“Red wine is better than white wine!”
“Spinach is better than romaine!”
“GRAINS ARE EVIL!”
Do you ever feel like deciphering good nutrition is akin to navigating a labyrinth of conflicting advice? The world of dietary recommendations can indeed be overwhelming, with countless voices proclaiming the virtues of one food over another. But what if we told you that you can simplify your approach to nutrition with just ONE fundamental habit?
The secret to unlocking optimal nutrition lies in a single principle: Prioritize minimally-processed foods.
In essence, this principle encourages you to gravitate toward foods in their most natural state, as close to how they are found in nature as possible. Think whole foods like sweet potatoes, broccoli, chicken, or a crisp apple – unaltered by extensive processing.
Why is this principle so powerful? Let’s explore the compelling reasons behind its effectiveness:
Reason #1: Nutritional Integrity
The degree of processing a food undergoes has a direct impact on its nutritional content. Minimally-processed foods retain their full spectrum of nutrients, including fiber, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and various other health-boosting compounds. In contrast, highly processed foods often suffer from nutrient loss while accumulating additives like sugar, refined starch, unhealthy fats, sodium, preservatives, and fillers.
Reason #2: Improved Health Outcomes
Research consistently shows that diets predominantly composed of minimally-processed foods are associated with lower rates of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, depression, and type 2 diabetes. Prioritizing these foods can be a powerful preventive measure for safeguarding your long-term health.
Reason #3: Enhanced Calorie Management
Minimally-processed foods tend to be richer in fiber and protein while boasting fewer calories per unit of volume. This unique combination makes it easier for you to control your calorie intake, providing a sustainable approach to weight management and overall health.
So, it’s evident that embracing minimally-processed foods aligns with optimal nutrition, offering a wealth of benefits ranging from heightened nutrient intake to reduced disease risk and improved appetite regulation.
Navigating the Continuum of Food Processing
While prioritizing minimally-processed foods is a foundational principle, it’s essential to recognize that food processing exists along a continuum. Not all foods can be neatly categorized as either “100 PERCENT FAKE” or “FRESH-FROM-THE-DIRT” (or animal). Instead, most foods occupy a space somewhere in between these extremes.
This nuanced perspective is why we advocate for embracing minimally-processed foods rather than rigidly adhering to a diet solely composed of whole foods. It invites you to assess your current dietary choices and make gradual shifts toward less-processed options.
Moreover, it’s essential to acknowledge that not all forms of processing are detrimental. Some processed foods offer valuable nutritional benefits and convenience:
Whey Protein Powder: A convenient source of high-quality protein.
Tinned Fish: Provides a convenient and nutrient-rich protein source.
Nut Butter Packets: Portable and practical for managing cravings on the go.
Additionally, cooking, chopping, and blending are all forms of food processing employed in daily meal preparation. The key distinction lies in the intent behind the processing. While minimally-processed foods aim to retain nutritional integrity, ultra-processed options, such as fluorescent energy drinks and shelf-stable cereals, are often engineered to be irresistibly delicious, potentially leading to overconsumption.
In summary, the principle of prioritizing minimally-processed foods empowers you to simplify your approach to nutrition while reaping a myriad of health benefits. It encourages flexibility, acknowledging that dietary choices exist on a continuum of processing. By gradually incorporating less-processed options into your diet, you can embark on a journey toward improved health and well-being.
Remember, the path to optimal nutrition need not be labyrinthine. Instead, it can be illuminated by the straightforward guidance of embracing minimally-processed foods – a single, powerful principle that can transform your relationship with food and enhance your overall health.
I hope this helps, and while you’re here, I want to make sure you know that if there’s any way I can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, I’m here for you.
I offer online nutrition coaching to clients who are ready to quit dieting and start looking and feeling better, with more confidence and increased energy levels – without complicated diets or painful workouts
What exactly is “nutrition coaching”… and how will it help you reach your goals?
When it comes to losing weight and getting the body you want, “eating better” is one of the most important steps. The only problem?
Most of the common diet advice you receive simply isn’t sustainable…
- “Avoid your favorite foods… forever!”
- “Don’t eat after 7pm!”
- “Weigh and measure every morsel of food you eat!”
If you’ve tried something like this before and “failed”—or just couldn’t stick with it—you’re not alone.
(And it’s definitely NOT your fault.)
I talk to people every day who are trying to muster up all the willpower they can find to diet their way to a better body… but they still aren’t getting the results they want.
The good news? There’s a better way.
My nutrition coaching focuses on strategic, doable daily actions that are designed to fit into YOUR lifestyle. With this approach, you’ll learn how to:
- Eat better—without dieting or feeling deprived.
- Lose weight—without giving up your favorite foods.
- Ditch the food rules—overcoming the guilt and shame.
- Feel energized all day—so you can enjoy all the things you want and need to do.
- Get the results you’ve always wanted—and build the healthy habits you need to stay that way for good.
Bottom line: My goal is to help you learn how to “eat better” so that it becomes easy, consistent, and automatic.
No restrictive dieting. No weighing or measuring your food. No “one size fits all” meal plan.
Instead, you’ll learn how to bring healthy eating into your lifestyle and get in amazing shape—while building the habits you need to stay that way for good.
How is nutrition coaching different from fitness coaching or personal training?
As a coach, my number one goal is to help my clients reach THEIR goals. Doing that effectively requires me to constantly look for opportunities to learn new skills and hone my craft.
This is exactly why I chose to become a Certified Nutrition Coach through Precision Nutrition.
I’ve now been trained by the best of the best, so I know what works.
(The nutrition method they teach is backed by science and has been proven to work with over 100,000 of their own clients… so it’s the real deal.)
The best part? The knowledge and skills I’ve gained can help you finally get the results you want—and keep them for life.
Through the rigorous training I’ve received, I learned that while exercise is a crucial part of losing weight, feeling good, and achieving optimal health… it’s only half the equation.
The other half—as you may have guessed—is nutrition.
I’d actually argue that nutrition is more important than exercise, because while you spend a few hours working out each week, challenges around eating and food can happen anytime (some would say all the time!).
That’s why having a coach there to guide and support you is crucial.
Don’t get me wrong: Exercise is very important. But no amount of exercise will ever be able to “outwork” bad nutrition habits. So in order to help you get the life-transforming results you deserve—I’m excited to be able to offer nutrition coaching in an official capacity.
What I learned while becoming a Certified Nutrition Coach opened my eyes to a whole new way of doing things. And through this science-proven approach, I’m ready to help you get even better results through healthy nutrition habits.
Interested? Have questions? Let’s talk…
If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, or if you have questions about what this would look like… I’d love to discuss how my online nutrition coaching program could help you get the results you’re looking for.
Click here to get started and I’ll answer any questions you have. Plus, we can connect to talk more about what this would look like for you.
Dedicated to your success,
Nico.
P.S. Just so you know: I’m offer fitness coaching as well—and it doesn’t have to be “either or.”
If you’re in a place where guidance and support from an experienced coach could help you reach your goals, I’m here to help in whatever capacity will be most beneficial for you.
Simply learn more here and we can talk about the different coaching options I have available.