Food as Fuel

Many of us turn to food when we are stressed, lonely, or bored. We look to food as a form of stress-relief, comfort, or companionship and end up eating for reasons other than hunger.

Today, I challenge you to look at food as fuel for your body to perform efficiently. Just like your car, your body is a finely tuned vehicle – give it good fuel and it will “take you places”!

When you start looking at food as fuel to provide energy for your body, it’s amazing how quickly your food choices will change. Can a bag of chips or a few cookies provide your body with the nutrients it needs to power through work, keeping up with your kids, or a good workout? Definitely not!

Fueling your body properly means eating foods in their most natural state and and eating with thought and planning. In time, mindful eating replaces mindless snacking. Healthy meal plans replace eating on the go and trips to the drive through. When we select foods with a high nutritional value; balance our meals with a lean protein, complex carbohydrate, and healthy fat; and monitor our portion sizes, we have more energy, reduced cravings for sugary and starchy foods, a faster metabolism, and improved overall health.

Check out my list of Life-Giving Foods, Healthy Swaps, my Super Simple Meal Planning Guide, and the Portion Control Guidelines from Precision Nutrition. For additional resources to get focused with your nutrition, including a 5 Minute Meal Guide and 10 Tips for Mindful Eating, subscribe to my Freebies Library.

Make it Sustainable

We’ve all heard the expression, “dial in on your nutrition.” For many people this is interpreted as denying themselves the foods they love, counting calories, cutting out dairy/carbs, or shrinking your portion sizes in effort to lose weight quickly. We end up feeling deprived, hungry, and fatigued. While we might lose weight initially, once we go “off the diet” we gain the pounds right back.

It’s time to stop looking at “dieting” as the answer and start looking at how we can form sustainable habits. We aren’t looking for a “quick fix,” but a lifestyle change.

The reason many of us “fall off the wagon” when trying to improve our diet is because we try to change too many things at once or “eat clean” 100% of the time. This mentality is unrealistic, sets us up for failure, and results in periods of binge eating because we feel deprived. It’s also the reason why diets don’t work.

The best way to combat unhealthy food cravings is to focus less on dieting and more on eating a well-balanced diet with a few of the foods we crave in moderation (assuming we have enough self-control to not let it start a waterfall of poor eating). When starting out, I advocate following the 80/20 rule which is simply this: eat healthy 80% of the time. Focus on eating nutrient-dense foods (not pre-packaged or highly processed), lots of veggies, lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Then, have that glass of wine when out with your friends, piece of cake on your birthday, or nachos at the game and enjoy it! Gradually, you can work up to 85/15 or 90/10 if possible (which equates to 3-4 “indulgence meals” each week), but the key is to find a balance that works for you and create a lifestyle that is sustainable.

Check out my posts for how to Beat Junk Food Cravings by eating nutrient-dense foods and Break the Cycle of Emotional Eating. For additional resources to get focused with your nutrition, including Healthy Dessert Alternatives, Done-for-You Meal Plans, and a Master Recipe List, subscribe to my Freebies Library.

General Guidelines

While there are no set rules to follow, here are some general guidelines to help balance your blood sugar and energy levels, reduce your junk food cravings, and stay full between meals so you’re less likely to snack.

Eat 5-6 smaller meals a day to stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels and regulate metabolism.
Eat a combination of lean proteins and complex carbohydrates at each meal to slow the carbohydrate-to-fat conversion process.
Eat adequate amounts of healthy fats (e.g. nuts, avocado) each day. One way to ensure you are consuming adequate amounts is to eat a thumb sized portion at each meal.
Drink at least eight 8 oz. glasses of water a day (about 2 liters) – more if you drink caffeinated beverages and/or engage in strenuous exercise.
Avoid over-processed, refined foods, and fast food. This includes fried foods, processed meats, refined sugar (e.g. white sugar, high fructose corn syrup), and white flour.
Avoid foods containing chemicals, preservatives, artificial sugar, and trans fats. This includes foods like margarine, dairy creamers, and “diet” foods.
Reduce your intake of sugar-loaded beverages, including alcohol and fruit juice.
Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables to obtain necessary fiber, vitamins, and enzymes.
Stick to proper portion sizes (see Calorie Control Guidelines).