The following is what you may see in a typical North American diet. Take a look and decide what you think may be wrong with this sample diet.
Breakfast – Cereal, orange juice, bagel and/or toast or skip breakfast all together
Snack – Granola bar, crackers, candy and/or fruit or possibly skip snack all together
Lunch – Sandwich and juice or soft drink
Snack – Same as earlier
Dinner – Meat, vegetables, starchy carbohydrate
Snack – More snack food, popcorn and or ice cream
Sample breakdown:
– Not enough protein and/or nutrients through the morning hours: breakfast is the most important meal of the day
– Too many processed/sugary carbohydrates
– Little to no healthy fat intake
– Fruit and vegetable intake is far below the recommendation
– Too many calories later in the day when most people are more sedentary
– Too little/no water
Improving Typical Meal Patterns
Habit 1: Eat slowly and stop eating at 80% full
– Increases appetite awareness
– Teaches clients to listen to hunger cues and body sensations
– Reduces total calorie intake
Habit 2: Eat protein dense foods with each meal
– Easiest way to support daily protein needs
– May improve metabolism, body composition, and performance
Habit 3: Eat vegetables with each meal
– Easiest way to achieve daily vegetable needs
– Improved micronutrient and phytonutrient intake
– Improves acid/alkaline status of the body
– Helps to control overall food intake
Habit 4: Save high-starch meals until after exercise
– Easiest way to control carb intake
– Helps with nutrient timing
Habit 5: Eat good fats daily
– Easiest way to balance fat intake
– Improved inflammation control, hormonal profile, and metabolism
*to make these habits practical for you we can talk about what a typical day looks like for you and make a few changes to implement each of these patterns.