What Is Good Nutrition?
Maintaining an adequate energy balance is essential for our bodies to function properly. When we don't consume enough energy, non-essential functions like reproductive, metabolic, and brain functions can begin to shut down.
Conversely, consuming too much energy can lead to hormone resistance, plaque build-up in vessels, high blood pressure, and a higher risk for chronic diseases. That's why proper nutrition is crucial in controlling energy balance, preventing overeating or not consuming enough energy. Maintaining an ideal body weight is one of the many benefits of having a balanced energy intake and output.
Energy balance is the relationship between "energy in" (food calories ingested through food and drinks) and "energy out" (calories used in our daily energy requirements). By maintaining the equilibrium between energy intake and energy output, individuals can stay healthy, feel great, and avoid the negative consequences of energy imbalance.
In addition to providing us with energy, good nutrition also supplies essential nutrients that our body needs to function correctly. Nutrient density refers to the proportion of nutrients in foods, with terms like "nutrient-rich" and "micronutrient-dense" used to describe these properties.
When planning meals, it's crucial to consider the nutrient density of each food item. Take, for example, a plate of various food items like chard, lentils, toaster pastries, salmon, berries, and saltine crackers. Each plate will have a different proportion of calories and nutrients. In cases like toaster pastries, there are numerous calories, but few nutrients, resulting in low nutrient density. Meanwhile, chard has lots of nutrients but few calories, leading to high nutrient density.
Essential nutrients are crucial for optimal health, performance, and longevity. Without them, we risk malnutrition, disease, and a compromised quality of life. Ultimately, good nutrition helps us find the perfect balance between optimal nutrients and appropriate calorie intake, leading to healthier and more fulfilling lives.
Keep It Clean And Easy
Incorporating general eating patterns into our routine is easy once we break it down to the basics. Here are the primary components of a healthy diet:
- Choose lean meats and fish, consuming them several times a week, and limit the intake of red meats.
- Consume a variety of vegetables with every meal, including ones of different colors.
- Use heart-healthy oils, such as olive oil, avocado oil, and canola oil, for cooking.
- Opt for low-fat dairy products like cheese and yogurt.
- Avoid consuming sugary and processed foods.
- Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
By following these basic guidelines, individuals can significantly enhance their overall health and well-being.
Good nutrition achieves health, body composition, and performance goals through outcome-based approaches.
Achieving health, body composition, and performance goals are some of the major benefits of good nutrition. Feeling and looking good can provide individuals with more energy and improve their overall quality of life. As a coach, it's essential to focus on a balanced approach.
Concentrating solely on body composition can promote over-exercising, injuries, stimulant supplements/drugs, crash diets, and risky surgeries- all of which can negatively impact long-term health and performance.
Therefore, good nutrition aims to enhance an individual's appearance, health, and performance, taking a holistic approach. It's not just about looking better, but also about being better. By incorporating good nutrition practices, individuals can improve their overall well-being and set themselves up for long-term success.
As Aldous Huxley once said, "Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." This statement holds true for nutrition because outcomes occur, regardless of dietary approaches. These outcomes can be measured and provide an accurate reflection of reality.
One of our favorite questions to ask individuals who believe they eat "healthy" is, "How's that working for you?" If individuals do not have the desired body, health, or performance outcomes despite their perception of a healthy diet, perhaps their idea of healthy is not in line with reality. This demonstrates the importance of making outcome-based decisions instead of relying on nebulous definitions of what is considered "good" or "correct."
Outcome-based nutritional decisions rely on specific and measurable results, rather than general ideas of health. Despite many North Americans believing they consume a healthy and balanced diet, studies show that over 60% of Canadians' calories come from highly processed foods, while only 11% of calories in the US come from fast food.
Hence, good nutrition is all about using outcomes to make informed decisions for the future.
