Your Friendly Amature Nutritionalist

I have been studying nutrition for years. It started when I found out I had hypoglycemia and found out the difference between simple carbs and complex carbs. That just fascinated me and the more I learned, the more I wanted to know. Our bodies are amazing. And they way they process foods is so complex it will probably take the rest of my life to learn everything I want to know.

Why do you care? You probably don't. But, this way when I get super excited and want to share vast, endless, boring information, people will have the choice to skip over it or read it. Unlike in real life where I can go on for hours and bore people to tears. But, if you have any questions, leave them in the comments. Now is the perfect time to ask because I love research and have run out of Buffy reruns for a while.

Here is my top 5 list that I wish I could teach everyone.

1. Drink 8 glasses of water a day (64 oz. Drink it throughout the day not all at once.) Seriously folks. You body needs that to flush all of the crap from your body. Unless you eat solely unprocessed food, you are consuming things that aren't food. Your liver, your tonsils, your glands and your fat cells are all places the body stores things it can't process. If they are busy holding that stuff, they can't perform their normal functions correctly.

2. Eat something every two to three hours. Your body needs energy. Luckily, if you don't provide that energy, it has a never ending supply. Muscle. Just think about this the next time you are tempted to go without. Your body will eat its own flesh to survive. Zombies are cool these days, but is that really what you aspire to be?

3. Eat at least 9 grams of protein with every meal. I would suggest you do it with every 3 hour snack, but I know that can be hard and I won't push my luck. Your body needs protein. It is the slow burning energy. Carbs are processed quickly and used quickly. Protein is what keeps you energetic until your next meal. It's like building a campfire. You start with twigs to get the fire going, then you add more substantial logs because they burn longer. Carbs are the twigs, proteins are the logs. If you only eat carbs, your fire will die long before you get to your next meal.

4. Eat breakfast. I really hope that everyone already knows this. But, just in case, I am putting it on here. If you don't eat breakfast you are going 14 - 18 hours without food. Really? Do you think that is smart? All you are doing is forcing your body to conserve its energy. Your body will not wake up and start functioning until it is fed. You will be cranky and half-asleep through the first part of your day. Yeah, I know you aren't hungry when you get up. Well grow up. You are an adult, not a 4-year-old. You should have learned by now that somethings have to be done whether you like it or not.

5. Don't follow any diet that tells you to cut out fat, carbohydrates or protein. Those are an automatic fail. If you want to lose weight, take a serious look at what you eat day after day and how much. Follow serving suggestions by actually measuring your food and count your calories. If honestly think you are doing everything correctly, but are still overweight, go to a doctor. There is something wrong with your body if it isn't responding correctly to a healthy lifestyle. It is either one or the other peeps.

There is no magic in between option to good health. That is all fads are, you know. Magic beans. But, hey if those beans actually grow, let me know because I am trying to find Prince Charming and he may be in your area as well.