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The Best Life Diet

Eating for Life: Your Guide to Great Health, Fat Loss and Increased Energy!

French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure

It’s not all peas and brussels sprouts.

Healthy eating doesn’t mean tiny portions and bland meals—it means variety, moderation, and sensible selection of good foods. Keep fit and treat your body right by learning to:

Understand calories, nutrients, and the principles of a balanced diet
Design a healthy, varied diet based on the food groups
Eat healthy anywhere, whether at home, restaurants, parties, or on the go

Nutrition Fundamentals

Good nutrition means balancing the calories and nutrients you consume.

Calories: Food contains energy, measured in calories. Your body “burns” energy to keep itself running. To maintain good nutrition, you need to supply your body with enough calories of energy to remain alert and to operate at peak performance throughout the day.
Nutrients: The building blocks of the body, nutrients are the chemicals that make up our blood, tissues, and organs and also provide a vital source of energy. Good nutrition requires that you eat foods that provide the balance of nutrients that your body needs.

The number of calories and the balance of nutrients you should eat depend on your sex, age, height, weight, and level of exercise activity. A 23-year-old woman who runs for 40 minutes each day won’t need the same calories or nutrient balance as a 58-year-old man who rarely exercises. Even so, the following five fundamentals of good nutrition apply to everyone.

Five Ways to Improve Your Nutrition

Plan your meals in advance: Buy healthy food at the grocery store and prepare meals with it whenever possible. This will prevent trips to the vending machine and to fast-food restaurants, where good nutrition is more difficult to maintain (see Healthy Eating Away From Home).
Drink plenty of water: Many people confuse thirst for hunger and eat when they should be drinking. Keep a bottle of filtered water with you throughout the day.
Eat nutrient-dense foods: Nutrient-dense foods provide substantial vitamins and minerals but relatively few calories. Examples include eggs, peas, beans, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, low-fat dairy products, soy products (tofu), whole grains, and seeds and nuts.
Avoid empty-calorie foods: Empty-calorie foods contain lots of calories but few nutrients. Examples include candy, soft drinks, fast foods, white bread, butter, margarine, and carbonated and alcoholic drinks.
Follow the 80/20 rule: If 80% of the food you eat is nutrient-dense, you can eat empty-calorie food about 20% of the time without major adverse effects on your health and weight. Don’t try to eliminate all “bad” foods from your diet. Instead, focus on moderation.