Eating right is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. In fact, most would argue that diet is more important than exercise when it comes to weight loss. Of course, this isn’t to discount the importance of exercise, but the bottom line is that you can’t outwork a bad diet.

However, even those who lead an active lifestyle tend to make dieting mistakes that undo a lot of the hard work they put into their health bank. While it is great to use multi collagen protein powder in your coffee and have a salad for lunch, if you are pounding down burgers and beers at night, you are minimizing your outcomes.

To help put these patterns to an end, here are five nutrition tips for those leading an active lifestyle.

1. Pay Attention to Your Needs

There is a variety of nutrients that your body needs to be healthy. However, certain nutrient deficiencies are incredibly common, such as a deficiency in vitamin D or B12. Unfortunately, many of these deficiencies are caused — or can at least be cured — by what people are eating and not eating.

Therefore, it is essential to ensure that you are getting enough vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to keep your health and athletic performance high.

2. Eat a Well-Balanced Breakfast

Most folks have heard it said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. While many like to leave breakfast on the table in favor of health trends like intermittent fasting, some folks can have serious problems with this approach.

While many swear by intermittent fasting, others end up ravenous when their fast ends and go on to eat far more calories than they should for lunch and dinner.

If you have found this is an issue for you, it is likely best to simply eat a well-balanced breakfast to give your body the fuel it needs for your morning exercise and to carry it through until lunch.

3. Stay Hydrated

When it comes to nutritional tips, few are more important than staying well-hydrated. Most adults don’t drink enough water each day. This can result in significant problems for someone who leads an active lifestyle.

Therefore, ensuring that you are drinking enough fluids for your age, weight, gender and activity level is critical.

Additionally, it is also important to ensure that you are replenishing the minerals you lose through sweat when exercising. While many people turn toward sports drinks for this, they are not the best option as they contain a significant amount of sugar.

It is best to instead purchase a sugar-free electrolyte powder to ensure that you are properly hydrating and replacing what you lose.

4. Don’t Eat Too Much Protein

First, protein is important, and you do need to get enough to maintain your muscles. However, there are many weight lifters and other athletes who cross over into excessive protein consumption.

Not only does this not have any benefit for building or repairing muscles, but there are risks associated with eating too much protein.

It is important to know how much protein you need, given your circumstances. As a general rule, the average person requires between 0.36 and one gram of protein per pound of body weight, depending on the person’s level of activity.

Fortunately, there is a variety of high protein foods you can choose based on your tastes.

5. Plan Your Meal Times Right

Anyone who lives an active lifestyle needs to plan their meals and workouts around one another in order to avoid digestive issues.

As a general guideline, it is best to eat one to three hours before a workout, even if it will be a high-intensity activity. If you are just having a snack, you can get away with only waiting about 30 minutes before getting down to business.

As far as your post-workout nutrition is concerned, research has shown that consuming high protein foods within 15 minutes of ending your workout provides essential amino acids that help to build and repair muscles. While exact amounts are likely to vary depending on the person, 20 to 40 grams is advocated as maximizing recovery potential.

Additionally, it is important to ingest carbohydrates (about 0.5 grams per pound of body weight) within the first 30 minutes of a workout being over to replenish your glycogen stores.

However, if it is not possible for you to meet these guidelines, just understand that it is important to eat carbs and protein within two hours of your workout ending.

Using Food to Fuel Your Lifestyle

If you are going to live an active lifestyle, it is vital to understand what a massive role food plays in your overall health and performance. Utilize the nutrition tips listed above to help make the most out of your diet and exercise program.