At Fitness Prototype all the personal trainers are qualified in giving nutritional advice. As each individual is different bespoke weekly nutrition plans are client specific. You as a client would be asked to monitor what you consume (food and drink) on a day to day basis. This will help you stay on track with what you are putting into your body and also help you stick to the nutrition plan put into place. Your trainer will be monitoring this very closely with you and advising you on what you are doing right and wrong. He/she will support you every step of the way. Below are some tips just to get you started.

 

 

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What you eat has a great impact on your health. There is plenty of evidence to show that eating a healthy diet can reduce your risk of illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, as well as several forms of cancer.

As you only have one body it is essential you take care of it.

Not only does food and drink provide you with energy, it also contains all of the essential nutrients your body demands for brain function, breathing, growing, repairing and various other functions.

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Which to Eat? - The basics

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Good nutrition is about balance, and it is therefore necessary to ensure variety in our diets.
 

Fruit and Vegetables

It is recommended that everybody should eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. This is because scientific studies have shown that people who eat a lot of fruit and vegetables may have a lower risk of getting illnesses, such as heart disease and some cancers.

Although five portions may seem like a lot, the target is easily achievable when you consider the great array of fruits and vegetables available. If you have a glass of juice and a sliced banana with your breakfast cereal you have already eaten two portions of your fruit and vegetables for the day.
 

Foods Rich in Protein

For a stable diet some foods rich in protein are also essential. These include meat, fish, eggs and pulses. It is recommended that we all try and eat two portions of fish a week, including one portion of oily fish. This is because fish is not only a form of protein, it is also packed full of essential vitamins and minerals. The omega 3 fatty acids present in oily fish have been shown to prevent heart disease, and are an excellent source of vitamins A and D. Proteins contain amino acids which are essential for the repair of tissues and body building.

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Carbohydrates

The main function of carbohydrate is to supply energy for the body processes. A greater part of the energy in the diet (more than 50-80%) is supplied by carbohydrates. Some of the carbohydrates are immediately utilized by the tissues and the remaining is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles and some are stored as adipose tissues (fat cells) for future energy needs.

Even though fat yields twice as much as energy as carbohydrate for unit weight, carbohydrate is essential for oxidation of fats. The common expression that 'fat burns in the fire of carbohydrates' is used to emphasize that in absence of carbohydrates, fats cannot be oxidised by the body to yield energy.

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​Foods to Avoid​
 

Salt - (If per 100g there is more than 1.5g salt (or 0.6g sodium), then the salt levels are high)

According to the Foods Standards Agency, every day in the UK 85% men and 69% women eat too much salt. We do need some salt in our diet, but adults are advised to have no more than 6g a day. Too much salt can lead to a rise in your blood pressure, which leads to an increase in your chances of developing heart disease or having a stroke. Many of us could easily be eating too much salt without realising it, as salt is already in many of the products we buy.

 

High Saturated Fat

Having too much fat in our diet is also undesirable. It's important to have some fat in our diet because fat helps the body absorb some vitamins, it is a good source of energy, and provides us with essential fatty acids that the body can't make itself. However, an excess of fat in our diet leads to an excess of energy. If we do not burn up this energy we are likely to put on weight.
 

Sugar

Much like salt, there is often more sugar in our diets than we may realise. It is therefore worthwhile checking the list of ingredients on the foods you buy. Food and drinks containing added sugars contain calories but few other nutrients, so we should try to eat these foods only occasionally. Sugars occur naturally in food such as fruit and milk so food containing added sugars should be cut down. One of the major disadvantages to eating too many sugary foods is the weight gain which in turn could lead to hypertension and heart disease.