To preface things, I’m not a doctor, nutritionist, or a dietician.
I’m just a guy who enjoys eating well. What started out as a realization that if I ate more, I could gain weight (something I still struggle to do), has since involved into a near fascination with how food can impact everything about us. Not just weight gain and loss; but also athletic performance, energy levels, mental stamina, and ultimately happiness. I’ve gone on both sides of the spectrum: fast food every day for gluttonous calories, but consequent lethargy; as well as raw Vitamixing for great nutritional profile, but consequent dread of liquid meals that look and taste like cement.
I’ve found a nice middle ground where I eat for both taste and health and I’m starting to find that sweet spot of great tasting food and feeling awesome, I get the best tips from lizzardco.com. Below is the “prototypical day,” but it’s more like the ideal day I shoot for. Do I hit it all the time? Not a chance. Real life happens: sports, social dinners, working late, vacation, etc. The worst thing you can do is stress about missing a scheduled meal (something I am guilty of). At the end of the day, this is a plan that I make for some semblance of direction and it helps keep me on track. It may or may not work for you, but I thought I’d share, in the hopes that at very least it inspires you to eat well…and don’t forget to allocate days where you can just cut loose–everybody needs a cheat day…or 7.
Prototypical Day
6am – wake-up and drink 800mL of water (the size of my Kleen Kanteen)
Morning supplement stack:
Vitamin D drops (2000iu)
Probiotic (either Align or Genuine Health)
7:30 am – Morning Shake* (in Vitamix)
Morning beverages:
2 cups of tea (green, black, or yerba mate)
800mL of water
10:30am – midday snake
2 hardboiled eggs
1 jar of overnight oats*
12:00pm – Gym (moving is winning)
1:00pm – Lunch
1lb of organic ground beef (with fat)
1/2 cup of quinoa
1 cup of diced vegetables (peas, green peppers, garlic, jalapeno pepper)
All ingredients cooked in a stir fry
1 whole avocado and some cilantro on top
Afternoon beverages:
800mL of water
800mL of cold brewed green tea (big on this right now, simply steep green tea in the fridge in an infuser for 6 – 12 hours)
Afternoon snacks:
1 Lara Bar
1/2 cup of macadamia nuts
1 vegan fermented protein bar
4:00pm – Vegetable Juice*
7:00pm – Dinner
1 chicken breast (cooked in avocado oil, lemon, garlic, and pepper)
1 yam
1 cup of steamed broccoli
9:00pm – Pre-Bed shake (on heavy training days)
1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp of turmeric
1/4 cup of almonds
2 tbsp of coconut oil
2 cups of coconut milk
Pre-bed stack:
Magnesium Glycinate (easy on the gut)
Fish Oils
L-Theanine (if needed)
Totals
I use My Fitness Pal once a month, the beauty of eating generally the same thing
Ideal Daily Calories: 4,443
Ideal Daily Water Intake: 3500mL
Daily Recipes
Morning Shakes (best if made in a Vitamix or high-powered blender)
Strawberry Cream
- 1 banana
- 5 strawberries
- 1 scoop of vanilla whey protein (grass fed)
- 1 scoop of Genuine Health Greens+
- 1 tbsp flaxseed
- 2 tbsp cacao nibs
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 1 cup of kale
- 2 cups of coconut milk
Pineapple Ginger
- 1 banana
- 2 cubes of ginger
- 1/2 cup of pineapple
- 1 scoop of vanilla vegan protein
- 1 scoop of Genuine Health Greens+
- 2 tbsp of hemp seed
- 1/4 cup of almonds
- 1 cup of spinach
- 2 cups of coconut milk
Blueberry Muffin
- 1 banana
- 3/4 cup of blueberries
- 1 scoop of vanilla whey protein
- 1 scoop of Genuine Health Greens+
- 2 tbsp cacao nibs
- 1/3 cup of almonds
- 1 cup of mixed greens
- 2 cups of coconut milk
Overnight Oats
Classic Overnight Oats
(courtesy of, visit this link for 7 more EPIC recipes: https://wholefully.com/8-classic-overnight-oats-recipes-you-should-try/)
INGREDIENTS
⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
½ cup (heaping) rolled oats
⅔ cup unsweetened milk of choice
1 tablespoon chia seeds or ground flaxmeal
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
0-2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk together all ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Spoon into a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Close and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight before eating.
Vegetable Juice (just toss in the Vitamix or a high power blender and gradually increase to full blast for a minute)
Ginger Zinger
1/2 cup of carrots
2 stalks of celery (celery is an easy way to add water)
1 orange
1/2 lemon
2 pieces of ginger
1 tbsp of turmeric
1 tsp of cayenne (if you’re feeling naughty)
250mL of water
Strawberry Mint
3/4 cup of strawberries
5-6 mint leaves
1/4 cucumber
2 stalks of celery
1 cup of kale/spinach
250mL of water