Would you like a little nutrition to go along with your exercise?

Physical activity is great but unless it is followed by a healthy diet, you'll never get the results you want.

This post came to me after a conversation I had with my friend. She started an exercise regime a few months ago, and with all her hard work, she was still indulging in treats on a regular basis. Even though she has seen results, I suggested that her diet needed to change in order to see better and faster results.

I'm hardly an expert but I have read a very credible book about health and nutrition that impacted my eating habits and not only am I going to educate her in nutrition but I thought this would be great to share on my blog.

First and foremost, I would like to say that there is one ingredient that has a huge impact on your weight and not everyone knows about it. That ingredient my friends, is sugar. You must cut out refined sugar from your diet, this includes but is not limited to cookies, cakes, ice cream, pop, and believe it or not, ketchup is loaded with sugar. Sugar can be replaced by honey, stevia, and even apple sauce, just to name a few. It tastes just as good and because they are natural, your body will process them better than sugar.

Breads are also a good idea to cut out but if you must have a sandwich, have it for lunch and make it whole grain (whole wheat is not the same).

Evidently, there are things such as trans and saturated fats that need to be eliminated completely. Olive oil is the only cooking oil will need. Avocados and almonds are good for you in moderation.

Fibre can be found in natural food such as vegetables. Oatmeal is the best breakfast and it will keep you fuller for longer than a bowl of sugar loaded cereal. Your biggest meal should be in the morning, followed by a protein rich snack, lunch, snack, and dinner. I suggest no more eating 3-4 hours before bedtime, your body will not burn any of those calories while you sleep so it will sit there for eight hours... doing nothing!

I will leave you with just a few more tips:

Shop the parameter of your local grocery store, most of the products in the centre aisles are processed by manufacturers;

Increase your protein intake, you should have half protein, one quarter veggies, and one quarter carbohydrates at every meal and white meat including fish and eggs are the best.

Last but not least, the more discipline you are in following clean eating habits the less cravings you will have for that Big Mac you may be drooling over right now.

There is so much more information and I can't tell you everything right now. The book I was referring to earlier is called the Eat Clean Diet, click on the link and you can purchase your own copy. There are even cook books for sale, I have the first one and I have made most of dishes which are delicious and satisfying. It works, because it emphasises clean eating habits, not calorie counting - keep it simple.