“Coach! Just tell me what to eat!” *Omnivore Edition
Meat, fowl, fish, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds, vegetables of all colors, fruit, roots, tubers, bulbs, herbs and spices, animal fats, olives and olive oil, avocados, coconut meat and oil, and low sugar dairy.
*Don’t Eat Paint Warning: Please don’t eat foods you are allergic or sensitive to.
Index
1. Just Tell Me What to Eat!
“Coach! Just tell me what to eat!” *Omnivore Edition
Meat, fowl, fish, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds, vegetables of all colors, fruit, roots, tubers, bulbs, herbs and spices, animal fats, olives and olive oil, avocados, coconut meat and oil, and low sugar dairy.
*Don’t Eat Paint Warning: Please don’t eat foods you are allergic or sensitive to.
My approach to food selection is based on choosing foods to optimize how you look, feel and perform using four principles rooted in evidence based science.
However, everyone is unique in their own way, so the above list is not designed to be exhaustive or fit everyone. It is however, a rough starting place for us to accommodate your needs such as unique food allergies, sensitivities, access to food, and cultural needs.
Now let’s create your “just tell me what to eat” list as we work through our four guidelines for optimized health and performance.
2. Four Guidelines For Food Selection
- High nutrient density is preferred.
- Reduce chronic inflammation.
- Promote gut health and digestion.
- Support athletic performance.
Guideline 1 : High nutrient density.
Nutrient-dense foods are high in vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, complex carbohydrates, complete proteins, and healthy fats but relatively low in calories.
Guideline 2 : Reduce chronic inflammation.
Inflammation is the bodies response to eliminate causes of cell injury, clear out dead cells and damaged tissues, and initiate tissue repair. Prolonged inflammation, known as chronic inflammation, leads to a simultaneous destruction and healing of the tissue from the inflammatory process. Said another way, the body never adequately recovers and continues to damage itself in unfavorable ways.
Guideline 3: Promote gut health and digestion.
Healthy immune function is directly related to our gastrointestinal system, or the gut. Consuming foods that produce an allergenic response, support chronic inflammation, have poor digestibility and poor absorption into the body will have negative impacts on our gut health and overall well-being. Optimal immune function will empower performance and positively affect body composition.
Guideline 4 : Empower athletic performance.
Athletic performance benefits from proper amounts of complete proteins, varied carbohydrate sources, and quality fats to support metabolic function and power. Animal protein plays a large role in my recommended list with its complete amino acid profiles which are the building blocks of protein, and vitamin profiles that support athletic performance which unfortunately can be difficult to replicate with a plant only diet. However, an athletic plant only diet it is achievable with planning and supplementation.
No “Good” or “Bad” Foods
There are no good foods or bad foods. There is only food that promotes or degrades good gut health, has high or low nutrient density, enhances or inhibits athletic performance, and supports or impairs proper immune function. Food is not a moral choice unless we choose to make it one, it’s that simply some foods will lead to more favorable outcomes than others. Every diet and health goal should have some wiggle room in it to allow foods you love, while still achieving your overall goals.
3. Greg’s Grocery List
Below is my personal shopping list I use every week, which I’ve organized by area, type, and a not-to-buy list.
This list is not meant to be exhaustive. It does not take into account your personally known and unknown allergies, ethical or religious values, or personal preferences. It is simply a starting point for you to create your own personal method of eating from my four guidelines.
Meats
- Red meat : Beef, bison, buffalo, lamb.
- Fish : Salmon, cod, halibut.
- Poultry : Chicken, whole, thighs or breasts. Ground turkey. Chicken sausage.
- Pork : Bacon, pork chops.
Vegetables : Fresh
- Bagged washed greens. Micro-greens.
- Brussel sprouts, green and red peppers, jalapeño.
- Apples, pear, avocado, lemon, lime, tomato.
- Sweet potato, potatoes.
- Yellow onion, white onion.
- Fresh salad dressings, pico de gallo.
Vegetables : Frozen
- Smoothie ingredients : Blueberries, mixed berries, spinach, kale.
- Lentils, riced cauliflower, diced potatoes, hash browns, mixed green vegetables, carrots.
