New Years Diet Goals

To mark my return to Eat.Fight.Win., I want to challenge everyone to consider the quality of the foods they are eating, rather than the quantity. Many people have told me they feel stuck in their diet, that they want to see more results, faster. Rather than completely reinventing your nutritional practices, consider making changes by completely removing/reducing your intake of certain foods during 2010 or adding more 'whole', healthy foods to your daily regiment.

Here are a few suggestions for healthy nutrition choices to make during the new year. Your primary goal should be to eat primarily 'whole' foods (meat, veggies, fruit, some nuts and seeds) and less processed, packaged foods.

Reduce Your Daily Intake or Completely Remove:

• Dairy - Dairy increases inflammation and can cause stomach irritation for many. If you have been using dairy as a protein source for snacks, switch to actual animal proteins, like hard-boiled eggs and beef jerky.
  
• Gluten - a large percentage of the population is sensitive to gluten. For many, removing gluten helps gut irritation and often helps people lose weight.
  
• Grains -As soon as I stopped eating grains, I began sleeping better, feeling more alert and produced some pretty amazing strength numbers. It may seem extreme, but if you absolutely cannot give up your oatmeal, keep it and remove all other grains...that means corn too!
• Sugar- This may seem obvious, but make sure you know all the other names that sugar goes by and then check your ingredients...it is everywhere!
  

Reduce Intake:

• Nuts and Seeds - overeating these calorie-dense foods can seriously curb fat-loss processes. Keep them for adding crunch to salads or toppings for fruit, but do not eat handfuls at a time.
  
• Fruit - fruit is fantastic, when eaten in moderation, but eat too much and you will have a sugar surplus. If you have been eating fruit with every meal, consider limiting yourself to 2-3 servings per day.

Increase Intake:

• Veggies- Especially leafy greens. Try to buy organic veggies from the grocery store or look into local markets and purchasing from a nearby farm.
  
• Lean Protein- Try to only eat meat from grass-fed sources. See if you can buy locally or order in bulk from online sources.

Cooking Suggestions:

• Make large amounts of lean protein to keep in your fridge, such as crock pot chicken, beef or pork. Recipes to come.
  
• Opt to make your own salad dressings and sauces...I have been making sugar-free/grain-free barbecue sauces, marinara and salad dressings. Again, recipes to come.