25 Nutrition Tips for Fat Loss & Healthy Eating

Fat loss doesn’t have to be a difficult task if you are willing eat clean and exercise regularly; you can train your body to accept a healthier “way of life.”

Turbulence Training offers a detailed nutrition plan. I recommend taking a look at the Fat Loss Nutrition Guidelines by Dr. Mohr. This is one of the many bonuses you receive with  your Turbulence Training package.

Today I want to share with you nutrition tips and healthy ways to lose weight.

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1. Nutrition experts recommend healthy, high-fiber and low-sugar whole foods such as lean protein (lean beef, chicken, & fish), colorful fruits & vegetables (oranges, apples, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, broccoli, peppers, asparagus, and the list goes on!), nuts (almonds, cashews, & walnuts), and whole grains (oatmeal and multi-grain bread).

2.    Food choices should contain a large nutrient-to-calorie ratio. Dr. Phil calls this, “High-Response Cost, High-Yield Nutrition”. Some examples of this approach include, eating a piece of whole fruit instead of drinking fruit-flavored beverages, eating green vegetables instead of potatoes, and snacking on nuts instead of chips.

3.    Nutrition experts recommend eating 6 small meals each day rather than 2-3 large meals. A well-planned schedule will help you achieve this goal. Eat soon after waking up, and then every 3-4 hours thereafter until you go to bed.

4.    A sample 6-meal plan would include breakfast, a small morning snack, lunch, a small afternoon snack, a sensible dinner, and a small evening snack. Smaller, more frequent meals help you use all nutrients better, retain more vitamins, and control your blood sugar levels. Controlling your blood sugar is a key to avoiding hunger and fatigue.

5. Avoid overeating or combining sugar and fat within a meal. One easy way to improve your health and lose fat is to stop eating “fast food” and stop drinking soda pop. It’s also extremely important to control portion sizes, especially when eating out.

6.    When eating at a restaurant, avoid excess sugar, fat, or over-sized meals. Restaurant meals are often too large to eat in one sitting and contain more than enough food for one person. It’s important that you recognize the pitfalls of dining out. Stick with the foods recommended by nutritionists as often as you can: healthy, high-fiber and low-sugar whole foods such as lean protein, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and whole grains.

7.    Nutrition experts recommend avoiding “processed carbohydrates” (typically, this includes carbohydrates from a bag or a box). Processed carbohydrates generally provide too many calories and too much sugar.  Processed carbohydrates rapidly increase and decrease blood sugar, often resulting in hunger and fatigue.

8.    Eat low-glycemic carbohydrates instead of processed carbohydrates.  Low-glycemic carbohydrates include vegetables, oatmeal, and whole-wheat products, and are digested slower. That means your blood sugar levels won’t crash, and you won’t get hungry or tired.

9.    Nutrition experts recommend eating fiber-containing foods in place of processed carbohydrates at all meals. Examples include oatmeal instead of sugary-cereals for breakfast, salads with low-fat dressings for lunch, vegetables instead of French fries for dinner, and almonds instead of candy for snacks. Fiber helps control blood sugar and appetite. The American Dietetic Association recommends 25-35 grams of fiber per day – while most Americans get only 14 grams of fiber per day.

10.    Good, lean protein sources include lean beef, chicken breasts, turkey breasts, salmon, low-fat cottage cheese and other low-fat dairy products. Nutritionists recommend eating protein at all 6 mini-meals and recommend between 0.6 and 1.0 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day.

11.    Everyone should avoid foods containing trans-fats (also known as trans-fatty acids or hydrogenated fats). This includes most processed convenience foods found in a bag or a box (chips, crackers, fries, pastries, etc.) as well as most margarine. Learn to read food labels; trans-fats currently aren’t listed in the nutritional facts for most foods!

12.    Nutrition experts recommend getting healthy fats from olive oil, nuts, salmon, and omega-3 fortified eggs. Nuts and olive oil are high in monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fats are associated with good cardiovascular health. Good sources of monounsaturated fats include olive oil, walnuts and almonds. An alternative snack to a bag of chips would consist of ½ ounce of nuts (10-12 almonds).

