Beautiful Badass Nutrition Principles

by Nia Shanks | Follow her on Twitter here

You read about My Battle with Disordered Eating. If you haven’t yet, I recommend you do because it will provide insight into the following nutrition information.

After that article you were presented with the Beautiful Badass Strength Training Principles. Yep. You should read that one, too.

Many of my current nutrition principles developed in response to that experience, and primarily out of necessity to heal my relationship with food and to keep myself from tail-spinning back into disordered eating patterns.

Because someone will inevitably argue with my guidelines, allow me to start this off with a disclaimer – the following information may not be appropriate for everyone. Just because it works for me and the vast majority of my clients does not mean it’s the best option for you.

I don’t believe any nutrition method is the end-all and be-all for everyone, and my guidelines are no different. I truly wish there was one simple fix for people with bad food relationships, or a single set of nutrition principles that worked easily and flawlessly for everyone, but that’s just not the case.

The main goal of the Beautiful Badass Nutrition Principles is to keep them as Sane and Simple as possible.

Nutrition Goals

The nutrition goals are simple and straight forward.

–Strip down the nutrition guidelines to the bare essentials
–Have built in flexibility
–Follow guidelines that ENHANCE your life and don’t force you to revolve your life around them
–Be able to build the body you want and maintain it with ease (lifestyle approach vs quick fix)
–Ultimately ditch dieting and OCD eating habits for good (This is the cornerstone of Sane and Simple Nutrition)

I don’t know about you, but I want to eat in a way that keeps my body healthy and performing at it’s best. I also want to regain my sanity from all of the crazy information and I certainly don’t want to spend more time than necessary thinking about food. Beyond that, I definitely want to look good too.

I also want to be able to enjoy favorite foods like ice cream and pizza and other not-so-healthy foods without being riddled with guilt afterwards.

Let’s discuss what you should and shouldn’t focus on to achieve those goals.

What Not to Focus On

Here’s what you should not focus on:

–Don’t count calories
–Don’t worry about eating X number of meals per day
–Don’t have “forbidden” or “off-limit” foods (unless you have an allergy, but hopefully that’s common sense)
–Don’t berate yourself for eating not-so-healthy-foods. Indulging in a few pieces of pizza won’t ruin your results overnight just like a day of eating “perfectly” won’t cause you to wake up a lot leaner the following morning. If you’re gonna indulge in a favorite food, enjoy it guilt free.
–Don’t have “cheat meals” or “cheat days”. Find out why here: The Dark Side of Cheat Days.

The reason for not doing the things above is to avoid OCD eating habits. Remember, our goal is to keep everything sane and simple.

Why am I so adamant about you keeping things super simple? You’ll know why when you discover My Biggest Nutrition Mistake.

What To Focus On

Here’s what you should focus on:

–First and foremost: eat primarily real food for the majority of meals (90-ish percent of the time). What qualifies as real food? If it can rot or spoil fairly easily, then it’s most likely real food (meat, eggs, veggies, fruits, nuts). Seriously, just apply some common sense here and you’ll be okay. It ain’t that complicated. You know a bowl of strawberries is real food and that a strawberry flavored poptart is not.
–Eat when you’re hungry and stop when satisfied (but not stuffed). Don’t be afraid of food. Listen to your body and eat when you’re hungry but stop when you’re satisfied. You don’t need to completely stuff yourself because you’ll be able to eat next time your truly hungry.
–Enjoy your 10% absolutely guilt free. The first tip was to eat primarily real food about 90% of the time. When and what you eat for your 10% is up to you. I suggest eating the foods you really love and crave for your 10%, and eat them absolutely guilt free. I mean it!.
–Have some go-to meals. Have a list of easy to prepare, tasty meals you can make when you’re short on time or don’t feel like trying a new recipe. I’ve got a bunch of go-to meals and use them frequently.
–Enjoy the food you eat. No matter what you eat, enjoy it. Cook foods that are delicious and enjoy everything. Food is NOT the enemy, so don’t treat it like one.

What about Intermittent Fasting?

First, you can find more information about the IF methods I’ve used in Three Methods of Intermittent Fasting.

I get it — IF is all the rage right now and everyone has a different approach. So, is intermittent fasting, in any form, right for everyone?

No. Nothing is.

But for some people using a form of intermittent fasting is a terrific way to simplify their eating habits. I’m all for simplifying things as much as possible, and for some people using IF does just that.

