Diet and Fitness

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Health Diet Fitness | Diet Fitness Goal Setting

The Fitness Diet Basics

Your results from this diet and fitness program are partially dependent on the amount and type of food that you consume. Your diet is another major building block needed to help you achieve your goal(s). Luckily, Bright ‘N Fit can provide you with guidance and suggestions to make your decisions easier!

As a college student, you are more than likely on a college meal plan. This means that you eat most of your meals at the campus dining hall. This also means that you are limited to the food that is served or available to you. The great news is that there are plenty of fitness diet options at your typical dining center if you know what to look for. You’ll need to put together meals with foods and beverages that are rich in vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, and good fats.

For starters, you should aim to consume a total of your body-weight in pounds multiplied by 18 kcal (calories) daily. Bright ‘N Fit recommends that you eat 5-6 times a day to achieve this.

The important part is deciding which types of food you should get the calories from. Each type of food is placed into one of three categories: Protein, Carbohydrates, or Fats. Bright ‘N Fit recommends that you strive to follow a 50-30-20 ratio for each complete meal. This means that you receive about 50% of your total calories from Protein, about 30% of your total calories from Carbohydrates, and about 20% of your total calories from Fats.

We recommend that you begin using the program FitDay if you are not already using it. With this online journal, you can keep track of the amount of food that you eat throughout the day. It is a great way to ensure that you eat your bodyweight in pounds multiplied by 18 kcal (calories) daily, and it even offers you a pie chart demonstrating the amount of your total calories that come from Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats.

Protein

Half (roughly 50%) of your total calories should come from protein because it is needed to build your muscle and helps them recover from your workouts. We strongly recommend that you consume 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body-weight daily. In other words, if you weigh 165 pounds, you should be eating at least 165 grams of protein a day. (We suggest that you use FitDay to calculate your daily protein consumption). Great natural sources of protein that can be found in typical dining halls include:

• Eggs: Whole Eggs, Egg Whites, Egg Beaters
• White Meat: Chicken, Turkey, Pork, Ham
• Red Meat: Ground Beef, Roast Beef, Steak, Lamb, Veal
• Fish: Salmon, Sole, Tuna, Tilapia, Shrimp
• Dairy: Milk, Cheese, Yogurt
• Nuts: Peanuts, Cashews, Almonds, Walnuts
• Legumes: Beans, Lentils
• Peanut Butter

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are important as well because they are great sources of vitamins and fiber, and are used as a primary fuel source for energizing your body. However, not all carbohydrates are the same. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you make your best effort to stick with the “good” carbs and avoid the “bad” carbs whenever possible. “Bad” carbs are highly processed and contain white flour and refined sugar (soda, cookies, chips, and white bread). They are bad because they lack nutritional value and they are digested so quickly that they cause a dramatic increase of your blood-sugar level. As a result, your body stores this sugar as fat. Contrarily, “good” carbs include:

• Whole Grains and Grain Foods: Grain Bread, Wheat Bread, Rye Bread
• Rice: Brown Rice
• Pasta: Spaghetti, Penne, Bow-ties (preferably whole wheat)
• Baked Potatoes & Yams
• Oatmeal & Whole Grain Cereals
• Fruit: Apples, Oranges, Strawberries, Blueberries, Bananas, Grapefruits
• Vegetables: Spinach, Broccoli, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Carrots, Celery, Cucumbers

Fats

Believe it or not, eating the right types of fat does not make you fat. In fact, you need to consume a balance of several types of fat to help prevent fat from being stored in your body, recover from your workouts, and strengthen your immune system to protect against infection and inflammation. These types of fat include: Omega-3, Omega-6, and Omega-9. You should aim to get a balance of these fats from the following sources:

• Omega-3: Fish, Flaxseeds, Walnuts, Beans
• Omega-6: Animal Fat, Eggs, Cheese, Butter, Nuts
• Omega-9: Olive Oil, Vegetable Oils, Olives, Avocados, Nuts
**You must avoid trans-fat at all costs.

Beverages

You should drink water with every meal. We suggest that you drink as much water throughout the day as possible. Water has several fitness benefits including keeping you hydrated and carrying nutrients throughout your body. Bright ‘N Fit recommends that you purchase a portable water bottle and fill it up with water from your dining hall as needed. You can also drink moderate amounts of:

• 100% Fruit Juices
• Tea (no added sugar)
• Coffee (no added sugar)
• Milk (1% or Skim)
**Keep the sugar drinks (Soda, Diet Soda, Gatorade, Juice Cocktails) and alcohol to a minimum.

Supplements In Your Fitness Diet

Almost all of your nutrition will come from the food sources explained above. Bright ‘N Fit, however, recommends only two completely natural supplements to help optimize recovery from your workouts:

• 100% Whey Protein: As a great source of protein, this powder is quickly digested by your body after you drink it. It will help you consume your bodyweight in grams of protein daily. We suggest that you take one serving after your workout if your budget is low. Taking an additional serving before your workout is suggested, but not required. Purchase 100% Whey Protein in a variety of flavors by clicking here.

• Daily Multivitamin: Contains essential vitamins and minerals to boost your immune system, lower your risk for heart disease, and keep your body functioning properly. We suggest that you take your Multivitamin with a meal so it is fully digested with your food, allowing you to receive all of its health benefits.

