The single most important thing you can do to improve your state of health and your physical appearance is to seriously plan out meals that you will eat for each day. It sounds so simple to some and so difficult for others. Many people in our society today have a hard time figuring out what and what not to eat. It seems to me that we had a better handle on eating before the ‘fast food’ chains came on the scene.

When I think of fast food I think of all the processed, refined and otherwise altered food products on the market. I also think about how many restaurants there are that cater to the ‘instant food to go’ lifestyle of so many people. Then too, the food industry in general has become such a major player in the world, that short cuts to quality have overtaken sound ideas for nutrition in the name of ‘increased corporate profits.’

When you combine that with the number of ads and sales pitches pushing one food product over another and boasting of its own ‘improved health benefits,’ it all becomes downright confusing.

As a health and fitness professional for over 30 years, I have trained and coached clients from all walks of life and with a diversity of health and fitness goals. In the process I have found that the area where most people make mistakes with body-shaping programs of any kind is with meal planning.

Even those who have done some self-study into nutrition and exercise may not be scoring 100 percent on their midterms and finals. One of the biggest reasons is that a great amount of misinformation, half-truths, myths and misconceptions abound when it comes to fitness, health, food labeling and nutrition. Here are some guidelines and suggestions to help you get around the confusion.

Re-evaluate your food choices. When going to the grocery store, it’s easy to think you are making healthy choices when in fact you may not. For example, assume the label on a package reads “wheat bread.” It sounds healthy. However, if the first words in the ingredients list do not say, “Whole grain wheat,” it may not be so.

Another example is fruit juice. I know a juice product that claims to have a high amount of vitamin C, yet contains only about 10 percent real fruit juice. Again, read the list of ingredients. Those listed first make up the most; while those listed near the end, make up the least.

Remember too, it’s always healthier to eat the whole fruit rather than drink just the juice. This is especially important when on a weight management program. Fruit juice gives you only the water and fructose (sugar), rather than the complete food including bioflavonoids (vitamin P), fiber and of course fresh vitamins as well. You will also find that eating the whole fruit gives you a sense of ‘fullness’ and thereby curbs your appetite.

Still another example is what I call ‘ingredient list manipulation or deception.’ It’s not exactly illegal but makes me question the integrity of the manufacturer. Some sugar-coated boxed cereals (and other products as well) break down the list of sugars so as to appear to contain ‘lower’ sugar levels. For example, one product shows this as part of the ingredient list: “Wheat, fudge pieces (cocoa, processed with cane sugar, coconut oil), fructose, corn syrup, dextrose, high fructose corn syrup.) Wow, not much ‘sugar’ in this box, huh?

Another place to beware is the ‘canned food’ aisle of the grocery store. Here you can find cans of various fruits, vegetables, chowders, soups and more that seem like healthy choices. One of the main problems in this case is that the refining and/or processing involved destroy much of the nutrient value in the food. Wiser choices in this case would be fresh or quick frozen products.

Keep all food groups in your meal plan. I get a little dizzy reading all the fad diets that have come and gone over the years. Some would have you eat no fats. Some would have you eat no carbs. Some would even have you reduce your protein intake. The truth is you need all of those groups in your daily meals. Losing body fat is a balancing act between calorie intake and calorie expenditure.

Simply put, if you eat more calories than you burn off, you will gain body fat. Likewise, if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose body fat. Trust me. It really is as simple as that.

As I have said many times in this column, your body needs protein for basic body repair, muscle growth, bone composition, blood make up and so on. It needs natural fats for skin and hair composition, joint lubrication and the manufacture of primary hormones such as testosterone, estrogen and growth hormone. Carbohydrates, aside from being the preferred fuel for our muscles, are also absolutely necessary for proper brain function.

Don’t believe me? Try going on a pre-contest, carbo depletion meal plan for a week or so and see what happens.

Eat smaller meals more often. Portion size and meal frequency are two areas where many people working on weight management make mistakes. A lot of people feel they have not eaten enough food unless they feel ‘stuffed.’ This in turn leads to more calories consumed than burned off.

Hence, the body fat percent will increase. Very often those who eat out frequently, find themselves face to face with what the restaurant management sees as ‘good portion size.’ Don’t be fooled. ‘Super-sized’ servings are another way of saying ‘gluttonous servings.’ The goal is a ‘satisfied’ feeling after a meal.

Eating only once or twice a day will lead to disruption of insulin and blood sugar levels. When this occurs your metabolism slows down. Because of that, your body increases fat storage and of course, you gain weight in the form of increased body fat. Not only that, but when you do eat, your body will be so very hungry that the tendency will be to over eat (stuff). Schedule your meals at about three-hour intervals. This will keep your metabolism running, burn the body fat and keep you from ‘bonking’ out as the day progresses.

If you have a favorite exercise you would like to share with others through this column, or if you are not sure of where to begin, what to do, or how to correct a problem area, or have any other questions pertaining to this column or relating to your fitness goals, please feel free to contact me. Many of the questions you may have are the same questions others may have as well. I will answer all inquires by email or phone and include the most common ones in this column.

Dennis Mason is a certified personal trainer with over 35 years of experience, an NPC bodybuilding competitor, charity cyclist, health and fitness motivational speaker and author. Contact him for information regarding his services and private fitness studio in Palm Springs. Visit his Web site or email: dennis@InShapeFitness.net; Phone: cell 760.219.5877. Private personal training, lifestyle coaching, nutritional guidance and sports massage by appointment.