May
2007
My Carb Pyramid
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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
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.
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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.
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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
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