Get the Nutrition Edge!

1. Get the Nutrition Edge! Santa Paula Fitness

2. How do I eat? • Have you ever gotten frustrated with your inability to lose weight? Do you go to the gym for hours a day without making any progress? There’s a reason for that. • Whether you are trying to lose weight, build muscle, or do both at the same time, what you eat plays a huge role in helping or hindering your progress. In fact, its plays the biggest role of all.

3. The Macronutrients: • Macronutrients are the main sources of nutrition that our bodies use to function. These are carbohydrates, fat, and protein • Its important to realize that none of the macronutrients are “bad.” Both carbs and fats often get a bad rap, but the truth is, we need them! • The difference between good nutrition and bad is choosing the right kinds of fats and carbs, and eating them at the right time, and in moderation

4. Carbohydrates: Carbs are the body’s energy source. If the body has too much energy, carbs are turned into fat and stored for later. Does this mean carbs are bad? Nope! Your body needs them to function, but just like anything else, The important thing is to pick the RIGHT carb sources, such as fruit, vegetables and whole grains over sugary, processed foods. A good general rule is to avoid “white” carbs. Things like white rice, white sugar, white potatoes, and white bread trigger cravings. So the more you eat, the more you want to eat! Stick to brown and whole wheat varieties if you can. There are some exceptions, which we’ll talk about a little later.

5. “Will eating fat make me fat?” • Depends on what type. Fat in general will not make you fat, but eating too much of the wrong kind will. • Bad fats: saturated fats and trans fats (hydrogenated). These fats are converted into body fat, because your body has no use for them • Good fats: Monounsaturated, polyunsaturated (omega-3). These fats are helpful to your body, and in some cases, even help you to burn off body fat

6. Protein is important for all of our functions. It helps build and maintain our muscles, keeps our organs running smoothly, and helps improve our performance. • Adequate amounts of protein will help improve body composition, help our bodies fight sickness (immune function), and make you feel fuller longer. • Protein can be found in meat, fish, eggs, and low fat dairy. • Even though there is some controversy on the subject, a diet high in protein is not harmful or unhealthy. In other words, you can’t overdose on protein. Protein Without a diet rich in the essential amino acids (the nutrients found in protein), we cease to function A good general rule is to eat 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight.

7. Moderation! • The key to a healthy life is to moderate yourself. Have you ever eaten so much you made your stomach hurt? This is not only uncomfortable but its very bad for your body. • When you stuff yourself full, your body cant deal with the excess, so it just stores everything for later. Which means it gets stored as fat. • Check the serving size on labels, make sure you know how much is in a serving. A bag of chips may seem good with only 150 calories, but closer examination may show that there are 150 calories in only 4 chips! So pay attention to serving sizes. • If you keep your food intake in check, nothing should be completely off limits to you! As long as you don’t go overboard, you can eat the foods you like. • Bottom line? When you’re full, stop eating. Simple as that.

8. Water and the importance of hydration Fun Facts: Water’s job: Protects body organs and tissues carries nutrients to cells regulates temperature helps flush out toxins acts as a lubricant • Even just drinking 2 cups of cold water can make you burn about 20% more calories during the day • Feeling thirsty means you’re already dehydrated. So drink water even when you don’t feel thirsty! • Drinking water before meals can make you feel fuller, and therefore eat less than you would otherwise

9. Eat your Veggies! • Everyone knows you’re supposed to eat your vegetables. But why? • Vegetables have nutrients in them that your body needs, but can’t make on its own. • Eating enough veggies (as much as ten servings a day) can help prevent certain diseases and cancers • Another great thing about veggies? They’re full of fiber, which means that not only are they helping your digestive system, but you feel fuller longer after you eat them. So you’re more likely to eat less throughout the day. • Some veggies, like broccoli and soy beans, also contain chemicals that punch up your fat burning abilities!

