Nutrition

What to Eat, When to Eat, and How to Eat

How you do anything is how you do everything.

To hone nutritional success, we must encourage persistence in self-empowering strategy while implementing sustainable systems around our eating. If we build a framework of what to eat, when to eat, and how to eat, we may rely on a master template to eliminate the guesswork.

The goal of this article is to empower my students in adopting a structured method of eating that is based on Paleo/Whole30 principles. Simplicity honors adherence. Adherence creates consistency. Consistency develops the athlete’s ideal body composition and performance goals.

I will present to you both an idealized day of eating, and what happens in reality. I’ve added a physique photo to let you know that this style of eating works. Thank you as always for reading my articles. This is a craft of love and I do it as a knowledge transfer to others.

John Parker

April 23, 2023

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Optimized nutrition is developed through a systematized approach to eating. This article discusses the framework of what to eat, when to eat, and how to eat. These methods will be discussed through the lens of muscle gain, fat loss, and maintenance.

To develop strategies for sustainable results, we will prioritize eating 1g of animal protein per pound of ideal bodyweight, employ healthy fats to flavor our meals, and selectively use carbohydrates for our athletic performance and holistic health goals.

After choosing your PREFERRED METHOD and Metabolic Type, you will have a framework of exactly what you need to it, how often you need to eat it, and master the basics of meal preparation. Always remember, sustainable nutrition is a skill.

Education

I became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (CSCS) in 2008 before graduating from the University of California San Diego. In 2009 I became interested in the work of Paul Chek and attended his course Holistic Lifestyle Coach.

Having learned the importance of Metabolic Typing, optimizing gut health, ancestral eating, chemicals/food sensitivities, and food quality selection, I continued refining my education. In 2018, I graduated as a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner.

As an FDN-P, I became an expert in stress, hormones, nutrition, and lab testing. As a health detective, I help my clients facilitate self-healing protocols based on DRESS principles: Diet, Rest, Exercise, Stress Reduction, and Supplementation.

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Simplified Nutrition

Author’s Note: I am not a Registered Dietician and cannot legally write diet plans. I do not intend to. Instead, I want to offer a general template of eating that I use to maximize muscle mass, reduce body fat, and provide longterm physical and mental health.

The goals of this article are to:

1. Provide a sustainable and filling protein-focused meal template based on Paleo/Whole30 principles

2. Discuss what to eat in regard to whole, and minimally processed foods

3. Talk through food timing and different methods of daily eating

4. Display a system of eating for muscle gain, eating for fat loss, and eating for weight maintenance

5. Deliver an actionable structure for eating foods in a specific order.

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Rules:

1. Minimum Effective Dose Eating

   • Minimize volume, maximize nutrition

2. Food is Fuel, Not Entertainment

   • Eat to live, don’t live to eat

3. Hara Hachi Bu

   • Eat until 80% full

4. No Snacking

   • Humans are not grazers

5. Simplicity Honors Adherence

   • Don’t complicate the process

Focus:

1. 1g of High Quality, Animal Based Protein Daily per LB of Ideal Bodyweight

   • Protein is the backbone of each meal

2. Drink Half Your Bodyweight in Oz. of High Quality Water Per Day

   • Electrolytes in the form of a pinch of pink salt or LMNT are added to water

3. Determine Your Goals: Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, or Maintenance

   • Although meal template structure will remain largely the same, your goal will determine how much of each macronutrient you eat

4. Optimize Blood Sugar Response

   • We will prioritize eating fiber, protein/fat, then carbohydrates to blunt our insulin response

5. Master Meal Preparation

   • Our goals are determinant on the basics skills of food preparation. Like fitness, time spent procuring healthy foods and then preparing it makes or breaks our nutritional goals

Mindset:

1. Nutrition is a Skill

   • Our relationship with food is often characterized by our past experiences. However, nutrition is a skill that requires diligent practice and mindfulness.

2. Need vs. Want

   • Dysfunctional relationships with food often result in overeating. Like a drug, hyper-palatable foods feel good in the moment, but have lasting negative effects on the body. What do you need vs what do you want? With practice, what you want is actually what you need.

3. Pragmatism

   • Be pragmatic in your nutritional choices. But also realize that food is energy. If your focus is on protein for 80% of your meals and you’re feeling energized and lean, having the occasional treat will not harm you.

4. Intuition

   • Because nutrition is a skill, intuition is also that. Practice mindfulness around eating, around hunger levels, and decide what your baseline needs are. Intuitive eating should become our standard for a lifelong of wellbeing.

5. Baseline

   • Developing a baseline for nutrition creates food freedom ie; breakfast, lunch, dinner, and post workout meal. You know what you’re going to eat, and you know what you’re not going to it. It’s as simple as that.

