The definition of nutrition in Webster’s Dictionary reflects this important connection between diet and digestion. Webster’s defines nutrition as the sum of the processes by which an animal or plant takes in and utilizes food substances. This definition includes the processes of assimilating food and converting it into tissue. To talk about nutrition without even mentioning the digestive processes of absorption, assimilation, and conversion is incomplete at best. As we shall see, advising people what to eat without educating them on how to properly digest that food can actually be harmful to their health. At the very least, such advice misleads well-motivated people into thinking that only choosing the right foods ends their personal responsibilities in their pursuit of optimal nourishment for their bodies.

Your saturated fat should come from your animal products and you can even toss in some butter or coconut oil for cooking. Your monounsaturated fat should come from mixed nuts, olives, and olive oil. And your polyunsaturated fat should from flaxseed oil, fish oil, and mixed nuts.

The meals contained in this book offer a good variety of healthy fats. To understand more about fats, check out the Swimming Up Stream – Fish Oil Boosts Metabolism; Don’t Spoil Your Oil; and The Alpha and the Omega of Fats sections of the site

6. Ditch the calorie containing drinks (including fruit juice).
In fact, all of your drinks should come from non-calorie containing beverages. Fruit juice, alcoholic drinks, and sodas – these are all to be removed from your daily fare. Your absolute best choices are water and green tea.

7. Focus on whole foods.
Most of your dietary intake should come from whole foods. There are a few times when supplement drinks and shakes are useful (we’ll discuss them later in the book). But most of the time, you’ll do best with whole, largely unprocessed foods.

8. Have 10% foods.
I know you cringed at a few of the rules above – perhaps #6 in particular. But here’s a bit of a reprieve. 10% foods are foods that don’t necessarily follow the rules above – but foods you’re still allowed to eat (or drink) 10% of the time.

100% nutritional discipline is never required for optimal progress. The difference, in results, between 90% adherence to your nutrition program and 100% adherence is negligible.

Just make sure you do the math and determine what 10% of the time really means. For example, if you’re eating 6 meals per day for 7 days of the week – that’s 42 meals. 10% of 42 is about 4. Therefore you’re allowed to “break the rules” 4 meals each week.

9. Develop food preparation strategies.
The hardest part about eating well is making sure you can follow the 8 rules above consistently.

We’ll teach you strategies for doing this throughout the book. Our sections – Let Me Buy You Dinner –
Choosing Healthy Restaurants; Have Others Cook For You – Food Preparation Services; Meal Preparation
Strategies – The Breakfast and Sunday Rituals; and Food Support Systems – Easy Food Storage and
Carrying will be particularly helpful.

10. Balance daily food choices with healthy variety.
Let’s face it; during the week –when you’re busy – you’re not going to be spending a ton of time whipping up gourmet meals. During these times you’re going to need a set of tasty, easy to make foods that you can eat day in and day out. However, once every day or a few times a week – you need to eat something different – something unique.