Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition! I’ve had several questions about doing a nutrition challenge in the gym and I love that everyone wants to get on board with what they put into their bodies! I’ve been a part of several nutritional challenges over the years by either participating in or supporting, and I loved a lot about most of them. However, there was a consistency I found in most, that I do not particularly like. When the challenge is over, it’s over. Most of the time, people fall back into the habits that steered them towards doing it in the first place, myself included. How many of us binge on the foods we stayed away from after the Whole30? Or find ourselves “bending” the rules of a paleo challenge when you’re half way through? Technically, those cookies are paleo right!?
When people challenge themselves to change their nutritional habits, I don’t want them to feel like a failure if they slip up. You ate that scoop of ice cream on a Friday night? So what! That doesn’t negate the past two weeks of you food prepping healthful meals! You will not all of the sudden put back on those 5 lbs you’ve lost. You ate it, you enjoyed it, and you move on. So what’s a challenge that can continue for a lifetime, instead of just 30 days or two months? Eating more fruits and veggies...any and all of them!
We are going to put a lot more focus on what should be on your plate instead of what should not with The 800g Challenge! Here’s the deal in a nutshell: eat 800g worth of fruit and veggies per day. It really is that simple! There is all sorts of information out there regarding all the different diets, making it difficult to know what you should and should not believe. One thing that has remained consistent throughout the years is, the consumption of fruits and vegetables is darn good for your health. Benefits of eating fruit and vegetables include reducing the risk of cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular disease... stuff you already know. As a bonus, if you’re consuming a few more fruits and veggies, you’ll probably have less room to eat the foods you're trying to stay away from.
What counts? Raw, cooked, canned, or frozen fruits and vegetables (including beans) - if you can weigh it as stand alone fruits and veggies, you can count it! You choose high carb, low carb, a color group, a rainbow of colors - you see what I’m getting at here? It really is just getting in as more vegetables and fruits. I’ve been trying this myself for the past few weeks, and it actually took me some days to hit 800g, but, I love a challenge that says “eat more,” and I was really excited to eat fruit and veggies. Hopefully you guys will have as much fun with this as I did! For more information, google: 800g challenge there’s a ton of info out there, talk to me, or check out the pics below! In the case you do not have a food scale, or are out and about and don’t carry one with you (at least I hope you don’t), here’s a little tip:
1 cup of many fruits and vegetables is ~100g, except leafy greens, these are about ~25g per cup. A closed fist is about the size of a cup. If it’s something pretty heavy and dense (grapes, potatoes, etc), it’s most likely closer to 160g per cup. Who’s ready to EAT!?
