The foods you eat have the biggest effect on your health, energy, physical output, appetite, brain function and control of your weight, among other things. For optimal performance in each of those areas, the right foods will provide your body with the best resources to operate correctly.
I would like to provide you with a list of foods to help you decide what to eat and raise some points to help plan your eating. This will be what I truly believe to be very healthy practice based my own personal experience and all of the tremendous reading I have done in the past 12 months which has opened my eyes so much to the truth about food.
The recent research I have done clearly illustrates the misleading information we have been given from big food, drink and pharmaceutical companies, as well as government organisations and other health groups who are supposed to provide us with the best possible, un-biased health information. Also, I base this information on the things I have learned about how food really works in our body including, how calories from different foods are treated differently in the body. Therefore, the common ‘calories in-calories out’ mentality towards long term weight loss and control is seriously flawed. Also, how fat consumption, in particular saturated fat, is essential for our health and shouldn’t be minimalised in our diet, instead, it is the sugar, carbohydrates and processed ‘vegetable’ oils from seeds which need to be substantially decreased or eliminated completely in order to achieve optimal, long term health.
However, I highly encourage you to read the following books which I have recommended in previous blogs. Namely:-
You can also view tremendous information from the website - https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/ - produced by Dr. Jason Fung who has done outstanding work in the field of diabetes treatment and expands on this to speak about various topics including fasting and low carbohydrate eating.
May I begin by reminding you of some of the amazing benefits which I have seen since making the change to a high fat, low carbohydrate lifestyle full of fresh, natural, unprocessed foods:-
- Appetite control – I have gone from eating 6 times a day and always thinking about my next meal to eating a maximum of 3 times a day and often just twice a day while being extremely satisfied for very long periods after eating.
- Complete control of my weight – previously, despite training up to 20 hours per week, I struggled to lose even just a kilo or two in the lead up to an important race. In fact, during the 2 – 3 months in the lead up to last year’s 70.3 World Championships I seemed to put on a couple of kilos. This happened while following conventional high carbohydrate, low fat dietary advice. Also, during periods of recovery and little to no training, I would quickly put on weight and body fat. The last significant break I had was during the month after my son was born just 3 months ago but my weight and body fat didn’t change in that time thanks to my foods choices.
- A clear head – after few weeks of transitioning to a high fat, low carbohydrate, natural food lifestyle my head became clearer as if 'the fog had lifted.' I began waking up in the morning not feeling grumpy and not taking a couple of hours to really get going. My mind would feel switched on from the word go. Also, my desire to read and write more and gain as much health and nutrition knowledge as I can keeps increasing because I feel I can retain more information and generally focus so much better. In addition, I don't remember the last time I had a headache. Not even a little one. I would say I used to get them occasionally, particularly if I had lacked sleep for a few days in a row, and I know the last time I had a migraine was almost 3 years ago (4 days before Ironman Melbourne 2013).
- Greater physical performance and recovery - you can get an idea of my improvement by reading this blog from my last race, in February. However, since then I have completely ditched the use of energy gels, bars, energy drinks and electrolyte drink products and in a couple of months time I will be able to let you know what I will use during my long distance triathlon events in the upcoming season. Basically, I don't need to rely on constant eating or sucking down gels to keep my energy up for 4+ hours of exercise because I can go for such long periods where my body efficiently burns body fat for energy. Despite what some of you may expect, my training quality has definitely gone up because I don't necessarily need to have eaten at a precise time, before training, to get the most out of a workout.
- My teeth feel really clean - I never get that furry feeling on my teeth anymore. My understanding is that furry feeling is a clear sign of bacteria build up and/or damage being done. It's an amazing difference and just another clear sign that your body loves it when you eat natural, unprocessed, nutritious foods. Just because you might brush morning and night, doesn’t mean your teeth are protected when you’re eating or drinking bad things throughout the day. In fact, what those foods do to your dental health after the food is consumed can have a serious effect.
- Better quality sleep - Even though I don't sleep any more than I used to, I definitely feel more rested when I wake up. Previously, I hated doing early shift at work because I really struggled with sleep and although I still prefer late shift, mainly because I love to train in the morning, I don't have anywhere near as much trouble coping with early shift nowadays.
