Go ahead diet!!

people don’t like the word diet.

I can see why – people think salad, scales, salad, scales and more salad, I’m hungry!

Everyone is on a diet

You probably don’t want to attempt eating only grapefruits or live off weight watcher bars. 

"but if you’re not healthy, if you don’t look or feel how you want too, then you’re current diet does needs adjusting, simple as that."

Is it the diet that’s unnatural or the environment?

Society today is in a very unique place on the timeline of human existence, if you look back over human evolution lets say from 10,000 years ago right up to very recently even 100 hundred years ago, for the general population at least, applying a specific way of eating would not be needed and would most likely be a pretty stupid idea as the amount of available food without having to do some form of hard manual labour or hunting was limited.

Move forward to today, food is in absolute abundance, you can literally eat all day long! And easily, with out the need to hunt or perform hard labour in the fields.

Not only that but the actual food has also changed too, man has found a way to manipulate and create all kinds of foods, especially since we found sugar, we now fill entire warehouses full of  foods based on this single ingredient and any animal that finds sugar gains a very rapid and efficient fuel source, hence why the brain sends out those messages of reward and pleasure to encourage you to seek out this source of energy again and again and again.

and again...

The problem lies in the fact that our brains are still wired in exactly the same way, our bodies and brains are still crafted to survive in a multitude of tough environments on limited foods.


The thing is for the majority of us at least we no longer have to survive a harsh environment, we no longer have to go hunting for our food or spend hours in the field unless you choose to.

chooses to.

In the past the availability of food and the amount of energy humans would expel would naturally create a balance in energy usage vs. consumption. Very rarely would a human being 2000 years ago be in a caloric surplus for very long, a position where they would add much body fat, it might happen every now again, but then there would also likely be more periods of time when food was scarce and the balance of energy in vs. out would be in a deficit.

So in today’s society where you don’t have to expel vast amounts of energy to get your food, and when you do get your food its in great abundance, surely it only makes sense that we put in place a few strategies to counter this shift in today’s lifestyle and actually take us back a little in time.

Nowadays we counter the lack of manual labour at work by going to the gym and lifting things up and down.

So basically the gym is a form of artificial activity…..

just killed arms, best go get protein

just killed ma protein

To counter the food conundrum putting some strategies and rules to follow helps us place a limiter or reverse the new age lifestyles effect on the body.

 “Diet” I suppose is just a word we use to describe putting strategies in place to hit or maintain our health, physique and performance goals.

So I would argue it’s not the use of a diet that’s unique or unnatural it’s the environment were in, on the scale of human existence anyway.


so what strategiese can we use?

There are good strategies and there are bad strategies and then there are plain stupid strategies.

Good strategies

1.     They don’t take you too far away from normal eating patterns too soon,

2.     Changes are slow and steady,

3.     All food groups have a role,

4.     Based largely on whole original foods,

5.     Simple and flexible.

Bad strategies

1.     Making drastic changes.

2.     Very rigid rules.

3.     Use “fake foods”.

4.     The use of liquids instead of real food.

5.     Eating little to no calories.

6.     Demonising one specific macronutrient.

7.     Only eating grapefruits (duh).

8.     Eating special k instead of a meal! (no shit!)

hunger, a reduced metabolic rate and an increased subsequent fat gain maybe?....

covering your nutritional bases.

what are your'e nutritional bases?

in terms of your goals, certain things need to be in place otherwise your just hoping for results.


1. calories - you need to be consuming the right amount of food for your goal.
2. balance - the right balance of proteins, fats and carbs.
3. nutrients and water - fibre, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants etc

you cover those basics pretty consistently and your well on your way.

The makings of a good strategy!

the following list covers the 80%

this is the foods that should ideally make up 80% of your diet to cover the above bases, that leaves 20% for donuts!

by taking care of the 80% you will be covering your nutritional bases.

covering the bases Starts in the kitchen – as a human any food that’s is in your possession or vicinity will at some point be eaten!

When your at home sat on the sofa all curled up, how do you choose the blueberries instead of the whole bar of galaxy, how do you ensure you make the wise choice.

Simply begin by stacking your fridge and cupboards with the foods that will carry you towards your goals as opposed to away.

“If there’s not a poor choice to choose from, you can’t make a poor choice”

so one of the first basics of a healthier diet and losing fat can be made by your food choices.

Consuming 80% percent from good quality, whole and unprocessed food sources naturally means you will be hitting number 3 in that above list, Nutrients. you just cant do that adequately on poor food sources.

not only that but you can litterally eat more food.

if i said eat 30g of carbs with your dinner would you choose...

A 100g of potato providing about 17grams of carbs plus a decent wedge of nutrients and fibre.

or some harribo where you can only eat 20grams of product to consume the same amount of carbs.

Its completely your choice, but its obvious which one will be more satiating and therefore better consumed more often.

