You will be surprised at how simple it is to incorporate some basic laws of nutrition into your day. There is a lot of information on nutrition available, and some of it complicated to understand. The following tips are simple ones that will clarify the well understood tenets of human nutrition.
Limit your consumption of red meat to once a week or less. A great treat, red meat is not as healthy for you as other forms of protein. Try replacing some of your meals with fish, beans, and grains as the main components. Red meat has its place but nutritionally you can do better.
Vitamin B12 is an important part of a healthy diet. It plays a role in releasing energy from the fat, carbohydrates and protein that you eat. Vitamin B12 also helps in the formation of blood cells, nervous system maintenance and bone metabolism. You can find this vitamin in dairy products, eggs, fish, meat and poultry.
You should write down everything you eat during the day. This helps make you accountable for what you have eaten. It also helps you to not "forget" about that latte you indulged in, or that candy bar you ate after lunch. Knowing what you have eaten already will help you make better decisions about what to eat at the next meal or snack time.
To maintain proper nutrition, as well as your muscle mass, you should strive to eat protein at every meal. The minimum you should consume a day is about a .5 gram per pound of your body weight. This will help you to maintain a youthful appearance since protein is essential for everything in our body, including the skin, hair and nails.
Did you know that for every 8 ounces of sugary soft drink that you consume, you need to drink 16 ounces of water to get it out of your system? Think about how many soft drinks you currently consume on a daily basis. Doesn't matter if it's diet or regular. Start eliminating the soda out of your life. If you have to have one to get your day started, leave it to that one. Have your water on hand at the same time.
A great nutrition tip is to customize your diet to your body type. Not everyone has the same body type. Some people are more sensitive to carbohydrates and will gain weight just by looking at them, while others can eat anything they want and will never gain any weight.
Avoid microwavable foods. These meals usually have lots of preservatives that are best avoided.
Quinoa is a dieters dream. It is an amazing grain that is very easy to cook, and tastes great with sauteed vegetables. It is not that expensive, and can be used in place of rice. You can find some wonderful recipes that use quinoa on any recipe website, so experiment and have fun with it.
The key to better nutrition is gaining a sound education of portion sizes, and your body's daily caloric processing ability. For most people the FDA has issued charts to help you get this information, but for some people with higher or lower metabolisms this can vary. The main thing to focus on is balancing out a good variety of different foods for your body to get a little bit of everything.
One of the main reasons for resorting to junk food is feeling tired, which can cause you to have cravings. To combat this, take a multivitamin at the start of every day. A multivitamin will provide you with all of the minerals and nutrients that you need to feel alert and stay active during the day.
Make your own breakfast smoothie for a healthy first thing in the morning pick me up. Use low-fat milk for a healthier option. Pour it in a blender along with some ice cubes. Throw in some fresh fruit like bananas, strawberries, and blueberries and get ready for a real treat.
You need to eat regularly and eat a substantial amount of calories at each meal or snack, in order to keep your blood sugar and your insulin levels balanced. Not eating enough can cause these levels to crash, lowering your energy levels and your metabolism. This will actually cause you to gain weight even though you aren't eating very much.
Skip adding salt when you boil water. If it speeds up boiling time at all, it is only by moments. The salt is unnecessary, so skip it and juts wait a few minutes for a rolling boil in the water.
It is a good idea to add carrots to your diet because they are very full of vitamin A, antioxidants, and fiber. They are easy to add because they are naturally sweet, crunchy, and attractively bright without added artificial colors. They're also very versatile- they can be eaten raw out of hand, added to tomato sauce, or stir-fried.
Don't let the latest fads convince you that you are doing things wrong. The fads change as quickly as the wind and as long as you follow the basic proven aspects of nutrition you will be living a better, healthier life. That fad will be over before too long anyway.
Avoid taking too many supplements. While some supplements are a valuable addition to your nutritional plan, overdoing them is not healthy. Overdoing your supplements can cause you to forget the importance of getting vitamins and minerals from whole foods. It can also be dangerous to take very high levels of some vitamins into your body.
To help you stay fit you should plan out a daily routine. Running every day for 2 miles can greatly increase your longevity and develop a level of endurance that will last you for many years. If long distance running isn't for you, short sprints followed by jogging rest periods can also provide you the exercise you need.
Whole books have been written that focus on one facet of nutrition, and the information can be very interesting, but if you lack time you will just want to know some of the more important highlights only. Having a base level of knowledge will help you make wise choices at the grocery store.