- Greater digestive function - I couldn't believe how quickly I noticed the lack of bloating, gas and constipation after I had transitioned to a high fat, low carbohydrate lifestyle full of natural, unprocessed foods. I didn't really see those things as such a problem until I didn't get them anymore. I thought they were normal things that everyone would experience. However, I have realised they were signs that things weren't operating correctly and it was my body's way of showing it. Now, if I eat a large meal I don't feel weighed down for hours afterwards and I definitely don't have bloating making my stomach stick out and feel horribly uncomfortable. I don't even remember the last time I had a bout of gas that lasted several hours or more. Previously, this was relatively common and I now know that it's not normal to have those episodes, ever. What about constipation? No longer an issue.
Reducing the incidence of inflammation is one of the major contributing factors to the above mentioned changes I have experienced. Inflammation can cause pain, poor bodily functions, negatively effects your brain function and is a major part of weight problems.
The types of foods which may have the greatest effect on the development of inflammation and weight problems are:-
- Carbohydrates from sugar, grains and starches/starchy root vegetables (potatoes, etc.).
- Polyunsaturated omega-6 fats which are found mainly in ‘vegetable’ oils such as sunflower oil, canola oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil, corn oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, etc. And;
- Processed foods in general which contain artificial sweeteners, preservatives and other unnatural things.
Sugar, grains and starches or starchy root vegetables are very dense in carbohydrates and cause a spike in blood glucose (a.k.a. blood sugar). Excess glucose molecules in the blood can ‘run into’ the important proteins, fats, cholesterol, amino acids and even DNA, which are traveling through the blood to perform essential tasks, causing an inflammatory reaction known as Glycation. This causes 'Advanced Glycation End-Products' (AGEs) and ‘free radicals’.
‘AGEs’ is a very appropriate abbreviation because it is these extra AGEs which cause the aging process to speed up. This includes advanced deterioration of the brain which is why diabetics, and generally people who constantly have a high influx of glucose in their blood throughout their life because of their high carbohydrate diet, are far more likely to suffer from brain diseases like Alzheimer's, dementia and so many other issues related to cognitive decline.
Your body produces antioxidants in order to deal with free radicals but there is only so much it can do when the blood glucose is constantly high and it can’t keep up with the required free radical production.
Also, grains such as, wheat, rye and barley, which are used in a vast amount of packaged foods as well as their other common forms of bread, baked goods, pasta, etc., have the added inflammatory product of gluten. It is clearly explained in Grain Brain and Wheat Belly the array of problems gluten can cause, not just in diagnosed Coeliac Disease sufferers but for a massive portion of the population, possibly everyone.
Polyunsaturated omega-6 fats are an inflammatory product. They are only needed in the body in very small amounts, not like in the amounts that are generally consumed in today’s society through many processed foods. They, also, need to be balanced with omega-3 intake. You could get your daily needs of omega-6 fats from a piece of salmon or some nuts. I have mentioned the oils above which are made from various seeds and they are extremely high in omega-6. They should be avoided at all costs and any packaged food which has ‘vegetable oils’ or ‘vegetable fats’ as an ingredient will have one or more of those oils present.
Vegetable oils are used in a huge amount of packaged and processed foods as well as many baked goods. Also, fast food outlets and many restaurants will cook in vegetable oils. I will list suitable oils for cooking and consumption further down.
Fats and Proteins
The aim for fat consumption should be to have predominantly saturated fats from animal sources like, meats and organs, eggs and some full fat dairy. Also, a high portion of mono-unsaturated fats from foods such as, fish, nuts, olive oil and avocados. As well as sources of omega-3 fats from fish, eggs, flaxseeds and nuts.
Most great fat sources will be a great protein source as well. These come in the form of various animal products. Meat and animal fats provide us with many different vitamins and about half of all vitamins are fat-soluble meaning we can’t properly absorb them without consuming good fats as well:-
- Red meat – choose fatty cuts and eat all the fat. Buy fully grass fed meat as much as possible. There are various businesses where you can get grass fed meats such as local butchers (you’ll have to ask them if it is) or you can find them on Google if you search for grass fed meats in your area.
