The number of calories in a food is a minor piece to the larger puzzle of nutritional quality. Give your clients the tools to help them consciously and critically evaluate the food choices they make.
Here are 5 nutrition areas to focus on when working with clients on mindful eating:
Ingredients Should be your #1 Focus
What are the ingredients in the food? Is the list long and involved and read like gibberish? Our bodies don’t need substances such as carrageenan, potato starch, and maltodextrin.
Fresh is Best
While processed foods may be more convenient in some ways, it’s hard to argue that they have made us healthier or happier. Fresh food is whole, single-ingredient food. It is mostly unprocessed, free of chemical additives and rich in nutrients. Think about apples, oranges, squash, and other fresh produce items. They don’t come with ingredient labels because they aren’t necessary.
Be on the Look for Secret Sugars
You can help your clients learn to identify hidden and added sugars in foods. This will help your clients understand how frequently they can find added sugar in common foods such as yogurt, marinara sauce, salad dressings, canned fruit, and cereals. Other names for sugar include barley malt, brown rice syrup, dextrose, dextrin, corn syrup solids.
Fat-Free isn’t Free of Trouble
When fat is removed from a food, something has to take the place of the flavor that is loss. This usually comes in the form of sodium or sugar. The typical low-fat product is often high in carbs, might contain trans-fats and at the end of the day had a very similar calorie count to the original product.
Herbs and Spices are Fun
Herbs and spices are fantastic ingredients to add to a variety of recipes. If your clients fear a loss of flavor when trying to cook at eat moe continuously, you can introduce them to using different herbs and spices to enhance the flavor and nutrient profile of any dish they are preparing.
If you want to help clients with food, diet, weight management and improving the results of their fitness routines, the Fitness Nutrition Coach course is for you. You will learn about optimal nutrition, including proven techniques for increasing energy, optimal health and decreased dependence on medications. Instantly increase your job and career opportunities with this popular professional credential.
When we start to really pay attention to our food, a number of things start to change. What suggestions do you have for mindful eating?
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The NESTA/Spencer Institute Team
Here are the links again.
Learn more about becoming a NESTA Fitness Nutrition Coach and/or a Spencer Institute Personal Fitness Chef.
REMEMBER: You can get these two certifications together for one low tuition. Details are on the Personal Fitness Chef Certification page.
