Healthy Eating Tips
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Fluids and Electrolytes
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Suggested Menus
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Introduction-
Nutrition is a very important element to staying fit. If you exercise, but then eat unhealthy foods, you would be counter-balancing the effects that you worked so hard for when exercising. All that fat burned off would just be gained again. However, exercise does increase your metabolic rate at which you digest calories so you can burn fat faster which does give you more lenience on what you can eat. It is not good to use faster metabolic rate as a reason for eating "junky" foods though! So the goal of this page is to make you aware of what to consider when deciding what to eat, because your body requires more of certain types of food when you are exercising regularly.
Protein-
Protein is necessary for the growth, repair, and maintenance of muscle and other lean tissues(1). There is a misconception among athletes that protein will increase muscle mass and strength, but only training will do that(2). So many athletes may tend to intake more protein than necessary. In reality, greater than normal intakes of protein has no effect on muscle mass. The typical American diet supplies two to three times the recommended amount of protein and is me than adequate to meet all protein needs of exercisers(3).
Carbohydrates-
Carbohydrates are the primary fuel for anaeraobic exercise and are the kindling fuel necessary for optimal fat burning aerobic exercise(4). Women engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity should consume at least 60 percent of their calories in the form of carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, and cooked dried beans and peas. The amount of carbohydrates in the diet is directly related to glycogen storage and physical performance(5). A high-carbohydrate diet will result in greater buildup of muscle glycogen and power output during exercise. (Remember: glycogen is the important fuel for anaerobic exercise!) Conversely, a low-carbohydrate diet will not only reduce physical performance, but also affect mood and behavioral factors such as increased tension, depression, fatigue, anger, mental confusion, and reduced vigor(6). Wow, so you wouldn't want that to happen would you? So eat your carbs!
Fats-
Dietary fats include a variety of compounds that are insoluble in water, including cholesterol, saturated fats and unsaturated fats(7).
Since fats are insoluble in water, they will just store in your body. Your body does burn some of it off automatically, but you can control the amount of fat in your body by exercising it off. Excess fat intake increases the risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. But your body does need some dietary fat; the recommended amount of fat in your diet should be about twenty percent(8). Most foods you eat will have some fat in it so I do not think finding something with fat in it will be difficult. The difficult part will be consuming the right amount of fat. Remember that too much fat is not good for you, but you do need to eat food that contains fat! So enjoy a little!
Just in case you are not aware of this, if you want to find out what percentage of calories you are eating is fat calories, multiply the fat grams of the food by nine and you will have the amount of fat calories you are consuming. If you want to know what percentage that makes up of the total food you are consuming, then divide the number of fat calories by the number of total calories of the food and then multiply that number by 100 to get the percentage. An example would be if a cookie was 100 calories and the fat grams were 5 grams, then I would multiply 5 grams times nine to get 45 fat calories. Then I would divide 45 by 100 to get .45, then I would multiply that by 100 to get 45 percent. So 45 percent of that cookie was fat calories which is bit on the high side.
Fluids and Electrolytes-
Dehydration resulting from inadequate fluid replacement is the most common contributor to reduced physical performance(9). A common symptom of dehydration is reduced exercise performance and fatigue, accompanied by risk of injuries(10). Water is the best fluid for replenishing your thirst buds. Since thirst is a poor indicator of fluid needs, a general rule is to drink twice as much water as is needed to quence thirst(11). You should drink water prior to, during, and following exercise.
There is some controversy over the loss of electrolytes-- potassium, sodium, and chloride--and their effects on performance. In general, fluid losses exceed eltrolyte losses. Replacing electrolytes prior to fluid replacement could be detrimental to health since this would super-concentrate electrolyte levels in the blood and aggravate the dehydrated state(12). So drink water first, if not only! Also, there are no shown differences in body temperature, blood volume, or blood levels of potassium, chloride, calcium. or sodium from drinking electrolyte-replacement drinks versus non-electrolyte containing drinks(13).
Suggested Menus -
The biggest change to your diet will probably cutting the fat from it. It is not that hard nor is it bad (for your taste buds, that is). Remember, you do not need to cut out all of the fat or shall I say the goodies from your diet. You will need to eat some of that stuff every now and then too!
As far as servings go, you should consume at least five daily servings of fresh fruits and vegetables, six servings of whole grain breads and cereals, and three to four calcium-rich foods (including non-fat milk) daily. All those servings should equal to about 2,000 calories(14). When it comes to eating all of this food, the trend is to divide food intake into several (four or more) small meals and snacks throughout the day. Eating every four hours or so is more likely to help you maintain a desirable fit weight and a lower risk of disease than is skipping meals or fasting(15).