Dessert

Dessert is entirely optional, but if your sweet tooth becomes overwhelming, Bright ‘N Fit recommends that you have a moderate serving size of dessert. Suggested desserts include:

• Frozen Yogurt
• Dark Chocolate
• Chocolate Milk

Putting it All Together

So now that you are familiar with the type and amount of food you should be consuming daily, you are probably wondering how you can put together delicious meals with the foods listed above. Bright ‘N Fit offers tasty combinations of foods that you can find at your dining hall.

Typically, your meal plan will include 3 meals a day: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Take advantage of your meal plan by eating well at all 3 meals daily. DO NOT SKIP MEALS. Below are the recommended meals with food that is typically found in dining halls. Do not feel that you are limited to our suggestions. Essentially, you should aim for a main source of complete protein, one source of carbohydrate, one source of vegetable, and one piece of fruit for each meal. Select your portion sizes according to the 50-30-20 (Protein-Carbohydrate-Fats) ratio.

Breakfast

The most important meal of the day. It is a great opportunity to get protein and other vitamins into your body after a long period without food (over-night). Also, it gets your metabolism going early in the day. Therefore, you must make sure that you give yourself enough time to eat breakfast before your first class or activity.

• Scrambled Eggs (Whole Eggs, Egg Whites, or Egg Beaters – optional: cheese, vegetables, ham), Whole Grain or Wheat Toast with Peanut Butter, Piece of Fresh Fruit, Water and/or Milk.

• Omelet (Whole Eggs, Egg Whites, or Egg Beaters – optional: cheese, vegetables, ham), Yogurt mixed with Fresh Fruit, Water and/or Milk.

• Whole Eggs (Over-easy, Over-hard, or Hard-Boiled), Whole Grain or Wheat Toast with Peanut Butter, Piece of Fresh Fruit, Water and/or Milk.

• Oatmeal with Milk mixed with Fresh Fruit, Water.

• Whole Grain Cereal with Milk mixed with Fresh Fruit, Water

Lunch

Again, keep in mind the 50-30-20 (Protein-Carbohydrate-Fats) portion sizes for this meal.

• Meat Sandwich (Grilled Chicken, and/or Turkey, and/or Ham, and/or Roast Beef, and Cheese – optional: Vegetables) on Whole Grain or Wheat Bread or Wheat Wrap, Bowl of Salad (Olive Oil and Vinegar or any light Dressing), Piece of Fresh Fruit, Water and/or Milk.

• Tuna Salad Sandwich (optional: Cheese and Vegetables) on Whole Grain or Wheat Bread, Bowl of Salad (Olive Oil and Vinegar or light Dressing), Piece of Fresh Fruit, Water and/or Milk.

• Peanut Butter Sandwich (with optional: cut-up Banana) on Whole Grain or Whole Wheat Bread, Bowl of Salad (Olive Oil and Vinegar or light Dressing), Piece of Fresh Fruit, Water and/or Milk.

• Grilled Wheat Wrap Burrito (filled with Grilled Chicken and/or Beef, Cheese, Mixed Vegetables, Beans), Piece of Fruit, Water and/or Milk.

• Beef or Chicken Chili with Beans and melted Cheese, Piece of Whole Grain or Wheat Bread, Bowl of Salad (Olive Oil and Vinegar or light Dressing), Piece of Fresh Fruit, Water and/or Milk.

Dinner

The meals below are also suggested for Lunch if available at your dining hall.

• Grilled Chicken, Pasta or Rice, and Broccoli (mixed with Olive Oil), Piece of Fresh Fruit, Water and/or Milk.

• Beef, Baked Potato (or wedges) or Rice, Bowl of Salad (Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing), Piece of Fresh Fruit, Water and/or Milk.

• Baked or Grilled Fish, Rice, Bowl of Salad (Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing), Piece of Fresh Fruit, Water and/or Milk.

• Turkey, Baked Yam, String Beans (mixed with Olive Oil), Piece of Fresh Fruit, Water and/or Milk.

• Stir-fry Beef and/or Grilled Chicken with Rice or Pasta and Mixed Vegetables, Piece of Fresh Fruit, Water and/or Milk.

• Pork, Pasta tossed with Mixed Vegetables (mixed with Olive Oil), Piece of Fresh Fruit, Water and/or Milk.

It may be difficult to consume your total calories from only these 3 meals. In this case, Bright ‘N Fit strongly suggests that you eat 5-6 times a day. We suggest that you buy a jar of Peanut Butter, a loaf(s) of Whole Grain or Wheat Bread, a container(s) of Nuts (Peanuts, Cashews, Almonds, Hazelnuts, Walnuts), Whole Wheat Pretzels, Wheat Crackers, Light-Butter Popcorn, and Pieces of Fresh or Dried Fruit to keep in your dorm room or apartment to eat between meals or after dinner if you are hungry. If you have access to a fridge, you can purchase sandwich meat and/or cheese, bottles of water, raw vegetables, and/or milk.

Disclaimer: There are risks associated with any physical regime. When you use the information provided on this site you do so at your own risk, and Bright 'N Fit and its founders are not responsible for any losses or damages of any kind.

**If you use this diet and fitness article on your website, you MUST link back to brightnfit.com. Thanks.**