What I eat every day and how can I improve?

[Average Investor]

Everything I eat is organic. I start of with a good sized bowl of almonds and walnuts. Usually with Goji berries as well. Sometimes cashews too. 

Smoothie:

Either has a mix of blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. I usually try to get cherries in too. The fruit is sometimes a more tropical mix like peaches, mango, pineapple, dragon fruit, etc. Both usually have 1-2 bananas in it too. 

3 Tablespoons of hemp seed 

3 Tablespoons of chia seeds

Use to have a tablespoon of cocoa powder and will probably get some more soon. 

One table spoon of flaxseed. 

One or two handfuls of mix of spinach/kale and it has some other greens usually mixed in. 

Half of an english cucumber. 

One cooked beet. 

One large carrot. 

One handful of celery.

Good sized piece of ginger root. 

One serving of lions mane powder. 

I was looking to start adding a tablespoon of spirulina soon too. 

The smoothie fills up a large blender. It is maybe close to a half gallon or so. 

 

Dinner

3/4 to 1 cup of Qinuoa 

1/4 cup of green or red lentils. 

1 Large Avacado 

One cup of sauerkraut

Two large stalks of bok choy

Two Brussel Sprouts  

Some green onion 

Some Cilantro

I use a Jalapeno Hot Sauce for it  

 

Not really a whole lot of variation. I change up the fruits and sometimes add potatoes and stuff to the dinner. Doesn't really bother me to eat this everyday though. Anything I could change or improve? I supplement zinc every other day, b12, glucosamine, D-3, and omega 3. I intermittent fast with this too usually 18-20 hours a day. Interested in more nutritious items or even things that are healthy to add more variety. Was likely going to start supplementing probiotics and stuff soon too. 

A side note is I am 5' 10" and weigh 143 pounds. I am very athletic and exercise a lot every day. My main goal is to build some extra muscle and just be at optimal health. 

Would be awesome to hear from @Michael569 on this too

Edit: I am getting at least 70g of protein per day. Sometimes more if I eat a lot of nuts like today. Maybe 80-85g. 

As another note I eat fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds only right now. 

 

Edited July 29, 2020 by Average Investor

[TrustTheProcess]

@Average Investor honestly, that looks pretty good for optimal energy and consciousness work. Not sure about muscle mass though tbh.

Just wondering, what time do you drink your smoothie and eat dinner?

[Average Investor]

@louhad I have the smoothie at 12pm and dinner usually at 3-4pm right now. I eat the nuts while making the smoothie. 

Maybe get more protein in? I am not looking to get super shredded, but some more muscle would be nice. I am mostly into cardio though anyway. 

[fridjonk]

Learning to tailor your diet specifically to what your body feels it needs each and every day would be one of the best ways to improve an already healthy diet. Learning to listen to the body's needs is what I'm personally working on now. 

I'd maybe add some protein as you mentioned; it tends to be one of the most important nutrients for me. 

[Average Investor]

@fridjonk Yeah, a lot of these items don't have a ton of protein in them. The spirulina will help a bit once that is added, but not that much. I don't eat tofu or anything like that now. I don't use any supplements for protein either. 

Anything that fits this theme of what I eat that could maybe add another 10-20g? 

[fridjonk]

@Average Investor Organic peanut butter comes to mind, but you already eat peanuts by themselves.  

Maybe, Oatmeal, chickpeas, beans, seitan, edamame, pumpkin seeds. 

[Average Investor]

@fridjonk Chickpeas would be amazing with dinner again. I guess a big part of my issue lately is the source for those seems to suck. Usually in a plastic lined can with non-filtered water. I don't believe I have seen them available any other way aside from dried, which I assume is not worthwhile. 

I did like having some black beans and such. I am not a big fan of the prep for them and they seem to go bad easily. The lentils are nice because they take as a long as the quinoa to cook. I probably should toss some in here and there though. 

[Espaim]

Being an English as second language person I can't even understand half of the ingredients in your list 

That's a pretty healthy diet already. Going to use this as inspiration. I know you asked for advice but I couldn't go without commenting.

Edited July 29, 2020 by Espaim

[flume]

I think you'd benefit from some variety. Seems like you know what healthy food looks like, now switch it up a bit. Energetically speaking, everything eaten too much of creates stagnation and inflammation in the body. Look at nature, it's teaching you to eat seasonally  Make some oatmeal, soup, healthy pancakes, whole grain pasta or rice, etc. for a change. Also looks like very little protein, especially for being so active.

I've been looking for the 'best diet' for a long time, thinking that one day I'll just optimise it and then keep eating like this for the rest of my life. That's not ever gonna happen though. You don't want to be rigid and narrow when it comes to your health. Work on developing body awareness and flexibility, they're key ime. Then throw away all the labels if you dare

[Average Investor]

@flume I hear you there. I think this is what I needed to hear. I am really strict with my eating, so almost all of those I would not do. But I do agree on the amount of variety. I love what I eat right now and I am excited for my meals. 

