NewlightNutrition - Nutrition Counseling, Consulting & Personal Training

NewlightNutrition

Nutritional Tips

The single most important thing you can do to have better nutrition is to eat a variety of whole foods. In general, the more highly processed a food is, the worse it is for you. High fiber and low fat foods include things like:

stir fried vegetables over brown rice
whole wheat bread
steel cut oatmeal with dried or fresh fruit
beef,vegetable and barley soup
green leafy salads with a light vinagrette

Another important part of a good diet is choosing good fats. Margarine is an inferior choice -- use olive oil, canola and flaxseed oils which contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. The average American does not eat enough essential fatty acids - omega-3 in particular. Butter used in moderation is fine also.

It is fine to be a vegetarian or to limit the amount of red meat in your diet, but these choices do require some careful planning to make sure required nutrients and proteins are consumed. Athletes (or anyone engaged in regular strenous exercise, for that matter) need to pay particular attention to their diet and supplements. Some of our clients had problems with hair loss, brittle nails, etc. until we crafted a more protein rich diet plan for them. We recently improved the performance of one rock climber by several climbing grades by recommending creatine monohydrate supplements. On a meat-restricted diet he was deficient in this naturally occurring substance. He reported feeling more alert mentally as well as a result of this supplementation.

It is possible, however, to take too many vitamins and other types of supplements. Taking the right amounts of these substances in the correct ratios requires research and understanding. There are a variety of whole food supplements available now on the market. These tend to be better balanced with lower concentrations than isolated vitamin and mineral formulations.