5 Ways to Be a Better Human- Part 2: Eat Right
Last week we dug into why proper breathing is important. If you didn’t check that one out, read up here!
This week we’re going to dig into nutrition, and how to Eat Right
Eating right is a pretty big spectrum, and there isn’t really one right way, but to be a better human there are a few things that we should all focus on.
Eat protein
Like a lot of it. Shoot for 1 gram per pound of body weight each day. Basically eat more protein, eat less not protein. Instead of that extra slice of garlic bread, grab another meatball. Double up the burger patties instead of 2 separate burgers with their own buns. While carbs and fats are certainly important, protein will help you recover from your workouts, but also help keep you full so you won’t be hungry and snack all day. I would bet you aren’t currently eating enough. You don’t even have to take anything out yet, just add more protein!
2. Eat a ton a veggies
Eat the rainbow. Shoot for 5 closed fist sized portions of veggies per day. Especially dark green like kale, spinach, and broccoli, but get all colors in. Purple eggplant, yellow squash, red beets, mix it up! Every vegetable has a different macronutrient breakdown, so eat them all to make sure you’re getting everything. Our hunter gatherer ancestors didn’t not eat Brussels sprouts because they didn’t like them, they just ate everything!
3. Drink up!
Water. All day, everyday. Staying hydrated helps make sure your joints, muscles, and soft tissue move and slide the way they should. Dehydration leads to cramping, decrease in performance, and just generally feeling worse than you should. It’s hard to shoot for an exact number but bare minimum try and get 64 oz per day of water, but up to 128 oz. Couple tips are to add a pinch of salt to help absorption, decrease frequent trips to the bathroom, and help your cellular chemical balance. My second tip is to track your intake. I like to place rubber bands on my bottle at the top, and every time I finish a bottle I slide one down. At the end of the day I can see how many bottles I’ve finished.
4. Minimize processed foods and added sugars
Shop the outside of the grocery store. Prioritize whole foods over processed and premade foods. Make your own chicken salad. Eat a bowl of fruit and granola instead of that chocolate chip granola bar with 15 grams added sugar. Leftover sliced turkey breast instead of processed deli meat.
Also, compare labels and try to find foods with less than 10g of added sugars. Sneaky things like yogurt and barbecue sauce can easily be swapped for lower sugar variations that taste just as good.
5. Treat yo self!
If you’re trying to maintain your body composition, try to nail your diet 80% of the time. The other 20% live a little. Enjoy that pizza, or burger, or beer. Food has a culture to it. Embrace and enjoy it. That doesn’t mean go crazy and eat whatever you want the entire weekend, but it does give some wiggle room for a couple meals throughout the week where you can enjoy a treat.If you’re trying to lose weight, tighten it up a bit, but always allow a buffer. Even when I am being strict I still give myself 10% of leeway to eat something tasty (pizza and cheesecake are my weaknesses). The mental benefits of having that treat far outweighs the tiny detriments to the minimal added calories.
While I have a lot more when it comes to nutritional guidelines, these 5 are my top hits that are typically some pretty low hanging fruit as well. Get these dialed and you’ll start looking great, feeling better, and be a better human!