Many people ask me what they should eat because when I lived in Orange County I worked as personal trainer. While the routines of my clients were constantly changing, the nutrition advice I gave and continue to give is always the same.
Main Principles
Just like when you're cooking for the best possible flavor, cooking for the best possible health starts with the ingredients:
- Only eat nutrient-dense and fiber-rich carbohydrates, such as oatmeal, yams, brown rice, lentils and whole wheat bread or pasta.
- Eat lean protein at least three times per day in the form of cottage cheese, eggs (specifically egg whites), chicken breast, white fish, lean beef (sirloin or 97% lean ground beef) and 99% lean ground turkey.
- Use healthy fats (mono- and polyunsaturated) in place of saturated fats, which means instead of butter, lard, shortening, or any other animals fat you should use canola and olive oils, avocado, and occasionally include salmon in place of your white fish.
- Eat green vegetables at as many meals as possible, especially with any large protein serving. My favorites:
- Asparagus, grilled or steamed
- Broccoli, steamed or oven roasted
- Green beans, steamed
- Drink 96-120 ounces of water daily. Why? The short answer is that water regulates essentially every function in the body, which for us means that it facilitates the metabolization of body fat into energy
(i.e. burning fat) as well as the synthesis of nutrients for repairing damaged muscles (i.e. recovery).
Secondary Principles
- Oven roast or grill meats and vegetables in lieu of pan frying or deep frying
- Eat whole fruits and vegetables in lieu of juices and smoothies*
- If you're trying to "tone-up", which really means lose body fat, cut out the carbohydrates after 4pm! This can be done by having a satisfying dinner of grilled chicken, grilled vegetables of your choice, and a green salad.
- If you're trying to "bulk up," eat the aforementioned salad after your dinner, before bed, to give your body some much needed macro- and micro-nutrients before the long fast that is bedtime.
- Read the ingredient labels! In case you didn't know, the ingredients are listed in the order of how much of each ingredient they contain. That means that if sugar or corn syrup is one of the first two or three ingredients, that item is mostly sugar!!! So get unnecessary sugar out of your diet by selecting all-natural peanut butter, jams and preserves, breads, etc.
- While you're looking at the ingredient label, check and see how many words there are that you can't pronounce. Scary, isn't it? So do your best to cut out those items that include words that you don't know!
- When you use sweeteners, strive to use honey or agave in place of white sugar.
- Buy low-sodium everything--you can always salt your food more with kosher salt.
- Make your own salad dressings. This will keep you in control of how many processed things you put into your body. (I promise I'll put my favorite four up soon.)
- Every once in a while you should do a cleanse. I'll put my 11-day cleanse up in its own article soon.
Meal Plan--Fat Loss
Example 1:
- Meal 1: 6am
- 6 oz cottage cheese (150 cal, 23 grams protein)
- Tomatoes or other fruit (60-85)
- Meal 2: 9-10am
- Whole Wheat (WW) English muffin (130)
- 1 tsp butter (36)
- 1 egg plus 2 egg whites (112, 13)
- 8 oz water
- Meal 3: 12-1pm
- 2 slices low-cal whole wheat bread (160, 4)
- 1 tbs PB plus 1 tbs jam (155, 3)
- 8 oz water
- Meal 4: Afternoon snack
- Yogurt (100, 5) or
- String Cheese (110, 5)
- Apple or pear (65)
- Meal 5: Dinner
- 4 oz chicken (187, 35)
- 6 oz squash or sweet potato (82/162)
- 2 cups broccoli, asparagus, green beans, or salad (free)
- Optional: 2 tbs salad dressing (170 cal)
Totals: 1,285 - 1,497 calories/day, 86 grams protein/day
Example 2:
- Meal 1: 6am
- 1 cup breakfast cereal of choice (about 140, 4)
- 1 cup skim milk (90, 9)
- Meal 2: 9-10am
- ½ avocado (182)
- 1 egg plus 2 egg whites (112, 13)
- Choice of veg and/or tomato (40 cal)
- 8 oz water
- Meal 3: 12-1pm
- Tuna salad—easy on the mayo!!!—(225, 26)
- 2 pieces low cal WW bread (160, 4)
- 8 oz water
- Meal 4: Afternoon snack
- Yogurt (100, 5) or
- String Cheese (110, 5)
- Apple or pear (65)
- Meal 5: Dinner
- HUGE salad (free)
- 4 oz chicken (187, 35)
- 2 tbs dressing (170) or
- Soup with lean protein and vegetable (and noodles?)
Totals: 1,285 - 1,497 calories/day, 86 grams protein/day
Meal Plan--Beginner Muscle Gain
Ø Eat at home in morning:
o 1 banana
o 2 tablespoons all-natural peanut butter
NOTE: You can augment this with a glass of nonfat milk or 15-20 grams worth of whey protein mixed in water.
Ø Take to Work/School:
o 15-20 grams worth of whey protein in shaker (mix w/ water)
o Meal
§ 7 oz yam
§ ½ c broccoli
§ ½ large chicken breast, either butterflied or sliced into chunks
o Meal
§ 1 c brown rice
§ ½ large chicken breast/turkey burger/lean beef burger
o Peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat
o String cheese
o Piece of seasonal fruit
o 2-4 boiled eggs (w/ lemon pepper, seasoned salt, Tabasco sauce, etc.)
Ø Dinner at home:
o Large salad --4 cups greens
o Raw vegetables as desired
o ½ chicken breast PLUS ½ avocado OR 4-6 oz steak/beef
o Salad dressing as desired
The proof is in the pudding: While I'm no longer in this condition, the above dietary principles are the ones I used to get me into shape for the Mr. Orange County Muscle Classic in 2005, which was also the best shape I've ever been in.
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*Smoothies that combine blended fruit, juice, and a clean protein source, like whey protein, are one of the best things you can have within 40 minutes of an intense workout. However, outside of post-workout environment, smoothies and juices are very high on the glycemic index and can spike insulin levels, thereby resulting in an environment in the body that is not conducive to either fat burning or muscle building, the main subjects it is my intent to address here.
