Hello, forum. I've been lurking 'round here since January in an attempt to gain a grasp on the fundamentals of nutrition and exercise and how to apply this knowledge to a happier, healthier lifestyle. Until this year, I had not a clue what was good for my body and why. I was eating fast food nearly every day. I drank nothing but soda throughout the day. I wasn't exercising at all aside from being on my feet all day at work. The product was lack of energy and a general absence of feeling well. I'm now 24 years old and doing all I can to get into great shape and stay that way. I have never had trouble with weight gain. I'm 5'9" and have been in the 145lb range for years. If anything, I would like to gain some lean muscle mass, but my priority is health, energy, and stamina.
My focus at the moment is on consuming a balanced diet comprised completely of healthy whole natural foods. In the past few months of doing so, I have experienced vast improvements in the way I feel. I drink a lot of skim milk and orange juice, eat a lot of fruit (primarily bananas), natural almonds, natural peanut butter, etc, and I do so several times throughout the day in small amounts. In doing so, I have developed a couple specific questions I came here in hopes of gaining knowledge around.
1) I read again and again how important water is to the body. Most sources recommend 6-8 cups a day. Being that I do drink a lot of liquids like orange juice, should I still aim for 6-8 cups of water, or does the water in juice count?
2) I don't eat much meat, because it's less practical for my lifestyle than other sources of protein. But these "other sources" are very limited. I don't like the idea of using supplements, because I have made a decision to eat only whole foods. I can drink enough skim milk in a day to get my daily alloted protein, and I quite like it. Should I have any concerns while doing this?
3) I eat a lot of fruit. It's my primary source of carbs any given day. There is a lot of contradictive argument around the subject of sugars. I consume very close to 0g of refined sugar. Should I be concerned about the amount of natural sugars I am taking in?
Thanks so much!
-Nolan Reed
My focus at the moment is on consuming a balanced diet comprised completely of healthy whole natural foods. In the past few months of doing so, I have experienced vast improvements in the way I feel. I drink a lot of skim milk and orange juice, eat a lot of fruit (primarily bananas), natural almonds, natural peanut butter, etc, and I do so several times throughout the day in small amounts. In doing so, I have developed a couple specific questions I came here in hopes of gaining knowledge around.
1) I read again and again how important water is to the body. Most sources recommend 6-8 cups a day. Being that I do drink a lot of liquids like orange juice, should I still aim for 6-8 cups of water, or does the water in juice count?
2) I don't eat much meat, because it's less practical for my lifestyle than other sources of protein. But these "other sources" are very limited. I don't like the idea of using supplements, because I have made a decision to eat only whole foods. I can drink enough skim milk in a day to get my daily alloted protein, and I quite like it. Should I have any concerns while doing this?
3) I eat a lot of fruit. It's my primary source of carbs any given day. There is a lot of contradictive argument around the subject of sugars. I consume very close to 0g of refined sugar. Should I be concerned about the amount of natural sugars I am taking in?
Thanks so much!
-Nolan Reed