Arthur De Vany is someone I owe a lot to. He got me on the right path with Fitness and Nutrition and his blog posts throughout the years have served me with a wealth of information. In this post I am going to sum up some of his basic principles and show you how to get started working out and eating how we evolved to for optimal health. He was featured yesterday in a great article from the Sunday Times (British Newspaper) check out the article online here……………..
Cook by colour and texture so that meals look beautiful. If busy, skip meals with little worry. You don’t have to have three square meals a day. Snack on nuts or celery. Drink plenty of water. I also drink tea, coffee and a little wine.
Carbohydrates
Avoid bread, muffins, bagels, pasta, rice, potatoes, cereals, vegetable oils, beans or anything in a package — empty, high-calorie foods with a high carbohydrate content. These kind of foods are not only detrimental to your health, they are of no use to your body unless your glycogen stores are severely depleted from overtraining and participating in events like marathons.
Flavour
Spice up your food with fresh ingredients such as basil, garlic, parsley, rosemary, spring onions, avocados and nuts, and use various oils, such as olive oil, for flavour.
Celery adds texture (and is good for testosterone too). I personally love to add a high quality Balsamic vinegar to my salads.
Fruits
Fresh fruits of all sorts are good; I focus on melon and red grapes. Fruit juice is out. I have one or two fruits with most breakfasts; now and then a piece with other meals. Fruits are one of the best ways for quick fresh energy, I usually try to buy local fruit, and find it important to feel and smell the fruit as these are good indicators of the freshness.
Vegetables
Eat lots of fresh raw, steamed, sauteed or grilled vegetables. Never use frozen, canned or packaged vegetables. Although Devany does not like canned vegetables I find them better than nothing and really enjoy canned pumpkin with some fresh berries and cinnamon mixed in.
Protein
Eat plenty of meat, such as ribs, steak, bacon, pork loin, turkey and chicken, but trim fat from the edges. Fish, seafood and eggs are also good choices. These should be a mainstay of most meals, protein with meals will improve satiety and keep you feeling fuller longer.
Sample Menu
- Breakfast – Eat last night’s leftovers: turkey with jarlsberg cheese and fruit, bacon with red grapes, omelettes with rosemary, olives and spring onions. 2-3 Boiled eggs with a piece or two of fruit and coffee is a great breakfast.
- Lunches – Usually salads, with red cabbage, romaine lettuce, spring onions, garlic, kale, broccoli or cauliflower, with salmon, tuna, turkey, chicken, pork or steak. Feel free to throw in a fresh piece of fruit or a punnet of berries.
- Dinners – I sometimes eat a whole rack of ribs with salad and vegetables. Or a large steak, trimmed of fat. Almost always there is a beautiful salad and vegetables. I find it important to have my largest hit of protein in this final meal as it helps me wind down and relax, usually allowing me to sleep better. A glass of wine or beer is also acceptable with dinner.
Don’t be afraid to skip a meal and prolong your overnight fasts, I often workout first thing in the morning eat a decent breafast and eatwithin the hour afterwards. This is great for Growth Hormone release.
