I have a cup of coffee in the morning, around 8 o'clock, since I like it, it is not unhealthy, and possibly even healthy, and I am used to it (addicted?). I don't drink cofffe later than lunch, since it disturbs my sleep.
At lunch, around noon or later, I eat whatever I can find, usually take away (spicy chicken wok, salmon with lentils, pancakes and jam, meat and potatoes, yakiniku with sushi etc) and add a fruit or two and some tomatoes.
Between lunch and my evening workout (I work out four times a week, three of those are in the evening after work) I usually have some fruit (apples, oranges and pears and sometimes a banana or a sandwich with cottage cheese)
After my workout I immediately drink a liter of milk (a quart) and then have dinner with a small glass of red wine (I eat meat about half of the time and fish or chicken the rest of the time. Served with rice or some variation of potatoes, as well as broccoli/haricot verts/green beans/spinach and a carrot. I often add peanuts or cashew nuts and a couple of sandwiches with honey or cheese afterward).
I always have a table spoon of Omega3 oil, a dose of lactobacillus reuteri and 4000 IE/IU of vitamin D with my dinner.
Fasting for me means I save time without sacrificing muscle growth. In addition it seems fasting makes you healthier for longer. Apart from fasting, I don't believe in dieting. I believe in keeping it simple and enjoyable.
No matter how I slice and dice various diet research it comes down to this:
- Vary your food, i.e., eat as many different things as possible
- Eat real, unprocessed, whole food: fish filet, meat filet, whole chicken, eggs, raw or lightly cooked vegetables of all colors, berries, fruit, nuts and seeds (e.g., flaxseeds)
- Stay off industrially made sausages, salami etc
- Hold the sugar and salt
- Add as much as you like of pepper, chili, curcumin, ginger, cinnamon and garlic
- Spice up your life and digestion with honey, red wine, olives and olive oil, avocado, berries (the darker the better) and chocolate (dark; 70-99% cacao)
- Cook in cast iron pots for added iron
Make sure you enjoy what you eat; if it doesn't work for you, if you don't like what you are eating, it's not worth it. However, give it a serious try first, but if you are still miserable after a year, give it up. In the meantime, the effort should stimulate all kinds of development and character building.
Sometimes (most often), pay close attention to what you are eating; be mindful if you want to truly appreciate and remember what you eat. Or, just gobble it down if you don't want to notice what you eat, e.g. if it's "medicine" or something you don't like (yet).
