Eating for Fitness
It takes a while for most of us to learn to eat properly. Let's face it: between emotional eating; the unhealthy products that pass for food that so many of us find in our cafeterias, offices, and grocery stores; the time we don't have (or think we don't have) for cooking; plus the neurotic messages we get about weight from the media and our families, it is difficult to learn to eat well, much less to actually eat well.
Most of us eat to feel good, or we eat because the food around us is convenient, or we eat because it's time to eat, i.e., we've been told to eat three meals a day, plus snacks, and so that's what we try to do.
When you're eating for fitness, though, you have specific aims. First, you want to make sure what you eat gives you steady energy and won't interfere with your workouts. Second, you want to make sure the calories you eat are nutrient dense, i.e., that the foods you eat have plenty of vitamins and minerals.
A calorie is a unit of energy. Every calorie you eat translates into a calorie you can use, or burn (we often say “burn calories” because calories are kind of like a fire in that they provide your body with heat or energy). You burn, for example, about 40 calories an hour watching TV.
Empty-calorie foods are those that often have a high number of calories, but those calories aren't nutritious, so they can pack on pounds and give you energy but don't help your body become and remain healthy.
When you eat properly, you will keep your weight in check, build muscle, and maintain your metabolism. Your mood will be regulated, and you will think clearly. Your energy level will be up and steady. Your skin will be clear, your eyes bright, and your hair healthy. Eating properly also fights osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, and brain degeneration. It can moderate PMS and other hormonal issues, promote good sleep, and support your immune system so you are less likely to get sick.
Now, consider that many people eat ice cream when they watch TV. A bowl of ice cream is about 400 calories. You are taking in 400 calories and burning 40 calories an hour.
You see the immediate problem: you're taking in more calories than you're burning.
The second problem, though, is that most ice-cream calories aren't nutritious. Yes, there's calcium, but other than that, there is a high amount of fat and very little fiber, vitamins, minerals, or antioxidants. If you were striving to eat a nutrient-dense diet and still wanted to eat 400 calories, you could have, for instance, tomato (40 calories) and carrots (30 calories), sprouts (25 calories), grilled chicken (200 calories), and a glass of red wine (90 calories).
And if you wanted to splurge and still get a hit of something rich and decadent (like the ice cream), you could have 2 ounces of dark chocolate.
Now, you'll notice that the second meal is, just that, a meal, while the ice cream is a snack. Also, even if you know almost nothing about nutrition, you know that the vegetables and chicken are better for you than the ice cream. Finally, you might notice that the second meal is larger and probably more satisfying than the ice cream by itself.
