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. 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