13.    Fish, such as salmon, provide omega-3 fatty acids that are associated with good cardiovascular health. The American Heart Association recommends eating fish twice per week. Talk with a doctor or registered dietician about alternative sources of healthy fats if you don’t like to eat fish. They may recommend fish oil supplements.

14. Follow the Rainbow Diet. The only rule here is to eat as many different colors of fruits and vegetables as you can. The nutrients in each fruit and vegetable are usually linked to its color as well. You should consume far more than 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Experts recommend 2-3 pieces of fruit per day and at least 5 servings of vegetables per day (such as broccoli, peppers, asparagus, etc.). Veggies and fruits will provide you with innumerable nutrients, including fiber, vitamins, minerals, and many phyto-nutrients that simply do not exist in other foods.

15.    Nutrition experts recommend consuming a variety of foods, especially colorful fruits and vegetables that contain a wide variety of nutrients and a small amount of calories per serving. Condiments like low-sugar tomato sauce and salsa also help increase the nutrient content and taste factor of a meal. Fruits that are nutrient dense include raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries, while other fruits such as grapefruit, oranges, and apples contain high levels of the soluble fiber pectin that helps slow digestion and gives you a feeling of fullness.

16.    Review food labels. Avoid foods packed with excess sugar, calories, or that contain any trans-fats. As a general rule, the less processed the food, the more nutritious the product. Remember to aim for nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods when snacking. Log your nutritional intake on www.Fitday.com. This is a free website that allows you to track your calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

17.    Experts recommend 12 cups (3 liters) of water per day, consumed over the course of the day and during exercise. For every pound of bodyweight that is lost during exercise, it is suggested that exercisers should drink two cups of water.

18.    Green Tea is a very healthy drink. It’s calorie-free, has a number of health benefits, and can replace soda, juice, and coffee to help eliminate unnecessary liquid calories. A can of soda contains 150 calories and a large soda from a fast-food chain contains over 600 calories.  Therefore, avoid sugary beverages because they quickly increase your calorie intake and play havoc with your blood sugar levels.

19.    Nutrition experts suggest eating a small protein-based meal before bed. For example, plain yogurt mixed with protein powder and a sprinkle of nuts.

20.    Research shows that the caffeine content of commercial coffees can  vary on a daily basis depending on water content and brewing time. One day you might get up to 600mg of caffeine in a super-sized coffee while on another day only 200mg (which is already a high amount)! Keep track of your caffeine intake in your food log and be sure to note the extra calories that are added to beverages in the form of cream and sugar – these can quickly add up.

21.   Make small nutrition changes that add up to big improvements over  time. Switch to 1% milk from 2% milk. Use only “lean-ground” turkey, beef, and chicken to help limit fat intake. Substitute calorie-free condiments for high-fat condiments.

22.    Don’t drink your calories – avoid soda and sugary drinks. Limit your alcohol intake. Each shot of alcohol or glass of beer or wine is about 150 calories. If you add mix to the alcohol, a mixed drink can be 300-1000 calories per drink. It’s easy to see how alcohol intake can add up into fat gain. Restricting your alcohol and sugary beverage intake will help you lose pounds of fat in a very short time.

23.    Do the family grocery shopping on your own. Research suggests that adults spend more money at the grocery store when they shop with their kids and are more likely to buy high-calorie foods. You’ll stick to your shopping list if you are on your own. Buy fewer labels and fewer products containing sugar. This means buy as much whole raw foods as possible, the less refined packaged food you and your family eat the better.

24. Be consistent! Don’t try to change everything at once. Aim for 2-3  improvements each week. For example, in week 1, you can reduce your soda intake and add 1 new vegetable to dinner each night.

25.    Discuss all of these tips with a nutritionist, registered dietitian, or your physician to take steps toward healthier eating. Include these people in your team to help support your healthy nutrition plans.