We are taught our whole lives to follow rules. No matter how tired, busy, or unhappy I am, I won't run a red light because it’s against the rules. When I am on the plane and the fasten seatbelt sign comes on I fasten my seatbelt, even when there is a crying baby (Theo) sitting next to me and I want to get up to use the restroom because them’s the rules.
So, if we are so good at following rules why don’t we utilize them to benefit our own health?
At Island Performance we don’t believe in diets. But we do use FOOD RULES to turn our desired nutritional behavior into default behavior. When you’re at a party it is much easier to tell yourself (and others) “I don’t eat cake at parties” than to say “not today”, “I’m on a diet”, or “I am watching what I eat.” We have moments when our will power falters and we experience ‘decision fatigue’ but having clear rules established for health eating habits can help you tremendously.
Here’s an example of the rules we follow in our household.
DA RULES |
30g of protein with breakfast |
1g of protein/lb body weight daily |
At least one VEGGIE with EVERY meal |
FIBER with EVERY meal |
MUFAs with EVERY meal |
NO CARBS before lunch |
EARN YOUR SUGAR. Must do activity first. |
RINSE VEGGIES |
Our goals are to eat mostly vegetables, eat the highest quality food sources we can, and avoid over-eating and over-snacking. The rules help us achieve those goals.
Protein in the morning helps satiate us and reduce the likelihood of over-snacking. It also gets us on track to hit the larger protein goal of 1g of protein per pound of lean muscle mass (we calculate this as: body weight * (1 - body fat %). A vegetable, any source of fiber, and any source of monounsaturated fatty acid with each meal gives us the opportunity to: 1. Not overeat at any given meal. 2. Eat real high quality foods 3. Consume vegetables and healthy fats.
Personally, I am a sucker for sugar and carbs. Once I open the flood gates they don’t close. So in an effort to control myself I do not eat carbs before lunch and I don’t eat sugar unless I have done something physically demanding first. This makes it easy for me to say ‘no’ when someone brings malasadas into the office in the morning but on the other hand if I know we are going to a birthday party I will absolutely go for a run that morning so I can eat some cake.
And we try to limit the amount of harmful pesticides we consume from our food so we always rinse our produce.
As you can see these rules are fairly simple (once you have an understanding of what foods contain fiber and MUFAs) but they have become healthy defaults in our daily life that get us closer to our nutrition goals without being on an extremely restrictive diet and without constantly having to make decisions about meals. We have a list of our favorite veggies, fiber sources, and MUFAs and make sure they are stocked in the fridge and end up on every plate. We feel like we fan follow these rules (90% of the time) for the rest of our lives and live happily. That is more than I can say about any restrictive diet I have ever been on.
Good fats (MUFAs) | Soluble fiber | Insoluble fiber |
Olive oil | Oats | Bran |
Avocado | Avocado | Whole wheat |
Macadamia Nuts | Apples | Quinoa |
Cashews | Chia Seed | Brown Rice |
Pumpkin Seeds | Flax seed | Apples |
Sunflower Seeds | Beans | Berries |
Pine Nuts | Carrots | Banana |
Almonds | Broccoli | Carrots |
Pistachios | Sweet potatoes | Green Beans |
Brazil Nuts | Brussels sprouts | Celery |
Walnuts | Walnuts | |
Hazelnuts | Zucchini | |
Pecans | Almonds | |
Chia Seed | Flaxseed | |
Flaxseed | Avocado | |
Peanuts | Lentils | |
Black beans | ||
Corn |
These are our rules, given here as an example not a suggestion. But we are firm believers that everyone should have their own set of FOOD RULES. Creating and instating your own list helps empower you in your health journey and makes you more likely to follow them.
The best nutrition plan is the one you stick to.
But if you need help developing your own FOOD RULES to meet your nutrition goals OR if you would like assistance reaching any other health, fitness, or nutrition goals we are always here to help!
Alohaaaa 🤙
Teddy Zabel, PT, DPT, OCS
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