- Chicken – thighs/drumstick/maryland cuts are the fattiest and definitely feel free to eat the skin. Meat from chickens which have been fully organic free-range and pasture raised will have the greatest nutrients and no added nasties in their flesh.
- Wild caught fish – salmon and sardines are particularly good for their high omega-3 content. Canned tuna loses a lot of nutrients through its processing. It is still a good protein source but contains far less essential fat. Whenever buying any tinned fish product, buy it in springwater or olive oil and make sure there are no vegetable oils or any other preservatives or flavours added to it. Sourcing whole, wild caught fish from a trusted source will be worth it.
- Eggs – from organic free range, pasture raised chickens are highly nutritious and may even be the perfect food due to their range of nutrients packed into such a convenient form. Try a Google search for a local supplier because the supermarket eggs will come mostly from chickens which have been at least partially grain fed. Despite the cartons saying ‘free-range’ and ‘access to pastures,’ they are highly likely supplemented with other commercial feed.
- Full fat dairy – Full cream milk, natural Greek yoghurt, cheese, butter (not margarine) and pure cream. Cheese, butter and pure cream should basically have no sugar/lactose at all or 'less than 1 gram' stated in the nutritional information because they are made from the milk fat.
- Pork – bacon, chops, pork belly. Organically raised, free range pigs. Look for a local supplier.
- Nuts – Almonds, macadamias and hazelnuts are particularly good choices for their fat profile.
Other important fats to consume often are olive oil and coconut oil. Olive oil is high in mono-unsaturated fats and contains some omega-3 fats as well. However, avoid using olive oil in a fry pan because it shouldn't be heated to high temperatures as it can alter the chemical structure and be dangerous for consumption, similar to the seed oils. Using for roasting meat and vegetables at lower heats is ok. However, it’s best used cold as a salad dressing or pour it on pretty much anything you like.
Coconut oil and butter are great choices for using in the fry pan as they are highly stable saturated fats which can handle the higher heats. Other saturated fat options are ghee/clarified butter (both derived from butter), lard and beef tallow. Coconut oil also has other highly nutritional benefits which can be obtained by eating just a teaspoon a day.
Carbohydrates/Vegetables
Eating a wide variety of non-starchy vegetables and salad every day will fulfil your carbohydrate needs, which are actually very small. They will also provide you with many different essential vitamins and minerals.
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Capsicum
- Carrot
- Cucumber
- Cauliflower
- Pumpkin
- Celery
- Onion
- Tomato
- Avocado
- Lettuce
- Silverbeet
- Spinach
- Peas
- Pak choy
- Buk choy
- Zucchini
- Mushrooms
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Green Beans
- Chilly
- Snow peas
- Broccolini
- Garlic
- Egg Plant
- And many more.
There are so many to choose from that every day could be completely different.
Eat fruit only on an occasional basis because most fruits will contain a fairly high amount of sugar. However, berries such as strawberry, blackberry, blueberry or raspberry, have a much lower sugar content compared to other fruits and would be the best choice.
Try mixing 1 cup of berries with 1/2 cup of nuts, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a heaped tablespoon of cream for a delicious dessert.
Hydration
Always have a big drink of water when you wake up in the morning. This might be all you need in the morning and then you may not need to eat for much longer than you thought.
Sometimes you may think you are hungry but really you just need some water, so drink water with every meal. Have a large drink of water before you eat and this may help you to feel fuller sooner and for longer.
There’s no magic amount you should drink but ensure you start every day with plenty of water and have some with every meal. Also, if you are not going to eat for a long time during the day make sure you continue to drink water during that time.
Tea and coffee count towards fluid intake. If you don’t generally drink tea or coffee I recommend trying green tea once a day. Hopefully you will like it because it can provide some wonderful benefits. If you are a coffer drinker, ensure to limit this to no more than 2 standard strength coffees per day in order to limit the caffeine stimulation and the potential diuretic effect it could have if you have too much.
Staying hydrated is much easier when you avoid sugar/carbohydrates and eat more fats and non-starchy vegetables because your body will be receiving the necessary vitamins and minerals it requires to assist optimal hydration from those foods and you will avoid many of the water retention issues that come with a high carbohydrate diet.
