HEALTH
l l i P d r a : w AH o l l a w S to d e e n e w o D ? s t n e m e l p Sup
By Jenna Stedman, MS, RD, LD Tactical Dietitian for O2X Human Performance
ONE SIMPLE FACT:
WE CAN GET ALL OF THE NUTRITION THAT WE REQUIRE FROM THE FOOD WE EAT. Eating mostly whole foods most of the time is a good idea when it comes to getting all the nutrients we need in our daily diet. Simply put: we should aim to make the best nutrition choices that we can and include a variety of foods from each food group. A balanced meal includes three food groups: protein, carbohydrates and fats. When building your plate to feature those food groups, keep in mind that choosing leaner protein options, such as turkey,
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fish, soy, chicken or beans more often than fattier protein choices is your best bet. Choosing whole grains, such as whole wheat bread or pasta, brown rice, quinoa or oats provides more nutrients than refined grains. Produce is an easy one to incorporate, because all fruits and vegetables support good health and provide a variety of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. Aiming for more of these whole foods will provide
more nutrients than ultra-processed foods. But there are certainly plenty of processed foods that can be part of a healthful nutrition pattern, such as breads, canned foods, frozen foods, juices, condiments or corn chips, to name just a few. The most important thing to remember is that there is no diet that is perfect for all human beings to follow, but there are patterns of eating that are more helpful than others.
WE DO NOT REQUIRE ANY SUPPLEMENTATION It is always more satisfying to eat a delicious meal than it is to take a pill, and there is no supplement that will ever truly replace food. That’s a big reason why almost all dietitians across varying specialties take a food-first approach in their nutrition recommendations. For all my supplement junkies out there, this is (groan alert) a hard pill to swallow. If we’re eating well, we don’t
