The 2019 edition
One of the most common questions any nutritionist gets is “So, what do YOU eat?”
This is not necessarily the best question for a client to ask, because what I do, will not always be what you should do. On the other hand, the example of someone putting healthy nutrition habits into practice can really help with the application of nutrition.
So, periodically I post up what I’m currently doing to give some ideas of how to structure nutrition and supplementation to not just ‘get by’ but to thrive, which of course, is my key focus.
Note: What I mean by ‘thrive’ is to perform optimally, think clearly, be productive, and to live my life of passion and purpose. It is far more than just being ‘healthy’ or to not experience the effects of the health conditions.
Breakfast
- 4 x scoops vanilla Nuzest Clean Lean Protein
- 1 x scoop Nuzest Good Green Stuff
- 1 x Tbsp. Melrose MCT
- 1 x Tbsp. Melrose Fish Oil
- 1 x Tbsp. flax or hempseed oil
- 1 x dose of Life Cykel Turkey Tail extract
- 1 x dose of Life Cykel Reishi extract
Why?
A lot of people will wonder why I have breakfast… It is the strategy du jour nowadays, especially for those in the lower-carb space to miss breakfast (intermittent fasting). I typically don’t.
Fasting is incredibly effective for people who want to lose body fat and ‘auto-regulate’ their calorie intake. In a nutshell, the major benefit of fasting is to restrict the amount you can at by shortening your feeding window (yes, there are other benefits, but that is the largest one!) If you tend to be a habitual over-eater, this is incredibly beneficial. But what if you’re a habitual under-eater?
If I fast, or fast too frequently, I tend to under-eat, and I especially under-eat protein. By having a protein shake, also stacked with essential and secondary nutrients from a quality multi (Good Green Stuff), along with brain-healthy and fat-adaptation supporting fats like MCTs and fish oil AND the health-supporting properties of various medicinal mushrooms, I provide the fuel and protein that I need, along with ‘front-loading’ a bunch of nutrients into my day.
Lunch
Around 200+ g of meat with vegetables (2+ fist-sized servings), oil (olive especially) added ad libitum
Why?
I don’t eat a lot of carbs during the day. The simple reasons are that a) I don’t train enough to warrant high levels of carbs (even though I train at least 6 x per week – a mixture of weightlifting, cross-training, and grappling), b) I can’t be bothered preparing carbs during the day, c) I’d rather fuel on protein and fat during the day as it keeps me mentally clearer and sharper, and d) I’d rather save a bit of my carb allotment for treats!
Dinner
The same as lunch (cook too much so you have leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch!)
With dinner and after dinner
With dinner, we’ll sometimes have extra carbs, mostly from kumara (sweet potato), or occasionally non-gluten grains if we’re especially hungry or we’ve been training hard and long.
After dinner, sometimes I’ll also have a treat. This could be a glass of milk and a snickers bar, cookie, a bowl of cornflakes, or a protein bar, dark chocolate. Really anything that I feel like! I’ll especially have this if trying to put on some size as I find it difficult otherwise to get in enough calories, especially as I typically don’t feel like eating too much during the day. If I’m leaning up a bit, we’ll nix the treats (and often the carb altogether) and stick instead to two treats per week; 1 savoury treat (burger night!) and a sweet treat (anyone say donuts?) ????
Pre-workout
- 1 x sachet KetoNAT
- A serve of Lion’s Mane liquid extract or powder, OR Lion’s Mane or Cordyceps Coffee
- 1 x Tbsp. GelPro collagen hydrolysate with 1 small scoop Vitamin C powder
Why?
Ketones with caffeine give me a mental ‘kick’. I find that ketones really improve my focus for lifting and Jiu-Jitsu and I have also noticed reduced inflammation when taking ketones consistently. Lion’s Mane is the shit!… I love this stuff – the best focus enhancer I have used, backed by strong evidence, and also has neuroregenerative properties to help my brain which has taken a few knocks in the ring and on the footy field. Collagen is another great supplement for joint health and reducing pain and inflammation (I take it with vitamin C to boost collagen synthesis.)
Post-workout
- 4 x scoops chocolate Clean Lean Protein
- 1 scoop creatine
- 1 sachet orange Diasporal Magnesium
Why?
While the effects of protein after training are probably pretty small overall (if you’re taking in enough protein over the day), I still think that there is likely to be a small benefit AND most importantly, I tend towards undereating and if I take a protein shake after each training, I find that my overall protein intake is better for my goals. Creatine is the king of sports supplements and I take all this together with magnesium because Mg helps me to relax and sleep better, it’s a cofactor for muscular ATP (Mg-ATP) and it makes my protein shake taste like Jaffa (which is the actual reason I take it after training!)
