Nutrition Library
What would you like to know?
Rules of a healthy balanced diet
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Try to eat regular meals, around every 4 hours, 4-5 meals a day, it helps with balance, fastening your metabolism and controls insulin levels.
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Eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day.
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Drink 1.5 – 3 litres of water per day to stay hydrated and take small sips of water regularly throughout workouts.
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Load your plate with Vegetables.
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Take in plenty of vitamins. (See section ‘Micronutrients’ for more info).
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Don’t starve yourself.
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Cut down on processed foods, limit your salt, sodium and sugar.
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Stick to your calorie allowance. (Your daily calorie allowance/target is based on your total daily energy expenditure and your goals).
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Keep up with your protein intake for your muscles to recover, grow and repair (if you cant from your diet alone, I recommend a good protein powder or supplement to help fill the gap).
Nutritional order of importance
To build in the strongest way, we need to have a strong base, so before you worry about the peak of the pyramid and nutrient timing, grow the foundation first and hit your targets, then upwards from there. As long as the bottom block is hit consistently, you will progress towards your goals.
Losing Fat
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Most importantly, stick to your calorie allowance/target, which should be a calorie deficit (energy out, is more than energy in).
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Use My Fitness Pal to track your calorie intake. You won’t need to track forever because you’ll be educating yourself on how much calories are really in foods along the way.
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Eat 0.7-1 gram of protein per pound of lean bodyweight. (You’ll find this on your programme targets).
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Eat plenty of fruit and veg, it’s low in calories and fat but high in fibre and vitamins.
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Try to drink 3L of water daily and don’t confuse thirst as hunger.
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Get the light calorie and high protein version of food products if you can.
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Eat high fibre food such as fruit and veg, oats, wholegrain bread, Brown Pasta and rice, Beans, peas and lentils.
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Potatoes make you feel most full up out of all the carb foods.
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Try to eat more food that is low in calories, thus allowing you to eat a bigger volume of food within your calorie allowance.
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Use a smaller plate to help eat smaller portions.
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It takes around 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain it’s full, so eat slowly.
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Don’t ban foods, especially the ones you like, it can make you crave them more and there's no reason you can't enjoy the occasional treat as long as you stay within your daily calorie allowance.
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Don’t stock junk food at home, it’s too tempting and easy to grab, opt for healthier snacks such as fruit, unsalted or sugar-free products.
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Cut down on alcohol, its high in calories and quit smoking.
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Plan your meals – breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for the day, making sure you stick to your calorie allowance.
Building muscle
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Most importantly, stick to your calorie allowance/target, which should be a calorie surplus (energy in, is more than energy out).
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Use My Fitness Pal to track your calorie intake. You won’t need to track forever because you’ll be educating yourself on how many calories are really in foods along the way.
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Eat 1 gram of protein per pound of lean bodyweight. (you’ll find this on your programme targets).
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Buy high protein food products.
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Eat 4-6 meals throughout the day and eat around every 3 hours.
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Try to distribute your protein intake across the whole day from breakfast to the last meal/snack.
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Try to have a good amount of protein in each meal or snack.
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Don’t drink water with meals if you won’t be able to eat the whole meal to make it to your calorie target.
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Try to drink 1.5L+ of water daily to stay hydrated.
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Use a larger plate to help eat larger portions.
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Plan your meals – breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for the day, making sure you stick to your calorie target.
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Don’t eat too much junk food to reach your calorie surplus target, it could destroy your health.
My Fitness Pal
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Using My Fitness Pal (MFP) is the perfect tool for keeping track of your daily calorie and nutrient intake.
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You will need a food scale to accurately measure your serving sizes.
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You should scan the barcode on food packaging so you have the correct brand and ingredient. Different brands of the same food can vary in nutritional values.
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Be sure to measure everything and try not to forget to measure things like the oil used to cook with.
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Use the targets that will be specified on your programme as they are more accurate and take into account your training routine, steps and other mesurements.
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Turn off step tracking and don’t input exercise on MFP as it will give you more calories and everything has already been accounted for in your targets.
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It’s easier to set the serving size to 1 gram and the number of servings = how many grams your food is.
Macro & Micro Nutrients
Macronutrients and why you need them.
Protein.
Your body needs protein to stay healthy and work the way it should. It’s essential for growth and repair of muscle tissue. More than 10,000 types are found in everything from your organs to your muscles and tissues to your bones, skin, and hair. Protein is also a critical part of the processes that fuel your energy and carry oxygen throughout your body in your blood and make you fell most full up with protein coming in at 4 Kcal per 1 gram and is also the most satiating nutrient making you feel fuller for longer.
Carbohydrates.
The primary function of carbs are energy production and storage, building macromolecules, sparing protein, and assisting in lipid (fat) metabolism. Carbs provide you with energy for daily tasks and are the primary fuel source for your brain's high energy demands. Fibre is a special type of carb that helps promote good digestive health and may lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Carbs come in at 4 Kcal per 1 gram.
Fats.
The body uses fat as a fuel source, and fat is the major storage form of energy in the body. Fat also has many other important functions in the body, and a moderate amount is needed in the diet for good health. Fats in food come in several forms, including saturated, mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated. Fat is a source of essential fatty acids, which the body cannot make itself and it helps the body with insulating and protecting, regulating and signalling, aiding absorption and Increasing bio-availability and contributes to the smell, taste, and satiety of foods. Fats come in at 9 Kcal per 1 gram.
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Micronutrients and why you need them.
Vitamins.
There are 13 vitamins — vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and the B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, B6, B12, and folate). Vitamins have different jobs, from helping you resist infections, keeping your nerves healthy, and helping your body get energy from food or your blood to clot properly.
Minerals.
Minerals are elements that our bodies need to function that can be found on the earth and in foods. from building strong bones to transmitting nerve impulses. Some minerals are even used to make hormones or maintain a normal heartbeat. Some minerals, like iodine and fluoride, are only needed in very small quantities. Others, such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, are needed in larger amounts. As with vitamins, if you eat a varied diet, you will probably get enough of most minerals.
Healthier food alternatives
Unhealthy - Healthier
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White bread – Sourdough, or Wholemeal/Brown bread.
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White flour – Wholemeal flour, Rice flour, Oat flour or Buckwheat flour.
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White/Table salt – Himalayan/ Sea salt.
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White sugar, Sweetner – Honey, Stevia or Brown sugar.
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Ham, Bacon – Turkey Ham/Bacon.
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Oils – extra virgin Olive oil or Coconut oil.
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Milk/white Chocolate – Dark chocolate 70%+.
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Sugary Drinks/Juices – freshly squeezed Juices with no added sugar and Water or herbal teas.
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White Pasta – Brown Pasta, Quinoa, Lentils, Kidney Beans, Rice, Potatoes and sweet potatoes.
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Cream/Yoghurt – Greek or natural yoghurt.
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Milk – Oat, Almond, Coconut or Soya Milk.
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Canned Fish – Fresh Fish.
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Desserts – Homemade Desserts, Rice cakes or Fruit.
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Dressings, Ketchup, Mustard, Mayo – Herbs, Spices, Homemade Sauces.
Getting the low fat and low sugar options can help too, however, they may be supplemented with something else that isn’t healthy, which is why it’s a good idea to make things at home because you know exactly what you’re putting in.
There are now many food products that are low calorie, low fat, low sugar or high protein. They can help, so look out for them when shopping.