I like qinuoa because of how it cooks and the nutritional quality vs rice. I have literally eaten it for like a year straight at this point I imagine and am not tired. I feel like if I made a salad and spent some more money on organic stuff to eat on the side. 

I do want to make my own kimchi. I love the kimchi, but the one that I eat is $7 for a small container and it is just not that viable for me to eat it that often. That would be at least a nice mix up. Same with I want to make my own hot sauce. So I guess between those two I can make a good investment into those for some change at least. 

Cost is part of it too though. I mean I already allow a good amount of spending to get these. I had walked by and enormous jackfruit at costco awhile ago though and I would probably get that if they have it again. Not organic, but I would make an exception lol. I will keep my eye out for a bit more stuff. 

I basically stick to raw fruits and veggies, nuts, seeds, and various herbs. I don't eat anything else currently. 

I added up my protein intake and I get at least 70g daily right now. I did not include my protein from any of the fruits or veggies for that number. I would be getting at least 75g with the spirulina added daily for this. With my weight this is not bad, but I would like some more as I agree with my amount of activity should require me to need a bit more. 

 

@Espaim It took years and a lot of research to progress this far. It seems like there is always more to learn and revise as I go though. Good luck! 

[TrustTheProcess]

5 hours ago, Average Investor said:

@louhad Maybe get more protein in? I am not looking to get super shredded, but some more muscle would be nice. I am mostly into cardio though anyway. 

I'd prob stay with this diet and start amping up the muscle building workouts. I suggest body weight initially(pull ups, push ups, dips) and then weighted body weight when they are too easy. It is the best for joint health. Check in with your progress after a few months and if you are satisfied with your performance, gains, and mental clarity, I don't see why you would need to change your diet. If you feel like you aren't getting results you want though, I would then look into adding more protein. 

[Average Investor]

@louhad Yeah, I feel really good overall. I have wondered about trying less contaminated seafood or something possibly. I feel like I have a lot of energy though and I could probably just find a higher quality version of fish oil and such. The glucosamine has quite a bit of seafood stuff with it too. I suppose part of the concern is just eating the same thing every day. It makes it really easy to shop, prepare food, and I love the taste of each meal. 

I try to do a intense core and upper body work out 2-3 times per week. High intensity, but don't spend nearly as much time as I do with cardio. I go for about 10 minutes each session directly after 40 minutes of elliptical. But maybe that is not the approach for it? I like the core aspects as it helps my mediation posture strength a lot. I have been doing this for several months now and I definitely do have some gains, but I am definitely on the lean side. I know just my dinner is well over 1,000 calories typically too, so not like I am not eating enough. 

[Michael569]

@Average Investor Your diet is very healthy and balanced. It is probably one of the healthiest meal diaries I've ever seen. Great variety of complex carbs, plant proteins, essential fats, fibre and micronutrients. I doubt any major deficiencies are present in there. 

I however agree with @flume that maybe a larger variety would be good. It seems to me like the diet is too......hmmm.."functional" ? You are obviously very keen to balance all the key nutrients which can clearly be seen and I suppose as you plan these you are thinking "this is for the omegas" , "this is for zinc", "this is for my protein" etc. ...do you know what I mean? 

But maybe..(and this is just my feeling) there is the pleasure & enjoyment missing a bit? There is nothing wrong with serving aromatic curry with coconut milk sometimes. Wholegrain pasta with homemade pesto and baked vegetables, baked white potatoes with rosemary, vegetables and some homemade sauce, healthy pancakes, warm wholegrain bread with some peanut butter & cocoa spread....I guess more savoury food is what I mean. 

I am guessing this based on the fact that I used to do that. I would always look at food as fuel for the optimal health function and nothing else. Savoury or not, it did not matter. This was in my vegan times and.... I think I was very unhappy, snappy, judgemental and always looking to fight with everyone who would challenge me. At some point in my life I was doing OMAD for a month and I would just dump the ungodly amount of food in my belly after which I felt like a baby xenomorph was about to slide through my gut. Subconciously I would try to justify to myself that this was good and that the fruit smoothies mixed with lot of vegetables, whole grains, legumes, protein powder and broccoli and all nuts and seeds was fine...because people on youtube said so and I was getting ridiculous growth hormone benefits (which is not entirely true btw  but sold as great OMAD benefit)

Anyways, to sum up, maybe some more savoury aromatic food. More hot delicious meals with lots of spices and flavours even if they would sometimes contain ingredients like white potatoes and rice. This will support your microbiome by growing larger diversity of Bacteroides and firmicutes. You will feel more balanced, more grounded and possibly even more happy and you'll be sure your body is not missing anything. I know OMAD is a big topic on this forum but sometimes spreading out meals throughout the day can benefit out metabolism, our microbiome, our circadian clock and hormone levels. Fasting may still be practiced occasionally or just allowing 4-5 hours between meals is enough to switch on your gut's Migrating Motor Complex. Plus having a food that you genuinely enjoy stimulates the production of glutamate, serotonin, endorphins and stimulates your endocannabinoid receptors...basically you become more positive and happy about life. 

