What to Eat part 1

I've been trying to put together a comprehensive post detailing all that I know about nutrition to share with everyone and that has proved to be a difficult process. So rather than spout out all the info at once, I will start small with the basics and work up from there. Rather than answer each person's questions individual through email, I'd like to post them all on here for others to see. I'm also hoping that the questions will be the guide for future food posts. Here goes...

FOOD PLAN 101
1. What you eat is important - please pay attention to the quality of food you put into your mouth. Where it came from and how many processes it went through to end up in its current state IS important. This is one of the easiest parts to figure out; try to eat food that is fresh or closest to it's fresh/natural state. If it comes in a package, check out the ingredient list; if there are more than 3 things listed or if you can't pronounce any of them, you can probably do better. The simple summary of what to eat: meat & veggies, nuts & seeds, some fruit, little starch, NO sugar**.

2. How much you eat is important - especially so if you are eating lower quality foods. If you are eating all-natural/organic food, you can have more flexibility here. The important thing to learn is what a balanced meal looks like and how to translate that to your eyes when the serving spoon is in hand. EVERY meal should contain a portion of protein, carbohydrate and fat. A good visual tool is that the protein on your plate should be about the size of your palm (therefore the 16oz "cowboy cut" steak is not your best choice; so guys, be content in your manhood and order the 8oz) and the other 2/3 of your plate can be filled w/ colorful veggies. A more calculated method is to consider this: 9 grams of Carbs = 7 grams of protein = 1.5 grams of fat (if you want to know more about the science behind these energy values, I can detail a more geeked-out summary). The Zone diet describes the above values as 'blocks' and all you need to do is have an equal # of Carb/Protein/Fat blocks in every meal or snack. This method is easy to use, just look at the nutrition label and keep a total of how many blocks/grams you are putting in each meal. It is even suggested to weigh and meaure your food for a while, so you can get a true idea of a serving size. It's a bit more work, but it is very interesting to see what a healthy serving size looks like compared to what we are served at most every restaurant.

Those are the 2 most important things to consider. You can focus on the quality first and try to cut out processed food and sugars; or you can focus on quantity and try to eat balanced meals of whatever you have available. You could do both, but that might be a lot to tackle at the start. So figure out what is easier for you and go that route. Ask any questions you have and I'll try to get you a semi-educated answer.

Again, this is the start... Once you have a base of consistent nutrition, then you can consider other factors such as eating for endurance training (triathletes) or a weight loss goal. I am not about a "quick fix", this is about a healthy lifestyle.

**This is the list for the Paleo diet which I personally consider to be superior, but if you are unwilling (for now) to give up your Ezekiel bread or raw honey, we can still be friends and make this work.