Josh Bowen: Nutrition Overhaul without Counting Calories

Let’s be real here, we all hate talking about what we eat. We either don’t want to talk about it because our nutrition sucks and we know it sucks OR we don’t want to talk about it because we don’t want to change it. We like our eating habits, regardless if they are benefiting us or hindering us. When I ask a blanket statement of, “How is your nutrition,” you get a ton of different answers, mainly ones that want to deflect the question all together. From there, the general public focuses and obsesses over the amount of calories something has. This week we heard a story of a client not wanting to put brown mustard on a turkey sandwich because they didn’t want to go over their calories for the day. It can get a little absurd.  This is not our faults, we are taught in the media that eating less will make you skinny, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

JB- “Do you believe in counting calories?” The answer is simply no! A calorie is not a calorie. They are not all created equal. 200 calories from McDonald’s and 200 calories from fresh vegetables are two totally different things. I also don’t believe in consuming less and less calories (below 1200 for women and 1800 for men) as this practice destroys our metabolism.  But what I do believe in is using your portion sizes to guide your nutritional choices. This guide could help you tremendously as you look to overhaul your nutritional plan and get healthier and fitter.

For men:
With each meal have the following:
1-2 Palms of Protein
1-2 Fists of Vegetables
1-2 Cupped Handfuls of Carb Dense foods
1-2 Thumbs of Fat Dense Foods

For women:
1 Palm of Protein
1 Fist of Vegetables
1 Cupped Handful of Carb Dense Foods
1 Thumb of Fat Dense Foods

Examples:

Protein
*Preferably Organic
Ground turkey
Eggs
Beef
Fish (cod, orange roughy, salmon the best)
Chicken

Vegetables
*Preferably Organic
Broccoli
Asparagus
Cauliflower
Kale
Green beans
Carrots
Romaine Lettuce
Edamame

Carb Dense Foods
White rice
Quinoa
Sweet potato
White potato
Oats

Fat Dense Foods
Almonds
Nuts and Cashews
Avocados
Olive Oil

For more foods check out The Best Damn Grocery Store List…Ever http://eepurl.com/biIymf

We all know that counting calories long term is futile, annoying and just not sustainable. Being able to manage your portion sizes just by using your hand, can be a great alternative. It could possibly be more effective as well. In closing, remember to just keep it simple.