A Beginners Guide To Basic Nutrition

 Welcome to my article on basic nutrition. Here I will go over some of the obvious, and some of the not so obvious basic nutrition rules. Let me start off by explaining what my goal is and why it’s so important to follow basic nutrition rules.

Basic nutrition is MY niche; my goal is to fill your mind with basic nutrition ideas so you can begin living a healthier lifestyle. It’s extremely difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle without being well informed; after all, most of us don’t have time to research everything right before doing it. Unless you are part of some crazy diet program that has a number attached to everything you eat (WeightWatchers, I’m pointing at you.)

Basic nutrition isn’t something that requires a bunch of witchcraft and wizardry to understand. It’s just simple rules to follow if you are looking to cleanup your diet.

No one’s perfect, that’s why I’m calling this section “basic nutrition.” Not everyone cares to follow some strict weight loss plan made by some Italian model with forty-seven visible abs. Basic nutrition is something everyone can follow, at any restaurant, while still eating some “bad” food from time to time. Keep in mind, by “bad” food, I don’t mean a bacon sundae, an extra large ice cream milkshake, or a seven pound cheese burger. So you can cross that stuff off of your list.

Now that you know what I mean by basic nutrition, let’s move on to my basic nutrition rules.

Stick To Low Calorie Foods

Honestly, calories get a bad rap. However, when it comes to basic nutrition advice it’s important to make sure you keep them low, and not spend a whole lot of time trying to decipher the importance of said calories. When it comes to basic nutrition and weight loss, it’s important to understand that if you consume less calories than you burn in twenty-four hours, you are going to lose weight. Now whether that weight is muscle or fat, depends on what you are eating. In order to determine that what you are eating is good for you, you have to understand what kind of calories you are putting into your body.

Basic nutrition is simple, that’s why I’m not going to pull out some intense algorithm to explain why certain calories are better than others and why you should avoid fat calories (I have other sections on my website for that.)

Remember, our goal is basic nutrition, so let’s stick to the principle that low calories, usually means weight loss, and weight loss is usually a good thing.

Make Sure Basic Nutrition Is… Well… Basic…

Remember all the basic nutrition information that we learned while we were in grade school? You should, and it wasn’t difficult at all. Basic nutrition is simple, so follow the same rules that our mothers and teachers taught us when we were younger. Eat lots of veggies, drink lots of water, don’t splurge on candy and sweets, and don’t overeat.

If you are new to nutrition, or are just now beginning to watch what you eat, it’s important for you to make nutrition simple. The easier it is to eat healthy, the more likely you are to continue doing so.

So What Should I Be Eating?

When you are starting a basic nutrition diet plan, you will want to make sure you keep your diet strict, but reasonable at the same time. If you’re used to eating McDonalds every day, don’t jump to an extremely strict diet that consists of vegetables and lean meats. Progression and patience is the key to eating a clean diet!

Start by incorporating vegetables into your meals, or making the meals on your own. If you don’t know how to do this, pick up a recipe book with simple meals that you can make. Replace soda with water, and candy or sweets with fruit. Instead of eating white bread, eat whole wheat bread. Instead of white rice, eat brown rice.

Basic nutrition is about patience; don’t expect to look like a fitness model after you have followed a basic nutrition plan after a week. It’s just not reasonable. So many people expect a diet that will give them immediate results, without a lot of effort. Unfortunately something like that doesn’t exist, and it never will. You have to work hard towards your goals and make sacrifices, if you don’t, you’re not going to feel all that great, and you will see minimal, if any weight loss results.

It’s Important to Stay Active Too

I know, Newtricion.com is about nutrition, and not about fitness, but it’s always a good subject to touch on. In order for your body to get the most out of the foods that you eat, it’s important to make sure that you have some sort of workout routine and are staying active. It’s important to make sure that you walk or run on a daily basis, or lift weights to make sure that your body breaks down food and uses it how it’s supposed to.

Working out also helps to relieve stress and anxiety, so it’s extremely important to make sure that you stay active while following a basic nutrition diet.

Make Sure You Set Goals

It’s important to make sure you have some goal in mind when it comes to basic nutrition. Without having a goal in mind you set yourself up for failure, because you don’t have anything you are trying to accomplish. Ask yourself, what are you trying to accomplish by eating healthy? If you don’t have any specific goal in mind, start thinking of one. You need something that will drive you toward a basic nutrition diet! Just going through the motions will not be enough, and you will get burnt out fast!

Don’t be afraid to deviate from your plans. It’s OK to cheat every once in a while, just don’t deviate so far from your goal that you lose sight of it.