WHAT SHOULD I BE EATING?

FROM THE SERIES “ASK THE TRAINER”

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

My only answer to this question is: it depends. Of course, there are some basic rules like no processed foods, more vegetables, good quality protein, no sugar, etc., etc., but the only way to tell a person what to eat is doing a very thorough assessment first. What you should eat will depend on your age, your ancestry, genes, body weight, activity level, stress level, health history, the climate you live in, and of course, your metabolic predisposition. There are very detailed ways of figuring out what your body will respond best to and more often than not it is finding out what makes you feel full of energy, alert, focused and healthy at the same time. Many people fall into the trap of mindlessly listening to the media, or reading some book that claims to help you lose 30 lbs in 30 days, or worse yet, following some new fad diet. YOU ARE YOU and nobody else. What worked for someone else will not necessarily work for you or even if it does, the results will not be long lasting or you will be miserable and tired along the way.

The only way to answer this question is look at everything you’re eating for a couple of weeks and carefully evaluating how it makes you feel. This requires getting in touch with your body, listening to what it’s telling you, and being a lot more mindful than most people are when it comes to food. You can then start working on improving your diet and feeling better.

For more detailed tips on nutrition, please refer to my earlier blogs.