Use Wholesome Food to Meet Your RMR
Food is one of the great mysteries as well as one of the great pleasures of life. Foods contain much more than vitamins and minerals and energy (calories). It contains many, many compounds that play an important role in protecting your health and well-being.
Only a tiny fraction of those compounds have been identified and every year many more important compounds in food are found. Few have been studied adequately.
We are just at the beginning of understanding how special compounds in fish and vegetables protect against cancer, how dietary fiber protects against cancer and heart disease, and how many other valuable compounds found only in real food protect your health.
Think of wholesome food as your health insurance policy. No vitamin-mineral pill is a substitute for good wholesome food.
EAT HEALTHY FOODS IN YOUR DIET TO IMPROVE METABOLISM AND MEET YOUR RMR.
Many of the special compounds found in food are important to keep your metabolism running optimally. To protect your health and maintain your metabolism, you should plan to meet your resting metabolic rate (RMR) requirements by adding enough wholesome foods to your diet. A wholesome food is a good source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and many other things your body needs.
Sodas, candy, desserts, chips, are not recommended in diets.
Foods You Should Keep in Your Diet to Improve Metabolism
Here are the foods we recommend you keep in your daily diet to meet your RMR requirements and improve metabolism:
Plenty of Veggies
Choose plenty of dark, leafy greens and other highly colored vegetables each day. Learn how to eat vegetables raw or properly cooked so they are not over-cooked. Frozen veggies can be as nutritious as fresh. Canned vegetables are OK too, but they often contain a high quantity of sodium, so just keep a lookout. Also, aim to cover at least half your plate at lunch and dinner with veggies.
Whole Grains
Aim for whole-grain bread, pasta, cereals, and other products BUT IN GENERAL LIMIT THE GRAINS – TRY TO USE ROOT VEGETABLES. Aim for at least 6 servings a day but remember that for these foods, a serving is only 1 ounce.
Eat Fruits
Choose 2 or 3 servings of fruit each day – Don’t get carried away with your portion sizes.
One medium-sized apple is one serving.
For weight management, avoid juice and choose whole fruits instead since fruits are more filling than juice. One half-cup of berries or cut-up fruit (pineapple chunks, melon pieces) counts as one serving. One half-banana counts as one serving.
Dairy (If You Are Tolerant)
Dairy is packed with nutritional value and is a good source of Calcium, Potassium, Vitamin D, and many other nutrients. Also, just an 8-ounce serving of milk delivers 8 grams of protein, which helps the body build and repair muscle tissue. Milk is considered highly beneficial for bone health.
Your RMR is about 60-75% of your total daily calorie requirements. Your body produces energy by adding oxygen to food, which in turn burns calories. Also, your metabolic rate is the measurement of how fast your body is burning calories. Metabolism is a well-regulated physiological system that doesn’t want to change its state fast. Hence, it takes time to shift.
For protein, we recommend choosing only fish, poultry, eggs, LEAN meats, beans, and legumes. You MUST have at least 1 servings at every meal. Find out more about lean protein sources here.
One egg is one serving.
One half-cup of beans or legumes is one serving.
2-3 ounces of meat, fish, or poultry is one serving.
Additionally, avoid fried foods and use herbs, garlic, onions, salt, pepper, and other spices to add flavor.
Introduction: Why You Need To Know Your RMR
Part 1: What Is “Metabolism?”
Part 2: What Happens If You Cut Your Food Intake BELOW Your RMR?
Part 3: Food Is More Than Calories
