Nutrition Strategies One Step at a Time You'll have the most success changing a dietary habit if you take the simplest approach. It's as basic as buying a nutritious cereal and eat a bowl of it every morning. According to psychology research, it has been shown that people need at least three to four weeks to break old patterns and establish new ones. This applies to improving your diet. Take your time. Don't expect too much or set unattainable goals. Just stay focused on the task, and let patience and discipline work their magic. Don't go on a restrictive diet. Research shows that when you lower your daily calorie consumption, particularly if you force it below 1,000 calories a day, your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) decreases. Better to follow a modest (not restrictive) low-fat diet and keep your RMR humming along at a healthy level. Add weight training to your program. Weight training builds muscle mass, which pumps up your RMR. Add running to your weekly training. The more you run, the more you boost your TEA (thermic effect of activity), the more calories you burn. Research shows that more intense training elevates your calorie-burning which continues even after the workout is over, adding to your TEA. Eat more often. A new Japanese study has shown that "grazing," or eating several smaller meals during the day, helps you maintain muscle mass while losing body fat. Every time you eat, your body has to go to work digesting the meal. This raises your TEF (thermic effect of feeding). 5 Principles of Nutrition Strategy 1. Many studies have shown that exercise holds the key to attaining your best weight. And to use exercise to the maximum, you must think about it in terms of your daily metabolism, or total calorie burn during the day. 2. You can increase your metabolism three ways: more daily activity of all kinds, more traditional exercise, and eating more frequent, smaller meals. 3. Restrictive diets don't work. Rather than boosting your metabolism, they actually slow it down. This is one of many reasons why dieting alone usually isn't effective as a weight-loss program. 4. A strength-training program will help increase your metabolism because muscles burn more calories than other cells. Running more and running faster will also bump up your total calorie burn. 5. Think of every day as a continuous 24-hour exercise program, and get in as many mini-workouts as you can. 5 Principles of Eating Protein 1. Don't worry about proteins. Your daily diet should provide plenty, as long as it's varied and well-balanced, with occasional low-fat dairy products, eggs, lean meats, fish, and fowl. 2. Always select nonfat or low-fat (1 percent) dairy products over the higher-fat options. You'll get the same high-quality protein without the high saturated fat that can lead to heart disease. 3. When eating red meats, make careful selections at the supermarket and trim additional fat in preparation. See if you can develop a taste for meat substitutes that use soy products. Soy contains isoflavones, which are thought to work as antioxidants that block cancer-causing substances. 4. Eat fish several times a week. Fish provides an excellent source of protein with fatty acids that are naturally protective against heart disease. 5. Check out various ethnic cookbooks and recipes for the healthy and flavorful ways they combine grains, nuts, seeds, and beans. In most of the world, red meat is still a luxury, yet populations everywhere find ways to meet their protein needs. Other Nutritional Points Based on various studies and AHA recommendations, shoot for a diet that includes 30 percent of total calories from fat. The amount of fat, however, is much less important than the type. Here's how to focus on the right fats: · Use olive and canola oils when cooking, instead of margarine and butter. · Aim to eat at least 3 to 9 ounces of fish a week. · Use walnuts, almonds and other nuts more frequently as a topping for cereal, yogurt or salads. · Add ground flaxseed or flaxseed oil to your diet (try the flaxseed muffin recipe). Avoid processed foods such as chips, crackers and other foods with hydrogenated fats (a source of trans fats). Select whole-grain products over refined versions for small amounts of essential fats. Include four to five servings of fruit and four to five servings of vegetables every day. Back