THREE SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE PIECES OF NUTRITION ADVICE.

Is it better to have more smaller meals a day, or fewer bigger meals? Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? How much protein do I need? Should I intermittent fast?

Sigh. Nutrition can be complicated.

But it doesn’t have to be.

In light of this, Madlab Coach Emily shares her best three simple nutrition tips.

1. Learn to make simple foods taste good

While a lot of people just don’t enjoy cooking, one of the biggest deterrents seems to be that they get overwhelmed by the thought of having to cook every day or spend their entire Sunday meal prepping.

It doesn’t have to be so complicated. Simple foods, even run-of-the-mill vegetables like carrots, can be turned into delicious and healthy-tasting dishes.

Try this: Cut some carrots into strips. Sprinkle them with olive oil, Chinese five spice and a little salt and throw them in the oven at 375 for 45 minutes to let them roast and caramelize. Seriously so good. 

The point is, if you take the time to educate yourself a bit about turning simple, healthy ingredients into vibrant-tasting meals, cooking becomes much less daunting, much less time-consuming, and generally healthier.

2. Stick with it; it gets easier

Remember when it was a battle to convince your 3-year-old to brush his teeth every night. But now he’s 10, and you don’t have to remind him anymore because it’s an automatic habit.

The point is, even brushing your teeth was once hard, but because you stuck with it, it turned into a habit you don’t battle every evening.

The same is true of creating healthy nutrition habits. Maybe eating protein in every meal feels like an effort right now, but sticking with it will make it easier. 

Because the thing is, it’s not eating healthy that’s hard. It’s breaking habits and behaviour change that’s the real challenge.

3. Focus on what you want more of, not less of

Deprivation diets are deadly. Because the moment you know you’re not allowed to have sugar or bread or alcohol, it’s all you can think about!

Flip the script and focus on what you want more of. For example, I want to eat protein with every meal, drink water with every meal and have five servings of vegetables daily. 

Then prioritize what you want more of first—put it on your plate first—and you might just find there isn’t much room in your stomach for that giant plate of pasta or that nightly post-dinner ice cream takedown on the couch. 

But most importantly, doing so will stop you from thinking about all the things you’re “not allowed” to eat and be generally more relaxed and content around food.

- Coach Emily