Key Messages
Your Guide To Simple And Sustainable Healthy Eating Habits
It’s time to inject some science into your diet.
The Energy Plan Book summary is here to help you do just that.
This guide includes sensible, evidence-based advice on nutrition plus the various approaches to healthy eating that are often touted by wellness experts.
You’ll also learn all about fat – why it’s important and how much of it we should be consuming.
Additionally, you’ll find out why listening to music can influence how much energy you take in, along with how snacking strategically can help control your eating habits.
So don’t let extreme eating or fad diets derail your effort.
Get informed and follow the advice in this book to create healthier eating habits that last a lifetime!
Carbohydrates: Essential For Optimal Fitness, But Choose Wisely And Eat Mindfully
Carbohydrates play an important role in your fitness, as they are vital for providing your body with energy during physical activity.
Your muscles store a form of carbohydrate called glycogen, which they use as fuel during high-intensity exercise like sprinting and hill-climbing.
Once your glycogen stores have been used up, you’ll start to feel weak and exhausted: a common sensation known among athletes as ‘hitting the wall’.
But that doesn’t mean you should just consume as much carbohydrate as possible – instead, it’s important to eat the right amount of carbs to support your activity levels.
Elite athletes may eat two grams/kilo of carbs on rest days and four grams/kilo on training days.
It’s also important to distinguish between different types of carbohydrates, such as low-GI (glycemic index) foods like rye bread or oats which release energy more slowly into your body and help keep you feeling fuller for longer; compared to higher GI foods such as white bread or cereal bars which give you an initial burst of energy followed by an energy slump shortly after.
Another way to improve the glycemic index of carbohydrates is by cooling them down before eating; this applies to cooked rice, pasta and potatoes specifically.
Cooling them will reduce their GI rating and provide more sustained energy following meals containing these foods.
Understanding The Different Types Of Fat And How To Incorporate It Into Your Diet For Optimal Performance
It is important to understand that consuming fat is a key part of having a healthy diet, as long as you choose the right kinds of fat.
Eating the wrong kind of fat can have serious health consequences and even increase your risk of heart disease.
This is why it’s so important to be mindful about what types of fat you’re eating.
For instance, trans fats should be avoided at all costs.
These types of fats, typically found in processed foods such as cookies, pastries, and french fries, raise harmful LDL cholesterol levels in the body and cause inflammation.
Research also suggests that they may put individuals at an increased risk for diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
To reduce this risk, limit your consumption of saturated fats – usually found in animal products such as red meat, butter and cheese – and replace them with monounsaturated fats or polyunsaturated fats instead.
Monounsaturated fats are found in sources like olive oil, avocados and nuts and are associated with a healthy heart.
Meanwhile polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as omega-3 fatty acids) which are found in fish like salmon, mackerel and walnuts can lessen damage to muscles after high intensity workouts.
In short: Eat fat – but be sure it is the right type of fat!
The Benefits Of Drinking The Right Fluids For Optimal Energy And Performance
The Energy Plan Book underlines a crucial point: if you want to maximize your energy, then drinking the right fluids in the right amounts is essential.
Water is one of the most important fluids because it helps to keep your body temperature regulated, and around 73% of muscle mass consists of water!
You’ll need to make sure that you consume at least two litres of water each day (1.6 litres for women).
It’s also important to monitor the colour of your urine – if it’s darker than a pale yellow then you need to drink more!
In addition to this, caffeine can be an invaluable energy boost too.
Caffeine does this by blocking adenosine which encourages sleep, as well as making physical exertion less of an effort – some studies have even found that performance can be improved by around 8% from caffeine ingestion!
Professional athletes often consume around 2 mg per kg of bodyweight an hour before competing – so for someone who weighs 70 kilos that would be equal to about 140mg, which is roughly two espressos or just under two cans of Red Bull energy drink.
Overall, drinking the right fluids in the right amounts will provide you with increased energy and help your performance in both physical activities and everyday life tasks.
Eating The Right Foods At The Right Time With Performance Plates
The Energy Plan by Dr.
Bob Arnot is a must-read for anyone looking to energize their body.
It all starts with having the right combination of energizing foods throughout your day – breakfast, lunch and dinner!
In order to make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need, first build your performance plate, which is composed of healthy fat, protein, carbohydrate, fruits and vegetables and fluids.
