5 Habits to implement in your daily diet

Habit 1: Eat every 2 to 4 hours. Regular "feeding intervals" stimulate metabolism, balance blood sugar levels, help prevent overeating as a result of hunger, and help the body burn extra fat mass while maintaining lean mass. This habit also ensures that active people, who have greater caloric demands, can meet those caloric needs without eating calorically dense foods that promote fat storage.

How big should these meals be? Obviously there is variation in people's body sizes, body fat percentages, and level of activity, so there will be variation in the size of the meals. However, it is not necessary to get bogged down in the details in the inchoate stage of implementing these habits, as meal sizes will naturally fall into place when using all of the 5 Habits.

Habit 2: Eat complete, lean protein with each feeding opportunity. Some good proteins are lean red meat, salmon, eggs, low-fat plain yogurt and supplemental proteins, such as milk protein isolates or whey protein isolates. Some experts claim that additional protein is harmful or unnecessary. However, contemporary research is pretty clear: a high protein diet IS safe, and may be important for achieving the best health, body composition, and athletic performance. By following this habit, you will ensure adequate protein consumption, stimulation of the metabolism, improved muscle mass and recovery, and reduction of body fat.

Habit 3: Eat vegetables with each feeding opportunity. Science has shown us that there are numerous micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) contained in vegetables. Vegetables also contain important phytochemicals (plant chemicals) that are essential for optimal physiological functioning. Vegetables, and fruits for that matter, provide an alkaline load to the blood. This is important considering the following: proteins and grains present acid loads to the blood, so it's important to balance these acids with alkaline rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Too little alkalinity and too much acid lead to the loss of bone strength and muscle mass. Eating two servings of fruit/vegetables at every meal to ensure this balance. This way, you are more likely to get "...10 servings of cancer-fighting, free-radical-destroying, acid-neutralizing, and micronutrient-rich power per day."

Habit 4. For fat loss, eat "other carbohydrates" only after exercise. This timing strategy works well in those with hard-to-remove body fat stores. It also works well for minimizing fat gain in those interested in gaining muscle.

Habit 5. Eat healthy fats daily. Some healthy fats include monosaturated fats such as extra virgin olive oil, some nuts, and avocado and polyunsaturated fats, from some nuts, some vegetable oils, and fish oil supplements.

Following the 5 Habits is certainly a step. However, like any system, there are shortcomings. The 5 habits don't provide prescriptive nutrition or exact caloric guidelines. Instead, it relies on nutrient timing and food selection to regulate overall food intake and manage hunger. However, by not requiring calorie counting, this strategy is easy to understand and apply to our daily food choices, guaranteeing a well balanced diet.