But all of this is just my subjective perception and opinion and none of it has to apply to you Your diet is really really good already so just make sure it is also making you happy and fulfilled. A meal should always be a combination of efficiency and pleasure otherwise we just become nutracutical neurotics...I used to be that for a very long time. 

Hope none of this comes up as judgement or criticism

 

[Average Investor]

5 hours ago, Michael569 said:

You are obviously very keen to balance all the key nutrients which can clearly be seen and I suppose as you plan these you are thinking "this is for the omegas" , "this is for zinc", "this is for my protein" etc. ...do you know what I mean? 

Yes, I have calculated the nutrients needed and what I consume. I suppose that is a part to why I do not like to change what I eat. That is also why I take the supplements that I do and not a multi vitamin currently. It allows me to skip supplements like calcium as they are not needed. That was part of my interest in coming to question what others think about this because I have just worked at this without really asking for an opinion on it. 

5 hours ago, Michael569 said:

But maybe..(and this is just my feeling) there is the pleasure & enjoyment missing a bit?

I will actually do some potatoes and sweet potatoes every now and then mixed in with the evening dinner. I am really big on spicy food, so the last meal is incredible to me and I change the hot sauce when I can. Sadly my habanero hot sauce has made me feel sick, so I have to drop using it.  I did recently discover some organic jalapeno hot sauce that is incredible. I will reflect on this more. Same with the smoothie. I do look forward to drinking it and the taste of that does alter on the fruit amount and what fruit I use.

5 hours ago, Michael569 said:

At some point in my life I was doing OMAD for a month and I would just dump the ungodly amount of food in my belly after which I felt like a baby xenomorph was about to slide through my gut.

I introduced the flaxseed recently and it felt awful for a bit. No issues now, but I am going to be a lot more mindful of this. I actually notice now after my dinner I actually still feel like eating more sometimes recently. My main interest with intermittent fasting is the detox capacity. I will occasionally do a couple day water fast and I have absolutely incredible results. 

5 hours ago, Michael569 said:

I think I was very unhappy, snappy, judgemental and always looking to fight with everyone who would challenge me.

My first year of going vegan was a bit like this for sure. I have evolved quite a bit and I think am starting to find a good balance. I love to help others with their eating, but never try to encourage going vegan because I know how much time and research I have placed into this. Most are not able to successfully pull it off and I have had times of low energy and stuff not able to figure it out myself. 

All of the stuff I have cut out really does not bother me at this point. When I was ending my addiction to junk foods, sugar, etc I use a lot of awareness. I no longer feel the need to eat that type of stuff. But I do agree that I should find those pleasure items to enjoy more of then as well with what I do now.

5 hours ago, Michael569 said:

More hot delicious meals with lots of spices and flavours even if they would sometimes contain ingredients like white potatoes and rice. This will support your microbiome by growing larger diversity of Bacteroides and firmicutes.

I will definitely take this advice to heart. This is exactly the type of advice I was looking for. I do have to admit I really like rice and I never would go to eat it anymore. I will incorporate this and see what else I am willing to give on. I will try to not be too overly cautious of stuff and enjoy things sometimes more often. That will probably include me spending the $7 on a small thing of kimchi lol. The piece with growing the microbiome I did not consider, so I can see why this would be really valuable for me. 

5 hours ago, Michael569 said:

Hope none of this comes up as judgement or criticism

Not at all. I really appreciate you taking the time to analyze this and give me a through opinion of it. I can tell you are very well versed in this domain from the stuff I see you reply to people on here. Again I really appreciate it. 

I had seen you suggesting a book called the toxin solution and I am just about to finish the book. I am planning on doing the full program soon and going to buy all of the stuff to prepare for it, then read back through each step as it comes and assist it with my notes. This has really allowed me to take this to the next level it seems like. Do you have any tips with that book? Do you also have any other really good nutritional reads or things relating to that book? 

[Michael569]

@Average Investor cool stuff! Seems like you got it all under control, keep up the great work. 

24 minutes ago, Average Investor said:

I had seen you suggesting a book called the toxin solution and I am just about to finish the book. I am planning on doing the full program soon and going to buy all of the stuff to prepare for it, then read back through each step as it comes and assist it with my notes. This has really allowed me to take this to the next level it seems like. Do you have any tips with that book? Do you also have any other really good nutritional reads or things relating to that book? 