To get the balance right a portion size serves as a guide – this is one handful for carbs, one palm full for proteins and two hands fulls of non starchy vegetables.
So how do you know when to reach for what? The Energy Plan suggests having two plates per day – a fuelling plate in the morning before training containing proteins, low GI carbohydrates and either vegetables or fruit/fat while ending the day with a maintenance plate made up of 1.5 portions each protein & vegetables + 1 portion healthy fat AND washing it all down with fluids.
This way you’ll get all your daily energy requirements met!
Follow The Energy Plan’s advice and you’ll be powering through life in no time!
Tailor Your Eating To Fluctuating Energy Needs With A Fueling And Maintenance Diet
It’s important to recognize that your energy needs will vary from day to day.
The meals that keep you going on an a regular Tuesday might not suffice for a day full of activities.
To make sure that you’re getting the right amount of energy throughout the week, it is essential to be mindful of what and when you eat based on your daily demands.
The Energy Plan Book shares the concept of tailoring your diet according to fluctuating energy requirements.
For example, on days with more activity like work or exercise, try having a “fuelling plate” at breakfast and lunch as well as “fuelling snacks” in between meals to keep energy levels up.
On low days when there may not be any physical activity at all, switch out the fuelling plates for maintenance plates while adding maintenance snacks focused on pure protein such as a protein shake.
By exchanging fuelling plates with lighter options like maintenance plates, it helps balance out food intake throughout the day and prevent feeling hungry and fatigued when higher amounts of calories are needed to fuel physical activities.
Moreover, it could take some time for your body to adjust to this eating pattern but bear in mind that this is all part of creating healthier dietary habits!
Manage Your Environment To Avoid Temptation And Overeating
It’s easy to make the mistake of assuming that our willpower alone is enough to change our eating habits.
And while the power of willpower certainly has a role to play, it’s not enough on its own; you need other strategies in order to succeed.
The Olympic Village food hall at the 2012 Olympics was a perfect example of this.
Even with nutritious options being available, athletes still had temptations everywhere – including a McDonalds outlet.
So if even Olympians have difficulty controlling their environment and curbing poor choices, it’s understandable for everyday people to struggle too!
Therefore, it’s important that you manage your environment in order to reach your health goals.
One way to do this is by eliminating unhealthy snacks from your kitchen cupboards and stocking up on healthier alternatives like healthy fats, low-GI carbohydrates, and proteins with low saturated fat content.
Additionally, avoiding hunger pangs is also essential, as being too hungry makes us more likely to overeat at mealtimes.
Making sure that you eat enough throughout the day and have some small fuel or maintenance snacks between meals can help with this.
Additionally, having an ‘eat until satisfied’ attitude at mealtimes rather than aiming for fullness means that you won’t overstuff yourself either!
Also, ensuring that there are no distractions or fast-paced music playing during mealtimes (to avoid mindless eating) also goes a long way towards keeping your eating habits in check as well as promoting mindful eating instead.
Overall, it’s clear that while our willpower has an important role when it comes to eating better and forming better habits, it isn’t enough on its own – we need extra support in order to overcome our food cravings!
Improve Your Health And Wellbeing As You Age With A Balanced Eating Plan
As you get older, it is important to adjust your eating habits in order to age healthfully.
For example, you need fewer calories as your resting metabolic rate decreases.
This can be addressed by cutting back on carbohydrates and increasing the intake of protein.
Additionally, opt for quality sources of protein such as tofu, poultry or dairy instead of processed food like ham, salami or sausages which have been linked with an increased risk of bowel cancer.
Finally, make sure that you get five portions of fruits and vegetables a day – research has shown that this may reduce the risk of death by 36 percent!
Making small adjustments to your diet will not only help you look and feel better but also ensure that you age exceptionally well.
Wrap Up
The Energy Plan by Dr.
Stephen Greene offers a comprehensive look at how to achieve optimal energy and nutrition for peak performance.
You’ll be enlightened on the basics of healthy eating, debunking fads and extreme measures so you can start making positive changes to fuel your body.
He emphasizes that it’s not about limiting calorie intake, but rather about getting the right combination of foods at the right times to meet your needs.
Dr.
Greene provides actionable advice that is easy to implement into your routine and lifestyle without sacrificing flavour or enjoyment!
So if you want to increase energy levels, reduce fatigue, and improve overall health and wellness – The Energy Plan should be added to the top of your reading list.