I'm not saying never consume sweets, i do, regularly! but i cover all my bases.

so by stocking your cupboards with high quality satiating, nutrient dense foods takes care of a big portion of the required steps.

so after you have done your shopping you now only need to manage your total food intake and ensure a good balance of protein fats and carbs.

with that out the way.

Lets go shopping!

Meats and fish

Meat, eggs, game and fish – Lamb, Beef, Veal, Venison, Partridge, Guinea Fowl, Pheasant, Duck, Chicken, Turkey, Pigeon, eggs will all do the job! salmon, mackerel, sardines, shrimp, prawns.

tip; Canned fish provides an awesome alternative for when you are short on time and need a good source of protein, try salmon, mackeral or sardines.

Organ Meats – a massively underused addition in most diets, the western diet nearly solely relies on eating animal muscle tissue alone, although organ meats offer a massively cheaper source of protein that is also rich in vitamins, minerals, amino acids and healthy fats.

tip; Liver tops the list of organ meats with its superior concentration of nutrients including vitamin A, iron, choline, copper, zinc and also an interesting but as yet unidentified “anti fatigue factor”  (Benjamin K Erschoff 1951). among other choices are Kidney and Heart.

Vegetables/Salads

Salad – easy to prepare, and great for on the go, the list here is endless, choose as many colours as possible, leaves are great to build a salad but choose crunchy veg to provide more fibre and nutrients. Peppers, spinach, kale, cucumbers, celery are all great choices etc

Cruciferous vegetables –broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels are great choices well known for there anti cancer properties as well as there detoxifying affect on the body and ability to clear excess natural estrogens and chemical estrogens we come into contact with daily such as BPA found in plastics, this clearing of excess estrogens helps to reduce fat stored in the lower body such as hips and thighs!

Root vegetables – provide a great carbohydrate source, awesome in the winter when you require a hearty meal, try various potatoes, parsnips, butternut squash amongst others.

Fruit

1001, 1002, 1003, 1004

Fruits – include citrus fruit, they pack a punch in terms of vitmin c, lemons are awesome in teas or even to squeeze on salads! Forget ready made processed fruit juices however as the sugar load is incredibly high, instead squeeze your own for a much tastier, healthier juice, squeezing your own ensures the sugars stay locked up as fibre, but you still get all the nutrients!

Try out different fruit! Try Exotic fruits! just like the well-known sources of mangos and pineapples but you should also broaden your horizons and test out what’s out there, such as dragon fruits, lyches or even some kumquats....

Berries – per 100g berries are seriously low in sugar and massively high in flavour, an awesome addition to your lunch, as a dessert, or to whack in your post workout drink. Comparatively Bags of Frozen fruits are considerably cheaper and last a lot longer, try adding to greek yogurt, cottage or quark cheese as well as your shakes.

Drinks

Unless it’s for a specific purpose such as pre, during or post training or sport, try to make nearly all your drinks calorie free.

Obviously Water should be your number one.

aim for 1-3 litres daily  

Teas – herbal and fruit teas provide a nice hot drink. green or black teas are all great for a hot drink, both provide naturally occurring caffeine’s and a host of antioxidants.

Coffee – the best pre-workout supplement! provides caffeine (so use wisely), and also has appetite suppressing properties and is super high in antioxidants.

Coconut – Milk/water – obviously these contain calories – but coconut water provides one of the best hydrating beverages on the planet, awesome at replenishing electrolyte levels during sport or training.

alternative milks – rice, coconut, almond, hazelnut, oat. try in teas, coffee, protein shakes for a great way to cut out lactose or dairy (if required).

Carbohydrates

"syrup, candy, candy canes and candy corn"

Not to be feared, however they are to be respected.

Your carbohydrate choice is obviously very very vast!

 

Breads, Rice’s, rice cakes, pasta, potatoes and other starchy veg, quinoa, cous cous, cereals can all play a roll in a healthy diet.

Root vegetables – provide a great carbohydrate source, awesome in the winter when you require a hearty meal, try various potatoes, parsnips, butternut squash amongst others.

as stated earlier you can eat a lot of product for a small amount of total carb vs processed food sources.

Tinned foods

Tinned tomatoes can be used to provide the base for a multitude of sources,

tinned peas, beans and lentils. – black, kidney, black eye, butter beans, lentils, pulses and even baked beans are all great sources of protein and carbs high in fibre that can be used in cooking.

Fats – dressing and cooking

Do not use vegetable oils, spray oils or margerine!!!

Best oils to cook with are very high saturated fats – these have a high smoke point which ensures they do not go rancid under higher temperatures like when frying.

Try coconut oil, avocado oil, red palm oil and butter (organic grass fed is best) I like kerry gooold!

Dressings – olive oil – do not cook with this oil, a little to delicate for high temps and too high quality to burn and with a slight peppery taste is ideal for salads, dressing and on foods such as lean fish.

Vinegars – balsamic and cider are perfect.

Quick and easy dressing: mix up olive oil, balsamic vinegar, squeeze of lemon juice and a little chilli powder to make an awesome dressing!



now go shopping, just apply a little restraint afterwards.

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