My Diet (OFM - Optimized Fat Metabolism)
I've had a lot of people asking me about my diet. If I were to really classify my diet into any category it would sound something like this. I follow pescatarian, paleo, and low carb high fat and protein principals, yeah silly. I am not 100% strict with these ideas however; I will eat lean meat (Organic chicken, buffalo, and venison). A more accurate description of my diet is the following simple statement; I follow the 80/20 rule, 80% (6 days a week) I eat a diet filled with fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, nuts, fish, organic dairy, and very little grain carbs and the other 20% (1 day a week) I am not as strict. A good example of my diet would be Ben Greenfield’s Food Pyramid. This approach works very well for me as I have two young daughters.
I like to cook and more importantly I love to re-construct recipes to more closely match my diet while preserving their taste and enhancing it. 90% of the time I have great success in this hobby as my wife and daughters can attest to. The other 10%, well I guess there are just some recipes that are just meant to stay unhealthy!
A typical day for me involves 3 main meals and 2 snacks. My 1st meal of the day, breakfast, is also my largest. This happens for 2 reasons. First I usually work out early in the morning, and complete these workouts without consuming anything but water. I do this because this helps train my body to utilize fat as an energy source rather than carbohydrates. Second I like to eat breakfast with my family and this is the most convenient time to work out without affecting family time. I then follow this up with a snack, lunch, another snack, and then dinner.
These are some of my usual breakfasts; homemade waffles or pancakes covered in nut butter (Almond, Peanut, and Nutella), hard boiled eggs, 1/2 a banana, and fruit, or a parfait made with Greek Yogurt, almond butter, cinnamon, vanilla, flax, 1/2 a banana, and frozen fruit. For beverages I have water, decaf green tea, and almond milk with a tbsp of whey protein powder. My two snacks are a 1/4 cup of mixed nuts, and 1/2 an apple. Lunch follows an afternoon workout and is usually blended beet juice and almond milk, and a fruit smoothie consisting of organic almond milk, frozen fruit, bananas, vanilla, cinnamon, & protein powder. Dinner is a large selection of vegetable, leafy greens, nuts/seeds, organic cheese or eggs, lentils, or lean protein source like fish, buffalo, or chicken.
I have found that a diet high in good fats and lean protein and low in carbohydrates from grain and sugar sources has multiple benefits. The first benefit in relation to fitness is training your body to utilize fat as an energy source and not carbohydrates. This is essential for endurance athletes because as humans we have an indefinite supply of fat in our body but very limited, 90 minute, supply of carbohydrate for energy. By teaching your body to burn fat you will have more consistent energy through out your workouts or races. Because of this diet I am able to utilize a product called VESPA which enhances fat metabolism, and REDUCES, not eliminates, my need for carbohydrates during long workouts or races. As a benefit because I have a reduced glycemic load my insulin receptors are more sensitive to sugar, so when I do consume gels during a race I receive a much bigger boost. This diet also aids in recovery post work out or race. Ben Greenfield has numerous podcasts detailing diets similar to this and their benefits, he gives great tips on using fat for fuel for speedier recovery, and the benefits from the great nutrients available in healthy fats
In response to specific questions I recently received regarding recipes I have created I decided to begin posting a recipe every 2 weeks from my collection.
The 1st will be the recipe I use for my gluten free, low carb, protein packed waffles and pancakes!
Enjoy!
As always do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or suggestions. You can contact me by replying to this post or at the following e-mail nmwied@hotmail.com
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