Hello, forum. I've been lurking 'round here since January in an attempt to gain a grasp on the fundamentals of nutrition and exercise and how to apply this knowledge to a happier, healthier lifestyle. Until this year, I had not a clue what was good for my body and why. I was eating fast food nearly every day. I drank nothing but soda throughout the day. I wasn't exercising at all aside from being on my feet all day at work. The product was lack of energy and a general absence of feeling well. I'm now 24 years old and doing all I can to get into great shape and stay that way. I have never had trouble with weight gain. I'm 5'9" and have been in the 145lb range for years. If anything, I would like to gain some lean muscle mass, but my priority is health, energy, and stamina.

My focus at the moment is on consuming a balanced diet comprised completely of healthy whole natural foods. In the past few months of doing so, I have experienced vast improvements in the way I feel. I drink a lot of skim milk and orange juice, eat a lot of fruit (primarily bananas), natural almonds, natural peanut butter, etc, and I do so several times throughout the day in small amounts. In doing so, I have developed a couple specific questions I came here in hopes of gaining knowledge around.


1) I read again and again how important water is to the body. Most sources recommend 6-8 cups a day. Being that I do drink a lot of liquids like orange juice, should I still aim for 6-8 cups of water, or does the water in juice count?

2) I don't eat much meat, because it's less practical for my lifestyle than other sources of protein. But these "other sources" are very limited. I don't like the idea of using supplements, because I have made a decision to eat only whole foods. I can drink enough skim milk in a day to get my daily alloted protein, and I quite like it. Should I have any concerns while doing this?

3) I eat a lot of fruit. It's my primary source of carbs any given day. There is a lot of contradictive argument around the subject of sugars. I consume very close to 0g of refined sugar. Should I be concerned about the amount of natural sugars I am taking in?


Thanks so much!
-Nolan Reed

1. the liquid in others foods counts towards your daily water intake, but there are some issues. It's real easy to lose track of your caloric intake when drinking beverages other than water and with juice you miss out on the fiber that you get by consuming the whole fruits.

2. While you won't necessarily run into any kind of a deficiency by getting your protein this way I would still recommend eating a variety of proteins. Tuna, turkey, chicken and lean red meat are all good sources and provide you with essential nutrients in addition to the protein. If you are a vegetarian, you can find all kinds of lists of healthy ways to get proteins on the internet through a simple google search.

3. If your sugars are coming into your body through whole fruit, don't worry about it. What you want to read about is the glycemic index. The glycemic index basically rates foods based on the effect they have on your blood sugar. Things like whole fruit contain fiber, which slows absorption and will cause a slow, steady rise in blood sugar. Sudden rises and falls in your blood sugar are the real concern with simple sugars. If you are getting these carbs through juice, make sure there isn't sugar added.

It sounds like you have a pretty good idea of what you're trying to do. Congratulations on deciding to live a healthier lifestyle. If you have any other questions, feel free to email me at pkington@gmail.com .

I've just realized I might need to limit my milk because of the sodium it contains.