It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of nutrition advice out there. As a result, many of us fall into the trap of trying to overhaul a bunch of habits at once. But sometimes, making just one intentional change can have a profound effect.
To that end, we spoke with three fitness and nutrition experts who, through their own trial and error, discovered the one habit that’s made the biggest difference in their lives. While everyone’s body and lifestyles are unique, learning how these professionals approach their nutrition can provide valuable insights for your own journey.
Masiel Encarnación, Dynamic Nutrition Coach and Dynamic Personal Trainer at Life Time Northshore in Peabody, Mass.
The biggest change I have made with my eating habits is adding a serving of LTH Fuel Vegan+ All-In-One protein powder to the shake I have for breakfast every day.
When I started training more than a decade ago, whey protein was all the rage — but my body didn’t respond well to it. Some people just can’t tolerate dairy-sourced protein. It was difficult to find a vegan protein powder that didn’t taste like chalk to me — that is, until I tried the Life Time one. I haven’t turned back since.
In addition to the LTH vegan protein powder in my shake, I also add a banana, peanut butter, oats, cinnamon, LTH Shift Fiber, LTH Power Creatine Monohydrate, almond milk, and ice. This combination keeps me full, provides the vitamins and minerals I need for my day, and helps me crush my protein targets daily (I get 30 grams of protein from the protein powder alone!).
Starting the day with a high-protein shake loaded with other nutrients is an impactful habit that anyone can adopt. My biggest tip is to create or find a recipe that satisfies your taste buds. I personally won’t eat something if it doesn’t taste good, even if it’s healthy. Play around with different fruits, nut butters, and other ingredient combinations to see what you like best. Have fun with it!
Sarah Moller, Dynamic Nutrition Coach and Dynamic Personal Trainer at Life Time Chestnut Hill in Newton, Mass.
Over the years, my nutrition habits have fluctuated through different seasons of life. As a Dynamic Nutrition Coach and Dynamic Personal Trainer, that can feel challenging because there’s often an unspoken pressure to have everything with my nutrition and fitness be “perfect.”
The most impactful change I’ve made has actually been a mindset shift — learning to work with the seasons of my life rather than against them.
When life is demanding and my energy is pulled toward family, work, or outside stressors, I lean on the foundational habits that I know work. These are things like eating at least three servings of fiber and as many colors of produce as possible throughout the day, anchoring each meal with protein, carrying around a large water bottle to ensure I’m drinking enough water, and avoiding foods that trigger my gut.
When I feel more balanced and my nervous system is more regulated, I have the capacity to focus more on the finer details of my nutrition. This may include things like timing my carbohydrate intake so it aligns to better support my workouts, giving myself time to cook new recipes, and hitting my micronutrient targets more precisely.
Taking this flexible approach helps me stay on track with healthy eating habits, even if those habits look different season to season. Turns out, this is actually what “perfect” looks like for me. Once I made this shift, my former all-or-nothing approach stopped being a barrier to my success.
Sometimes I still need to remind myself to give myself space for flexibility and not beat myself up for imperfect days. Using various metrics to measure success — such as how well I’m sleeping or digesting foods — is helpful because I can lean on the feedback my body is giving me.
One habit I work hard to maintain through all the ups and downs is food journaling. This is somewhat controversial and is not right for everyone, but personally, I used to feel pressure as a coach to be successful at both tracking and eating more intuitively. I’ve accepted that tracking is simply what works best for me. It keeps me grounded in the basics like getting enough protein to support recovery, digestion, and fullness, while still allowing flexibility to go out with friends and family.
Logging my food also removes some of the stress of relying solely on hunger cues during more demanding seasons of life, which may not be as reliable when I’m overly stressed or busy. For me, it’s a simple tool that brings consistency and clarity, allowing my nutrition to support my life rather than compete with it.
Jessica Barker, Dynamic Nutrition Coach and Dynamic Personal Trainer at Life Time in Vernon Hills, Ill.
My biggest focus with optimizing my personal nutrition has been incorporating the approach of pairing high-quality protein with healthy fats and fiber at all meals and snacks. I start the day with a protein-focused breakfast: a smoothie with LTH Vital Vegan Protein (which contains 20 grams of protein), LTH Shift Fiber, almond butter, spinach, and berries.
For lunch, I tend to choose a mixed greens salad with an olive oil and vinegar dressing, 4 to 6 ounces of high-quality protein, and additional non-starchy vegetables such as cucumbers and tomatoes. Depending on my hunger level, I may incorporate a midday snack of turkey meatballs paired with peppers and hummus or carrots and guacamole.
For dinner, I often enjoy stir-fry vegetables, 4 to 6 ounces of either chicken, grass-fed beef, or wild-caught salmon, and a medium sweet potato or half a cup of quinoa. Then, to finish the day, I may enjoy a few squares of 85 percent dark chocolate and a small portion of fresh fruit.
I’ve found that spreading my nutrition out throughout the day with a focus on high-quality protein keeps my energy levels steady, allows me to maximize my training efforts and experience strength gains, and see improvements in my recovery and sleep.
This approach has also enabled me to increase my fruit and vegetable intake. There are so many benefits to getting enough fiber in your diet and, without intentionality, it’s really easy to fall short. Further, it’s kept me consistent with meal planning and preparation. I look forward to trying new combinations and incorporating a wide variety of whole, unprocessed foods into my meals and snacks each week.
