Saw this image on someone's Facebook wall (originally from http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151305807845088&set=a.10150772520780088.727054.777280087&type=1#!/pages/The-Social-Deviants/244088568967537) and it reminded me of a blog post I've been meaning to write for a little while now...
I find it's usually unfit and/or overweight people who have the most pickinesses with what they eat... They're vegan, gluten-free, only eat organic produce, worry about preservatives and sodium, etc. These are all valid concerns and I have no issues with being aware of all these issues. The problem is, I can't take these people too seriously when I know as they are trying to avoid a little extra sodium that might be in a light salad dressing I recommend, they are going and binging on twinkies and chips (they don't seem to worry about the bad stuff in those products!) I find it very weird that a very overweight person can tell me with a straight face that they try not to eat whole eggs because they have too much fat and cholesterol!
If you are very unfit you should start your healthy eating by just generally being more healthy - adding lots of lean protein, vegetables, healthy fats, and some healthy carbs and keeping proportions in check. As you get more and more healthy and deep into a fitness lifestyle, you can for sure delve deeper and deeper into all the little intricacies of nutrition and exercise. But if you are a beginner, make sure to get a good grounding before you start confusing your mind with all these little details and before you arbitrarily start cutting whole food groups out of your diet, becoming a vegan, or 'hating' oatmeal or cottage cheese. Oh, the last statememnt reminds me of another point - when I do food plans for clients I always ask which foods they do and do not want on their food plan. Oatmeal and cottage cheese (two wonder foods in my mind) are often the most 'hated'... and I will often ask them about it further as these are staples in my diet usually and they have barely even given them a chance and usually are not all that open to trying them. So, another point I'd like to make is to stay open to new ideas - don't assume you hate something (especially if you've never tried it!) Try oatmeal with different combinations of stuff in it for example - I don't love instant oatmeal, but have found steel cut oats to be an awesome way to start my day! I certainly don't like them on their own - I have had to experiment to find what makes me like them... for me, it's a few raisins, tons of cinnamon, and a spoonful of either flax seeds, hemp hearts, or all-bran! You could try yogurt, honey, no sugar syrup, applesauce, nut butter, fruit, etc. Cottage cheese can be blended in a blender with herbs and spices to make a tasty protein dipping sauce for veggies, or you can add fruit to it for a nice protein-packed dessert! Get creative and try different things to see what you like, before you jump to the conclusion that you hate a food! And remember, if you say or feel you hate a food, you will hate a food - so keep a positive mindset!
Anyways back to all the picky unfit peeps - try to keep it simple at the start - eat clean foods every 3 - 4 hours, keep watch on portion sizes, and get lots of exercise. It will work! You will lose weight and get fit if you're consistent and stay with it... don't think that you aren't losing weight because you are eating beef or not taking a million supplements - it's usually because you aren't totally following the plan properly and having cheats all over the place! If you're super-worried about hormones, preservatives, etc. Be super-super-worried about eating those Cheetos and Coca-Colas!
