Nick Ho Coaching

How do you differ "good" food from "bad" food? We've been conditioned to think that some foods are bad, while others are good, but why? What makes this chocolate bar bad and that chicken salad good? Before you read on, let me know in the comments below.... Did you do it? We've been conditioned to think this way because... *WAIT FOR IT...* OVER indulgence! Let's take a look at two scenarios with a chocolate bar. 1 You restrict yourself from eating it. Slowly, but surely, your craving for said chocolate bar builds up. This will lead you to binge, resulting in your perception of the chocolate bar being a "bad" food. 2 You allow yourself to have a chocolate bar once a week. Your emotions linked to said chocolate bar is happy and pleasurable. Your cravings are under control. You don't binge. your perception of the chocolate bar is "good" food. I would like to think that there are no "good" foods and "bad" foods, just foods that you should "eat more of" and "eat less of". Here are some ways to help reduce binging: 1 When you do buy your sweets, buy individual servings. 2 Keep trigger foods out of the house; out of sight, out of mind. 3 Focus on adding more veggies. 4 Eat slowly without any distractions, and pay attention to your sensations of hunger/fullness, enjoyment, and thoughts. 5 Change your routine to avoid certain situations that tend to increase your cravings. 6 Solve lifestyle factors, such as lack of sleep, lack of exercise, and/or lack of protein. These can also contribute to increased cravings. 7 Remove "that's bad" from your dictionary, and replace it with "that makes it harder for me to achieve my goals" or "I tend to overeat that." Liberate yourself from the mindset of good vs. bad and embrace the enjoyment of the foods you eat. #enjoyyourfood #stopbinging #stoprestrictingyourdiet #feedyourmind #feedyourbody #nutritiontips

Are you getting enough sleep? For a lot of people, reaching their fitness goals is a struggle, even though everything else is on point. Sleep and nutrition, what's the connection? Well, when you keep your body chronically sleep-deprived, you impair your body's ability to regulate several key hormones.... Ghrelin levels rise, triggering hunger. Leptin falls, taking longer to feel full. Endocannabinoids increase, making perception of foods seem more pleasurable. In other words, less sleep = hungry, crave sweets, and erodes health. More snacks and sweets = weight gain. You'll have more time to check that pantry, and Netfix & chill (literally, not the other meaning). After just one night of sleep deprivation can lead to increased blood pressure for the following day. Take it from someone you deals with insomnia. Follow @nickhocoaching for more health and nutrition tips!

Can I get under your skin for a moment? How many of you are dealing with health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure? If you are dealing with any of them, how much fruits and veggies are you eating? Produce deserves special attention as well! Let's take a look.... For starters, fruits and veggies contain a large amount of health-promoting antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fibre, and phytonutrients. And with research and evidence over the past 20 years, it shows that eating more produce can help prevent a wide range of health problems, like the ones listed above, and also stroke, and cancer. More and more studies are also suggesting that consuming a diet high in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory foods such as fruits and veggies may lower the risk of developing neurodegenerative disease. In terms of cognitive performance, food does a much better job than supplements. Once nutrients are isolated, and made in to pill/capsule form, they seem to lose some, if not all, of their power. Lastly, having more produce in your diet can help you take control of your weight, thanks to their fibre and water content, filling you up with fewer calories. Take away: No ONE fruit or veggie is the best. Aim to eat a of colours every day. Follow along with this 5-day post series where I will be posting a new principle to good nutrition!

So, what does consuming processed foods mean for our bodies? Let's first take a look at minimally processed whole foods. They contain a wide selection of vitamins, minerals , phytonutrients (in plants), and zoonutrients (in animals).... Sure, we may not know what each nutrient does EXACTLY, but research has shown time and time again that we, as humans, are hearlier when we consume more whole foods and fewer processed ones. As for processed foods, the more processed it is, the higher the decrease in nutritional value it becomes, and the more addictives it will contain. In terms of nutritional value, the food item loses nutrients such as fibre, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, phytonutriens, and zoonutrients. With that, it gains "garbage", as I would put it, like preservatives, fillers, sugar, sodium, unhealthy fats, and/or refined starch. If you want to do your own comparison, use a food tracker and track 2 different meals, like a burger and fries vs. a steak with potatoes and broccoli. You will see a clear difference in nutritional value. With a higher nutrient density, minimally-processed whole foods can lead to lower rates of heart disease, cancer, depression, and type 2 diabetes, among other health problems. Like yesterday's post on protein, minimally-processed whole foods are also rich in fibre and/or protein, helping with satiety. They also tend to have fewer calories per serving compared to their highly-processed refined counterparts. Follow along with this 5-day post series where I will be posting a new principle to good nutrition!

