Eating for Nutrients: Healthiest Diet for Omnivore and Vegetarians

 

 

Eating for Nutrients: Healthiest Diet for Omnivore and Vegetarians 

Looking and feeling your best involves embracing a healthy diet, and that's when the Nutrient Zone Diet (NZone) comes into play. The NZone philosophy and method of eating prioritize abundance and variety over scarcity, restrictions, or sacrifice. We get it – eating is a vital part of life, and it should be enjoyable. NZone is here to guide you on effortless and delightful ways to eat healthily, offering a spectrum of options from both animal and plant sources. The NZone will make this wellness journey a delicious one. 

Approximately 95% of Americans are omnivores and only 5% are vegan or vegetarian. However, more and more scientific studies indicate that consuming plant-derived food instead of animal derived food may be superior for your appearance and health. It is also far less taxing on the environment. The 2019 film Game Changers presents a very captivating and compelling case for the benefits of transitioning from animal to plant-based food. It includes interviews with doctors, strength athletes, Olympic medalists, professional athletes and ordinary people discussing their dramatic improvements in health and performance after eliminating animal-derived foods. An amusing and revealing experiment with three young NFL players on plant versus animal protein benefits on improving blood flow to their penises will get your attention. 

 If you are one of the 95% who eat meat, chicken, fish, eggs, or dairy, you probably like these foods and are familiar with how to prepare them. The thought of learning a new way to eat may seem daunting, even if you believe it’s a smart move. We understand and are not suggesting you become vegan or vegetarian. The NZone program is designed to be the healthiest and most practical diet whether you consume animal or plant derived food. However, because the benefits of cutting back on animal derived food can be substantial, we suggest phasing in some plant-based protein into your meals if not doing so already. You will be pleasantly surprised to find how delicious super healthy plant derived protein can taste.      

Before we get into the specific nutritional recommendations for achieving your goals, understand that your body chemistry is unique, complex, and subject to change. Factors including genetics, hormone levels, organ function, digestive enzyme levels, infections, inflammation, stress, attitude, sleep, lifestyle and nutritional habits have a direct impact on the quality of your health  The NZone program, with the proper modifications for diagnosed medical conditions, is highly beneficial and compatible for most people. In the rare instance you experience a negative reaction from any particular food item, simply cut it from your diet for a week or two and see if it makes a difference in how you feel. Before starting any nutrition program it is a good idea to check with your doctor, especially if you have a medical issue like food allergies, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, or are diabetic.

Below we present the NZone recommended foods and cover any known controversy regarding them. All recommended foods have a history of providing nutritional and healthy benefits for most and have no conclusive scientific evidence against consuming them in moderation. 

The NZone will show you the way to comfortably transition in a month or two from whatever you have been eating to what you will want to be eating. It contains options for omnivore, vegans and vegetarians. NZone is full of healthy and delicious nutrients including vegetables, fruit and healthy fats like those found in salmon, avocados and nuts. It calls for plenty of protein from fish and chicken and/or non-animal sources and moderate amounts from beef, pork and lamb. It includes moderate amounts of saturated fats like eggs, butter and cheese, moderate amounts of complex grain carbohydrates and very limited sugar and refined carbs. The NZone is designed to be a permanent way of eating and not a short-term diet. It will help prevent disease, slow the aging process, improve energy levels, mental acuity*, mood and sex drive. Coupling it with a simple resistance exercise program, it will help build lean muscle, maintain hormone levels, bone density and it will keep you looking awesome.

 

Eating for Nutrients 

Eating for nutrients is the cornerstone of unique NZone strategy. 

Key Points: 

• You will eat lots of delicious and nutrient rich foods which will help you look and feel better and simultaneously block cravings and the eating of unhealthy foods. 
• You will beat hunger to the punch. You will eat frequently throughout the day before you get uncomfortably hungry. As a result you will seldom overeat. 
• As your body gets the nutrients it really needs, you will gradually and naturally cut back on less nutritious foods. How quickly and completely you make the transition depends on how closely you follow the diet. 

Epic: ‘‘The more healthy food you eat the less unhealthy food you eat’’.

If you have frequently been eating foods high in sugar, salt, butter and cream, you will be pleasantly surprised to find that as you transition away from eating large amounts of these items, healthier foods will begin tasting better and better. Fresh fruit like blueberries will start tasting sweet as candy and will require no added sugar. Sweet potatoes will not need butter or sour cream to be delicious. You may actually develop an aversion to foods loaded with salt, sugar, butter and cream, much like former smokers develop an aversion to cigarette smoke.         

Here is how NZone looks at food and invites you to: 

- Healthy food is a source of nutrients to keep us looking and feeling great so we want to consume lots of healthy food every day.  

- Unhealthy food contains substances that weaken and age our bodies and should be avoided as much as possible. 

- Food is a source of energy to keep us moving through life pursuing our goals and having fun. Healthy food does a far better job of maintaining our energy levels than unhealthy food.   

- Food is an important element of personal comfort and social bonding so it should be delicious as well as nutritious.   

NZone consists of up to 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. It is designed to load you up with relatively low calorie nutrients and rid you of cravings for unhealthy and fattening foods.   

To be clear, eating numerous small meals and snacks throughout the day is not necessary for a successful nutrition program. In fact, there can be health and fat loss benefits for some people by skipping meals, but that's a topic for another day.

 The reasons for eating throughout the day are; 

It is an excellent way to ensure obtaining enough nutrients. 

You will never get uncomfortably hungry so overeating is minimized. 

Many people like to snack so healthy snacks provide nutrients as well as blocking junk food snacking.  

 The basics of healthy eating start with knowing what to eat and what not to. NZone classifies food into 3 simple categories: 

HFood - Healthy foods to eat abundantly every day.  

OFood - Foods that have both healthy and less healthy characteristics and should be eaten occasionally. For example; nut butters are healthy for most but very high in calories. 

UFood - Unhealthy foods to avoid as much as possible.  

The NZone eating strategy supplies your body with what it really needs and allows you some "goodies" regularly. As you eat more and more nutrient and fiber dense HFood, cravings for UFood will gradually diminish and you will naturally cut back on it. Fortunately, many HFoods are relatively low in calories so you can eat lots without concern. Have you ever heard of someone getting fat from eating too many vegetables, whole grains, fresh fruit and lean protein? 

How to Eat Healthier 

To obtain your appearance and fitness goals it is important to know: 

-  Which foods to eat and which to avoid. 

- How much of each type of food to eat.  

- When to eat.  

- Food eating sequence.  

- Healthy, tasty and easy ways to prepare food. 

- How to plan ahead, avoid temptations and eliminate cravings. 

Above all, keep our basic eating strategy in mind; 

-  Eat HFood often and in abundance. 

-  Eat OFood occasionally.  

-  Avoid UFood as much as possible and eat it only after eating HFood & OFood.  

In this article we presented an overview of the NZone Nutrition Program. For the complete NZone Diet get a copy of our best selling book, “The Hot Body Handbook.” In addition to learning the details of proper nutrition you will also learn how to avoid hormone disruptors and how to keep your body looking great with only 20 minute workouts twice a week.