🍎 Nutrition Skills & Habits Tree

©Neuroscience of Coaching

Pillar One: AWARENESS

Definition: Knowing what and how much you eat each day.

📝 Tracking Food

Writing down or logging everything you eat and drink

Level 1 Beginner - Core Skill - Basic Tracking

⚡ Habits

  • Setting a timer to remind
  • Writing down before hand or when you make your lunch
  • Send coach a message 5 days of the week sharing food diary
  • Reading food labels before consuming or preparing
  • PAUSE and take 1-2 minutes before you eat to track mindfully
Level 2 Intermediate - Core Skill - Consistent Logging

⚡ Habits

  • Spending 5-10 mins each night pre-planning food for the next day
  • Adjust food in MFP in the morning to ensure calories are within 100 of target
  • Tracking and preparing meals before eating out
  • Eating protein every 3-4 hours
  • Uploading BW and metrics fortnightly with check in
Level 3 Advanced - Core Skill - Precision & Flexibility

⚡ Habits

  • Maintaining body composition without tracking (intuitive eating)
  • Visual estimation of calories or macros when eating out
  • Only eating what you have logged, or adjusting serving size
  • Tracking everything (oil, sprays, green leafs etc)

🤲 Relationship with Food

Learning to eat mindfully and understand your hunger signals

Level 1 Beginner - Core Skill - Mindful Awareness

⚡ Habits

  • Chewing food 20-30 times or until it is easily swallowed
  • Placing phone face down and not using when eating
  • Eating lunch and dinner at a table with knife and fork
  • Notice hunger on when waking up & before bed
  • Drink water at first signs of hunger, and waiting 30 mins
Level 2 Intermediate - Core Skill - Hunger Awareness

⚡ Habits

  • Noticing hunger before and after eating
  • Only consuming sweets or treats when satisfied, not extremely hungry
  • Put your knife and fork down in between every bite
  • Including soul food 3-4 days of the week
Level 3 Advanced - Core Skill - Intuitive Mastery

⚡ Habits

  • Communicate & lean on coach when sick or unwell for guidance
  • Experimenting with new recipes to expand library
  • Going to farmers markets to include local food
  • Research & experiment with high protein baking or fakeaway

Pillar Two: CONSISTENCY

Definition: Sticking to your nutrition plan every day through good planning and preparation.

🥘 Food & Meal Prep

Planning and preparing your meals ahead of time

Level 1 Beginner - Core Skill - Basic Prep

⚡ Habits

  • Create a shopping list to bulk cook lunches for week
  • Identify 2 B/L/D meals that are easy & enjoyable, to become your staples
  • Bulk cooking & meals for the week
  • Utilising frozen or canned veg/fruit
  • Having back up meals & food at home or work
  • Schedule in regular meal times every 3-4 hours throughout the day
Level 2 Intermediate - Core Skill - Systematic Prep

⚡ Habits

  • Weekly shopping list & shop 1-2 times per week
  • Identify 3-4 B/L/D meals that are easy & enjoyable, to add to your staples
  • Bulk cooking & meals twice for the week
  • Utilising protein powder if necessary
  • Head to the shops early on Sunday, collect all the food from your shopping list and spend the next 1-2 hours getting all your lunches cooked
  • Once you've identified meals for the next week and shopping list, log these roughly in MFP
Level 3 Advanced - Core Skill - Flexible Adaptation

⚡ Habits

  • If tracking, leaving a 600-800 calorie buffer for the event
  • Reducing calories throughout the week (200 cals per day) to cater for event
  • Informing coach (ideally in advance during check in) to schedule non-tracked days
  • Hitting protein target minimum prior to and at social event
  • Taking 1-2 minutes before eating to look at food and make judgements on macros

🏠 Environment for Success

Setting up your kitchen and surroundings to make healthy eating easier

Level 1 Beginner - Core Skill - Basic Environment

⚡ Habits

  • Fridge clean out
  • Pantry clean out
  • Keeping comfort foods or treats outside of the house
  • Communication with family and/or partner about goals
  • Having prepared frozen meals in the freezer
  • Only eat your meals at a table and chair, not in living room, couch, bedroom etc
  • Removing friction in physical environment to make it easier
Level 2 Intermediate - Core Skill - Tech Integration

⚡ Habits

  • Using click and collect
  • Utilising food appliances like an air fryer
  • Utilising online menus to pre-track food prior to eating out
  • Using barcodes to scan packaged foods eaten
  • Downloading MFP
Level 3 Advanced - Core Skill - Seamless Integration

⚡ Habits

  • Frozen meals and 'back up' options for busy periods
  • Advanced use of food appliances and technology
  • Seamless integration of tracking tools into daily routine

Pillar Three: ACCURACY

Definition: Measuring your food correctly to hit your nutrition targets.

🥗 Food Quality

Choosing nutrient-dense foods and timing them around your workouts

Level 1 Beginner - Core Skill - Basic Quality

⚡ Habits

  • Veg at 2 meals per day
  • Eat 2+ colours each meal each day
  • A palm serving of protein at each main meal
  • Drink 2L plus of water
  • Substitute white for colour
  • Using herbs and spices instead of packet or jar sauces
  • Include protein shake after workout
Level 2 Intermediate - Core Skill - Optimized Quality

⚡ Habits

  • 1-2 servings of protein at most meals
  • Food swaps for higher protein options (more egg whites)
  • Avoid skipping meals
  • Eat a meal or high protein snack every 3-4 hours
  • Substitute refined grains for whole grains
  • Food shop 1-2 times per week to ensure available foods
  • 3+ colours each meal each day
  • Fruit &/or Veg 3 times per day
Level 3 Advanced - Core Skill - Performance Optimization

⚡ Habits

  • Creating and using supplements strategically
  • Having protein pre and post workout
  • Pre workout carbs
  • Advanced nutrient timing for performance optimization

⚖️ Precise Measurement & Portion Control

Using scales, measuring cups, and visual cues to get portion sizes right

Level 1 Beginner - Core Skill - Basic Measurement

⚡ Habits

  • Scanning labels
  • Reading labels
  • Have a set of kitchen scales and start weighing food and ingredients
  • Using barcodes to scan packaged foods eaten
  • Pre portioning larger snacks into single serves
Level 2 Intermediate - Core Skill - Accurate Tracking

⚡ Habits

  • Weighing all food accurately
  • Only eating what you have logged, or adjusting serving size
  • Tracking everything (oil, sprays, green leafs etc)
  • Have a set of kitchen scales and start weighing food and ingredients
Level 3 Advanced - Core Skill - Intuitive Precision

⚡ Habits

  • Tracking most foods with precision (can selectively leave off minimal items)
  • Advanced visual estimation skills
  • Intuitive portion control without constant measuring
  • Fine-tuned macro adjustments based on performance and body composition goals