Chapter 7: Nutrition Basics 99
So, start your engines in the morning with a good breakfast — plenty of
complex carbohydrates with an accent of protein and a dash of fat. A good
example: hot oatmeal with skim milk, half a banana, walnuts, and a glass of
orange juice. Then graze through the day, eating up to six small meals, aiming
for a mix of carbs and protein each time — the combination will keep you
satisfied longer than carbs alone. Eating breakfast can boost your metabolism
25 percent for the day!Drink Lots and Lots of Fluids .......................................................................
Staying hydrated isn’t just important for when you work out. More than 75
percent of your body is made up of water — even bone is more than 20 per-
cent water. When you don’t drink enough water, your blood doesn’t flow
properly, and your digestive track doesn’t run smoothly. New research even
suggests that drinking plenty of water can reduce the risk of breast, colon,
and urinary tract cancers.You’ve probably heard that you need to drink 8 glasses of water a day — 9 to
13 if you exercise. Here’s where that number comes from: You typically lose
about 10 cups of water per day — 2 cups to sweating and evaporation, 2 cups
to breathing, and 6 cups to waste removal. You can replace up to 2 cups
through the water in the foods you eat, but you have to make up the remain-
ing 8 cups by drinking fluids, water being the best choice.Recent research suggests that you need a much higher fluid intake, from 3 to
6 quartsper day (and because there are 4 cups in a quart, that’s 12 to 24 cups
per day). The low end is if you’re eating lots of fruits and vegetables (and you
are, aren’t you?), because those foods are high in fluids. The high end is if
you’re working out for many hours per day, in hot weather (which we, inci-
dentally, don’t recommend). Your fluid intake can come from many sources,
as outlined in the following list:Water: Good old-fashioned water is far and away the best way to get your
fluids. Water is critical for proper functioning of your organs, so you
want to get the majority of your fluids by drinking water. Keep a water
bottle with you at all times: on your desk, in your purse, and in your car.If you don’t like the taste of water, you may have substances in your
water that create an off-taste. Note, however, that most bottled water is
just a bottled version of whatever’s in your tap, so you need to decide
whether it’s worth the extra expense. You can try filtering your water:
Brita and other companies make low-cost filter systems that attach to
your kitchen or bathroom faucet. If you’re still not thrilled with the taste
of water, trying squeezing a slice of lemon into each glass.