If you like it, use it. If you hate it, then don’t. It really is that simple.

Random Tips and Information

–Be very cautious of fad and popular diets. It’s easy to get caught up in the “next big thing”, but make sure you do what works for you, allows you to achieve your goals, and doesn’t cause unnecessary stress.

–Don’t demonize any food or entire food groups (unless you have an allergy or problem with certain foods/food groups; again . . . duh). For some people, going Paleo, primal, or following some other specific diet that excludes food groups may work for them. Personally, if I have to put certain foods or food groups entirely off limits, I have problems. I enjoy practically every food group — I just try to eat foods that are in their natural state. For example, with grains I usually eat oats or sprouted grain breads. I like ‘em, so I’m gonna eat ‘em.

–When you slip up or eat too much you need to accept it and move on. Don’t beat yourself up for slip ups. In reality, it’s no big deal. Just like one whole day of “eating clean and perfect” won’t cause you to wake up drastically leaner the next morning, indulging in pizza once a week won’t cause you to pile on body fat overnight either. Do your best to keep things in perspective and realize there are far more important things in my life than feeling guilty about eating too many pieces of pizza.

Simplify!

If you’re ready to take the Sane and Simple approach to nutrition, welcome aboard!

You’ll regain your sanity from the surplus of conflicting information and build a better body without unnecessary stress and frustration.

All you need to do is APPLY the information above. Start by eating real food most of the time. Listen to your body and eat when you’re hungry. Don’t have “forbidden” foods and eat your favorite foods when your truly crave them.

And, more importantly — take a deep breath and relax.

Loving this info? Sign up for the exclusive Beautiful Badass Mini-Course to discover the sane and simple way to build a better body. You’ll also receive insider only information. Just enter your email below and click “Sign Me Up”.

Rachel

Nia,

I understand your reluctance to share this, but I'm so very glad you did. I'm someone who is battling disordered eating right now and you sharing your victory (plus tips) is something that is tremendously helpful to me. Even if your principles aren't the ones that work for me, knowing that I can overcome my orthorexia means so, so much.

Thank you!

-Rachel S.
http://www.beautifulbadass.com Nia Shanks

Thank you for the positive feedback, and I truly hope you were able to get something from this article.

I wish you all the best, and keep fighting!
Lisa

Thanks so much for posting these articles, Nia. You have no idea how helpful it is just to know someone else has been through the same thing, and has come out the other side better and stronger than ever.

Very much looking forward to the next installment.
http://unblob.blogspot.com/ Cort the Sport

It's scary how easy it is to fall into disordered eating at any age. I ate like most typical folks for 40+ years. My only food issue, unbeknownst to me at the time, was making very poor choices! Food was just food.

In the process of becoming an endurance athlete and revamping my eating, I've become aware, through experience, what a fine line we walk when we become conscious eaters. Food takes on additional importance and if we are not careful we can tie it too closely to our self-worth. I've slipped to the side of disordered eating a few times and have to be vigilant to maintain a healthy balance.

Your clients are fortunate to learn from your experience. Trainers need to be vigilant for this dark side when creating new eating patterns.
http://www.beautifulbadass.com Nia Shanks

Thank you, Lisa. I'll try to have the third follow-up posted some time next week.
http://www.beautifulbadass.com Nia Shanks

Thanks for sharing!
Rachel

Great article. I'm a nutrition professor actually on my way to give a lecture on disordered eating. What's not widely known is that males outnumber females in adolescent eating disorders which require hospitalization. Something to think about as a parent.
http://www.beautifulbadass.com Nia Shanks

Wow. I had never heard that statistic before. I did know that males who compete in sports where they must meet a weight requirement (namely wrestling) are more likely to develop those issues.

Thank you for sharing!
http://beheavy.wordpress.com Dana

I'd love to hear more about your experiments with eating your French Toast types of foods after a training session. As a food writer sometimes I “have” to take part in what are essentially some pretty gluttonous feasts. And when I do, I choose to fully enjoy them and not try to be “reasonable” or limit myself, because like you say, one big meal doesn't change you any more than one day of good eating. But if I can somehow make my multi-course, multi-thousand calorie meals beneficial, well, that would just be beyond cool! :)
http://www.beautifulbadass.com Nia Shanks

If I know I'm going to enjoy a lot of food (like my beloved French toast & ice cream or big meals like on Thanksgiving) I definitely prefer to get in a good strength training session before hand.

