I was reading some staggering statistics this weekend while researching for this blog post and what I came across really surprised me; there are over 200,000 different fast food chains in the United States and Americans are spending an average of $190 billion dollars a YEAR on fast food. The reason I am putting these statistics first is because a society as a whole we are over fed but undernourished. As Richard stated before in one of his blog posts, over 24 million Americans are obese and we are not eating the necessary nutrients to sustain our bodies.

So now that the shock and awe factor has passed how about some general guidelines on what to eat, how to eat, and when to eat? One of Richards’s most recent blog posts was about the importance of eating breakfast so I won’t go into too much detail on that but I will say that eating breakfast is the most important meal of the day and is crucial in energizing your body to function throughout the day and a key to any body composition or performance goals. So ask, what do I eat for breakfast? Well, everyone is different and while some people might disagree with my breakfast of choice, I start my day of with several cups of spinach and kale blend with 3-6 eggs all blended in a blender cooked in some ground beef; now, as I said, this is just what I eat and is a suggestion, everyone has a different opinion of breakfast but this is what I have been eating for a little over a year now every day along with a good cup of coffee. This breakfast may seem like a lot of fat and while most people believe that the word “fat” is always negative, eating fats in the morning helps keep you fuller longer and can help slow down your digestion. As of late, I have not been eating carbohydrates in the morning because I do not need to spike my blood sugar early in the morning.  

Lunch is an easy meal for me to make because as I have said in past blogs, I am a huge advocate for meal prepping and my lunch is very basic but still filling. It will normally consists of some type of spiced, low sodium chicken, (I have been keen on making crockpot chicken lately because it takes such little effort to prepare) and some type of green vegetable with a half of an avocado; very simple and very filling. This is usually my last big meal before I workout but if I workout before lunch my meal is a little different and I will discuss pre workout nutrition and post workout nutrition here in a bit.

A normal dinner for me, usually is right after I workout and what your body needs right after exercise needs to be a fast absorbing carbohydrate and my carbohydrate of choice is normally white or red potatoes with either a couple eggs or ground beef because it is quick to make and quick to eat. Once I am finished eating that, I eat some quinoa and chicken with some type of vegetable to hold me over until breakfast. Again these all are quick and easy meals that I can make anytime I need them and prepare them for the week ahead.

Now, pre workout nutrition can be tricky because it is something you need to gauge time wise for yourself because each person is going to be different but normally about an hour and a half before I train, I will eat a piece of fruit and some potatoes so I have something on my stomach and something to hold me over during my training. For some people this may be too much or too soon before training and no one wants to see what they ate mid training session.

Again these are some general ideas and guidelines for what I use to fuel my body on a regular basis and to be honest, I do actually enjoy eating this way. As you fuel your body with good nutrition and get rid of the crap, your taste buds change and your appetite changes with it so I do not have a problem turning down bad food; I fuel my body with what it needs to function and perform well. Again, I am a huge advocate of meal prepping and I believe it is an effective and easy way to change your lifestyle (I do not like the word diet, diets do not work, they come and go, but if you change your lifestyle, that is something that lasts).

I hope you find this blog post helpful and insightful! And if you have any questions or need recipe ideas, feel free to ask!  

 

Matt Neid

M.S.

CF-L1