Boost Your Health with These 5 Must-Know Nutrition Guidelines

I always thought that healthy eating was pretty straightforward.

But there is a lot of conflicting information out there, and actually it really surprises me how many people just don’t understand the basics.

I’m no nutrition expert, but I think for the vast majority of people, following a few simple guidelines will go a long way to get and stay healthy.

A couple of exceptions to this are pro-athletes and someone with a chronic illness that requires a special diet.

Anyway, forget all those fad diets. Here are some relatively easy to follow healthy eating protocols that you should aim to adhere to at least 80% of the time.

Whole foods are those that are minimally processed. They include fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and fresh meats. They are healthy because they still have all their vitamins and nutrients.

In contrast, things with added sugar, lots of packaging, fast foods, and the like are considered ultra-processed.

Almost all other drinks besides water are ultra-processed. Even freshly squeezed juice, although much better than store bought juice, can’t compare to water. If you want fruit juice, eat the whole fruit. Otherwise you are just extracting all the sugar and none of the other nutrients, such as fiber.

In contrast, things with added sugar, lots of packaging, fast foods, and the like are considered ultra-processed.

When you eat enough protein, not only does your body get essential vitamins and minerals, it also keeps you fuller for longer. This means you won’t crave bad snacks as much.

How much protein is enough?

A general rule of thumb is to eat 1 gram of protein for every 1 pound of your ideal weight.

Of course, most people won’t want to calculate how many grams of protein they are eating each meal.

My personal method is to just eat lots more protein - about 40% of my plate.

If 40% of your plate is protein, then ideally the other 40% should be vegetables. Fruits count also.

That leaves 20% of your plate for all those other delicious things such as bread, pasta, rice, cheese, milk, and desserts.

These things can be part of your vegetables portion also.

Fermented foods include things like Greek yogurt, Kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, and kombucha.

Good fats include things like seeds, nuts, avocado, and olive oil.

Follow these 5 nutrition guidelines 80% of the time and I’m confident you will achieve a healthy weight, have more energy, sleep better, have better skin, and more.

And the plate division doesn’t mean every meal you have is divided into 3 parts. Also, this doesn’t have to be complicated. I like to simplify by basically eating the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day, then mixing it up for dinner.

For breakfast I have a protein shake with super greens. I also have a bowl of protein oats with some nuts and honey.

For lunch I will eat an egg or tofu salad.

And then for dinner I will basically eat whatever I want, but sticking to whole foods and the suggested plate portions, the majority of the time.

Of course, optimal health isn’t just about nutrition. Be sure to exercise regularly, get enough quality sleep, and keep your stress levels down too.