If you want to lose weight or simply feel better by eating healthier, consider the source of what you eat. Do most of your foods come out of a box, bag, or jar or do they still resemble something that grew? The best diets are ones rich in whole foods and which contain few processed foods.
A whole food is just what it sounds like – a food that you eat whole, just the way nature intended. When foods are processed they are often stripped of nutrients and filled with additives, and so you want to eat things that are as close to their natural state as possible. Fruits and vegetables are perfect examples. You can eat them fresh from the garden, skin and all. Whole grains are healthy because the most nutritious part of the grain is still intact.
Good Eating = Good Cycling
Eating a diet rich with fruits, vegetables and whole grains will support the loss of extra pounds while fueling your body during those long rides. The vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients in these foods are not only the best for building muscle, but have been shown to protect the body against a variety of chronic diseases including cancer and heart disease.
When choosing packaged foods, look for short ingredient lists. The more “stuff” in your food, the more processed it is. Watch out for words like "enriched" and ingredients that sound like they were created by a mad scientist. It's a safe bet no one went out early this morning and picked an azodicarbonamide from the garden, which is an ingredient (a "dough conditioner") found in a Big Mac bun.
Start today by adding a fruit or vegetable to every meal. Keep fresh fruit around and out on the table where it is easy to snack on. We have a bowl of grapes that sit in the center of our kitchen table, and I walk by and pop a few in my mouth each time I pass, just like I used to do with potato chips. These few tricks make it easy to hit the recommended 5 fruits and vegetables a day and in no time at all, you'll be well on your way to losing weight, feeling better, and having more energy.