Nutrition Simplified — 16 Dietary Truths To Live By

10. Protein is king.

Protein is the ultimate nutrient for building a lean physique. It’s the building block of new tissue, creates antibodies and hemoglobin, and maintains the body’s muscle mass.

Protein has a serious thermogenic effect, which means that it raises body’s core temperature and burns off extra calories through the digestion process. In fact, up to 1/3 of all calories from protein are burned during digestion! It also helps keep the body fuller longer.

If you’re serious about building muscle or burning fat, high protein levels are essential. Eggs, fish, chicken, beef, milk, protein powder, yogurt, and cottage cheese are great sources. Eat protein constantly throughout the day, ideally at every meal.

11. Eat the yolk.

There’s a ton of debate surrounding the best approach to egg nutrition. Should you eat the whole egg or just the whites?

Eat the whole egg, including the yolk.

Yep, the yolk has more calories and a little cholesterol, but it also contains the majority of the egg’s vitamins and minerals.

Many studies have also begun to show that while yolks have high levels of dietary cholesterol, they have very little effect on serum cholesterol (the cholesterol in your body). Egg whites are essentially only protein, which is great, but otherwise they have very little nutritional value. Some farms are now adding omega-3s to the diets of their chickens, which increases the omega-3 content in eggs.

Check out the chart for a breakdown between the egg white and yolk. I’ll roll with the yolk any day, it’s jam-packed with pretty much everything…

12. Get your antioxidants!

Antioxidants are vital.

They protect the body against free radicals-harmful free-roaming oxygen molecules that cause cellular damage-cancer, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s, rheumatoid arthritis, premature aging, and about every other disease you can think of.

Antioxidants help keep skin clear, delay aging, and prevent inflammation. The “antioxidant vitamins” are C, E, and beta-carotene (a form of vitamin A).  Antioxidant content is measured by Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity or ORAC score. The higher the score the higher the level of antioxidants.

Many berries, teas, and spices, such as turmeric, cinnamon, chili powder, cloves, and garlic are phenomenal antioxidant sources.

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Bryan DiSanto

Owner & Editor-in-Chief at Lean It UP

Bryan DiSanto is the Owner & Editor-in-Chief of Lean It UP, ACE-CPT & CSN, NYU graduate, ex-fat kid, and all-around fitness/nutrition nutjob.

When he’s not working on his (or somebody else’s) abs, whipping up Eggocados, or running a Tough Mudder, he’s probably off yelling at a Carolina Panthers game somewhere.

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