Never before has there been more nutrition information available for our eyeballs (and our brains) to feast on. And yet, somehow, it only seems to have made eating healthy MORE complicated.
I mean, geez Louise, here you are, just trying to figure out how to eat healthy and instead you’re bombarded with a bunch of nonsensical bullshit — like “nothing feels as good as skinny feels” or the latest from some celebrity saying “I only eat between the magical hours of 12:34PM – 1:11PM” or the whole bone broth controversy from that infamous Gwenyth Paltrow interview a few weeks back … ugh, don’t get me started.
No wonder we’re all confused about how to feed ourselves.
So let’s cut (through) the crap, shall we? Because something as basic as eating SHOULDN’T be so difficult and it definitely doesn’t have to be.
Look, I know that, as humans with human brains, we’re all drawn to the possibility of the quick fix, the newest magic pill, and that elusive intermittent fasting window that’ll finally solve all our problems … but the reality is that clinging to those ridiculous false hopes is probably the biggest reason you’re feeling so stuck and confused when it comes to nutrition.
And I promise you that the solution lies is getting back to the basics — the simple stuff proven effective over and over again by science.
Dive in right now by requesting our FREE No-Brainer Nutrition Habits Guide here.
Let’s simplify and break down some key pieces to consider when it comes to fueling your bod for adventure (or just living your best life because that totally counts too):
1 – Protein, Protein, Protein
And no, it doesn’t mean you HAVE to sit down and pound a massive hunk of steak 4 times a day, it doesn’t even HAVE to be meat, but we want to aim for at least 25-40 grams of protein in each meal and each substantial snack. The minimum recommended daily total for protein is 0.8 grams of protein each day for each kilogram of your bodyweight … but this is only the bare minimum amount needed to minimize the possibility that your body will suffer from lack of protein. So it’s a floor, not a ceiling — and sadly, many of us aren’t even close to hitting that bare minimum amount. The studies actually show that folks who don’t exercise at all should be getting at least 1.2 grams of protein per day for each kilogram of bodyweight so if you do exercise you’ll need even more — like up to 2.2 grams of protein per day per kilogram of bodyweight.
2 – Add More Fiber-Rich Foods
Fiber is awesome — it helps manage cholesterol levels, reduces blood sugar spikes, optimizes nutrient absorption during digestion, keeps your guts healthy and happy, and helps you feel fuller on less food volume, which is super important if your goal is to lose body fat or maintain your current body weight. While losing body fat or maintaining your current body weight may not be your goal, fiber is STILL important. Generally, it’s recommended that women get 25-35 grams of fiber per day and men get 38-48 grams of fiber per day. But guess what… the typical American gets a mere 16 grams of fiber per day (YIKES!).
3 – You’re Allowed to Snack
“But Coach, how do I stop myself from snacking?” Okay, hear me out … your snacking habit probably isn’t the issue. But the things you choose to snack on and why might be. You have permission to snack when you need a little energy boost or you’re hungry. What we don’t want is you to be indiscriminately shoveling food into your mouth to cope with stress or your emotions or mindlessly snacking and only noticing that you’ve gone too far when you’ve single-handedly plowed your way through the entire package of Oreos. Ideally, you’re snacking on purpose in a way that supports your goals and what your body needs. As with all things, when you’re trying to change your habits to be more supportive of your health + fitness goals, you have to start with awareness of your habits, what’s driving those habits, and then come up with a plan to have the right snacks on hand, so you make it easy to make the best choice for you both in the short-term and the long-term.
4 – Fruits + Veggies? YES!
Our schedules and the demands of modern life can often keep us on the go and put us in situations where we’re eating foods that are more “convenient” versus foods that actually nourish us in a way that aligns with our goals. One of the big things we miss out on when eating convenience foods is all the vitamins, minerals, and fiber (see #2 above) our bodies need from fruits and vegetables. Instead, you might find yourself grabbing the cheapest, fastest options, which are usually packed with all sorts of things you don’t need and a whole lot of calories you won’t be using since you’re just gonna be sitting on your butt at your kids’ soccer game or catching up with work. Produce is nature’s multivitamin and we could all use more of it.
5 – Make Meal Prep Simple
We’ve all seen the 502,372,342,353,955 videos explaining how other people meal prep — trust us, it’s more simple than it seems. It shouldn’t take up hours and hours of your weekend and eating basically the same foods for multiple days during the week doesn’t have to be boring. Prepping your food in advance once or twice per week is a fantastic tool to simplify your life, make healthy eating in alignment with your goals easier to do, and help you reclaim your time and mental energy during the week for other things while still staying well-fueled and properly-nourished.
IMEO, until you’ve got these basics mastered, you’ve really got no business getting all Type-A and fancy (aka complicated) about your nutrition habits. Basics first, always.
Are you wondering … “ok … so how do I do all that?”
Good news, I’m not gonna leave you hanging there. Grab our No-Brainer Nutrition Habits Guide here — it’s a FREE tool that we designed to help you build better nutrition habits without having to start your whole life over from scratch.
And since there is no one right way to eat healthy, we’ll break down each of the bullet points from above and cover them in more detail so you’re good to go and able to implement them in a way that fits your life including our best tips, shopping lists, meal inspiration, and a habit tracker to track your progress in the journey towards fueling your life.
We’re not talking about just another diet that falls off after a week because it’s not sustainable, we’re talking about real changes and real differences in how you feel when you fuel your body for your needs.
Ready to get started? Download our No-Brainer Nutrition Habits Guide here!
