What Do I Need to Get Out of My Meals?

Breakfast

Let’s assume you arise at 8:00 am, and will depart for bed at 11:00 pm.  Your breakfast needs to set the stage for 15 hours of activity, and it’s makeup should reflect that.

What macronutrient is associated with a rapid increase in energy? You guessed it – Carbohydrates.  Now, there is a lot of misinformation about carb intake but no matter your dietary goals, they need to be included in every diet – the questions are how many, and when.

The specific “how many” is something that needs to be addressed on an individual basis, but the general answer to both questions is more in the morning, and less in the evening.  The reason behind this is simple: with more hours of activity in front of you, the more carbohydrates you will need to sustain good energy levels, and with less activities and minimal awake time before a night of sleep, carbs should be kept to a minimum.

Mango-Blueberry Oatmeal. When You Need Carbs, it's Good and Good For You

So if you’re going to eat a higher carb meal, the time to do it is first thing in the morning.  This will give you a blood sugar boost, replenish your liver glycogen (your liver stores carbs for energy, that it largely depletes overnight) and give you a great start for the rest of the day.

Yet, you don’t just want to pound a bowl of Golden Grahams and pat yourself on the back for a perfect first meal – rather, you need to eat foods that will slowly release those carbs for the next 3-5 hours, keeping you going without an insulin spike and crash.

NO.

Foods with a low glycemic index will provide sustained energy, and eating a meal with all three macronutrients (carbs, fat, protein) will also help slow gastric emptying and keep you full and energetic longer.  Have some fat, some protein, and some carbs, all from natural whole food sources.

A great sample breakfast might look like this:

• A bowl of cooked Old Fashioned Oats with chopped walnuts, apples, raisins, cinnamon and flax seed meal.
• 4 Eggs over easy, made with 3 whites and 1 whole egg
• A teaspoon of Fish Oil
• A big glass of water (or two – remember you’re still dehydrated from a good night’s sleep)

Dinner

So you just got home from work, and you’re hungry.  What to eat?  Let’s consider the situation:  You’re grounded at home for the rest of the night, save maybe an errand or two.  No hard work, no exercise, just catching up with the family and relaxing until bedtime.  How does this change your energy requirements, you ask?

You no longer NEED big sources of carbs – grain products, rice, potatoes, etc.  They will provide you with carbohydrates that your body won’t be able to burn by time you go to sleep.  Unless you want to store those extra carbs as fat, you need to adjust your intake for dinner and the smaller meals/snacks before bed.

Vegetables are Your Body's BFF

People who stay lean always follow this rule: eat for what you just did, or what you are about to do. If you just worked out (remember, post-workout is THE most important meal of the day) then you need to eat more carbs and protein to get maximum results from your hard work.  If you’re about to work out, then you need a few more carbs as well to make sure you get through it.  If you’re relaxing for the evening, then carbs are largely off limits.

So for dinner your plate should be largely covered with lean protein, green vegetables, and it’s okay to include a little more fat than earlier in the day.  Because you still need some source of energy, but don’t want to awaken your pancreas, protein and fat are your best friends later in the day.  You will get a great, healthy meal with said protein, fat, and veggies.  Shelve the starchier vegetables and grains for tomorrow’s breakfast, lunch or post-workout meal.

A Sample dinner might look like this:

• 8oz of London Broil
• 1 Cup of Lentils, cooked with chicken stock and spices
• 1-2 Cups of sliced squash, zucchini, broccoli and carrots stir-fried in a little olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper

This meal is full of protein, fiber, healthy fat and nutrients.  It’s the perfect energy source for your last few hours of the night. Make enough and you can have leftovers as a snack or small meal later on.

Sure, burning more calories will help, especially if you’re inactive, but modern training techniques are way beyond that, and I wouldn’t waste your time with sustained cardio and a recommendation of more salads (though salads have their place).

What You Really Should Be Doing

Metabolic circuit/complex training.  Ever heard of it?  Unless you’re a pretty advanced and knowledgeable trainee, then probably not.  Yet, it’s far and away the best method to burn fat, add muscle definition, and increase conditioning all at once.  Sounds great, right?  Well, there’s a catch…

It can and will bring you to your knees.  Sorry, but all good things in this world take sacrifice.  If you’re willing to really work hard and actually want to meet your goals, training this way will be the best decision you’ve ever made.  Stay tuned because I’ll be posting more about this type of training complete with sample videos.

