatives.
Good Sources of Carbs:
Foods high in carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy diet. Carbohydrates provide the body with glucose, which is converted to energy used to support body functions and physical activity.3 Good sources of carbohydrates include whole grain/whole wheat breads (gluten-free as needed), fruits (apples, bananas, strawberries, etc), and hummus.
Good Sources of Healthy Fats:
Healthy fats are essential to give your body energy and to support cell growth. They also help protect your organs and keep your body warm. Fats also help your body absorb some critical nutrients and produce important hormones. 4 some good sources of healthy fats are almonds, walnuts, low-fat cheese, olive oil, coconut oil, and avocados.
While the focus of the high-intensity phase limits your diet options to address specific health issues, there is greater freedom and flexibility in this phase. Tony’s list of proteins, carbs, and healthy fats gives you some options to start with. From this list, you can see that you don’t need to starve to be healthy. Eat what will keep you running in a sustainable and healthy way, watch your portion sizes, and learn to stop eating when your body tells you it is full.
Wishing you great health always!
