So what foods should you eat? This topic is pretty broad so all I’ll do is provide a few staples that people stick to when to eating healthy. Much of it is left open for interpretation as there are so many differing opinions in the nutrition industry. Also, all I’m going to say about supplements is this: do some research. Most of it is marketing hype, these supplement companies are in the business to earn money and make profit, not to sell you the best product available.

Before I get to the foods there’s a few things that need to be mentioned. First off the calorie intake numbers calculated (whatever formulas you use) should be used merely as a baseline and not an absolute. It’s almost impossible with current household technology (the food scale and box labels) to determine what you’re eating anyways. Food labels can be off by anywhere between 10 and 20% so don’t take them as gospel, but yet another guideline. Also there are sites such as FitDay and CalorieKing that can be used to track the details and help determine how much is in what foods.

Next, the bathroom weight scale is not an accurate measurement. Bear in mind that muscle uses a significant amount more energy than fat. So it’s quite possible that the scale may show the same number but your calorie requirements have actually increased/decreased.

Finally eating healthy is pretty much a lifestyle change, if it’s only something you can do for a few weeks, there’s really no point. Everything will just revert to how it was prior to the adjustment. The human body has an amazing capacity for adaption.

Now for a list of foods:

• eggs & egg whites
• skinless boneless chicken breasts
• vegetables (especially broccoli)
• peanuts & peanut butter (natural) + some other types of nuts (almonds, etc.)
• fruits
• cottage cheese (fat free or low fat)
• fish oil (including caps), olive oil & flax seed oil
• tuna in water
• brown rice
• rolled oats
• sweet potatoes
• turkey
• salmon
• lean beef (I believe the sirloin cut has the least fat)

There’s a few other important things that bear mentioning. Stay away from mayonaise, it’s the devil (assuming you want to lose fat that is) as it’s loaded with saturated fats, rather stick to fat-free or low fat mayo substitutes (miracle whip, etc.). Avoid sugar (all sweets & chocolates basically) as it’s highly processed, spikes your GI and gets converted right into fat as it’s pretty much unusable. This also goes for white sugar, a far better alternative would be to use sugar free sweeteners or brown sugar. Whole-grains are your friend (bread, etc.) high in fiber, low GI and decent source of carbs. Brown rice is far superior to white rice in pretty much every nutritional aspect. Fat free sources are also good. Spices are good, but it’s best to find ones low in sodium/salt especially if you have heart problems or a family history of heart problems (tons of heart problems in my family… joy). Be careful of dried fruit, it’s essentially dense carbs which is practically sugar.

Ultimately it all comes down to portion size and meal timing. A general rule is to never eat until you’re full, merely satiated. Even better if you calculate your exact portion sizes. Regarding meal timing it’s a good idea to eat every 2 and a half to 3 hours for about 5-6 meals a day. I currently do 7 “meals” a day with 2-4 hour intervals. This obviously has to fit into your schedule, but most people can find a way to make it work.