10. The good The bad Fiber makes you feel full as well as helps with digestive health; look for a high fiber content Protein, monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are all beneficial. Non-sugar carbohydrates are also important to overall health. What to look for on a nutrition label Check the ingredients list. Avoid anything with the words hydrogenated, high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, aspartame, corn syrup, or hydrolyzed. Avoid added sugars, and anything with trans fats; check that the sugar content is less than half the total carbs

11. Frequently asked questions • So now you have the basic break down of nutrients, but how do you apply that to your every day life? • Here are some questions many of you may have:

12. What should I eat before a workout? To get through your workout, you need good, quality fuel. That means eating slow digesting, low-glycemic carbs. What are those? Things like whole rolled oats, whole wheat bread, and sweet potatoes. Try to eat these about an hour before your workout. In a rush? Munch on an apple or an orange right before working out for a surge of good, muscle-building energy

13. What should I eat after a workout? • Right after exercise is when your body handles carbohydrates the best, so this is a good time to get your “Other” carbs in. • Things such as white bread and rice, pasta and other sugary carbs. Since you just worked out, your body will take this extra energy straight to your muscles, rather than storing it as fat. • This is also a good incentive to workout! If you exercise, you get to eat your carbs, if not, too bad. Earn your sugar!

14. No way! One of the worst things you can do is to skip meals or starve yourself. • Skipping meals makes your body think that its starving, so it slows everything down. • After you skip a meal you burn much less calories, are more likely to store fat, and are more likely to binge at your next meal. If weight loss is all about limiting calories, isn’t it better to skip meals?

15. What should I eat before bed? • Because carbs are used for energy, if you eat them before you go to sleep, your body has no use for them. Therefore they get converted to fat and stored for later. • Try to wait two hours between bed and your last meal. If you have to eat before bed, stick to high protein meals, such as lean meats, low fat cottage cheese, or eggs.

16. What does alcohol do to my diet? • A little alcohol isn’t as bad as you may think. In moderation, some kinds of alcohol may even offer certain health benefits. • However, too much alcohol can lead to excessive weight gain • The bottom line? You don’t have to cut it out all together, just keep it to a minimum

17. Condiments and seasoning • Is it bad to season my food? • Nope! As long as you select the right kinds of seasoning. • Avoid: anything with added sugar, hydrogenated oils, and trans fats. If you can’t live without them, again, just remember to keep them in moderation • Seasonings such as cayenne, garlic and ginger not only help food taste good, but also punch up your fat burning capabilities, so pile on as much as you want!

18. Basic Five Habits to follow: Apply your new knowledge to your everyday life! Following these basic habits will naturally lead to improvement in health, energy, and body composition:

19. Eating multiple, smaller meals stimulates metabolism, balances blood sugar, and helps maintain lean mass while giving your body a good reason to burn off extra fat mass. • This can be 5-6 moderately sized meals, or 3 large meals broken up with two or three small snacks in between • This also makes it easier to get in all the servings of veggies and protein that you need. Ten servings of veggies over three meals seems like a lot, but ten servings over 5 or six meals is much more manageable. Habit 1: Eat every 2 to 4 hours

20. The only way to get the nutrients (called amino acids) from protein is to actually eat protein. Our bodies don’t make all these essential aminos, so its crucial to get them from dietary sources. • A serving size of protein is about the size of your palm • Men should get about 2 servings, women should get one per meal. • Examples of complete, lean protein include: Poultry, ground beef, eggs, fish, low fat dairy, tofu, and milk protein supplements. Habit 2: Eat complete, lean protein with every meal

21. Like we learned earlier, veggies play a big role in keeping our bodies healthy. The same goes for fruit, though you want to eat less fruit than vegetables. • Try to get 2 servings of vegetables or fruit with each meal. • A serving is I cup leafy vegetables, I medium sized fruit, or ½ cup chopped fruit or vegetables • Vegetables can help prevent certain cancers and diseases, as well as help preserve bone strength and muscle mass. Habit 3: Eat vegetables with each meal

22. Sugary carbs don’t have to be totally removed from your diet, the best time to eat them is immediately after exercise. • There are some exceptions, but for the most part, keep the consumption of processed carbs to right after workouts, which is when your body can use them, instead of just storing them as fat. Habit 4: For fat loss, eat “other carbs” only after exercise

23. Don’t be afraid of fat! Almost 30% of our diets should come from it • Healthy fats can be found in foods such as avocados, peanut butter, nuts, fish and some vegetable oils. • Again, the important thing is to choose the right kinds! Avoid anything hydrogenated, or items containing trans and saturated fats. • Healthy fats are good for your cholesterol, metabolism, and blood vessels. Habit 5: Eat healthy fats daily

24. Summary! • None of the macronutrients, carbs, fat, or protein, are bad for you in and of themselves. • The difference between a healthy and unhealthy diet is knowing how to choose the right kinds of carbs and fat • You have to eat to lose weight! Starving yourself only makes your body hang onto fat stores even harder. • But do it in moderation. You can have too much of a good thing. Overeating can damage your insides and lead to fat gain.