Meal Plans, Diet Sodas, & Flavored Water

From the man who told you how much coffee you can drink (see last Saturday's newsletter), comes a new system to help you outline your nutrition. It's called Meal Plans 101.

Dr. Christopher Mohr, PhD RD is a consultant to a number of media outlets and corporations including Discovery Health Channel, Clif Bar, and Fit Fuel. Through his company Mohr Results, Inc., he works with all types of individuals from soccer moms to collegiate and professional athletes. 

He's even been on the Montel Williams Show and helped LL Cool J with his new workout book!

Chris, along with Jayson Hunter, a registered dietician, recently created Meal Plans 101, an easy-to-use software program that allows anyone to create simple, yet effective meal plans with the most up to date formulas.

No matter how you plan your meals, Chris is giving us some helpful nutrition tips today... 

CB: Chris, there are a few major hurdles that busy men and women have in terms of sticking to a meal plan. First, the biggest problem is getting protein on the run. What are your best recommendations for portable, high-protein snacks?

CM:  
I've looked into this myself, Craig, as I travel a lot. I love mixed walnuts and almonds, the tuna and salmon pouches that don't need a can opener or to be drained, jerky, and, my newest favorite product---salmon jerky (www.wildrivergrilling.com).  

I gotta' be honest, I was a bit hesitant thinking about what salmon jerky would taste like, but it's great and it packs a nice dose of healthy fats and protein to boot. Then you always have to have your standard meal replacement powders where you just add water and you're all set.


CB: I bet that salmon jerky tastes better than it sounds. Chris, how many servings of fruits and vegetables do you recommend per day? And how can the 2-hour commuting, 10 hour working, parent of young children get these servings in each day?

CM:
The 2005 Dietary Guidelines suggest 5-13 servings/day, depending on your calorie intake.  

There is a ton of data supporting their intake too--the more you eat, the better you'll be and data show decreases in body weight, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimers, diabetes--you name it.  

On average, though, we're way below the recommendation eating around 3 servings each day. The key is to plan ahead. If you're flying by the seat of your pants trying to "find" fruits and vegetables, it's not going to happen. 

Throw some veggies in an omelet, blend fruit into your protein shakes, mix some with your yogurt, pack fruit or vegetable sticks with meals instead of chips, crackers, cookies, etc.  

A piece of fruit isn't any more difficult to eat than a junky snack, it just takes a little more planning---you need to buy it first, so you have access, then you need to do what it takes to make it a regular part of your day. Every single meal should be colorful, meaning offering different fruits and vegetables.


CB: Personally, my daily F&V intake is

• 2-3 apples
• 1 pepper
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 2 cups broccoli (often more)
• 1 cup spinach
• 1/4 cup mushrooms
• 1/2 tomato
• 2 oranges
• 1 grapefruit
• 1 bunch of asparagus

I've probably forgotten something, but the point is, there are a lot of fruits and vegetables out there - so get them into your diet.

Now we know that soda and juice are out, as far as fat loss goes. But water is too plain for many, so what are some solutions to getting adequate fluids each day? Are flavored waters okay, or are they filled with evil chemicals? 

What about Crystal Light? And are diet sodas going to give us brain cancer? (Oh, and by the way, how much fluid should we get anyways?)

CM:
I'm OK with flavored waters. There are folks at opposite ends of the spectrum with artificial sweeteners--they'll either kill you, or you can live off them. A little bit is fine.  

You can also flavor water naturally by squeezing in some lemon, lime, or orange, or even slicing in some cucumber (visit most spas and this is common).  

Rather than Crystal Light, I would suggest Lipton to Go packets--same idea, but at least you're getting some nutrients here.  

A simple rule of thumb is consuming 1 L of fluid for every 1000 calories you eat...even more simple, if your urine looks like apple juice, drink more and if it's like pale lemonade, you're good to go.

CB: Thanks Chris. How important is it to plan your meals when you are trying to lose fat?

CM:
Do you balance your checkbook or at least look at the internet to see what's in your account?  I hope so, or you're going to be in the red zone all too often because you're GUESSING and not planning.  

Guessing your way to success is like driving to an unknown location and guessing your way there. Sure, you might arrive at your destination (e.g., reach your goal), but if you had directions along the way, the process would be much quicker.  

Meal Plans 101 is the direction you need to lose more fat.  If you want to lose fat, do you have a plan to get there aside from "eat less"?  It's crazy not to plan your nutrition because otherwise you have no idea what's working or what's not.  

I often hear that people know what to do to lose fat---then my question, why do you need to lose weight if you know what to do and don't need direction. Meal Plans 101 takes all the guesswork out of it--Meal Plans 101 provide the directions for you.

You have to have your own motivation to lose weight. We can't give you that. But Meal Plans 101 does all the annoying calculations and tedious "stuff" that takes time, but helps you reach your goals much more quickly.

CB: Thanks Chris, for clearing up so much nutrition confusion regarding water, coffee, and meal planning.

For the past year, I've trusted Dr. Chris Mohr with handling the Nutrition Guidelines for my best-selling fat loss program because when it comes to getting results, I have no choice but to go with the best. That's why I chose Chris.

And now that he and Jayson have put together MealPlans101, I now have another top-notch resource to use with clients. This ensures that my fat loss program will stay at the top of the fitness game, because it is powered by research-backed, experience-proven nutrition help.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training
Men's Health Contributor 

Click HERE to get the Meal Plans 101 program delivered to you by download or directly to your door as a CD