If nothing else, I'll run some hill sprints before too.
http://www.healthismorethanapples.blogspot.com Heidi

We make something as simple as food have such a control over our lives. It is very sad and it is heartbreaking to read your story.
http://www.beautifulbadass.com Nia Shanks

Yep.

That is why I don't take food too seriously anymore. I keep things simple and stress free so that food does not rule my life.

It took time to make the change, but I'm thankful I was able to do it.
http://www.miketnelson.com Mike T Nelson

Awesome tips for sure!

Always focusing on the negative is not a good idea, so I totally agree with your thoughts.

The worst thing someone can do is a “bad” food and NOT enjoy it. Why would you eat it then?

I feel so bad about eating this pizza, but I am going to eat it anyway—bad idea!

Either resolve your feelings about pizza and enjoy the heck out of it, or decide not to eat it now (note, I said now, not never).

Excellent thoughts and we are on the same page!

rock on

Mike T Nelson PhD(c)
http://malpaz.wordpress.com/ mallory

sounds almost identical to my journey and prescription i laid out on my blog(when i still blogged) a year or so ago….either way you made it very organized and easy to read. congrats, i wish more treatment teams would understand this concept and start focusing ED recovery on the right concepts
Cinthia

I'm just learning all of this myself through experience and it's awesome to find others doing the same thing. Please keep sharing.
Rebecca

So, practical question- how do you have yourselfclients hit protein requirements without really counting calories?
http://www.beautifulbadass.com Nia Shanks

Just track the protein in foods. It's counting grams and not calories. For example, there are 23 grams in Greek yogurt, about 20 in protein shake, etc.

I just make sure I get at least 1 gram/lb of bodyweight
Maria

I'm just wondering, how long ago was this for you? My main question, I guess, is how long have you been training for strength for?

Thanks Nia.
http://www.beautifulbadass.com Nia Shanks

I've been training primarily for pure strength for about 5 years now, but I've been lifting for over 10.
http://sarigulk-art.tumblr.com Yasemin

Nia,

I really appreciate these articles you have written and your honesty. I know it is hard to talk about such topics but it really helps others. I find your simple approach to health refreshing, and as a 20 year old girl who's dealt with similar things that you've posted about, it makes me feel good to know I am not the only person who has dealt with such things.

I love your idea of being a beautiful badass. I think this is something all girls should strive to become. Thank you for being such a positive role model for me, especially since there are hardly any strong females out there, and even less reliable information about getting strong for girls! Keeping the beautiful baddass values you preach in mind has helped me immensely in becoming a stronger, more confident, independent person.

Thank you!!!

Yasemin
Caitlin

Hi, I just wanted to say thank you for writing this! I'm 25 and have been trying to get past disordered eating for 10+ years; I think this article has the potential to help a lot of women. I've used some of the methods and approaches you discuss, and they were the only ones that have worked so far. Right on.
http://www.999fitness.ae Amna Al Haddad

Nia,

Reading your post and your guidelines to food, is EXACTLY like mine. I had a similar path to yours once, did all the DON'Ts, and two years ago I found taking it one step at a time is really truly the answer.

So that I did. I had an obsession with eating Macdonalds. 2x per week, and somehow I have managed, 2 years later, to not crave macdonalds, eat it once every 6 weeks or so.

Just like you, I do exactly what you do. 80-90% of my food intake weekly is whole foods, lean protein, veggies, (fruits not so much yet!), some wholemeal carbs (often earlier in the day), and my extras – meaning ice cream which would be something I have post workout, as it works for me, not against me + in addition to a proper meal. I have learnt that through trial and error!

Most people will tell you this what you should eat or not, but only YOU can know what works for you. I have been eating a similar way as you, and making gains every single week and my perofmance is getting better. I am still losing bodyfat, still gaining so muscles…despite the little things I like to eat, which are really not so much junk (5 types of ice cream flavors and 1 type of chocolate – not even anything!)

I do not believe in cheat days or meals either, it's really bad reinforcement.

I love training. I love the way I eat. I love my body (even if I am not yet ripped, but I am quite lean), and I am sure with time, when I am ready to let go of certain kind of food, as I have slowly let go of my weekly macdonals indulgences, I will see more results. Like I say, it'a process. It's an “emotional salad”: http://www.999fitness.ae/p/my-tedxajman-speech.html

Rock on Badass women!
http://www.beautifulbadass.com Nia Shanks

You're such a sweetheart! Thank you for taking the time to provide such amazing positive feedback!

