Basic Diet Advice Than Will Help Boost Fitness and Achieve Your Athletic Goals – Faster.

Eating right can really fast track your progress in the gym. Following diet advice, really helps you achieve your goals much faster. Using even the best steroids that exist will do very little good if you drink soda and eat potato chips all day.

Carbs – The Good and Bad

Carbs are highly controversial these days. Dietary guidelines suggest that we get about half of our calories from carbohydrates. On the other hand, some claim that carbs cause obesity and type 2 diabetes, and that most people should be avoiding them. Good arguments on both sides, and it appears that carbohydrate requirements depend largely on the individual. Some people do better with a lower carb intake, while others do just fine eating plenty of carbs.

Carbs, or carbohydrates, are molecules that have carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. In nutrition, “carbs” refers to one of the three macronutrients. The other two are protein and fat. Dietary carbohydrates can be split into three main categories:

• Sugars: Sweet, short-chain carbohydrates found in foods. Examples are glucose, fructose, galactose and sucrose.
• Starches: Long chains of glucose molecules, which eventually get broken down into glucose in the digestive system.
• Fiber: Humans cannot digest fiber, although the bacteria in the digestive system can make use of some of them.

The main purpose of carbohydrates in the diet is to provide energy. Most carbs get broken down or transformed into glucose, which can be used as energy. Carbs can also be turned into fat (stored energy) for later use.

How to Make the Right Choices

A general rule, carbohydrates that are in their natural, fiber-rich form are healthy, while those that have been stripped of their fiber are not. If it’s a whole, single ingredient food, then it’s probably a healthy food for most people, no matter what the carbohydrate content is. With this in mind, it is possible to categorize most carbs as either “good” or “bad” – but keep in mind that these are just general guidelines.

Good Carbs:

• Vegetables: All of them. It is best to eat a variety of vegetables every day.
• Whole fruits: Apples, bananas, strawberries, etc.
• Legumes: Lentils, kidney beans, peas, etc.
• Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, etc.
• Seeds: Chia seeds, pumpkin seeds.
• Whole grains: Choose grains that are truly whole, as in pure oats, quinoa, brown rice, etc.
• Tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.
  -People who are trying to restrict carbohydrates need to be careful with the whole grains, legumes, tubers and high-sugar fruit.

Bad Carbs:

• Sugary drinks: Coca cola, Pepsi, Vitaminwater, etc. Sugary drinks are some of the unhealthiest things you can put into your body.
• Fruit juices: Unfortunately, fruit juices may have similar metabolic effects as sugar-sweetened beverages.
• White bread: These are refined carbohydrates that are low in essential nutrients and bad for metabolic health. This applies to most commercially available breads.
• Pastries, cookies and cakes: These tend to be very high in sugar and refined wheat.
• Ice cream: Most types of ice cream are very high in sugar, although there are exceptions.
• Candies and chocolates: If you’re going to eat chocolate, choose quality dark chocolate.
• French fries and potato chips: Whole potatoes are healthy, but french fries and potato chips are not.
  -These foods may be fine in moderation for some people, but many will do best by avoiding them as much as possible.

Fats – Why Fat Can Be Good

Research around the importance of fats in the diet continues to grow and results repeatedly underscore the importance of a healthy meal plan that focuses on moderation vs. a restrictive diet. When it comes to healthy fats, here’s what you need to know.

What is a Healthy Fat?

There are several types of fat in our foods. While all calorically dense, some are considered healthy and some are not. Most foods contain a combination of various fats. Healthy fats to focus on include:

Polyunsaturated fat

These fats found in foods like sunflower oil, soybean oil and some nuts and seeds, and include the essential omega fatty acids. Although these fall into the “healthy fats” category, limit in the diet.

Monounsaturated fat

These fats found in foods like olive oil, avocados and nuts. As with polyunsaturated fats, too much of a good thing can add excessive calories and slow down your progress in reaching health goals.

Omega fatty acids

These polyunsaturated fats, also known as essential fatty acids, are a must from your diet as they cannot be produced by the body like other fats. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish like salmon, nuts and seeds like walnuts and flaxseed, and even some grass-fed meats.

Unhealthy fats should be limited or avoided in a healthy eating plan. These fats include both saturated and trans fats. Saturated fats are primarily found in animal-based products such as butter, meats and cheeses. Trans fats are often found in commercially baked goods, margarine and some fast foods.

7 Healthy Super-Fats You Should Be Eating

• Coconut Oil. Coconut oil is readily used by the body as an energy source.
• Avocado. Avocados pack about 14 grams of healthy fat per 1/2 fruit.
• Nuts.
• Fish Oil.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• Red Palm Oil.
• Chia Seeds.

Water – Hydration is Crucial To Performance

Drinking water is very important to your weight lifting program, fat loss results, and overall health. You might have even under estimated the importance of water. Just a slight state of dehydration STOPS fat burning in its tracks and decreases your strength instantly.  You need to know how much water to drink, and you need to start drinking that much EVERY DAY. And remember, too much water can be bad for you too so stick with only the recommendations and not any more than that.

Try drinking a gallon of water a day, just pure water. This recommendation is for people who live in average climates, workout regularly, and eat right. Do not count your protein shakes or your orange juice or your milk. I want you to drink a gallon of water throughout the day of pure water. Counting all the other liquids you drink and this extra gallon of water, you should have plenty of fluids throughout the day. Don’t underestimate the importance of water.

Carry a half gallon water bottle, drinking throughout the day and try to finish it in the early afternoon.

Drink other half gallon in with my workouts and meals remaining during the day. Make sure to drink you lots of water with each of your meals.

Avoid These Foods

• Sugary Drinks
• Most Pizzas-try making homemade
• White Bread
• Margarine
• Pastries, Cookies and Cakes
• French Fries and Potato Chips
• Gluten Free Junk Food
• Low Carb Junk Food
• Ice Cream
• Candy Bars
• Processed Meats
• Processed Cheese
• Most Fast Food Meals
• High Calorie “Coffee” Drinks
• Highly Processed Foods-A good rule to remember, is that real food doesn’t need an ingredients list, because real food IS the ingredient.