Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Diet: Prepare Your Own Food.

Preparing your own meals lets you a) control the portions b) choose the method of preparation c) vary the foods included.

Controlling the portions is essential, but not just for caloric intake. Spacing your meals out into more than 3 meals a day is optimal, so eating normal portions (of a 3 meal per day diet) is to much food. Spread out your consumption by eating 4 to 6 small meals a day. This allows your body to absorb and convert the energy as you are eating, instead of storing excess calories as fat. Eating 4 to 6 small meals a day with increase the nutritional advantages you gain from your food.

Choosing the method of preparation lets you decide things like: the amount of oil or salt you are cooking with, what types of oils (olive, vegetable, peanut, rapeseed, flax, etc), and what herbs or spices to add that increase the flavor without increasing the fat/calories. Restaurants (unless they intentionally regard your health) will cook with and include whatever makes the food taste the best, which is usually fats, sugars, and fast-absorbing carbs. Preparing your own meals lets you choose whether or not to include these.

Varying the foods included is also important. Eating a variety of vegetables that aren't overcooked (vegetables lose nutrients when overcooked) or have too much fat to have nutritional advantages (vegetables prepared with enough fat where its more advantageous for you to avoid eating them) is much easier when you prepare your own food. You choose which meats you eat--you can prepare more lean meats. You can also choose when to eat different types of food, like carb heavier breakfast/lunches/snacks and low carb dinners and late-night snacks.

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