Protein, protein, protein. What's so great about it, and why is it the most important macronutrient to get right? I got 2 reasons for you... Reason 1: Eat less without feeling hungry... Research has consistently shown that protein helps you feel full longer, resulting in weight loss. This is partly due to the fact that it takes longer for your body to break protein down. It also stimulates the release of satiety hormones in your gut, meaning you are less hungry throughout the day, therefore, eat less. Reason 2: Build and maintain muscle easier Our bodies don't function well without an adequate amount of protein. We need its building blocks, amino acids, to be able to produce important enzymes, hormones, neuraltransmitters, and antibodies. When we don't cosume enough protein, our body breaks down what we currently have, like our muscles, resulting in muscle loss. This is more true when our energy/calorie in is less than our energy/calorie out. Now, consuming a higher protein diet, will maximize muscle protein synthesis, leading to more muscle gain. Follow along with this 5-day post series where I will be posting a new principle to good nutrition!

Everyone has their own idea of "good nutrition", but what is it really? Over the next few days, I'll be going over 5 Universal Principles of Good Nutrition, starting with one today. Principle 1: Weight loss and weight gain, one key equation.... Simply put, everyone knows calories in, calories out: [More calories in], [less calories out] = gain weight. [Less calories in], [more calories out] = lose weight. [Calories in] = [calories out] = maintain weight. There are many factors that make this equation a little more complex. From here on out, I will refer to 'calories in' and 'calories out' as 'energy in' and 'energy out'. Some of the factors that influence 'energy in' include: - Appetite: influenced by hormones that regulate appetite and satiety. - Food consumed: influenced by availability, palatability, energy density, sleep quality, education, socioeconomic status, culture - Calories absorbed: influenced by macronutrient intake, food prep, age, personal microbiome, health satus, energy status - Psycological factors: influenced by stress levels, mindset, perceived control, self-esteem, sleep quality And some factors that influence 'energy out' include: - Energy burned at rest: influenced by body size, hormonal status, dieting history, genetic factors, health status, sleep quality, age - Energy burned through exercise: influenced by exercise ability, intensity, duration, frequency, type, environment, hormonal status, sleep quality - Energy burned by non-exercise activity: influenced by health status, energy status, stress levels, hormonal status, occupation, leisure activities, genetic factors - Energy burned by metabolizing food: influenced by macronutrient makeup and how processed the food is Here are a few ideas for your weight loss goals. To reduce calories in: - Consume more fibre-rich veggies. This will reduce the number of calories your body absorbs. - Consume more protein. This will reduce appetite and overall energy intake. - Eat slowly. You will be able to tune into your hunger and fullness signals, and stop eating when you're satisfied, not stuffed. - Use hand portions as a guide for how much you eat. - Get enough sleep. This will reduce hunger and your cravings for sweets. To increase calories out: - Add in cardio to burn more calories. - Add strength training. For the ladies, don't be scared of building a bit of muscle, you won't look bulky. This will boost your overall metabolism, and burn more calories. - Increase daily activity. This can be in the form of taking the stairs, parking farther from your destination, and/or using an activity tracker to get your steps in. - Boost protein intake. This will increase the thermic effect of digestion. - Practice self care. You will reduce stress and inprove your sleep - both are important for a healthy metabolism.

You probably didn't know it, but one of the best times to lose weight is while you sleep. That's because the human body is designed by nature to repair itself during the hours we are sleeping. Our bodies use sleep to repair and strengthen our muscles, joints and other parts that get tired and damaged through use and exertion during waking hours. This restorative process uses energy to rebuild lean muscle mass and to help rebuild other kinds of body tissue. That is worth repe...Continue reading