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First, let’s look at what not to eat for dieting and overall good health.  When shopping, read the labels.  Not only the nutritional label, but the ingredients list as well.  Most labels these days have fat grams broken down into saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, and polyunsaturated fat.  A healthy diet consists of a maximum of 20 grams (for a 2,000 calorie diet) of saturated fat (<10%).  Saturated fat, as you may already know, raises cholesterol levels.  Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat, the healthy fats, help to raise HDL Cholesterol (good cholesterol) levels and lower LDL Cholesterol (bad cholesterol) levels.  Therefore 60-80% of total fat intake should be polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat—monounsaturated fat being the best.  The FDA requires companies to list the amount of   in a product.  Trans fats (also listed as partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredients list) are just as harmful as saturated fats, if not worse.  These chemically altered fats (which started out as the healthy polyunsaturated fats) also raise the LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and lower the HDL (good) cholesterol.  Avoid these.  Read the nutritional value and ingredients list.

Another two ingredients to avoid are sodium and sugar.  The average sedentary person needs only about 500 mg of sodium per day.  However, the average American gets about 7,000 mg. daily, which can help contribute to many health problems.  Of course, Endurance athletes need more so shoot for around 2,000 mg. per day.  This can be a challenge to keep low.  Avoiding canned or processed foods will easily help reduce your sodium intake.  Lastly, sugars—simple sugars---you need to read labels again.  Try to eat foods that have < ½ of the carbohydrates listed as sugars.  This will be a challenge, but it’s possible, and once you find these foods, it will become easier and easier to find similar foods.  Avoid high glycemic foods.  High glycemic foods give you quick energy, but also drop your energy level just as quickly.  If you’re constantly hungry, it may be because you’re snacking on high glycemic goods.

Now, let’s talk about what you should be eating.  Lost of fruits and vegetables.  Most fruits have a high glycemic level, so they shouldn’t be eaten alone.  Fruit juice has nutritional value, but the sugars of a soda.  Fruits and fruit juices should be consumed, but always with a protein or a low Glycemic Index food.  Vegetables contain most of their nutrients when eaten raw; however, if you’re like me, and dislike raw vegetables, then steam them just enough to take off the crispness.  Whole grain breads and pastas are best, again, because their glycemic index is lower.  When buying bread, look at the ingredients list and it should list whole wheat flour as the first ingredient---not enriched wheat flour.  Organic foods, I believe, are worth the extra cost simply because there are no chemicals or growth hormones used on the product.  Earlier we discussed healthy fats.  Good sources of other healthy fats are salmon, olive oil (extra virgin is the most flavorful), hemp, pumpkin, and flax seeds.

Use soy proteins as much as possible before and during workouts, and whey proteins for recovery.  Here’s an example of my typical daily diet:

• Breakfast:  Organic soy milk with whole grain cereal (good carbs + soy protein), yogurt (dairy, fruit), and boiled egg (yolk discarded) or scrambled eggs (1 whole egg + 5 egg whites)

• Workout—1.5+ hours—use a sports drink containing soy protein, and use a recovery drink with whey protein (or make your own fruit shake with a scoop of whey protein)

• Lunch:  Large romaine salad with kidney or garbanzo beans (canned, but rinsed thoroughly to remove some of the sodium), diced lunch meat (choose the lowest sodium meat, or use a grilled chicken breast), artichoke hearts, tomatoes, raw red onion slices, red wine vinaigrette (home made—see recipe in recipe collection), wheat crackers

• Dinner:  Whole wheat pasta with veggies, or meat course with a side or two of veggies and a whole wheat bread (if not eating pasta)

Eliminate sweets completely.  Or, if this is impossible, as it is for me, eat a scoop of frozen yogurt instead of ice cream.  You do still get sugar, but at least you’ve cut the fat.  This is simply teaching yourself self-discipline.  Make a goal for yourself.  My goal is that I will not eat more than three small (quarter size) cookies.  I choose my three cookies from the box, and the box goes back into the pantry.  If my husband brings the cookies to the couch….well, then he’s in trouble!  It does take self control, but take it from a chocoholic, it’s possible! 

Lastly, losing weight is simply about numbers.  Eat less calories than you burn, or, burn more calories than you eat.  Eat low glycemic foods that will make you feel full longer.  Accept reality.  What I mean when I say this is dieting and working out will certainly help you lose weight, improve muscle tone and improve mental, emotional, and physical health.  It may not, however, make you look like a super model.  This is where genetics is involved.  Some people may always carry extra weight in their upper or lower body no matter how much they diet or exercise.  Go into your triathlon training/dieting program with realistic expectations.  You may not wind up looking like Cindy Crawford, but you will look better, feel better, and make lifelong friends at races and club meetings!

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written by Kevin Weitzel, April 25, 2007

Jill,
Thank you for the constant flow of nutrition information. Your info is always easy to understand and I truly appreciate how "easy" you make the process of understanding the truths and lies of food. I'm off to Taco Bell. ...just kidding, I've been off of fast food for 5 months now! Your nagging me finally set in.

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