Preparation
Being prepared makes a huge amount of difference in ensuring you have the best nutrition possible. I recommend you invest in a cooler bag - I got this one from Big W: http://www.bigw.com.au/product/california-innovations-9-can-zipperless-cooler/p/WCC100000000207018/ - which fits neatly into a backpack or is easy to carry on its own. Also, get a couple of ice packs and a bunch of suitable sized containers. I take this to work with me everyday and can fit 2 meals in it perfectly. Also, I will have a knife, fork and spoon in there too, which means, if I haven't prepared enough food to take with me, I can easily grab a couple of things at a supermarket and I know I can make it work.
An example of what I might get at the supermarket if I was short of time at work would be; a tin of sardines, a small capsicum, an avocado, a small pack of nuts and a small block of cheese (100-150 grams). Because I always have my cutlery, I know I can make those items work.
Making meals for 2 or 3 days in advance is always useful and this will be of particular use on work days. Simple things like a big batch of stir-fried vegetables cooked in coconut oil and spices or mixing a large salad with olive oil and filling 2 or 3 containers which stay in the fridge until you use them over the following days. Then you could roast a bunch of chicken drumsticks, cook a couple of steaks and slice them up or boil a batch of eggs to go with them. You can grab a can of sardines out of the pantry, cut a few thick slices of cheese and have small containers of nuts.
Try different things and you'll eventually find some really easy, nutritious options that work for you.
If you make your own food at least 90% of the time you can be sure about what you are eating. If you buy food on the run more often you may not know for sure what has gone into it. This is why it is so useful and important to make food at home in bulk so that you will often have food available to take with you to work and even when you are going to be out doing other things.
Quick Recipes
These are some of the things I would make fairly often because I know they are simple and are full of great nutrients.
Easy Stir-Fry Vegetables
Ingredients:-
- One head of broccoli chopped roughly into small pieces.
- Half a head of cauliflower chopped roughly into small pieces.
- One handful chopped spring onion.
- 2 carrots chopped julienne (thin strips).
- One red capsicum chopped into small pieces.
- 10 – 12 button mushrooms chopped in half.
- 2 cloves of garlic crushed.
- Spices – ½ teaspoon Turmeric, ½ teaspoon Paprika, chili flakes (add as much as you like depending on how spicy you want it), a pinch of Himalayan salt and cracked pepper.
- One heaped tablespoon of Coconut Oil.
Method:-
- Place the broccoli and cauliflower in a large, pre-heated fry pan with the Coconut Oil. Cook over a medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the spring onion, carrots, capsicum, mushrooms and garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the spices and salt and pepper. Stir well for 1 minute.
- All done!
You can stir through any cooked meat (beef, lamb, chicken, etc.) that you like or you can serve these vegetables as a side to any meat, fish or eggs.
This will probably make 3 or 4 serves so you are prepared for the next couple of days.
Easy Salad
Ingredients:-
- One baby cos lettuce roughly chopped.
- 2 tomatoes diced.
- One red capsicum diced.
- Half a large or one small continental cucumber diced.
- One carrot diced.
- One avocado.
- One block of feta cheese.
- ¼ cup olive oil.
Method:-
- Place lettuce, tomatoes, capsicum, cucumber and carrot into a large bowl.
- Scoop out contents of the avocado and add into the bowl.
- Crumble the block of feta into the bowl and then pour in the olive oil.
- Using either a large spoon or your hands, mix all of the ingredients together in the bowl until everything seems well covered by the avocado, feta and olive oil.
You can add in any cooked meat or use it as a side. You could also place some boiled eggs on top of it in a bowl (or in a container to take to work).
This will probably make 3 or 4 serves.
Easy Roast Brussels Sprouts
Brussels Sprouts are not the most enjoyable vegetable for most people but they have a lot of great nutrients. However, if you roast them it gives them a whole new flavour and crunchy texture.
Method:-
- Pre-heat oven to 200 C.
- Take 8 – 10 brussels sprouts and chop the little stalk bit off the end.
- Then, chop each one into quarters.
- Place them in a large bowl and pour a generous amount of olive oil over them and give a generous shake of Himalayan salt and cracked pepper.
- Mix them well.
- Pour all of the brussels sprouts (and any leaves which have fallen off) onto a baking tray and spread out.
- Cook in the oven for 20 minutes, then, take out of the oven and mix them around briefly.
- Put back in the oven for a further 20 minutes and then they’re done.
- The small leaves will be like little chips and the large pieces will be slightly crunchy and flavoursome. Delicious!
This amount will probably be enough for 2 or 3 serves as part of a meal.
Exercise
Exercise is a wonderful thing and it has many benefits. Appropriate exercise will benefit your brain function and the overall structure of your body. One of the best things you can do for your body is weight training. So, if you have a gym which you already go to or one you could easily access, give it a try. Make sure you get some help from someone at the gym so you know how to do some of the basic exercises correctly.
Alternatively, there are some simple exercises you can do at home. The most efficient exercises are those which use a variety of muscles in one movement. These are known as Compound Exercises because they use more than one joint, ie: a squat will be moving both the knees and hips in one movement or a push up will move your elbows and shoulders in one movement.
You could try the following exercises at home:-
- Squats
- Lunges
- Step-ups
- Push Ups
- Plank (abdominal exercise) – lift your body off the ground while holding yourself up on your elbows and toes. Your body should be parallel to the ground and hold yourself up for as long as you can while squeezing your abdominal muscles hard.
Demonstrations for all of these exercises can be Googled or found on YouTube.
For the first 4 exercises, just try and do as many repetitions as you can for one minute and do this 2 or 3 times each with short breaks in between. You will only need to do these exercises twice a week and have a couple of days in between.
The other type of exercise which I believe would benefit anyone is doing some form of moderate intensity cardio activity such as, a long, brisk walk, a jog, cycling, swimming or any type of basic cardio exercise, first thing in the morning, before eating. For shift workers, you probably wouldn’t do this on a day when you are working early shift but on a day that you work late shift or are not working at all, as soon as you get up, have a drink of water and try for at least 45 minutes of moderate intensity cardio activity but go for longer if you feel like it. Doing this before you eat will help your body to adapt to burning more body fat for energy because you wouldn’t have eaten for a long time since the night before.
On days that you work early shift you can still do something similar. Instead of going for a walk as soon as you get up you can just wait for several hours into your shift before you eat. This way, you will still have an extended period after waking up where your body needs to rely on the stored body fat to burn for energy. Just ensure you drink plenty of water as well.
There are no rules for what to eat and when
There are no written rules that say you have to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with snacks in between. In fact, this is the complete opposite of what our ancestors did. We should only eat when we’re truly hungry and by eating the right foods that provide us with the greatest nutrients and drinking plenty of water, we don’t get hungry as often. That is why I never need to eat more than 3 times per day and on many days I only eat twice and I have never felt better.
You can eat steak and vegetables for breakfast and bacon and eggs for dinner if you want because the only rule you should follow is this – when you eat, you must aim to eat the best quality, nutrient dense foods.
The only reason why people feel they must always eat breakfast and that it has to be cereal, toast or another popular breakfast product is because of advertising, biased information from health agencies and the lies we have been told about food. This has resulted in most people becoming very used to eating these types of 'food' and becoming addicted to them because of ingredients including sugar, wheat/grains and other additives. It all comes down to money that we are told a whole lot of ridiculous information which is detrimental to our health.
Make sure you eat nutritious, fresh food and feel free to have large gaps between meals. Your body will get used to it after a few weeks and the cravings for the bad, sugary and/or grain based foods will go away.
Like many of you are right now, I wouldn't have believed this to be true just 12 months ago. So, one of the biggest take away messages from my experience is - you won't until you try it. You may be confused why we would be told incorrect information from those who are supposed provide us with the right information but if you give this type of lifestyle a go, you too will be amazed at how great you will feel and how healthy you will be.
I hope this helps you on your way to better health.
Cheers,
Lincoln.
**Please remember that I make these recommendations based on my personal research and experience. I do believe that following this advice will make a world of difference to your health and generally how you feel on a daily basis but it is entirely your choice to follow this information and, ultimately, you decide what goes into your body. I just hope this information will allow for a more informed decision on what you eat so you will see the difference and continue to choose the things that will be the best for your health.
Doing some of your own research will help and I highly encourage you to read some, or all, of the books I have mentioned as well as Dr. Jason Fung's website.
