Below is some general nutrition tips to help you plan your daily nutritional needs effectively. For a more specific nutrition plan, please visit our goal section. Another useful tool to learn more about nutrition is the Body for Life book.

Meal Frequency
Many people believe that in order to lose weight they need to skip meals or starve themselves, but in reality not eating causes the body to store fat. When you starve yourself or restrict calorie intake, your body fights back by lowering your metabolic rate (the rate at which your body burns calories), sacrificing muscle tissue, and lowering your energy levels. This is all part of your body's built-in survival mechanism. However, by consuming five to six small balanced meals throughout the day that contain quality protein and carbohydrates— you may provide you body with the opportunity to:

· increase lean muscle which indirectly promotes fat loss since muscle burns calories to be maintained
· reduce stomach discomfort/indigestion through the consumption of smaller meals
· maintain more stable energy levels through regular feedings
· control appetite by having a regular supply of nutrients like protein and carbohydrates
· enhance you metabolic rate or the rate at which your body burns calories

Consuming 5-6 balanced meals per day (approx every 2 ½ - 3 hours) can be very challenging. In reality there aren’t many people who can keep track of their daily caloric intake for an extended period of time so as an alternative, we recommend counting portions. Ideally each of your six meals should contain one portion (size of the palm of your hand or clinched fist) of protein, and one portion of carbohydrates. For two meals per day add a portion of vegetables. For example choose a portion/palm size of chicken breast and a palm or fist sized potato and you have a meal (See food composition for recommended foods). By feeding your body more frequently (six times) throughout the day, you can avoid cravings, maintain more stable energy levels, provide your body with a constant supply of nutrients and maintain a healthy metabolism (the rate at which you burn calories).

Meal Timing
Try and consume each of your 5-6 approximately every 2 ½ - 3 hours. If your goal is fat loss, then we recommend conducting your cardio sessions on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. Since you have just undergone an eight hour fast, your body doesn’t have a lot of fuel in the tank, thus it becomes very efficient at utilising body fat as a fuel source. After your cardio session is complete we generally recommend waiting 46 – 60 minutes to consume a meal.

After a weight training session, try and eat almost immediately. Your ability to do this of coarse will vary depending on you schedule and other factors such as food/supplement availability, traveling time etc… Doing this will help to maximise your body’s ability to recover quicker from a training session.

Importance of Food/Nutrition
The food and nutrition that we consume is extremely important. It can have significant effects on

· athletic performance as well as your ability to gain lean muscle and lose body fat
· your everyday moods and emotions
· your impulse control, feelings, and behavior
· and your overall health and longevity

From this you can see, the food you eat becomes extremely important, especially for those who are trying to maintain or create a toned and healthy body.

Water Intake
Ideally drink at least 8-10 glasses of water each day. This does not include caffeinated beverages such as tea, coffee and some soft drinks. Furthermore, for every caffeinated beverage consumed, have an additional glass of water (as caffeine can be a diuretic and strip water from your body). And remember to go easy on the full cream milk and extra sugar.

Vegetarian Considerations
Being a vegetarian and trying to follow the portion of protein and carbohydrates in each meal strategy can be a little more challenging. Typically the biggest challenge is with choosing suitable protein sources. Therefore be thorough with meal planning to ensure you are consuming quality portions of protein with each meal and not proteins that may contain excess carbohydrates. For example, exchanging a portion of tuna with a portion of lentils for protein and consuming that with a recommended carbohydrate, such as kumera, would not be a recommended meal. While lentils contain some protein, they contain far too many carbohydrates to be eaten with a kumera. More suitable replacements for the vegetarians would be, low-carbohydrate proteins such as a portion of low-fat cottage cheese, tofu or egg whites. Also, keep in mind that nutritional supplements such as Myoplex Nutrition Shakes , Protein Powders (containing whey or soy), and Nutrition Bars  can be a very convenient means of supplying high quality and great tasting portions of protein.

Alcohol Consumption
Unfortunately alcoholic beverages tend to be very calorie dense (a staggering 7 calories per gram). When alcohol enters your blood stream, your liver must reduce or stop its metabolism of fats and carbohydrates as well as stop many of its other vital functions in order to process it. This dramatically interferes with your successful exercise program by causing a buildup of fat in your liver, a decrease in glycogen (fuel) formation in your liver and muscles, and an interference with vitamins and minerals that are all essential for energy production!
In addition, alcohol will stimulate your appetite (carbohydrate-sensitive people very often crave sweets when they drink), make it much harder to exercise, and act as a diuretic, causing you to lose precious water—all of which will sabotage your efforts to get lean and muscular.

It is recommended that alcohol consumption is limited to your free day, that is for one day in every seven days forget about counting portions and eat whatever you like. Ice cream, chocolate, pizza or whatever you desire. Call this day your free day. A great thing about the free day is that it can be used on days where you have a special event. For example you may have a wedding work function or something else that may inhibit you from staying on track. But remember only one free day per week.