Many of you frequently ask me how often I eat, what I eat, what tips I’m trying to keep to and other questions concerning my nutrition. So I decided to gather all the information about it in one article. Let it be a little guide which you can turn to at any time and find the answers to your questions. I’ll try to make it as detailed as possible.

Basic info

First of all, remember that you should eat the right amount of calories for how active you are. Balance the energy you consume with the energy you use. The food must be various as your body needs different nutrients.

Eat more vegetables as they contain lots of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fibre and help you maintain a healthy weight. As for fruits, you’d better eat them in the morning and not too much.

Choose whole grain options instead of processed or refined grains (brown or wild rice, quinoa, oatmeal, hulled barley).

Eat protein everyday as it helps build and maintain bones, muscles and skin (fish, eggs, legumes, poultry, seeds, tofu, cheeses lower in fat). As for dairy products, you should choose lower fat, unflavored options.

Start cooking simple foods at home. Thus you’ll know what you’re cooking and it’s more healthier. And of course, don’t forget to drink enough water.

If I go grocery shopping, most of the time I spend in the veggies and fruits section. And my shopping cart must be 2/3 filled with them. I try to pass by sections with sweets and snacks. And I always carefully read the product contents. If there’s something bad among the ingredients, I don’t buy it.

Portions and frequency

5 meals a day is the best option for me as I prefer to eat in smaller portions with less intervals. If I can’t eat at home, I always take prepared meals with me.
⠀
There should be protein, complex carbs and good fats in my dish. And of course, greenery and veggies.
⠀
Breakfast is the most important of any other meals. I usually divide it into two parts. The first one is oatmeal with fruits and nuts. Actually it’s complex carbs with good fats and fructose which helps me restrain from sugar cravings during the whole day.
⠀
The second breakfast is protein. In most cases it’s eggs and veggies. The break between these two breakfasts is usually 1,5-2 hours.
⠀
Then goes lunch. It consists of protein (fish, chicken or something like that). It also includes complex carbs (grains) and veggies. Usually I have lunch 2-3 hours after the second breakfast.
⠀
After lunch goes training and then I have the second lunch. It’s based on a great amount of protein (beans, meat, fish with veggies).
⠀
On days when I don’t have workouts I replace my lunch with a snack. It can be a smoothie which always contains almond milk, hemp seeds, peanut butter, berries, half a banana, etc.
⠀
Dinner is always 2 hours before going to bed. Usually it’s a small portion of fish or chicken. Again, with veggies.

Rules I advise to cook healthier food

• Try to avoid frying. Choose other cooking methods – baking in the oven, steam cooking, boiling or grilling.
• If you fry, try to do it without oil or just a minimum amount of it. Use oils that have less saturated fat and that are the most suitable for cooking (coconut and avocado oils are good for frying and flax seed and olive oils are more preferable for use in the raw state).
• Show a preference for those frying pans that have non-stick coating. Use appropriate oils.
• Use alternatives. For example, you can replace dairy products with nut milk. As for flour, you can choose any other option that is less calories and healthier.
• Avoid any semi-products, deli products and sauces. Forget about ketchup and mayo. The first one you can easily cook yourself. As for the second one, you can replace it with natural yogurt.
• Remember about seasonal veggies. They are usually full of vitamins.
• Try to mix up your menu. Don’t prepare the same type of meal over and over again as your nutrient intake will be too poor. Try to vary your diet to improve overall health.

Suitable cravings

Actually it’s my favorite part of the article. I stick to the rule that if you are active enough during the week and try to keep to the diet, there is nothing bad if you afford yourself something on the weekend.
⠀
You can easily afford yourself certain suitable cravings during the week too but in a moderate way. There are lots of options. It can be nuts and seeds with honey, banana cakes with alternative flour, raw sweets with dried fruits and nuts, carrot cake with alternative flour with yogurt cream.
⠀
If you always try to keep to a healthy and balanced diet, your cravings will gradually decrease. So it’s just a matter of time. 

Some more simple rules to follow

• Never go shopping if you’re hungry.
• Try to do a list of products you need to buy before you visit the supermarket. It will help you avoid buying needless products. And if they’re not on your list, then you can buy them next time.
• Try to buy mono-products or products with the simplest ingredients.
• Take greens. If you don’t like salads, add greens to smoothies.
• Buy various fruits as it’s great alternative to sweets.
• Take as much veggies as you can.
• If you eat meat, take lean meat (beef tenderloin or chicken breast/tenders).
• If you like smoked salmon, you’d better buy a fresh one and bake it.
• Low fat milk is ok, but plant based milk is better.
• If you can’t live without sugar, take cane or coconut.

So here it is. The most detailed information about my eating tips. I hope that this article gives you the answers to all your questions about nutrition. As you can see, everything is quite easy and realized. Just be a bit patient and your body will thank you for your diet.

---