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Rx Nutrition DVDs’ 5 Tips to Eating Right

RX Nutrition DVDThere is so much misinformation when it comes to nutrition. One day broccoli is the super food, the next it’s pomegranate. The next it’s some rain-forest cocktail drink. Then there’s the to-eat or not-to-eat carbs debate (for the record, we say eat!) and just how many calories should I eat? And should I count them?

Sigh. It’s exhausting, no? That’s why we’re always on the lookout for good nutrition resources that help simplify rather than complicate eating. While we always preach all things in moderation (especially wine and chocolate, hehe) and eating as many natural foods as possible, we’re always looking for credible, more detailed nutritional tips than just “eat what Mother Earth provides.” Because what to eat is one thing, but when to eat it? And what’s best for exercise? That’s a whole other ball of nutritional wax. (Now that sounded just gross.)

Oddly enough, the DVD set, Rx Nutrition: Eating for Improved Performance in Life, Fitness, and Sport arrived on my doorstep the same day that we were working on this post, which generated lots of “thank you for clearing this up” comments. Coincidence? I think not. Methinks ya’ll are hungry for nutrition info! And, honestly, I am, too. The stuff fascinates me.

The set includes three informational DVDs (it’s no workout DVD!), each one building on each other. The first DVD includes basic principles for eating for life, the second has more specific tips of what and when to eat, and the third includes detailed info on how to eat and train for endurance sports. Each section is only 30 minutes, which seems pretty silly to break them up on three separate DVDs, but whatever. I’m sure it’s marketing.

The series is led by Dr. Rick Kattouf II (now that’s a name), who is a certified triathlon coach, sports nutrition consultant and the founder of Team Kattouf, a coaching company in South Carolina. Rick is a little infomercial-host-y at times, but overall the DVDs—especially the first two—are pretty dang good.

The first DVD has an introduction to nutrition and is just plain awesome with solid, sane advice about eating mini meals and getting the right amount of food. The second DVD goes into further detail about caloric needs and choosing the “right” foods and not just “healthy” ones. (More on that later.)

The final DVD may actually be an infomercial. While it does have some great tips about how to fuel properly for endurance events and training, Coach Kattouf spends at least half of it “recommending” specific brands of protein powders and recovery drinks. So. Not. Cool. Especially when the rest is so good—why ruin it with what seems like a sales pitch? I don’t know that he is getting paid to promote the products, but it’s too fishy not to mention. Plus, it gets repetitive.

With that said, there still is A LOT of great info in the DVD set. And because I feel so strongly, here are five tips, straight from Dr. Rick Kattouf II’s mouth!

5 Tips to Eating Right

1. Mini-meal it! You’ve probably heard this before, but in order to keep your energy level up and your workouts spot on, you have to fuel regularly. Aim for five to six mini-meals a day. If this seems unreasonable, just try splitting up your lunch as a first step. Have the first half at your normal lunch time, and the second later that afternoon. You’ll be amazed at how much better that small tweak can make you feel—especially if you work out later in the day!

2. Always eat before your morning workout. If you get up and work out like I do, the last thing you probably feel like doing is eating before you head to the gym or hit the pavement running, right? But it’s so essential to fuel your body before you do a long exercise session. So make yourself have a little something, like half of a banana, before you head out to get your sweat on!

3. Eat after you work out. You’re probably not hungry after you come back from the gym, but be sure to refuel as soon as you can after exercise. Your muscles need the fuel to rebuild and repair! Coach Kattouf recommends a protein drink or smoothie after a good sweat session, as it gets nutrition into your body quickly and easily!

4. Drink up first thing. One of my fave tips from the DVDs is to hydrate early and often. The first thing you should do in the morning—before eating and working out but just after peeing—is drink 16 ounces of cold water. When you wake up, your body is pretty much dehydrated from the night of sleep. Water helps to get your metabolism firing, improves energy levels and helps that brain function better. It’s how you start your day off right from the get-go. And if you’re a coffee drinker, this is especially important as coffee can further dehydrate you, so you really need that H2O.

5. Healthy doesn’t always equal “right.” Sure, yogurt and fruit are healthy, but when you eat the same thing every day or never have any protein or fat, you’re not doing your body as much good as you could. Make sure that your mini-meals have some carbs, protein and fat in them, and try to eat a variety of foods to make sure that you’re getting all your nutrients and vitamins.

Ladies, this stuff really does work! Skipping meals and cutting calories drastically just saps your energy. Eat regularly with the right foods, and you’ll set yourself up for some serious fit bottomed happiness! —Jenn

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