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10 Nutrition Tips ANYONE can use for a healthier lifestyle

10 Nutrition Tips

We know, the title of this blog is a bold claim.

The 180vsME philosophy is to do things that anyone can do. You will never see us telling you to go on a wild diet that claims to improve your fitness because we don’t do that ourselves. The truth is something much simpler: you don’t need to do anything dramatic to become more healthy.

These tips are enough to begin your path to a healthier lifestyle. Like anything, it starts with the first step. Decide which tip makes the most sense for you to implement right away, and get your 180 going. We believe in you!

Without further hullabaloo, here are 10 nutrition tips that anyone can use:

Hydration - 180vsME

Tip #1: Stay hydrated throughout the day

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to drink one gallon of water each day. The best way to get your day started is to drink 1-2 glasses of water before you eat breakfast. If that disgusts you too much to even consider, get yourself one of those one gallon water bottles and go to bed after it’s finished. Your body needs to be properly hydrated, so drink up! If you can’t do a gallon, work your way up to it. It might take some getting used to, but eventually you can get there.

Tip #2: Load up on veggies

If you like vegetables, this tip is going to be the best news you’ve heard all day: eat vegetables like they’re going out of style. There is no limit to the amount of vegetables you can eat. As a source of food that is also low in calories, vegetables prevent us from telling you, the reader, that you must eat less (because you don’t, you should just be eating more veggies).

Not only are they good for you, but they will keep you full, something that has a ton of value to our bodies. There’s a reason children are encouraged to eat these things: they are good for us!

Bowl of Vegetables
Cooking for yourself

Tip #3: Cook for yourself as much as possible

Putting your nutritional destiny in someone else’s hands is not a risk you should be willing to take for as hard as you work in the gym. When you order lunch at work or go out for meals, there are too many variables that you don’t have control over. Small things like dressings and cooking oils add up over time if you’re not thinking about them. At home, you know what you’re putting in your body at every step. You can go out to eat, but remember to ask for the dressings on the side and apply them yourself so there’s not too much.

Your body deserves the proper fuel to reward the hard work you’ve been putting in. When you are cooking, make extra, which leads us directly to our next tip…

Tip #4: Plan ahead - own the day

Don’t let fast food giants dictate what you eat for one more meal! Plan as many of your meals as you can. Prepare snacks, lunch, etc. ahead of time. Always having snacks and meals ready will guarantee that you give your body nutrition without having to rely on greasy foods from fast food chains and other things that are high in fat just because you don’t have another option.

Meal Planning
Clock

Tip #5: Eat every 2-3 hours

You want to be full, that being said, you want to be full of the right foods. If you’re wondering what exactly this looks like, in general, your body would like three nutritious meals a day, along with two smaller snacks in between your main meals. For example, your food schedule could be a protein shake between breakfast and lunch with another nutritious snack between lunch and dinner. Pack some snacks you enjoy to get you through the day. Bonus points if you pack veggies (not sure if you’ve heard the news, but they’re good for you).

Tip #6: Shop at your local Farmer’s Market/Grocery Store

Not only does going to the farmer’s market mean you are supporting local people in your area, but you’re getting some very quality food. Does it get any better than fresh, local foods all in one place for you to purchase? The answer is no, it does not.

The next best thing is your local grocery store. In our experience, grocery stores like Whole Foods, Market 32 and Trader Joe’s have a fine selection of produce and healthy options.

Farmers Market
Healthy food

Tip #7: Perfect Balance between protein, carbs, fats

We’ve reached the math portion of today’s program.

In general, we recommend a diet that is balanced: 40% protein, 30% carbs and 30% fats. Yes, this means you should start eating more protein. Too much of anything in life is not good for us, especially when it comes to your diet. If you’re aiming for this ratio, you can enjoy some fatty foods and won’t have to lose those precious carbs. Overall, you’ll be giving your body the energy you need through a higher protein intake.

Tip #8: Replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats

If you didn’t know, then now you do: saturated fats are much better for your diet than unsaturated fats. Examples of good fats that you could be snacking on include: avocados, almonds, coconut oil, chicken, ground beef, fish, pumpkin seeds, cottage cheese, mozzarella and greek yogurt.

Unsaturated Fats
Natural Sugar - Strawberries

Tip #9: Limit added sugar

I’m sure we’ve all heard this one a thousand times, but do you know how to actually implement this into practice? For starters, replace artificial sugars with natural sugar. Nature is much better at making sugar than factories. One of the best favors you can do for your body and a great first step to a healthier lifestyle is replacing soda with water. When you want sugar, you have two go-to’s: gum and fruit. Gum will be sweet, filling that sugary hole in your diet, and fruit is a natural sugar.

Tip #10: Increase your fiber intake

Last but certainly nut least (not a typo, pun intended), eat more fiber. I don’t know if we’ve brought this up yet, but fruits and vegetables are really good for you, plus they both have fiber. Lentils, beans, nuts and seeds are all foods that will bring more fiber to your diet. Whole grain products are something to look for as well, they are always a great way to get more fiber.

Fiber has all kinds of benefits: it can help maintain weight loss by making us feel full, control blood sugar levels and even promote a healthy digestive system. If you’re not on the “Fiber Train” yet, hop on before it leaves the station.

These tips might seem like a lot, and if you’re going to try to use them all overnight, they probably are. The key is to start implementing them step by step, one at a time. Going to the gym is an important step, but if you’re not living by healthy habits, then you’re missing the point. The more of these tips you can make reality, the better.

Fiber from nuts

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