Yep, getting strong is AWESOME! I wish you the very best, and keep me updated on your training!
http://www.beautifulbadass.com Nia Shanks

Wow. Thank you so much.

I truly want to help, and knowing that I have helped at least a few people means the world to me.

Please keep in touch!
http://www.beautifulbadass.com Nia Shanks

Thank you so much for sharing your story!

Keep up the awesome work!
LouLou

Dear Nia,

Thank you for posting this, and the other articles re disordered eating. I feel they have really helped me and given me some “food for thought” (for lack of a better term!). When I first started lifting, I wanted to be the “perfect” fitness girl and calculated every calorie, every gram of protein etc. After about 3 years of doing that, it got old, and I began eating more “normally” with too much reliance on processed food and snacks. The end result is that I work my ass off in the gym but don't have the physique to match….. Yes, I've got a bit of muscle, but also a fair bit of fat. You've helped me realise I don't have to go back to that extreme obsessional counting game to see some results. Thank you :)
http://www.beautifulbadass.com Nia Shanks

Thank you for commenting and I wish you the best with your training!
Seth

Nia,

I know I am late on commenting on these articles, but they have hit home with me more than anything I've read. I have been struggling with very similar eating disorders for the past few years. This is exactly what I needed to hear. I was also wondering how long you originally did intermittent fasting for before you felt you were in tune with your body/hunger. Thanks!
http://www.beautifulbadass.com Nia Shanks

I don't recall how long it took – maybe about a month or so. Thank you for the comment and I wish you all the best!
Julie

Great clarification. I used to practice IF a few years ago and didn't even realize it at the time. I was active and working in food service, going to school at a community college, and exploring the world of training outside of high school sports. I'd been out of high school for a year and wanted to be an athlete again. I met the right coach and discovered kettle bells. Not to mention I found out that it was possible for me to do pull-ups and dead lift. It wasn't until I began researching fasting last year that I made the connection and have regained consistency with it.

I have certainly had food struggles in the past. I floated back and forth from the commercial gym scene to a true athletic performance setting for a couple of years. Not that you can't perform athletically in a commercial gym setting, but I certainly wasn't. From meticulously counting calories and grams of anything and everything to feeling elated on a cardio machine I was wasting my energy on as the calories and minutes numbers ascended. I had also done a Figure competition that I don't plan on doing again. The mental struggles aren't worth any artificial gratification.

I've learned that my strength and health is my pride and joy. Inspiring others to follow suit is my personal gratification. Achieving new strength gains is another. At 24, I am a work in progress and I love that feeling. Simply realistic goals with realistic accountability paired with a healthy mindset.

Thanks for sharing your insight and information. You are certainly one Beautiful Badass!
Melc911

I think eat real food and don’t demonize any food group are two of the best pieces of advice you can give.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=708596712 Sara Ann Mason

“I kept think I was going to feel like I was starving as the day went on, but it never happened. Sure, I did get hungry as I continued the fast” –> Does this mean you did get hungry, just not AS hungry as you thought you would?

Also, (and this is not just a problem I have with your comments but rather with what I usually hear from people who recommend IF), if the goal is to “listen to your body” how is that compatible with depriving it of food for 24+ hours (since after ~6 hours my body will be telling me to eat more food)?
Meg @ A Dash of Meg

Love this post, Nia and really want to simplify my eating. You actually inspired me to start eating intuitively after that video/vlog you posted a few months ago??

Anyways, one question – since I want to simplify I just want to know your thoughts about post workout nutrition. I usually have a shake immediately after my workout; however, I have a new workout time right now (right before dinner) and would love to come home and eat dinner with my boyfriend, but am having that anxiety that comes with rules I’ve followed for such a long time. Do you think it’s ok to eat NOT immediately after, but still fuel properly after your workout?

Thank you! Any advice/thoughts would be great Nia!
Erika

I feel like you are contradicting yourself by displaying the rule free, simplified eating plan but then also suggest intermittent fasting. Most of those intermittent fasting plans have tons of rules and stress associated with them. Also, do you really think that it’s good for your body to deprive yourself of nutrients for the rest of your life? I can understand a few days of fasting every 6 months or so, but doing it every day or every week seems un-healthy.