Whats Your Nutrition IQ?

The clients that I have had who have had the best long term success are the ones who take an active interest in educating themselves about nutrition and fitness. Since March is National Nutrition Month, this is a great time to talk about the importance of what I like to refer as your nutrition IQ. In order for someone to make a body transformation, they are going to have to change their daily habits, and I think that it is important to have a basic understanding of why your are eating what you are eating. The more knowledgeable you are when it comes to nutrition, the more likely you will be to make better choices, especially when you are eating out. In a given week I often receive many emails, newspaper articles, and magazine articles from clients who have been doing their reading. It is no coincidence that these are often the clients who are the most successful with their body transformations. I think the old saying that "if you give a man a fish you feed him for a day, but if you teach him how to fish then you will feed him for a lifetime," is true. One of the most common questions I get is for meal plans where I tell people exactly what to eat. I have found that for most people these do not work, because most people do not know how to make proper substitutions if they do not have the food on the meal plan. This all goes back to your nutrition IQ. If you really want to make changes in your habits then do your research.

So how do you increase your nutrition IQ?

Find books, websites, or any other materials that have nutrition information and begin to do your research. As you read through the various materials you will find a lot of conflicting information, but once you have read enough you will find common themes among all the different sources. It is these common themes where most people will gain a better understanding of nutrition.

The other great way to increase your nutrition IQ is to find a mentor, or others who have made successful transformations and ask questions. Just remember that success leaves clues, and if you can find the common themes in the people who have been successful then you will be on your way.