Ever heard of ‘you are what you eat’? The food you eat directly affects your body, skin, and mind. It is extremely important to eat from all food groups in moderation.
Have you been going to the gym for a while but still haven’t seen results? You may be a regular at the gym, following a good routine and really pushing yourself. However, most people don’t realize that without a properly balanced diet, you will not achieve your desired results, no matter how much you exercise. Let’s take a look at how you can achieve a well-rounded diet.
Why a well-rounded diet is important
A balanced diet is the key to a healthy life and a strong immune system. Without the necessary nutrients and vitamins that our body needs, muscles can’t grow, cells can’t repair themselves, and the body will have to work overtime to break down toxic materials.
Benefits of eating healthy
Eating a diet that consists of essential vitamins and minerals is extremely important. They help your body fight off infections and diseases. Eating plenty of vegetables is the best way to ensure you have enough vitamins. Vegetables that have plenty of vitamins and minerals include carrots, tomatoes, pumpkins, and spinach.
Boiling vegetables is a very healthy way to consume these essential vitamins. It is also a good idea to boil your vegetables if you are trying to cut out extra calories. This way, you will not have to cook your vegetables and miss out on all that extra oil or use a minimal amount of olive oil. There are many recipes online that you can find to follow.
Vitamins
Vitamins perform hundreds of essential roles in our body. They help heal wounds and bruises faster, convert the food you eat into energy for your body to use, and prevent deficiencies. With a lack of vitamin A in the body, you put yourself at risk for blindness and weaker eyesight. Carrots are an excellent source of Vitamin A.
Better mental health
Vegetables have proven to decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety. Having a good amount of vegetables daily will keep your body and mind healthy.
Protein in the correct amount
Getting the right amount of protein is also very important. Protein builds your muscles, so increasing your protein consumption is a good idea if you are trying to gain weight and build muscle mass. Even if you are trying to lose weight, having enough protein during this ‘cutting’ period can help you retain your muscle mass as you lose fat.
Good sources of protein
The obvious sources of protein are chicken, cows, and goats. But having protein from a variety of sources is the best. Make some amazing dishes using these recipe ideas for protein from lobster and pork.
Superfoods
Foods that have multiple health benefits are named ‘superfoods’. Superfoods include kidney beans, peas, yogurt, olive oil, and fish. They have essential vitamins and nutrients that the body needs to fight off illnesses and diseases. Eating foods rich in many nutrients is efficient because you will not need to eat many different foods in one meal but rather get all these essential nutrients in one food. Try to choose something that tastes good to you. This way, you won’t be forcing yourself to eat and will actually look forward to it.
Importance of carbs
Carbohydrates are converted to glucose in the body. Glucose is converted to energy, which allows us to do everyday activities. Carbohydrates are present in foods like milk, potatoes, spaghetti, and corn. If you deprive your body of carbs, you will not have enough energy to move about or do the things you need to. You may lose muscle and fat by pushing your body and still moving about without eating enough. This is because your body will use fat deposits to make energy.
What to avoid
Soft drinks are full of sugar and can easily make you exceed your daily calorie limit. Junk food also has a high amount of calories, and almost none of the ingredients in them are healthy for you. They include processed chemicals, sugars, and salts, which have been linked to obesity and heart diseases.
Why just going to the gym isn’t enough
Without a proper diet, just going to the gym is never going to be enough, especially when trying to gain muscle. This process is called ‘bulking’ and is discussed further on. Not eating enough food or enough of the right food groups while working out your muscles can actually be detrimental. It may overwork your body and cause you to lose muscle and fat, thus going against your fitness goals. Eating too little and exercising too much may lose fat, but it is not the best and healthiest way to do so. Losing fat should be slow and steady.
Bulking and cutting
Bulking is a way of gaining muscle. This is done by consuming more calories than you burn to gain muscle and fat. After the bulking period, one can start the ‘cutting’ period, in which you intentionally decrease your diet in order to lose or ‘cut’ the fat from your body while most of the muscle stays.
Excessive exercising
Exercising too often and not eating enough is a recipe for disaster. Exercising too often and not giving your muscles a rest is detrimental too. Your muscles will get fatigued, and this way, they will not be able to repair themselves.
Conclusion
Always remember to have everything in moderation. Even though having protein is good for muscle development, protein in excess can cause your liver and kidneys to work over time. Having a balanced diet of protein, carbs, and fats is very important.