Ask Rocco: What’s a Good Well-Rounded Diet?

Q: “What’s a good well-rounded diet?”

— Jasmine Niernberger, Miss DC Teen USA

A: For the record, I don’t believe in the word “diet.” I think it’s the worst four-letter word anyone could speak, especially young women. The so called “diet” gurus have made a mockery of the wellness world with their utterly ridiculous claims and outright lies to sell what they call a “diet.”

I’m not a registered dietician or licensed nutritionist, so it’s completely beyond my scope of practice to prescribe, or even recommend, an eating plan to you. It would be actually negligent, and I wish it would be criminal for any personal trainer or fitness expert to recommend an eating plan without having the proper credentials like RD after their name.

I can only speak for what I consider a sensible eating plan for myself. My sensible eating constitutes deriving a meal of high water content food. High water content food is any food that has a water base of more than 75 percent of its structural content. In other words, if you were to run the food through a “Juicer,” juice would come out of it. Some examples are carrots, romaine lettuce, peppers, apples, etc. Two thirds of my sensible eating plan is high water content food with every meal, and one portion of concentrated food, which means there is little or no water in the food. Some examples would be beef, turkey, chicken, pasta, cooked potato and cheese. When I plan out my meals, I keep my portions the size of the top of my hand when I make a fist. I try to have at least six moderate meals throughout the day to teach my body to burn food as fuel.

Remember, if a trainer is prescribing or recommending an eating plan, please ask for their degree or credentials. This also goes for the recommending of supplemental vitamins or weight loss products. We are taking your life in our hands and that’s a big responsibility.