My Nutrition Tips | #BecomeHealthy

Time and health are two precious assets that we don´t recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted. 

At the end of 2017 I started my fitness journey in a serious way. Besides taking dance classes three times a week, I visited the gym five to six times in a week. I started to drink protein shakes after every workout which definitely wasn´t the best decision because I gained not only muscles but fat cells as well. Since I always did a lot of sports, it was easy for me to loose weight after stop drinking protein shakes. Even while my team and I were traveling for 2 months straight, I did not stop going to the gym and always found an hour or two to lift some weights. But I still did not receive the results I dreamed of. 

Luckily I was born with a strong stomach and the ability to eat everything I want no matter what time it is. That is the reason why I often enjoyed good food and did not care what was good for my health and what wasn´t. After a few months of training I realized that my body hasn´t change the way I expected so I did a little bit of research... 

Nutrition has the largest impact on fitness. You can exercise as often as you want but food plays a vital role in how we look and feel. If you eat the right things, it will give you the needed energy for the day and it will tone the muscles that you trained earlier. I always knew that nourishment plays a major role in our physical health but I still kept eating mouthwatering dishes and fast food such as pizza or burger. Three weeks ago I started a new gym challenge which is a muscle builder at specific parts of the body and I decided to make the best out of it and change my nutrition as well. I strive for health, glowy skin and energy. When I made my research, I saw a few people using foods as their medicine. I do not like to take doctor´s stuff so choosing the right nutrition instead of taking these "drugs" will definitely play a major role in keep going to look out what I am eating. 

There are so many different goals which means different nutritions. Some want to gain weight, others want to loose weight. Some want to gain muscles and others want to tone them. There is no "perfect formular". You need to set some goals and try out what works best for you. For myself I want to get healthier which means to look out which oils I am using, what kind of vitamins I need on a daily basis, finding which foods give me the right energy but of course I want to keep taking proteins and change them into natural proteins so I can gain muscles and tone them right away. Maybe I will start taking protein powder again but only if it´s plant based and if I will find a way to use it well thought out so I won´t gain fat cells anymore. The following list that I am going to show you is just the start of my (our) journey. 

Today I went to an organic food store and bought some products which I wanted to try out lately. But before I am going to show you my purchase, here are some major tips that everyone of you should follow - 

Hydrate Your Body

People tend to drink less water than an average human normally needs. Our body consists 60-80% of water and it is basically the holy drink that keeps us alive. I was a migraine patient for a long time and I often suffered from strong headaches and lack of vision when my migraine started. Since I drink more water than usual, I luckily do not feel the pain as often as before. I even can not remember when I had the last day suffering from this kind of illness. I feel very blessed to be able to almost heal myself without taking any strange medicine which causes negative effects. But water is an all-round helper. Drinking water helps maintain the balance of body fluids, water can help control calories, helps energize muscles, makes the skin looking good, helps your kidneys and it helps maintain normal bowel function. It has a lot of benefits without any side effects.

Superfoods

I read it all over social media and fitness influencer are doing commercials for it but what are superfoods exactly? Although there’s no set criteria as to what defines a superfood, these are foods that are jam-packed with nutrients and can help provide your body with the vitamins and minerals you need to thrive, survive and feel great. Include a few servings of these foods into your day paired with a balanced diet and regular physical activity and you’re bound to feel better than ever. 

Stress Relief

When we encounter something stressful, our nervous system and adrenal glands send signals to the rest of the body to help us think more clearly and be ready for a physical response – should it be required. This is a basic instinct that we have evolved to help us cope with potentially dangerous situations and is known as the “fight or flight” response.
After a stressful period the human body can go into a "recovery mode" which increases the appetite and food cravings. People then tend to eat a bunch of unhealthy stuff and forget to stick to their actual meal plan. It is not always easy to reduce stress but tips and tricks will follow in a separate post.

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My organic purchase 

Organic Cereals

It is very important to choose organic cereals instead of sugary cereals because some lack of fiber and protein and can cause a blood sugar spike and crash before lunchtime. Those organic cereals are giving us energy and sufficient carbs to start the day. 

Quinoa

Quinoa is simply a protein powerhouse. A single serving of puffed quinoa (approx. 1.8 ounces) provides seven grams of protein. I´d like to choose puffed quinoa because you can add it easily to your cereals or yogurt. 

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are above average in antioxidants, proteins, fiber, vitamins and minerals. They still have the highest omega-3 occurrence ever. But that's not all: Chia seeds contain 10 times more omega-3 than salmon, 9 times more antioxidants than oranges, 4 times more iron than spinach, 5 times more calcium than whole milk, 15 times more magnesium than broccoli and 4 times more fiber than linseed. 

Coconut Chips

Everyone knows that coconut is good for you and coconut chips are free of several supplements and  make fruit bowls a little bit more crunchy which I like. 

Coucous

One cup of cooked Moroccan couscous has 176 calories, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein. It's sugar- and fat-free and contains about 66% of the recommended daily dose of selenium.Whole wheat couscous is more nutritious that the regular variety. It's made from whole wheat durum flour. It contains 5 to 6 grams of fiber per serving, which can help you meet the recommended daily amount of fiber. It tastes especially good if you add some vegetables and spices to it!

Coconut Oil 

Coconut oil is just the perfect allrounder. You can use it to cook, bake, as a body oil and hair oil as well. 

Almond Milk

Almond milk has one major advantage: it is more or less free of potentially allergenic substances. Almond milk contains no lactose, no soy protein, no milk protein and no gluten, which makes milk replacement an interesting milk substitute, especially for food allergic people. Nevertheless, an almond drink, in contrast to whole almonds, is no superfood.

Of course I bought some fruits such as mango, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and all kind of fruits that I like which I can add to my cereal/chia power bowl in the morning. Surely I needed vegetables such as broccoli and pepper to mix it with my couscous for lunch or dinner. 

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At the end of the day you decide what works best for you. Wether it´s a diet or changing your meal plan. It is your body so you are the only one who is responsible for your health. You decide if you want to take medicine or if you trust into a plant based nutrition. My tips should only be an inspiration to try out new things and push yourself to new limits. It is okay if you want to stick to your lifestyle or if you choose to get inspired and go on a health journey with me which I am going to start here on my blog under the hashtag #BecomeHealthy. 

I am not a professional fitness or nutrition coach. I am new to the journey as well but I know that some people need a motivation or someone who is on the same boat as them. Mistakes are good so we can learn from them to get better and become the best version of ourselves. So let´s go and #BecomeHealthy. 

Stay focused

Love, Soldier