I found toxin solution pretty amazing read but it is not something I'd put someone on unless I see a lot of non-specific symptoms that have been checked by doctor and got no solution. Maybe if you are generally happy you don't have to go all the way although maybe it can't hurt  I do occasionally apply certain bits of the book to people I work with for example when helping them with gut issues but never tried putting anyone on the full thing. 

Joe Pizzorno the author is one of my favourite health authors but most of his other books are kinda manuals and guidebooks for practitioners so not sure if that would be interesting. Joe collaborates a lot fo Michael Murray ND who has a bunch of really good books. The duo has been collaborating for decades and their latest collection of evidence is coming up end August "boy oh boy!!". 

You can look into work of Elson Haas, he has a big ass book called "Staying healthy with nutrition" which is kind of a nutrition bible. 

Chris Masterjohn has a lot of geeky stuff on his website and in a new book about nutrients. 

 

I'm always trying to be careful with biased books such as: paleo solution or vegan solution or similar and would preferably go for something blend, boring, a sort of academic guidebook that has no bias and no agenda besides reviewing the evidence. This way you are getting the latest research (there is nothing worse for academic than being called fraud by other academics) so you'll definitely get the best of evidence. What I mean is go online and search for something in terms of "Human Nutrition" and see what comes up. 

Hope that helps 

[Average Investor]

@Michael569 My thinking with following it is that it could possibly help me remove any stored up heavy metals potentially. I had actually worked with some light chemicals for years and was exposed to quite a bit of nicotine for a 5 year span. I was thinking that possibly going through it could help. I noticed after I did my first water fast that my pee is clear a large majority of the time now and it was not before. I think that a couple of those has really helped. 

I was actually considering reading his encyclopedia of natural medicine. I take a good amount of interest in learning about this kind of stuff, so trying out a bit of the more of the deeper topics. I am the type of guy who reads the 150 healthiest foods cover to cover although I did kind of skip some foods I would not want to eat lol. Studying what each food actually does and what makes it healthy is interesting to me. Most of the foods in my daily eating are the healthiest rated ones in that book. 

3 hours ago, Michael569 said:

I'm always trying to be careful with biased books such as: paleo solution or vegan solution

Yeah, I agree with this. I spent a lot of my time initially looking at both the counter arguments for vegan and vegan stuff. It becomes an ideology very easily. Peoples views get so skewed when it comes to it. I believe that there is a right diet for each individual. Also, that some foods are just simply healthier than others. 

I will be sure to check out those recommendations! 

[Call Me Whatever]

To put on muscle, the average person has to eat, at minimum, 1 to ~1.3 grams of protein per pound of body weight a day, but ultimately you have to find what works for you. 

I'm 6'0" 185lbs lean muscle. I workout/exercise fasted 4-5 time a week, and consume food in an 8-9 hour window. I don't drink calories, eat mostly good carbs and animal proteins and drink many cartons of egg whites throughout the week (taste like chicken) , and keep my sugar intake extremely low. 

This lifestyle works for my body, and I'm built like a Demigod.

When I tell gym bros I workout fasted some flip out and don't believe me because HoW cOulD aNYOne FAsT aND hAvE a MuSculaR pHYZeEqUe!!!!!!1111 lol

Gotta find your own Truth, man.

[Average Investor]

@Call Me Whatever That makes sense I am probably more where I can maintain myself right now. My legs are quite muscular, but of course I do a lot of running and that helps. I am not sure that I would be able to hit that kind of threshold with the stuff that I eat very easily. I will try to break 100g a day though and that would help. I don't need to be super shredded, but being more toned would be nice.

 

[Average Investor]

As an update for this thread I did specifically go and get a larger variety of stuff to eat today. I got dried coconut, dried figs, pumpkin seeds, and I add in the spirulina today for the first time. The spirulina really over powered the smoothie though, so I might do a smaller amount or do it more infrequently because that killed the taste for sure lol. I did not measure it though either just a good amount on a spoon. 

I will try to search for some more things I could do to keep a larger variety of stuff in my diet. I will probably get a few kinds of rice. Part of my issue to is I only shop at fred meyer and costco pretty much exclusively. I will maybe try to find a whole foods again (they shut down the one I use to go to) and try to get some new stuff. It was a struggle to find anything new to add even at costco. It seemed the organic section actually got smaller and their frozen fruit selection is not even as good. 

[Mada_]

Brazil nuts are an excellent source of selenium, which is needed for your immune system to function well. 

Just 2 a day is the daily requirement for selenium, I have three each morning whilst I'm drinking my smoothie.