This section is going to be divided into seven parts; I know that seems like a lot but eating can get complicated (!) :
1. What Foods to Keep On Hand at All Times at Home
2. What Foods to Bring with You at All Times Outside of Home
3. Breakfast
4. Lunch
5. Dinner
6. Snacks
7. What Foods to Order when Eating Out
- fresh blueberries
- fresh fruit and nonfat milk "milk shake"
- 1/2 papaya filled with nonfat yogurt
- 1/2 cantaloupe filled with chicken salad or cottage cheese
- air-popped popcorn
- 2 rice cakes(toasted) with a think slice of cheese
- crunchy vegetables
- peanut butter spread on a whole wheat bagel and topped
- with raisins or banana slices
- corn tortillas cut into triangles, baked until crispy, and served
- with salsa
- an English muffin topped with all-fruit jam
- fruit-filled shredded wheat, Cheerios, and other ready-to-eat
- cereals(18)
If these seem to complicated or you are pressed for time, try snacking on the food that I mentioned above which you should carry with you at all times outside of home.
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What Foods to Order when Eating Out
Eating at restaurant can be tricky since you do not know how much fat, salt, sugar, cholesterol, and calories are in a menu item. However, you can control the food preparetion, portion size, and fat content of a meal(20). You can request for your food to be prepared without oils or fat. Usually restaurants will serve big portions that are bigger than necessary; you will probably only need half of the portion to fill you up sufficiently but may be tempted to eat more because it is in front of you and it tastes good. In that case, either request for half a portion or ask the waiter immediately to put the rest of your food in a doggie bag. You could always share with a friend too. As far as the fat contenet goes, I am going to suggest some tips to ordering food at a restaurant.
- Ordering Low-Fat
Appetizers:
Vegetable, bean, or tomato-based soups; raw vegetable plates with dip on the side; fresh fruit cocktail; steamed seafood; shrimp cocktail
Salads:
All tossed salads and most salad bar items. Use lemon juice, low-calorie dressing, or plain oil and vingear served on the side.
Entrees:
2 to 3 ounce portions of extra-lean meat broiled; fish poached, broiled dry, grilled, baked, stewed, barbedcued dry, or roasted; poultry without the skin; sauces on the side; vegetable and grain dishes; pasta with vegetable sauce(not cream sauce)
Side Orders:
Plain baked potato served with chives, cottage cheese, ornonfat yogurt; mashed or boiled potatoes; plain noodels or rice; beans, rice pilaf, or grain salads; steamed vegetables; mushrooms cooked in wine
Desserts:
Gelatins, fruit ices, sorbet, fresh fruit, angel food cake, sherbet, frozen yogurt
Beverages:
Nonfat milk, coffee, herbal teas, sparkling water, fruit juices, and vegetable juices(21).
These guidelines are awfully strict and I hope you do not follow them all the time. The guidelines are meant to help you be aware of what will always be healthy safe for ordering at a restaurant.
Note: Certainly, I have not covered every food there is nor have I even come close. I hope that you will be able to use this as a guide to learn what sort of foods are likely to be healthy or unhealthy.
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Author: Vivan Tran, UC Berkeley Student
Send comments to: vivan@uclink2.berkeley.edu
Last updated: May 1, 1996
http://info.sims.berkeley.edu/~vtran/assign5/eating.html - fresh fruit and nonfat milk "milk shake"
What Foods to Keep On Hand at All Times at Home
Life can get pretty busy and sometimes it is just so much easier to stop off at McDonald's or order a pizza for dinner. Now if your kitchen is always stocked with healthy and easy to prepare foods, you won't have to compromise your eating style because of time. The foods suggested below should provide you with several options of quick meals you could make.
Fill the cupboards with low-fat crackers( such as saltines), cans of kidney or garbanzo beans, fruits canned in their own juices, canned clams, and tuna packed in water(16). If that's not enough, how about granola bars, low-fat spaghetti sauce, and pasta?
Fill the crisper with fresh fruits and vegetables and the freezer with frozen plain vegetables, fruit juice, and frozen yogurt.
What Foods to Bring with You at All Times Outside of Home
So much of the day is spent outside of the house now and so you need to be prepared for an attack of the munchies. As an alternative to candy bars, doughnuts, and other sweet temptations, try carrying low-fat foods such as apples, rice cakes, dried fruit, oranges, tomato juice, or a raisin bagel in your purse or briefcase, backpack, glove compartment, or work-desk drawer(17).
Breakfast Has anyone ever told you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Probably, but do they ever tell you why also? I hope so because I can't emphasize enough what a bite in the morning can provide for the rest of the day, or at leats until lunchtime. Your body needs energy to start the day off and food will give your body that energy. So even if you aren't hungry in the morning, try to eat something or your body will start to take away from your muscles for energy.
Toast and jelly, fruit, cereal, bagel and cream cheese, non-fat or low-fat milk, and fruit juices are all great for breakfast. They are also your typical breakfast foods. Personally, I have grown up eating leftovers from dinner for breakfast and I think there is nothing wrong with that either. It seems like that would be too heavy for the morning, but I think it is okay. However, it really depends on your preference. The important thing is to eat something.
