What Is ‘Good’ Nutrition?

As a natural men’s physique competitor and nutrition coach it goes without saying that I am very passionate about nutrition. More importantly I’m passionate about ‘good’ nutrition. Over the years as my health and knowledge of food has improved I am constantly asked, “what is the best diet?” Maybe you have wondered this yourself about keto, low-fat, carb cycling, count macros, or even paleo. It can be extremely overwhelming so how do you know which one to do? The best way to answer this famous question is to look at what all of these diet strategies have in common, not look at where they differ. 
‘Good’ nutrition at its core is always focused on quality, whole foods. Sound simple? That’s because it is! Every single diet I listed above, no matter the strategy, has nutritious, whole foods as the foundation of the diet. Nowhere in any of those diet strategies will it tell you to go out and eat a Big Mac™ and a pack of Oreo© cookies! Our world is saturated with “highly calorically dense” foods – meaning they have a lot of calories to fill you but lack any real nutritional value. If you’re looking for a place to start being with eating really nutritious and unprocessed foods. These food have an extremely high nutrition value with lower caloric densities. In short, more food with less calories! These foods will give our body what it needs to look, feel, and perform at its best.
‘Good’ nutrition is also based in the desired outcome. What are your goals? What would that ‘good’ nutrition look like to you? Do you want to get on a bodybuilding stage and have a body fat percentage of 5%? Or do you have three children and want to be healthy and active with them their whole lives? Maybe you want to lose a few inches off your waist and have more energy at work but still want to enjoy pizza and movie night with the family. Whatever your goals may be, your nutrition plan needs to be able to get you to your goal, as well as fit into the lifestyle you love and have worked hard to create! Not everyone needs a food scale and specific macro counting to get to their goal, and you don’t need a whole lifestyle change to get healthier.

Your “best” diet is the one that you are going to stick with for the long term. It’s centered around good quality, nutrient dense foods. It will match your lifestyle for the long term and help you achieve your goals, whatever that may look like for you! To learn more follow us on Instagram, @Mitchell.Smith456.