#THEDAILYGRIND 010: How To Make Good Food Choices
There are no good or bad foods! There are no miracle foods. There are only foods that work for YOU!
Ok, that might be a gross over simplification of the subject, but the statement still holds water to a degree. I get asked on a regular basis whether a particular food is healthy and ok to eat. Often it might appear as a text message or physically placed under my nose for approval. My answer is always the same…
One food type or specific meal is, in itself neither bad nor good. It’s more about how that food or meal sits in the overall context of what you ate (or plan to eat) in the day.
It goes back to the fundamental principle of good nutrition. And that’s energy balance. Calories in vs calories out.
If your goal is to lose weight, then you need to be eating less calories than you burn (calorie deficit).
Flip that around if you want to gain weight for the purposes of increasing muscle mass, ie eat more calories than your burn (calorie surplus).
If you make this mindset shift in how you think about food it can unlock your potential to succeed in your fitness goals.
Think about this for a second. It’s lunchtime. You’re out and about in town, rushing around trying to get all your shopping done and your starving. You haven’t brought any food with you and you haven’t got time to sit down for a full meal at a restaurant. Out of the corner of your eye, you see those golden arches. You wouldn’t normally do it, but you decide to dive in and get in the queue. You know that McDonald’s has some healthy choices these days, so you’re going to be good and stick to the ‘boring’ side of the menu.
As you’re standing in line, you glance up to the display boards all brightly lit with their perfect photography of succulent burgers stacked high on seeded buns. You’re now at the front of the queue.