Diet and Food Information Center

Getting the most out of Basic Training isn't just about workouts. It should also include working towards a healthy diet. However, that can be difficult given the vast amount of often conflicting information there is to be had on the Internet, and in popular books and magazines.

Probably the most useful thing we can do is to clear up the basics of healthy eating, and then build on that. A good and healthful diet depends on three things: Balance, Variety, and Moderation. In other words, a good diet must have the appropriate balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats; a variety of foods from the various food groups, and moderation of portion size and caloric intake.

Below you'll find some simple guidelines for healthy eating. If you'd like to read more on any of these guidelines, we've provided some links for further study.

1. Understanding the impact of food on your health will help you to maintain a healthy diet

Unhealthy eating and physical inactivity are the leading causes of death in the U.S. according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services. While it's true that genetic factors play an important role in your susceptibility to disease, diet and exercise can also play a crucial role in preventing disease (even if your family history leaves you at a disadvantage).

The point is that the things you're eating every day may be doing more than just adding pounds to your waistline. You may be setting yourself up for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and a host of diet or obesity-related diseases and conditions that can affect both the length and quality of your life. 

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2. A good diet begins with the goal of being healthy, and not just the desire for rapid weight loss

Reducing your body fat is a good goal if you have excess fat, but making weight loss your only goal can lead you to make choices that can be harmful to your health, as well as sabotage your efforts in the long term.

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3. Set realistic weight loss goals and make a plan

Getting good information is the easy part. If you don't have achievable goals and a well thought out plan, your goals are likely going to end in frustration and failure. For a much better chance of success, do the following:

*Know your BMR (how many calories you bun per day when at rest) and roughly how many calories you burn per day as a result of exercise and other activities. Click here to calculate.

*Try and aim for a 1000 calorie deficit between what you take in per day and what you burn according to your BMR and activity level. Remember not to take in less than your BMR. This should result in an average 1 to 2 pounds per week weight loss. You may lose more initially in water weight or if you are significantly obese.

* Make short term goals to make your program manageable and to help keep yourself motivated.

* Keep track of both your diet and your exercise. Quantifying these things will help you spot areas where you need to improve and will add some accountability into the equation.

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4. There are many ways to lose weight…many of them both unhealthy and temporary. Don't be tempted by fad diets that make unrealistic claims!

Remember that successful weight loss involves both diet and exercise, and that a healthy diet is governed by the principles of balance, variety, and moderation. Diet programs that do not acknowledge these necessary principles are ultimately going to end in failure, and possibly even damage to your health. Have you ever noticed that almost all of these popular diet programs are quickly replaced by new "latest and greatest" diets? Success will come by diligently following proven principles, not by jumping on bandwagons.

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5. A healthy diet consists primarily of proper food choices and appropriate portion sizes.

The best guide for you to use in considering daily food choices is actually the old reliable food pyramid. Eating a variety of foods from the food pyramid will help you to eat a healthy, balanced diet. This should include 6-11 servings of bread, rice, cereal and pasta; 2-4 servings of fruit; 3-5 servings of vegetables; 2-3 servings of meat, dry beans, eggs, fish, poultry, and nuts; 2-3 servings of milk, yogurt and cheese; and sparing use of fats, oils and sweets.

A balanced diet should result in your also caloric intake being the recommended ratio of 45-65% carbohydrates, 10-35% proteins, and 20-35% fats. If the percentage of calories from fats seems high, keep in mind that fats have more calories per gram than carbs and proteins, so in reality your fat intake will be fairly low- typically less than 60 grams of fat in an average 2000 calorie diet. Note: if you're very active or involved in intense weight training, you'll want to be on the high side of the recommended protein intake.

Even with a perfectly balanced diet, too much food can obviously cause obesity and other health problems. Moderation therefore is a critical part of healthy weight loss.

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6. Appropriate portion sizes are dictated by your physical size and your activity level

Your daily caloric needs determine your portion sizes, and that takes us back to the food pyramid. Getting a handle on proper portion size really just boils down quantifying the term "serving size" as defined  by the food pyramid, and then tracking your diet using the online food journal to get an accurate sense of the number of calories you are consuming each day.

In trying to eat healthy portion sizes at mealtime, measuring and tracking your food intake are helpful habits you should learn, at least for several weeks or months until you begin to get a feel for correct portion size, how many calories you're consuming, etc.

7. Considerations for those with special dietary restrictions

Some people need special dietary restrictions due to cardiovascular ailments, diabetes, or other medical conditions. If this describes you, your best course of action is to consult with your physician or a licensed dietician.

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8. What about vitamins and supplements?

People take vitamins and supplements for a variety of reasons, but are they really helpful? While there is evidence that certain people can and do benefit from vitamin supplementation (pregnant women, the elderly, and persons who are deficient in certain vitamins and minerals), the truth is that there is no real evidence that daily supplementation is helpful for the average person. In fact, the megadoses or individually tailored combinations of vitamins people often take can actually be harmful. Do research on your own from reputable sources and consider carefully what you find, and talk to your physician to see what he or she thinks on the matter. In the meantime, try and get your nutrition from your diet rather than from supplements to your diet.

A quick note on the supplements you see advertised to promote fat burning and such: don't waste your money. Many of these products are based on questionable science and are not tested by the FDA.

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9. What to drink?

Most of us know to stay away from excessive sugar soft drinks and alcohol. But what about diet sodas...and is water intake really that important to health and weight loss? What about coffee and tea?

Recent clinical studies have shown that switching from sugar sodas to diet sodas does not result in weight loss. There's no conclusive evidence of why that is the case, though there are theories that there may either be a negative affect from artificial sweeteners, or that people who drink diet sodas are more likely to increase caloric intake from other sources.

As for coffee and tea: If you follow the latest research data on coffee, then you know that the jury is not yet in, but there is enough interesting data out there from reputable studies that should encourage coffee and tea drinkers. We'll keep you posted.

Now how about water? Though this is bound to upset some people, current research fails to show any measureable health benefits from drinking lots of water. Obviously water is not harmful- but the point is that many of the claims made over the years about the health benefits of water are not clinically proven.

For now, what we can say with certainty is that it is important to stay hydrated, and that water is a good alternative to many of the other things we might otherwise drink. However, the rule of thumb these days isn't apparently the old standard of 64 ounces of water per day, but rather to simply drink to satisfy your thirst. 

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