The 5 Most Crucial Nutrition Habits for You to Build if You Want to Get Lean

These 5 nutrition habits are:

SIMPLE. 

PRACTICAL. 

And if you want to get lean, fit, and healthy- they are NEEDED for your goals. 

So without further ado- here are 4 of the top 5 nutrition habits YOU need to work on:

1. Eat SLOWLY: 

1. Why? Because digestion starts in the mouth, and health starts in the gut. We need to support optimal digestion if we want optimal health! Chewing your food thoroughly and slowly is an easy way anyone can give their gut, health, and fitness goals a boost. 

2. Possible benefits? Less upset stomach and irritating Gastrointestinal issues like gas and reflux, possible boost to fat loss goals because eating slowly gives your stomach more time to signal to your brain that it’s full before you accidentally overeat (causing you to consume less calories and avoid that overstuffed feeling), and you might leave more satisfied with your meals and lunch break. 

2. Eat UNDISTRACTED: 

1. Why? There are a ton of science-y reasons why eating undistracted is a must. But, for the sake of time, here are a few: 

1. Your stomach sends signals (via hormones) to your brain when you’re hungry and when you’re full. If you eat distracted- whether that be watching TV, scrolling on your phone, answering emails, or even talking with friends- your brain is forced to multitask. This can make it hard for your brain and stomach to communicate properly and in a timely manner. Most people who eat distracted on a regular basis report overeating more than those that don’t and this is a direct contributing factor. 

2. To support optimal digestion, you need to be relaxed when you eat so your nervous system can get into that “rest and DIGEST” state we are all familiar with from middle school/high school science. Cutting down on multitasking, stressful eating circumstances, and overall stimulation for the brain can help us maintain that “rest and digest” state during our meals. 

3. If you’re wanting to get lean and fit, mindfulness is a HUGE skill you need to have. Learning to be mindful of your food and how the food makes you feel is a critical skill for body change. 

3. Eat REGULARLY (about every 3-4 hours):

Despite popular fads like Intermittent Fasting, Keto, and other restriction-focused diet approaches, we have known for centuries that our bodies need nutrients in order to fight disease and function on an optimal level. If you’re skipping meals, or not eating meals that keep you FULL and SATISFIED for an average of 3-4 hours, that’s a red flag that your body is likely not getting the NUTRIENTS (not just calories) you need. Even if you’re trying to get lean and fit or lose fat, you still need to eat regularly.
**HINT: if you want to lose fat AND not go hungry or skip meals or feel like you have to survive on chicken and rice…I got you. Let’s chat. 

4. Eat WHOLE (as much as you can):

This one and the last one go together, because again our bodies need NUTRIENTS. In fact, your body has no idea what a “calorie” is. The word “calorie” was invented from the word “kilocalorie” which is a unit of heat that some guy who blew up a Cheeto in a water bomb thing called a “bomb calorimeter” decided would make a great way to measure our food and the energy our food provides. (ok, it wasn’t a cheeto…but that’s always the example my Nutrition Professor used when explaining the invention of calories to us in class). So all of that to say, you need NUTRIENTS and nutrients come in their BEST, most PERFECT forms in the most IDEAL ratios when we get them from the foods GOD made…AKA WHOLE foods. Now I know we can’t all “unsubscribe” from the reliance on convenience foods and modern grocery stores, but just eating whole foods as much as you can helps to: 

1. Reduce unnecessary caloric intake

2. Boost the nutrients you’re getting- helping to fight disease, fight infection, boost digestion and absorption, improve energy, improve sleep, improve gym performance and recovery, and support a healthy metabolism… just to name a few 

5. Eat BALANCED:

By “eat balanced” I mean try to pair these 4 types of foods together to compose both your meals and your snacks: protein, fat, carbs, and fiber. Doing so can help:

1. Improve mood

2. boost nutrient absorption and utilization in the body

3. Support fat loss and muscle gain (if you are weight training correctly)

4. Support healthy, balanced hormones

5. Balance your blood sugar

   + WAY more.

Now this might sound like a lot…

And you might be thinking “where do I start??” 

And the answer to that is simple:

Start by becoming AWARE of your CURRENT nutrition habits. This will help you understand where you currently are so you can then decide which of these 5 habits is the most practical and necessary for you to start with.

I’m going to help you do that today through our guided mindfulness practice and I’m going to throw in one of my favorite Behavior Awareness Tools (Click here) that is a powerful tool for over eating habits and really any other behavior you’re trying to break or work on. 

PS- get tips like this, free coaching, and a free guided mindfulness practice like this delivered directly to your inbox every Monday morning by joining my “Mind Your Monday” email list. No spam, just life + body change tools once per week. Join here.

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Guided Mindfulness Practice

So pour that beverage of choice, take out your voice memos or notebook, set that timer for 5 minutes, and let’s get mindful on this Monday! 

1. What does your average day of eating look like? What is your normal pattern? 

2. Do you eat breakfast? If not, why don’t you? If yes, what does that breakfast routine typically look like? 

3. Do you eat lunch? If not, why don’t you? If yes, what does that lunch routine typically look like? 

4. Do you eat dinner? If not, why don’t you? If yes, what does your dinner routine typically look like? 

5. What other eating habits do you notice in your routine? Can you pinpoint any reasons why you have the habits you have? (ex: you typically snack on the way home from work because you skip lunch and you’re hungry)

6. Which of the 4 habits listed today do you think you need to work on the most? Why? How can you practically start working on that habit this week?