Healthy Nutrition 101

Written By PFC Fitness Camp • 4 min read

Welcome to Healthy Nutrition 101 with PFC!

In this blog you’ll learn healthy PFC nutrition basics and practices for everlasting health… what you won’t find is a list of specific foods you can never eat again. We’re not about that whole “demonizing food” thing… we’re about creating healthy nutrition foundations and habits for whole body and mind health and wellness.

Our philosophy is balanced, healthy nutrition and lifestyle… our goal is to teach you foundational healthy nutrition facts and science in order for you to understand food as fuel. We encourage practicing balance and moderation. We like to emphasize quality and proper quantities of foods to meet both your health needs and goals.

Here are some key guidelines you can follow for the rest of your life to support both a healthy and sustainable lifestyle and weight… all thanks to healthy nutrition!

•Lifestyle – NOT a diet
•Balanced Plate & Lifestyle
•Food is Fuel
•Science-Based
•Choose Whole Foods
•Plant-Dominate Meals
•Quality & Quantity

Healthy Nutrition 101 – Lifestyle
We say lifestyle, not diet… but what does that mean? To put it simply, diets are temporary fixes that are not sustainable. They’re band-aids used to cover up an underlying problem for a short amount of time. Usually, diets are drastic and can not last longer than a few months… that’s because most are extremely restrictive in either the amount of food you’re allowed to eat, or the types of food, or both. Lifestyle is implementing healthy habits to sustain energy and joy in your life. To have the best life, one needs their health… they go hand in hand. We want you to find a way to enjoy living and eating healthily that includes being able to enjoy yourself every now and again. Lifestyle… a lifestyle you love and feel good about. Not a diet.

Healthy Nutrition 101 – Food is Fuel
Calories are measurements of potential energy in food. When your energy expenditure increases (you’re active), your calorie needs may increase. When your energy expenditure decreases (you’re sedentary), your calorie needs will most likely decrease. If you increase your calorie consumption while keeping your expenditure low, extra calories are stored as fat. This is as basic as it gets! Food is energy- it all gets converted to calories. If you do not use that energy, your body stores it as fat for later use. Accessing those extra calories can be challenging if you’re consuming enough to maintain caloric balance (same amount coming in and the amount going out). You can use this general rule to meet your caloric needs for weight loss or weight gain goals. We recommend eating every 4 hours (while awake) to maintain energy throughout the day– this includes both meals and snacks.

Healthy Nutrition 101 – Balanced Plate & Lifestyle
A balanced plate refers to a balance of macronutrients: proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. The balance of your meals is important in order to maintain healthy blood sugar and energy levels, muscle mass, and to support healthy and effective metabolism.

Healthy Nutrition 101 – Science-Based
We believe in science-based nutrition and health. It is important to stay up-to-date on current research to ensure you’re always treating your body properly. It is easy to get stuck in eating a certain way and almost treating your current way of eating and beliefs as dogma… but that’s where we need to keep an open mind. Trust in proven science and evidence-based studies, and be open to update your understanding of nutrition. We are constantly learning more and more about the human body and what it needs to thrive, not just survive! Be sure that how you eat is based on facts, not quick fixed or fad-diets. Remember, the goal is to strategize for long-term health and wellness.

Healthy Nutrition – Choose Whole Foods
Choose primarily whole foods as the composition of your daily diet in order to fuel yourself as best as possible. Whole Foods refers to vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, healthy oils, and unprocessed meats, whole grains, and plant proteins such as beans, legumes, and lentils. The less processed and altered by human hands and machines, the better the food!

Healthy Nutrition 101 – Plant Dominate
The majority of your plate should be plant dominate. Plant dominate, or plant-based, refers to foods grown in the ground: vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, beans, lentils, and unprocessed plant-based fats and oils. There is a space for minimally processed foods like breads and pastas, but be sure these times are few and in moderation. And be sure to check the ingredient list!

Healthy Nutrition 101 – Quality & Quantity
Keep the quality of the foods you’re eating and the quantity (portion sizes and how many you’re consuming) in mind at every meal and snack. Is your food high-quality? Think unprocessed, organic, non-GMO, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, etc. Quantity is important for a balanced meal plan by practicing portion control. Portion control in itself is a huge factor in keeping a healthy weight- we often don’t realize what a true, healthy portion of food is considered… more on that in the next blog post!