So you are at home. All. The. Time. Have you noticed that your nutrition decisions are getting a little bit harder? I know for myself that chocolate covered almonds are consistently calling my name. How should a person handle this?
Start thinking less about food being “good” or “bad.” Instead, think about food as being more, or less, nutrient-dense – the goal, of course, is to eat a high percentage of the nutrient-dense options. In an ideal world, we would all eat 100% whole foods, with high nutritional value, and feel and look amazing. The outcome sounds appealing, right? The process of getting there… not so much. That is why there is the “Good, Better, Best” system.
Let’s create a visual of what this looks like for you. On your kitchen counter, you have three food items lined up:
- Chocolate covered almonds
- Sour key candies
- Almonds
If you know the caloric value of almonds, you know they are very calorie-dense. So if you are looking at high-calorie food as being “bad”, you may pick the chocolate covered almonds as being the best. But we know it doesn’t just come down to calories. In this case, the cup of almonds would be your best option for the day, as they would have the highest nutrient value. Now you could argue that maybe the chocolate is really dark cacao – so basically it is a superfood 🙂 – and that might fall into the “better” category of the good-better-best scale.
Good– Sour key candies (only good because they taste good and you might enjoy that experience)
Better– Chocolate covered almonds (some value in the almonds)
Best– Almonds (quality, whole food choice!)
So, for example, if you chose the chocolate covered almonds for the day, you would have made a better decision than sour key candies. Your best option would, however, would have been the almonds. That makes things a little easier right? We are constantly bombarded with the “NUMBER ONE BEST DIET!!!” but when it comes down to it, the best diet is the one that can help you eat nutrient-dense, whole foods, consistently and sustainably. How you get there is to build good habits and mindset around food. That is the secret. Boring I know…
We have a powerhouse nutrition program if you need help. Our coaches help you understand habits and methods to get you eating nutrient-dense whole foods and making sure not to overwhelm you in the process. The Good-Better-Best is only one method that can help you reach your fitness and health goals. Give us a call if you want some guidance on this! We would be happy to chat for FREE. Simply click the link below and let us do the rest 🙂