The Most Important Nutrition Principles You’ll Ever Need

“The more nutrient dense foods we eat, the better we heal and feel. “ -Chris

My recovery from a major jaw surgery as a college student shaped my belief that the more nutrient dense foods we eat, the better we heal and feel. After sipping shakes and soups through a straw for 12 weeks, I was the weakest and most depleted I’ve ever been in my life. In order to rebuild my strength and energy, I went on a quest to discover how to use food as medicine. A major shift occurred as I studied holistic nutrition and learned to heal my body by building meals primarily around plants. While I’m not a vegetarian, I now believe vegetables should be the highest volume food type we eat in order to maximize our intake of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Consuming organic meats and wild fish in moderate amounts helps build muscle and provide strength. Of course, everyone’s needs are different and each person has to ultimately determine what works best for them.

What I believe applies to every sound holistic nutrition plan is focusing on organic, whole, live foods with a plant-heavy focus in order to feel your best and thrive! Too many nutritional programs focus solely on restriction and quick-fix weight loss strategies that aren’t sustainable. At our Boston personal training and wellness studio, we believe that, if it isn’t sustainable, it’s not successful. This is why we offer a holistic approach tailored to your lifestyle and interests. Every day, our personal trainers work with people just like you to help them achieve their weight loss and fitness goals with ten nutrition pillars that form the foundation of a sustainable eating plan. We’ve studied the science, seen first-hand what works and what doesn't, and most importantly, know how to help you make lasting changes to become the best version of yourself – for good. Whether you’d like to shed body fat, build muscle, or build healthy habits for life, each of these pillars has a significant impact on how you look and feel. In this article, we’ll share 3 of the most important nutrition principles to get you started…

1) GET AN OIL CHANGE

For many years, all forms of dietary fat were blamed for the rise in obesity rates in the United States. However, current research suggests that the type of fat consumed is much more important than the amount of fat consumed. Our brains are 60% fat, and every single one of the trillions of cells in our body is surrounded by fat. We build these tissues with whatever fat we consume, so the types of fat we eat are incredibly important. Arguably the most important dietary change you can make is to replace inflammatory vegetable oils such as canola, corn, safflower, sunflower, and soybean oil with avocado, coconut, extra virgin olive, macadamia, and MCT oil along with grass-fed butter (if you tolerate dairy well) or grass-fed ghee. The quality of your fats determine the quality of your health. Since fats and oils can become damaged by contact with light, heat, air, or plastics, aim to purchase ones in dark glass bottles.

2) STRENGTHEN YOUR INNER ARMY

The root of your health begins with strong and efficient digestion and a balanced gut, also known as your microbiome. Chronic antibiotic use, excessive alcohol consumption, and overeating highly processed foods and refined sugars all contribute to the overgrowth of “bad” bacteria in the gut, also known as dysbiosis. This creates a vicious cycle in which you crave sugar to feed the unhealthy bugs. Rebalancing your inner ecosystem means eating foods and taking supplements that bring good bacteria back into your gut to strengthen your microbiome. This reduces inflammation, improves digestion, and aids weight loss. A few of our favorite gut-supportive foods include:

Bone Broth

Dandelion Greens

Garlic

Milled Flaxseed

Cruciferous Vegetables (Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale)

Unpasteurized Kimchi, Sauerkraut and Fermented Veggies

3) SLOW DOWN 

If you’re anything like the busy parents and professionals that our Boston personal trainers coach, you operate at two speeds: fast and faster. Bringing this mindset to meals can wreak havoc on your digestion and sabotage your waistline. Racing around and barely making time to eat is living in a state called fight or flight. When we’re in this stressful state, digestion shuts down and food isn’t absorbed properly. In order to extract nutrition from food, we must masticate it thoroughly (chew) and bring a relaxed state of mind to the table. One of the best things you can do is schedule time to eat (even better in the company of friends or loved ones, if possible) and slow things down in order to bring a mindful, relaxed mindset to the table. If you’re competitive, play a silent game when you eat out with friends. Strive to be the last one to finish your meal. If you finish last, you win. This approach will help you eat less, digest more effectively, and experience an energy boost. It’s a game-changer!

These ideas have the potential to transform the quality of your health. With that said, a word of advice: focus on implementing only 1-2 small changes at one time. The reason: 98% of attempts at weight loss fail because people try to change too many things at once. At AUM, our personal training members enjoy an exceptionally high success rate because they introduce new habits/behaviors gradually and in a way that they feel confident they can do consistently. Contrary to what many people believe, reaching your health and fitness goals doesn’t require you to organize your entire life around spending hours in the gym each day or tracking every single thing you eat. What our personal trainers have found is that, by having our clients focus on doing less, they achieve more. Because here’s the truth: if you’re trying to change several behaviors at the same time, you’re setting yourself up for fatigue and frustration. The reason - willpower gets depleted quickly.

Make your life easier by building one habit at a time. You’ll find that the process is more enjoyable and will lead to longer-lasting change. For example, rather than eliminating all carbs or drastically reducing your calories, begin by adding one vegetable to each meal. Instead of committing to exercising five days per week, make the habit simpler by scheduling a couple of weekly workouts on your calendar. Always remember this: small hinges swing big doors. Never underestimate the power of small changes. By focusing on doing less things, BETTER, you’ll be far more successful in building the body and health you’ve always wanted. 

– Coach Chris

P.S. Ready to tap into the most cutting-edge health, fitness, and longevity protocols? Our highly educated Boston personal trainers are here to help you filter through conflicting health information so you no longer have to struggle with frustration only to end up confused and unmotivated. Because our schedule gets filled quickly, be sure to book your complimentary consultation with us today.