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The No-Brainer-Nutrition-Plan

author : chrisandniki

comments : 4

Solid nutrition principles for those not wanting to put a lot of thought into eating healthy.

I’ve tried understanding nutrition. I’ve read articles and had people try to explain to me what a healthy diet encompasses. But it all sounds like chemistry to me – a subject which I almost failed miserably in high school and college.

I needed a simple nutrition plan. Something I could follow easily without having to think too much. A couple of years ago, a nutritionist friend (who understood my simple ways) sketched out the No-Brainer-Nutrition-Plan.

Guidelines
I’m not into nutrition plans with rules. Rules make everything complex. However, guidelines are different. You haven’t failed if you don’t follow these guidelines. They’re ideas to aim for...lifestyle changes you can work your way toward little by little:

Eat 4-6 times a day. Eat three large meals, with two or three smaller snack meals interspersed in-between.
Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. Decaffeinated coffee or tea can count toward this.
Have a glass of water after each soda, cup of caffeinated coffee, or caffeinated tea.
Allow one day a week as a cheat-day. Eat, drink, and be merry. You can have whatever you want on this day. Of course, this isn’t to say you should go hog-wild and eat ice-cream with every meal, or down a 12-pack of beer. But don’t deprive yourself of the foods you enjoy.
Try to avoid eating after 9pm.
Steam, grill, and broil foods to best keep their healthiness.
Try to eat a protein and a carbohydrate with every meal.

	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
Eat all you want	Fish, turkey, soy milk, lean beef, low fat cottage cheese, eggs, chicken, skim milk, low fat cheese, natural peanut butter, low-fat dairy products, white-meat poultry	Whole wheat bread, wheat pasta, brown rice, beans, shredded wheat, potatoes, pita bread, kashi, green vegetables, fruits, oatmeal, whole wheat crackers	Walnuts, seeds, olive oil, flaxseed oil, walnut oil
Eat only a few servings a week	Fattier cuts of beef or pork, fattier ground beef, dark-meat poultry	Enriched pasta, white rice, white bread, starchy vegetables (potatoes, corn)	Corn and vegetable oils, reduced-fat margarine
Indulge in these foods once a week only	Bacon, sausage, hot dogs, bologna, cold cuts, fried chicken, ice cream and other	Potato chips, french fries, doughnuts, cookies, cupcakes, pastries, crackers	Butter, vegetable shortening, stick margarine, lard

This nutrition plan works as follows:

Green Foods: Feel free to eat as much of these as you want,
Yellow Foods: Limit these foods to a few servings a week,
Red Foods: Avoid these foods. Save them for your once-a-week indulgence (see the guidelines above).

Try this plan. It’ll work for anyone—athletes in multiple sports, those just trying to lose weight, or expectant mothers. It’s also especially useful for triathletes.

Triathletes have enough to worry about how to train for three sports, and how to fit all that training into their lives. Don’t try to understand the science of nutrition if you don’t want to. You shouldn’t have to be a registered dietitian to eat healthy.

About the Author: Chris Tull is a writer based out of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Once upon a time, he was a ‘burgers-and-beer-only’ kind of guy. Chris has since lightened up on the diet and added yoga, weight lifting, and (of course) triathlon training to the mix. You can contact him at [email protected] or visit his online journal at http://ctull.blogspot.com/

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date: June 14, 2005

Author

chrisandniki

Chris Tull is a writer based out of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Once upon a time, he was a ‘burgers-and-beer-only’ kind of guy. Chris has since lightened up on the diet and added yoga, weight lifting, and (of course) triathlon training to the mix.