Nutrition is one of those topics that could be a full novel on its own and there are lots of great books and available resources if you want a deeper dive into nutrition and types of diets. I’ll try to keep it as simple as possible and make sure it is actionable. This is not about a specific diet but some easy changes you can make today.
The reality is we all know what is good quality food is and know the foods that we should eat or limit. Good quality food and nutrition allow our bodies to feel better and our minds to be sharper.
Get enough protein. This is one of the biggest areas that most active people neglect especially as we age. The current recommendations for protein intake is .7-1.0 grams per pound of body weight. This means that if you weight of 200, I need 140-200 grams of protein per day to fuel an active lifestyle. Ideally this comes from real food like meats, beans, and protein dense dairy like Greek yogurt. An easy way to see if you are getting enough is to track your intake for 3-4 days and see if and how much protein you are missing in your diet.
Limit Sugar. Sugar is amazing stuff, and is also more addictive than cocaine. Honestly it is almost impossible to completely cut from our diet. We can however limit our intake of processed sugar. This doesn’t mean you need to stop eating ice cream or cookies, just limit your intake. Try to get your sugar fix from fresh fruits to decrease your cravings. Your body will thank you for this small change and if you are consistent after a couple weeks don’t be surprised if your pants fit more loosely.
Don’t drink your calories. Most of the calories we drink can come from soda, processed partial juice drinks or alcoholic beverages. This is another easy place to cut out sugar, as well as extra calories that our bodies don’t need to function. A good alternative for soda is carbonated water. A way to try to create a new habit is limiting these caloric dense drinks during the weekdays.
Drink enough water. Most people don’t get enough water. Most recommend drinking half your bodyweight in ounces. For the 200 pound person I should be drinking around 100 oz of water per day. I supplement with some other fluids that have more electrolytes like coconut water. These electrolytes help us bind water internally to maximize hydration.
Test and Retest. Nutrition is not an exact science, that's why there are so many different types of diets. We all respond differently and have diverse nutritional needs. Be mindful of how you feel, but know that any major dietary changes can take about a week to rebound from especially cutting sugar. Here are some ideas for areas to track; your energy level, weight, body composition, or blood work. Just make sure that you have a metric to track to make sure you are making the changes you want, it is really the only way to know if the changes are working.