What You Really Should Be Eating

More veggies, more protein, less processed foods, and fish oil!  If that sounds simple, it’s because it kinda is.  When you eat lean protein and  veggies at each meal, your body will start reshaping itself almost immediately.  There are lots of complex reasons to eat veggies, omega-3s, and lean protein in each meal, all the while omitting the processed crap, but don’t worry about it – just do it.

Everyone is different, but the general habits of very lean and healthy people are consistent.  They…

Always eat breakfast

Never skip meals

Always eat in regular intervals, usually every 2-4 hours

Eat vegetables in every meal

Eat lean protein in every meal

Use as little salt as possible

Obtain sugar ONLY from fruits and vegetables

Never eat refined, sugary foods

Obtain fat from healthy, natural sources

Avoid processed foods whenever possible

Demand high fiber content in every carbohydrate-containing food

Eat few, if any, carbohydrates at night

Find healthy alternatives to satisfy cravings

Indulge cravings occasionally to stay sane, and avoid binge-eating

Eat more on days they exercise, less on days they don’t

Learn to cook healthy food in ways that appeal to them, using spices and herbs

Never eat fast food or fried foods

Eat vegetables in every meal (Yes, this is listed twice, because it is THE biggest factor)

Go to the grocery store multiple times per week (vegetables and fruit are perishable)

Eat or supplement within 30 minutes of a workout

Plan ahead and pack food for extended hours away from home

Want a highly nutritious, effective and thoughtless nutrition plan?

Buy and prepare only one-ingredient foods that come directly from the earth to your shopping cart – produce, meat, nuts, whole grains.  (Sweet potato is the only ingredient in a sweet potato)

Eat them in varied combinations – in each meal have some meat or protein source, produce and or whole grains, and some nuts, in moderation, if desired.  There are a lot of complex reasons behind why certain foods in certain combinations are ideal for staying lean and healthy, but really, if you eat just a variety of whole foods (the ones both your mother and mother nature insist are good for you), you don’t need to worry about all that.

I think the modern athlete, bodybuilder and dieter forget this. Often supplements are misused as “replacements.”  These come in the form of shakes to replace whole meals, powdered “superfoods” and “greens” to replace vegetables, multivitamins to replace vitamins and minerals, etc., etc.

The supplement industry is founded on nutritionism, which is the reduction of the value of food to its nutrient parts. Michael Pollan, in his book In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto,  discourages this reductionist view of food, and instead suggests that we all revert to what our ancestors did: eat whole foods.  It’s a book that was an easy and intelligent read, and it changed my view on the manufactured health food products that I was guilty of eating.  I eat more “food” now.

I just don’t relate to the whole, “have a shake for lunch,” attitude that “healthy” eaters today often exhibit.  There are so many products out there that claim to have the nutritional punch of a dozen servings of fruits and vegetables in a 5 gram servings (Biotest Superfood, I am calling you out).  Maybe they do and maybe they don’t, but they absolutely don’t have the satiety factor of a dozen servings of anything.  Plus there is just no way any blend of extracts and powders  can replace all of the compounds founds in natural foods.  A short time ago we didn’t know that vitamins existed; for us to say now that we can completely duplicate the benefits of, and replace whole foods with engineered foods is arrogant and misguided.

Food needs to make us feel full because when we don’t, we can’t resist our evolutionary urge to seek and destroy more of it, until our bodies signal that they are nourished. Satiety can’t be supplemented by supplements – compare the fullness factor of a tablespoon of greens to 2 bananas, 2 apples, 2 oranges, 2 cups of broccoli, a carrot, a kiwi, and a big slice of watermelon.  Besides the obvious calorie difference, there’s a lot more food and a lot less hunger in the real 12 servings of fruits and vegetables.

My ideas about eating have changed over the years, and I have come to depend on supplements as supplements, not replacements, and only use them as aids when a meal would be otherwise incomplete.  If I have chicken, I leave the protein on the shelf.  Misuse occurs when one takes a spoonful of Superfood or Greens+ and doesn’t otherwise even look at a vegetable.  To think we can replace vegetables and fruit from our diet with a mere multivitamin or tablespoon of powder is absolute hubris.

A multivitamin, serving of Superfood or Greens+ in addition to an already whole foods-centered diet? Fantastic, if you have the extra money.  I don’t, so I stick with broccoli, sweet potatoes, and seasonal produce.

The bottom line is just that there is more to food than just the nutrient parts, much of which scientists are yet to discover, and basing one’s diet on powders and pills for quality nutrition is a mistake.