For many, weight loss (and health in general) is about reducing the number of calories they consume. The food they eat doesn’t matter. All that matters is the amount of food they eat. This approach is like being content with filling your nice new car up with unleaded 91 and thinking that it’s going to remain in peak condition.

I’ve had this conversation with so many people. Being healthy isn’t about continuing to eat cheap foods that fills you up, or only being concerned with how much you eat. That mindset is so 1980’s. Being healthy is about spending just that little bit more money, and putting in good quality fuel, just like unleaded 95, or even better, unleaded 98.

You wouldn’t put cheap fuel in a Ferrari. Your body is the only one you’ll get. Fuel it like a Ferrari.

Food is so much more than just energy. Yes, it is that, but it is also so much more! Good quality food is all about the nutrients. It’s the nutrients in foods that allow for cellular maintenance and growth. When it comes to eating, don’t just look for food that delivers you energy; look for food that also delivers you vitamins and minerals.

How to Fuel Yourself Like a Ferrari

• Drink enough water
  While this article is about food, water is also considered a nutrient because it is required in amounts that exceed the body’s ability to produce it. And because all biochemical reactions occur in water, it’s extremely important. Without it, all other nutrients are practically useless.
• Eat your water 
  Often when we think about hydration, we think about drinking water. But consuming water through the foods you eat is a great way to increase your hydration levels and get more water into your body. Foods that are high in water content include vegetables and fruits such as lettuce, cucumber, zucchini, watermelon, strawberries, peaches, tomatoes, beetroot, carrot, celery and oranges.
• Scrap the nutrient-poor food 
  The nutrient-poor food I refer to is food which gives you energy, but little else. Hence, it is low in nutrients. These foods include breads and pastas. They give your meal substance and fill you up, but that’s about it.
• Eat nutrient-dense food
  Nutrient-dense foods are those which give you energy, but also a range of vitamins and minerals. Don’t just think of macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fat), think micronutrients too. These foods include pretty much any vegetable, as well as high-quality proteins such as fish, chicken, eggs and red meat.
• Eat good quality nutrient dense food 
  To take your fuel to the next level, it’s more than just the type of foods you eat. Eating loads of fruits, vegetables, high-quality protein and healthy fats is great, but if those foods are tarnished, they’ll lose their benefit. To ensure your food is of the highest quality, only fuel your body with foods that are organic, wild-caught or free-range, and processed as minimally as possible.

Parallels can be drawn between fuelling your body and your car. I believe far too many people fuel their body with cheap, poor-quality fuel, considering that food is nothing more than basic energy, with the purpose being to simply get you from A to B. I believe if everyone fuelled their body with the more expensive, higher-quality fuel that is organic fruits and vegetables, high-quality protein and healthy fats, they would have so much more energy to do the things that they want to do. Plus, they’d feel amazing.

I can speak from experience. When I changed my diet, I gained so much more energy, mental clarity and my overall happiness increased.

Your body is the only “vehicle” you’ll get. You can’t go and buy another one when this one runs out. Look after it and fill it with the highest quality fuel you can get!

How do you fuel your body?

[Image source: GE Science]

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