Day Five: Nutrition

I once knew someone who would drink 3 slimfasts a day Monday through Friday. That is all he would have for sustenance each weekday. Then, on the weekends he would gorge on Burger King, McDonalds, and Carl's Jr. Suprisingly, that person wasn't me...that sounds like something I would have done back in the day.

Nutrition is meant to support the body, not deprive it.

There are a number of problems with the plan above. Someone who eats this way doesn't learn how to eat properly. A nutrition plan like this can reak havoc on the metabolism and blood sugar. Micro-nutrients and trace elements are most likely missed consistently. Most importantly, this food plan is unsustainable and will likely encourage, rather than inhibit, disease. These are just a few of the issues with this diet, but there are many, many more.

It is important that we learn how to eat, and to eat properly. There is a lot of conflicting information out there and a number of fad diets. Think of it this way - you're not dieting...dieting is a finite thing that comes to an end. You're changing the way you eat, and that will never end.

It is important that we learn how to cook amazing foods using bright colors. We must learn how to balance starches, proteins, fats, and vitamins through the foods we eat. We must learn what foods are in season so that we consume fruits and vegetables in the height of their nutritional density. We must learn our produce sections, spending time understanding the plethora of amazing leafy vegetables, roots,and fruits that have bold flavors and great texture and are seldom used in urban cooking.

We must begin to shop the perimeter of the supermarket. This is where the produce, meat, cheese, and milk/egg sections are located because they are perishable and must be replenished frequently. They are located nearest the back/side of the supermarket because of easy-access. The more perishable a food, the more you want it in your body. We must incorporate brown rice, lentils, and beans into our intake. They are excellent sources of nutrition.

We should be buying foods that have less than 9 grams of processed sugar. We must read the labels of the foods we buy carefully. If it has more than 9 grams of sugar, it should be reserved for a cheat meal.

Bread should say, "100% Whole Wheat". If it doesn't, then it's not.

We should be eating 5 times a day: Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner should be about 400 calories. Snacks should be about 150 calories. Some great snacks include a handful of almonds, a piece of cheese with whole wheat bread, cottage cheese, and fruit. To find a the caloric content of foods & get other resource info, http://www.mypyramid.gov/ is a great source.

I challenge you to cook a meal with five distinct colors using no canned vegetables. I challenge you to spend significant time in your local supermarket, shopping the perimeter and coming out of the supermarket on your next visit with no junk food and nothing over 9 grams of processed sugar. I challenge you to find out the fruits/veggies in season and buy three items of produce you've never bought before, using them in your next meal.