Hi everyone! Long time, no post. Anyhoo ... does anyone have any book or website recommendations for how to create a balanced nutritional plan? Or just major tips in general?

I'm considering finding a nutritionist, but have to wait for some $ to come in, so I'm trying to do it on my own until then.

Hi Ducky! Good to see you back on the site!

I did a quick search on the internet to see what kind of nutrition plans I could find and I found tons of them! I guess it depends on what kind of plan you are looking for and what kinds of foods you are willing to eliminate from your diet. For instance, I found this beginner nutrition plan that looks pretty good: http://www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/beginner.htm. You might consider giving that a try?

Check out this webpage: http://www.weight-training-guide.net/tr ... r-diet.asp. Towards the bottom of the page it lists examples of balanced diets. This could be useful information to give you an idea of what a nutritional diet is looks like.

Also here is a book search through google that lists a lot of books talking about nutrition: http://books.google.com/books?ei=D_TTSu ... 2B+healthy

Hope this helps!

Hi Ducky,

Here is a food record form available for free download that I found on the simplenutritiontips.com website : http://simplenutritiontips.com/wp-conte ... d-Form.pdf. This can be useful to you if you are looking to keep a record of the foods you eat throughout the day.

Also here are some general nutrition tips you should try and follow:

• Do not skip meals or avoid eating. It is best to have 5-6 meals or snacks, every 3-4 hours.
• Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day.
• Make sure you eat some red, green, orange and yellow vegetables everyday.
• Remember portion control.
• Exercise.
• Don't drink soda.
• Drink alcohol in moderation or not at all.
• Plan meals ahead of time.
• Remember to eat a variety of fruits.

If you're just starting out and don't know too much about a balanced diet, I would go with "Nutrition For Dummies." Despite the title, it has great information and tips on how to start integrating a balanced diet into everyday life. It explains the concepts in terms even I can understand!