Dry Goods
- Steel cut oats, rolled oats.
- Hot sauce, bbq sauce, sriracha.
- Walnut pieces, pumpkin seeds, macadamia nuts, pistachios, roasted cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, brazil nuts.
- Cashew butter, sunflower butter.
- Jasmine rice, brown rice, arborio rice, sushi rice, quinoa.
- Beans, lentils.
- Olive oil, macadamia nut oil, avocado oil, coconut oil.
- Black bean pasta.
Dairy / Dairy Alternatives
- Feta, goat cheese, parmesan grated.
- Whole eggs, Egg whites (carton).
- Greek yogurt.
- Salted butter, unsalted butter.
Beverages
- Coconut milk, almond milk, hemp milk, oat milk.
- Kombucha.
Canned / Boxed
- Chicken broth, beef bone broth.
- Black beans, kidney beans.
- Boxed soups.
- Marinara sauce, fire roasted tomatoes.
Spices
- Seasoning blends, cinnamon, chili powder, vanilla extract.
- Fresh herbs such as basil, garlic, cilantro, rosemary, thyme, etc.
Baking
- Maple syrup, molasses, white sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar.
- Flour, pancake/waffle mix, bread flour mix.
- I prefer gluten free baking flours and mixes since my mother has celiacs, as a show of solidarity.
Supplements
- Protein powder, fish oil, vitamin d, multivitamin, creatine.
Not-To-Buy List
- High sugar chocolate, large ice cream containers, high calorie ice creams, high calorie and carbohydrate rich microwave foods, medium to large portions of cheese.
The not-to-buy section may be the most important part of this list if you struggle with snacking or binging. Even if a food meets our four guidelines, if you find it difficult to control the amount you eat for your goals, it may best to minimize the portions you purchase or even eliminate from your home completely.
An example for myself is ice cream, I binge on it too reliably if it’s in my freezer. So instead I either buy low calorie ice cream bars which I find easier to portion control, or eliminate it from my home and instead buy a small scoop and cone from a shop every now and then as a treat.
4. Useful Ideas and Habits
Here you will find a collection of useful ideas as your optimize your food choices and and environment.
Shop on a Schedule
If your food selection and shopping happens on a regular schedule, you are far more likely to attain your health and fitness goals. Sporadic, unplanned shopping habits predictably leads to poor health and body composition outcomes.
I recommend to clients that you have a primary shopping day, and a backup day incase life gets in the way.
Purge Your Home of Problem Foods Regularly
No one kicks an addiction when they keep their addictive substance in their home.
Set yourself up ti win by cleaning out problematic foods in your home regularly. Sugar and junk foods are the most common culprits. But even if a food is healthy, If you can’t portion control appropriately, then it’s best to purge it from your home.
Example: Cheese is a fine food, I quite enjoy it but I cannot for the life of me portion control it to limit weight gain, therefore I find myself having to only buy what I need for recipes for the week.
In addition to what you are bringing into your home, it’s important to think about the food already in your home. If food is in our house, at some point, we or someone we love with will eat it. We can influence this by stocking our homes and workplaces with food that serve our goals rather than hinder them.
Take control of the food in your home to the highest degree that you are able. Even if you live with your parents, a spouse, or roommates you have a certain degree of control over the food you bring into the home.
Consider having conversations with spouses, roommates and children about how they can help you with your goals, and how in turn you can help them with theirs.
Pre-Made Foods & Meal Delivery Services
Buying pre-made food from the grocery store or delivered meals from a meal service is a great strategy for those overwhelmed by life and needing to buy back time.
Smart options for buying back time could be using pre-made salad kits from the store and then adding your own protein, or pre-cooked protein such as a rotisserie chicken from the deli.
You can also leverage food delivery services such as Uber Eats. When placing an order, aim for 3-6 entrees, which if portioned correctly could easily last you a few days. The trick I’ve found with this strategy is to focus on ordering meals with a high amount of protein, and then portion control the included carbohydrates according to your goals.
Consider that with this method you may end up consuming a high amount of sodium, especially if using deli meats and delivery services, so please hydrate accordingly.