For health, fat loss and muscle retention
Nutrition is something like religion. People have
all sorts of ideas. Some of them are based in
reality and others are based upon faith. You
will probably get no definitive answer as to
what foods you should be eating and in what
ratios and how often. The best advice I have
heard is to eat real foods. Eat when you are
hungry. Eat until you are about 80% full.
Personally, I lean towards the so called primal
eating style. Basically it consist of: meat,
veggies and fruit. I switch up my fat sources.
My top choice is avocado.
I recommend reading the following.
Mark's Daily Apple
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide-primal-blueprint/
Robb Wolf's page
http://robbwolf.com/
Both authors have hundreds of articles, faq post and etc.
The simple answer:
-Tuna, Turkey, Chicken, Eggs, for protein
-Brown Rice, Beans, spinach, potato, broccoli, for carbs
-Fish oil for a supplement
To add what others have said, try to eat carbs only after your workout if fat loss is one of your goals.
There are a ton of different ideas about this, lol. I don't think the details really matter (time, nutrient ratios, eating x grams per kg of bodyweigjt, etc etc).
For me, I feel great when I drink a ton of water, eat infrequently (2 or 3 times per day with an occasional snack), eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, and eat some protein every time I eat.
I feel like crap if I gorge on protein and have less energy when I eat a ton of small meals.
"I think a semi-vegetarian diet is best"
Agreed.
Eat 5 times per day. Drink lots of water. Protein every 2.5 to 3 hours.
Eat only lean meats, avoid red meats for the most part. Dont consume dairy (my opinion).
Get your carbs from unprocessed foods. Preferably fruits and veggies, but rice and potatoes are ok.
Get your healthy fats from natural oils, nuts and seeds.
Just some basic things I follow without getting into too much detail.
Gorilla Grip - The simple answer:
-Tuna, Turkey, Chicken, Eggs, for protein
-Brown Rice, Beans, spinach, potato, broccoli, for carbs
-Fish oil for a supplement
That's exactly what I've been looking for. Simple examples to eat by.
How much worse is white to brown rice? I love my white rice!
Already In Use - I think a semi-vegetarian diet is best.
What is "semi-vegetarian"? Does that just mean you eat a lot of veggies? Or you don't eat much meat? Seems like you're either vegetarian or you're not.
http://bodyforlife.com/library/food-list
5-6 meals per day
Smaller portion sizes unless you're trying to build muscle.
One protein and one complex carb per meal, with a veggie thrown into at least 2 of your meals, and try to get a healthy fat daily.
One splurge day a week where you can eat whatever/whenever.
Lots of water
Two things that really help when following this plan: protein shakes, and low-fat or fat free cottage cheese mixed with yogurt. Delicious, especially peach yogurt.