There are some unhealthy foods that seem to be popular breakfast foods such as eggs, bacon, and sausage. I think eggs are okay if you eat them in moderation such as once a week for breakfast. Bacon and sausage just are downright "bad for you" foods but you can still eat a little bit of it. Just try to skip on some other treat you would have given yourself later in the week. Try to strike a compromise with your eating habits.
Lunch I am going to focus on "brown bag" lunches. If you do have the option to stay at home and make something, you can still use these ideas. The easiest things to make are sandwiches. All you need is bread, lettuce (tomatoes, cucumbers, sprouts, and all the other vegetable fixings you like), mustard or low-fat salad dressing, and sandwich meat, if you like. Sandwich meat today is pretty low-fat, especially the turkey sold in prepackaged boxes. Tuna is also another ingredient for yummy sandwiches. So slap those ingredients and you will end up with a nice thick sandwich. You might also think about bringing a thermos of homemade chili, stew, or soup. As for drinks, try non-fat milk, fruit juice, or water. How about some fresh fruit or yogurt for dessert?
As you can tell by the short description, I do not think there's much to say about it besides what you can bring from home. I think it might be common for people to go out for lunch so you can take a look below at the section about eating out.
Dinner There has always been this notion that dinner should be the biggest meal of the day. However, I think that dinner does not have to be that grand because what you do after dinner may not require as much energy as what you did during the day. But I still look forward to dinner because I get most creative for this meal. I am going to take a different approach with this section. I am going to list nutritious low-fat recipes that are fairly easy to prepare. (If you do not wish to take the time to prepare meals, I would suggest eating the foods in your cupboard that I had suggested you keep in the first section.)
Chicken Cacciatore (Serves 6 --sorry about that but I am not good at reducing recipes' ingredients to make smaller servings!)
- Ingredients:
1 1/2 chicken
2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 c. flour
2 c. thinly sliced onion rings (2 large)
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 tomatoes, quartered
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. oregano (this is a spice I never seem to have yet is repeatedly in recipes so I would say that this would be a worthwhile purchase if you don't have it already)
Directions:
1. Wash chicken, pat dry; remove skin and coat chicken with flour.
2. In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat oil.
3. Brown chicken in oil; cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove chicken from saucepan; set aside.
5. Add onion, green pepper, and garlic to saucepan; cook until tender.
6. Add remaining ingredients to saucepan; return chicken to pan.
7. Cover tightly and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.
Try serving with hot cooked spaghetti, bread, milk, and fruit cocktail.
Okay that recipe was quite ambitious, but fairly simple don't you think?
Spinach-Cheese Frittata(Serves 6)
Ingredients:
1/3 c. chopped onion
1 T. margarine
3 eggs
1 pkg. (10 1/2 oz.) chopped spinach, thawed and drained
12 oz. low-fat cottage cheese
1 T. flour
1/2 tsp. thyme(useful but not necessary ingredient)
1 tomato, sliced
1/4 c. fine bread crumbs
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
Directions
1. In a 10", ovenproof skillet, melt margarine and saute onion until limp.
2. In mising bowl, beat eggs; then add drained spinach, cottage cheese, flour, and thyme.
3. Pour spinach mixture into skillet and stir with onions.
4. Place skillet in oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes.
5. Add sliced tomato to top, sprinkle with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
6. Turn over to broil, broil 1 to 2 minutes until brown.
Try serving with tomato soup, crackers, salad, and fruit juice.
Smoked Turkey Wild Rice Casserole(Serves 8)
Ingredients:
3 c. cooked wild rice(plain rice is okay too)
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 T. margarine
2 c. diced smoked turkey
1 can (12 1/2 oz) evaporated skim milk
1 1/2 c. water
2 T. choppedchives
1 3/4 c. Parmesan cheese, divided
Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, melt butter; saute sliced mushrooms.
2. Add cooked wild rice, diced smoked turkey, evaporated skim milk, water, and chives; mix thoroughly.
3. Pour mixture into a buttered 2 1/2-qt. casserole dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F for 1 hour.
5. At mealtime, sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.
I will let you get creative and decide what to serve with this casserole, if anything at all.
Red Snapper Supreme (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 1/4 lbs. red snapper steaks
2 T. margarine
1 T. chopped fresh parsely(almost always used for fish)
1/4 tsp. basil
1/2 carrot, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
1 c. white or rose wine
1/4 tsp. pepper
Lemon slices
Directions:
1. Melt margarine in baking dish.
2. Arrange fish in dish and cover with parsley, carrots, and celery. Sprinkle basil over top and pour the wine over.
3. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Arrange snapper on hot platter and pour sauce over it. Garnish with lemon slices. Serve immediately(19).
Try serving with baked potato, salad, fresh fruit, and water.
Okay that's all the recipes (for now!) that I have for you. Enjoy!
Snacks Snacking during the day can be dangerous because you may tend to eat many sugary sweets or sodium filled food such as potato chips. Eliminating snacking is definitely not the answer; snacking can serve as one of the many little meals you eat during the day. Here are some suggestions--that may require a bit of planning--for snack foods: