My Carb Pyramid
It’s not fancy, but it gives you a general idea of my daily diet. This super-veggie routine, supplemented with lean protein and good fats, has kept me lean, muscular, strong, and healthy for many years now. (I can whip most guys half my age in a fitness test.)
I generally enjoy mostly raw vegetables, hence my giant daily salad. As I always say, real men eat lettuce. My salad alone usually includes several cups of greens, plus 2 or 3 additional cups of other vegetables like colorful bell peppers, artichokes, asparagus, and tomatoes. Dinner is often a stir fry or steamed vegetables with some fish, legumes or chicken. A few times a month, I enjoy grass-fed beef, and on rare occasions I’ll have a slice of sprouted-grain bread with almond butter. I’m not really a pasta or pizza guy. I genuinely love fresh, unprocessed food.
I eat DHA-enhanced organic eggs several days a week, often with spinach or tomatoes. I’m not a big breakfast person so some days I miss them. At lunch, I top my salads with wild salmon, smoked salmon, tuna, turkey, tempeh, or beans – though I do favor animal protein over vegetarian sources. I eat plenty of lean animal and plant proteins at each meal, and several servings of healthy fats like avocados and olive oil, too. I also eat a little organic butter, organic full-fat yogurt (such as Greek yogurt), and sometimes a little kefir or cheese. I am not a snacker, though I do enjoy berries, raw almonds and my protein shake, Responsibly Slim (I toss in a banana, berries, and sometimes flaxseeds).
It seems to work for me. Not bad for a retired athlete!
Technorati Tags: raw vegetables, food pyramid, DHA enhanced organic eggs, food weaknesses, grass fed beef, sprouted-grain bread, natural foods
Posted By: Mark Sisson
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Mark,
I have a question regarding sports drinks drinks and the sugars that they contain. Can you maintain a healthy low sugar diet while ingesting products like Pure Enduranc’s Ultragen and EFS? How do they effect inflamation in the body?
Barton
Barton,
I don’t consider intense training ideal in terms of the “primal health” plan I espouse. That said, there are a variety of lifestyle choices we can make, and they will require compromises. To that end, if the lifestyle you choose is one of harder training, then these sorts of sports glucose products are an excellent tool to replenish and maintain that lifestyle. The idea behind these supplements is to be a tool – but recognize that this isn’t the healthy lifestyle I personally consider optimal. After an hour of exercise, you simply don’t need this stuff. Likewise for a longer, low-level intensity workout like a hike, which is depending on fat metabolism. For either one and for all the stationary bike jockeys, you don’t need ‘em. That said, after a very intense workout there is generally about a two hour window where you are primed to resynthesize glycogen – so these glucose supps become a tool (essentially to prep you for the next round). So if the training lifestyle is your choice, then this is a good tool to maintain that choice.
Mark I just wanted to point out a mistake in your article here.
“I eat plenty of lean animal and plant proteins at each meal, and several servings of Omega-3 fats like avocados and olive oil, too.”
^ when you said like, did you mean “and also”? Avocados and olive oil are full of monounsaturated oleic acid, and have little to no omega-3’s. It’s definitely important to get a wide variety of fatty acid types in the proper proportions, though.
Mark my question is for some people diet is diferent in my diet i mix grain and vegetables my protein low fart yogurts fish and broiled chicken i also eat often green apples.. i read in an article that instead of eating eggs to eat nuts. Any suggestions
Mark, I don’t understand how you can advocate “no refined grains” and yet sell a product (Responsibly Slim) that contains maltodextrin (corn) and corn syrup. (And maybe some other refined grains too but those were the ones that leapt out at me.) I avoid these ingredients because I’m allergic to corn. I’m also allergic to wheat, so I do avoid most refined grains though I’m not totally convinced everyone needs to do this. In other words, your product may be fine for many people, but it doesn’t seem consistent with what you advocate. Response?
Sorry, under maltodextrin I should have said “usually corn.” It is sometimes made from rice or wheat, but I believe corn is still what’s used most often in this country.
Shirin,
Maltodextrin is basically just long chains of glucose sugar(also known as glucose polymers). Corn syrup is similar. It is just sugar that happens to have come from corn. It could have come from beets, rice, potatoes, etc. There is no evidence of corn protein remaining in either of those sources, so no possible allergy problems.
Protein powder tastes like crap, so we have to use sweeteners and flavors to get a meal replacement that tastes good (otherwise, no matter how good for you it was, no one would drink it). The use of these ingredients is, for sure, a compromise, but rest assured, this product contains no “refined grain” as you referred to it.
Here’s a “primer” on some of these ingredients:
What is corn syrup?
The singular term “corn syrup” is somewhat of a misnomer because it is used to identify a group of sweeteners that differ from one another simply by the amount of dextrose (glucose) present in the commercial syrup. Since only a single type of corn syrup is generally used in a food product, the term “corn syrup” is permitted in an ingredient statement. However, consumers have no idea how much glucose is contained in the particular “corn syrup” listed in an ingredient statement. A commercial “corn syrup” may contain between 20% and 98% dextrose (glucose).
“Corn syrup” may also be called “glucose syrup” in an ingredient list.
Corn syrups are used in many of today’s salad dressings, tomato sauces, powdered drink mixes, fruit drinks and juices, and frozen desserts like pudding and ice milk.
What are corn syrup solids?
When a corn syrup has been concentrated to contain less than 10% water, it can be listed as “corn syrup solids” in an ingredient statement. To qualify as “corn syrup solids,” the glucose (dextrose) content must be at least 88% of the weight of the concentrated syrup. This product can be called “dried glucose syrup” or “glucose syrup solids” in an ingredient list.
Corn syrup solids are used in the same types of foods as dextrose and corn syrups.
What is maltodextrin?
A maltodextrin is a short chain of molecularly linked dextrose (glucose) molecules, and is manufactured by regulating the hydrolysis of starch. Typical commercial maltodextrins contain as few as three and as many as nineteen linked dextrose units.
While the singular term “maltodextrin” is permitted in an ingredient statement, the term “maltodextrin” can be applied to any starch hydrolysis product that contains fewer than 20 dextrose (glucose) units linked together. This means that the term “maltodextrin” stands for a family of products, not a single distinct ingredient.
Additionally, today’s commercially important maltodextrin products are produced from corn, potato or rice. Unlike the other starch sweeteners, the undefined term “maltodextrin” can be used in an ingredient list no matter the original source of starch.
Maltodextrins are used in a wide array of foods, from canned fruits to snacks. Maltodextrins may also be an ingredient in the single-serve, table-top packet of some artificial sweeteners.
Mark,
Thanks for taking the time for a lengthy response. If you look, you’ll find corn allergy sites that advise sufferers to stay away from maltodextrin, though I grant you that this is based on sufferers’ personal experience and not scientific trials. . My own experience is that it’s hard to judge exactly what I am reacting to because a lot of the products contain multiple corn ingredients such as corn starch as well as maltodextrin and corn syrup. At any rate, I’m not going to worry too much about proving which foods I react to, since I think I’m better off staying away from heavily processed and sweetened foods to begin with. I don’t need to lose weight (so no diet-style meal replacement products for me) and I’m not training for any endurance events. I just wanted a better understanding of your food philosophy.
Mark,
You mentioned liking animal protein as opposed to vegetarian sources. However, I have been a vegetarian for three years. Is there any way for me to follow the advice you give on this website and still keep away from eating animals? I am considering becoming a pescatarian, but I’d rather just stick to lots of tofu and legumes if possible. Any advice?
It’s really tough to go Primal and stay vegetarian. Our ancestors ALL ate meat. My wife was vegetarian for years, but had to start eating fish because she just wasn’t getting enough protein. See all prior MDA posts on grains and legumes as the main reason why you shouldn’t rely on them for protein.
Hi Mark,
I was just wondering why it’s not ok to eat grains, yet it is ok to eat bananas? They are usually grouped together as being on the avoid list, high GI etc. Is it because bananas are not processed or man made?
I ask, because I have insulin resistance and am really struggling with all of the conflicting info there is on the best diets for IR/diabetes etc. Some say no bananas or grains. Some say small amounts of properly soaked grains (nourishing traditions eg. sourdough bread, oats) are ok. I give up. I thought reading up on nutrition would be beneficial, but it has made me even more confused about grains
Cheers,
Jason.
I too would like to know the answer to Jason’s banana question.
The reason not to eat grains includes their containing phytates, gluten and lectins, all of which pose health considerations beyond just the carbs. Bananas are simply a decent source of carbs for those looking to add a few extra grams here or there.
If you are looking to cut carbs by cutting fruit, you would probably want to cut the bananas out because of their glycemic load…and have, say, berries instead.
What about dairy and meat?
And fruit?
Mark, How do you feel about the fact that raw vegetables pass through the body mostly undigested due to the fact that humans lack an enzyme to break down cellulose?
Cows and other ruminates get a lot of nutrition from Celulose. We don’t, which is why we eat meat.