The world of nutrition is vast and varied – which is why it’s easy to get lost in the sea of information. Much like with politics and religion, everyone has different views that vary greatly from person to person. Everyone seems to believe that their own diet is the best and most successful.
But how exactly do you find out how to eat properly? Cris Mills, a surfer and fitness & health coach at The Inertia, is here to help you understand the basics of healthy eating.
Every person is unique – this is a fact we need to take to heart. Whether it’s genetics, physical development, environment, gut health, etc. – this means that the same diet isn’t suitable for everyone. After all, everyone has a different metabolism. Added to this are food allergies, which are becoming increasingly common these days. So the first important step is to start listening to your body and paying attention to what you really need and what is good for you. You are your own body’s guru, so start listening to what YOU really need, rather than what adverts or social media tell you to do.
The basics of healthy eating
Point 1: Eat whole foods.
It’s hard to believe, but it really is that simple. Unfortunately, for some people, that also means learning to cook! Don’t let all the other diet hype distract you. You don’t have to give up certain foods; instead, you should focus on eating proper, wholesome food.
Here are a few simple guidelines:
– Real food grows and decays – it isn’t manufactured in factories!
– Real food goes off – you can’t leave it on the shelf for months or even years
– Real food doesn’t have an ingredients label
– Real food doesn’t have health claims, ratings or anything like that
So what exactly are ‘real’ foods?
This clearly includes: vegetables, fruit and animal proteins.
Now that we’ve taken this on board, let’s move on to the next point: healthy fats! You can find all the details on this and more in tomorrow’s blog post.
More on the topic of HEALTHY EATING FOR SURFERS
Part 2: Fats, carbohydrates and dairy products
Part 3: Water, vegetables and small changes – how to eat healthily as a surfer
