4 Practical Health and Nutrition Guidelines That Will Reforge You
Keto. Intermittent Fasting. Glycemic Index. Low-Carb. Caveman Diet.
You uncover so many dieting strategies and exercise methods when you Google search for fitness and health advice.
I’ve tried a lot of them!
Some of them didn’t work for me.
Some of them were only optimal for certain circumstances.
Some of them worked for others around me.
Today, I value simplification when helping people diet.
The Nutritional Habit Over the Fad Diet
In the beginning, I believe a fad diet is secondary: let’s worry about the “extras” down the line. It’s unnecessary stress.
In the beginning, we should focus on making building habits around eating better. THEN, you can go all-in on the diet-style.
I believe that simplicity and starting at a foundation are defining factors of success in a lifestyle change.
Over time, you will find things that do or do not work for you. We are all different.
With that, here are some simple guidelines that you can follow to build a better lifestyle and nutritional habits.
Hydration
Hydration is a habit that should be prioritized, especially when it comes to improving brain power and mood. Staying hydrated also helps move nutrients, regulates body temperature, cleanses your body, and more.
It is essential to consistently drink water — especially when you engage in exercise.
Here are a few recommendations you can do in staying hydrated constantly:
- Recommendation is 8 Cups of Water, or shoot for the higher 1 gallon a day.
- Keep a flask like a Hydroflask on you at all times. This will prioritize the habit of drinking water.
- Drink water at the beginning of your day. For some reason, whenever I do this, I typically drink more water than intended.
- No need to worry about mineral or alkaline water (for now): focus on getting into the habit of hydrating yourself before diving into a specific type of water.
As I write this, I have this obnoxious 64oz Hydroflask right next to me.
Keep it simple, and keep water on you at all times.
Fiber and Micronutrients
Eat your fruits and your vegetables. These provide us the fiber and micronutrients necessary for overall mind and body health.
Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals: they help with providing you energy, immune function, cognitive health, bone health, and more.
Fiber keeps you full and allows you to properly use the bathroom. As a result, we improve our cholesterol health, maintain blood sugar, and more.
We live longer because of it.
To hit our micronutrient and fiber goals, a practical recommendation is having 3–5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
- 1 serving of fruits is a 1/2 cup.
- 1 serving of vegetables like broccoli or asparagus is 1/2 cup.
- 1 serving of dark leafy greens like spinach is 1 cup.
Simple and practical.
I recommend having a fruit as a snack, along with a protein bar or shake, which we will discuss in the following section.
Prioritize Protein
To start, most of us don’t consume enough protein in our diets, especially when we start exercising.
Protein helps keep you full for longer periods of time, providing you a satiating effect. While there are mixed studies on how much protein one could consume in a sitting, it’s recommended you split your protein into your meals throughout the day in order to keep yourself satiated and focused.
When focusing on work, I like to carry a protein bar and a protein shake on me daily. If I need to snack before lunch or after, I have something that’ll keep me satiated.
For more on protein, you can read our article here.
PFFT Method
The PFFT Method is the Palm-Fist-Fist-Thumb portion control method.
If you don’t track calories or macronutrients in any way, this method will help you build great habits in nutrition.
PFFT is defined as follows:
- Palm = Protein: Your major protein source can be Chicken, Fish, Tofu, etc. Typically this is two palm servings for men, and one palm serving for women.
- If choosing a higher fat content like steak or salmon, make sure not to use the “thumb” serving of fat, as your protein source will be more calorie-dense.
- Fist = Carbohydrates: Our first fist serving will be carbohydrates like rice, potatoes, oatmeal, etc. Two first servings are optimal for men, and one first serving will be optimal for women.
- Fist = Veggies: The next fist serving should be used for Vegetables. Two fist servings for men, and one fist serving for women.
- Thumb = Fat: This can be any type of butter or dressing (peanut butter, almond butter, etc)
In giving yourself a meal of this proportion 4–6 times a day, you can potentially be able to build a consistent habit in nutrition, and covering fiber and vegetables.
You can read more about PFFT and other methods in our Flexible Nutrition article. We cover some fat loss dieting strategies on this as well.
Concluding Thoughts
There you have it: some simple guidelines that will start your journey into proper nutrition.
Start small, master these basics, then add the desired diet once you have built the habit!
Until next time!
