In order to meet your fitness and body goals, one must be intentional about getting the proper nutrition in their diet.
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As a fitness professional for 9 years, Aaron Eason has a great passion for helping people and athletes meet their fitness aspirations. He specializes as a certified sports performance  and lifestyle coach, NSCAPT certified trainer, bootcamp specialist, and speaker. Eason believes that real sustainable and ongoing change is built on a foundation of proper nutrition, knowledge time, practice, and fun.
BlackEnterprise.com spoke with Aaron for meal ideas that people can prep if they are trying to meet different goals in their lives:
1. To lose weight:
5 oz. salmon, 2 cups asparagus, and 1 banana
In the process of losing body fat, it is good to limit your carbohydrates. The body requires energy to move and the first source of energy is divulged from the carbs you have stored. If you run out of carbs or have none to be used, the body then feeds off of fat to burn energy. This is why you limit you carbs on a healthy fat loss diet.
2. To maintain a healthy body and increase energy:
4 oz. of chicken breasts, 4 oz. of sweet potato, 2 cups o broccoli.
Depending on your level of fitness, perhaps if you exercise 3-4 times per week with a strength training regimen, this meal will give you the energy necessary to sustain you for your workouts. The protein will be a great source of energy and the sweet potato will give you the carbs you need without the yeast found in breads and pastas. Eating meals like this will help you keep a healthy size if you are not trying to lose or gain weight.
3. To build or gain muscle mass:
6 oz. of lean bison beef, 1 cup of brown rice, 8oz. If cauliflower, 1 cup of berries.
The process of gaining more muscle mass to build an healthy body or physique requires a high level of protein and carbohydrate intake and a low level of fats. Make sure that you do not consume fats pre or post workout. Fats store longer in the body and you want foods that provide a quick energy boost before your workout. Consuming fats after your workout will inhibit protein from absorbing into the muscles, which is what builds lean muscle.
Additional tips:
- Â Avoid salty or high sodium sauces/seasonings, use herbs, pepper, garlic, vinegar, mustard, salsa instead.
- Incorporate tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, onions and more vegetables with your meals.
- Eat your greens. Consume asparagus, spinach, cucumber, mixed greens, broccoli, kale, zucchini, etc. as often as you like except as pre and post workout snacks.
- Incorporate any fruits you like in moderation. Eat once or twice/day outside of post workout carbs.
- Incorporate small amounts of sea salt into your cooking and use clean marinades, sauces, etc in moderation in addition to seasonings for flavor.
- Dairy can cause heavy bloating. Almond and coconut milk are good substitutes, be sure to use unsweetened versions.
For more information on Aaron, visit Apestylefitness.com or follow him on Instagram @apestylefitness