Strategies:

1. What to Eat

   • Proteins, Healthy Fats, Carbohydrates, Flavor Enhancers

2. When to Eat

   • Time Restricted Feeding: Warrior Diet, Two Meals a Day, Two Meals a Day + PWO Meal, Standard Meals + PWO Meal*

     *My recommended methods are Two Meals + PWO Meal and Standard Meals + PWO Meal. I call these the PREFERRED METHODS

3. How to Eat

   • Eating for Muscle Gain, Eating for Fat Loss, Eating for Maintenance

4. An Idealized Day of Eating and What Happens in Reality

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What to Eat

Paleo Food Pyramid: For the purposes of those without intolerances, I have included included non-paleo foods like grains and dairy. I personally follow a rather strict Paleo (+ grains) diet and eat zero gluten/dairy/corn. However, dairy foods and grains have their benefits for those who can handle their digestion.

Protein (4 kcal per gram)

Animal protein is our focus for optimized muscle mass, fat loss, and overall health. When creating meals, protein is priority. I recommend tracking protein in grams until quantities can be eyeballed and automatic. Aim = 1g per lb ideal bodyweight.

Protein Methods and Strategies

1. When affordable, always choose Grass Fed/Pastured/Wild animal proteins. However, the nutrient quality of their conventional counterparts are comparable.

2. For successful nutrition, we must always keep protein options on-hand and ready to be cooked. It’s prudent to also keep beef jerky, biltong, canned and packaged fish, and protein powder stocked in your household.

3. A variety of meat is preferable to only eating a few cuts. Try to rotate proteins throughout the week to avoid developing food intolerances.

Protein Tips

1. For the past two years, I have purchased a “half-beef” from local ranchers. The beef I receive is usually about 450lbs of high-quality grass fed beef that is butchered locally. I own an upright freezer to store the meat. The beef comes out to $3.50/lb.

2. Purchasing one’s meat from a bulk store like Costco will save money. Costco has an excellent variety of beef, bison, chicken, turkey, and fish that can be frozen for later use. I also buy high-quality canned fish for my lunches or when on-the-go.

3. Experiment with a variety of cooking methods for meat. I cook ground beef for tacos, roasts with carrots and potatoes, grill chicken thighs, and eat canned fish for post workout meals or snacks.

Healthy Fats (9kcal per gram)

Healthy fats are vital for their heart health benefits. They reinforce the structure of our cells and provide the backbone for strong sex hormones. What we call unhealthy fats are typically seed oils, partially or fully hydrogenated fats, or other “fake” fats.

Healthy Fat Methods and Strategies

1. Healthy fats are the perfect tool for crafting total caloric intake. Need to gain? Add healthy fats. Need to maintain? Maintain healthy fats. Need to lose? Lower healthy fats (and carbs). As always, strength training and aerobic training must be properly applied when embarking on your unique nutritional journey.

2. I qualify fruits like avocados and olives as “superfoods.” Teeming with monounsaturated fats, these fruits are high in fiber, virtually zero carbohydrate, and add immense flavor to food. They are my go-to foods for adding caloric load to my meals.

3. Because highly processed foods contain a plethora of Omega-6 fats, it’s vital that we balance our nutrition with “heart healthy” Omega-3 fatty acids. These polyunsaturated fats are typically found in salmon, sardines, anchovies, and roe.

Author’s Note: Don’t be afraid of saturated fat! Saturated fats are the backbone of our cell membranes and assist in the health of our cholesterol. Cholesterol is the backbone for all of our anabolic sex hormones.

However, depending on your gene history, too high of saturated fat intake may cause higher lipids in some (including me). Make sure saturated fat intake is in your diet, but balanced through the addition of monounsaturated fats and Omega-3 fatty acids.

Healthy Fat Tips

1. Keep healthy fats on hand to achieve your desired caloric load. My household stocks avocados weekly, buys Kalamata olives in bulk, and keeps Macadamia nuts in the car for extra calories. I eat full fat meats throughout the week along with two avocados per day.

2. Do you thrive on lower carb/higher fat, or higher carb/lower fat? See the How To Eat section below for more information. For now, just know you likely need to choose one strategy to ensure proper caloric load.

3. Fat tastes good, but it’s also 9 calories per gram, so we have to be careful on our overall fat intake. For athletes looking to drop unwanted body fat, they should diligently measure what a portion of fat looks like. Two tbsp of nut butter is not a half jar of nut butter.

Carbohydrates (4kcal per gram)

I am a fan of moderate carbohydrate intake. As someone who can easily lose body weight when not maintaining 3500kcal+ per day, carbs make the difference in adding caloric load. Further, their inclusion in a balanced diet adds vital energy for training.

Author’s Note: It’s important to know that when I refer to carbs, I am talking about true carbs ie; starches. Fibrous carbs are different. Because of their fiber-rich structure, they do not have the same effect on blood sugar. They can typically be eaten ad libitum. 

Although I choose to add true carbs in my daily meals, some might benefit from a lower carbohydrate diet (less than 200g per day). Why would anyone want to do this? Two good reasons: blood sugar regulation and to avoid excessive sugar cravings.

Carbohydrate Methods and Strategies

1. Carbs can make or break great training. However, many individuals want to drop unwanted body fat. I recommend keeping starchy carbs in the equation, but if fat loss is the primary goal, eat starchy carbohydrates post workout or before bed only (carb backloading). With all other meals, fibrous veggies, fermented foods like sauerkraut or kimchi can be eaten ad libitum.

2. What about fruit? I’ve heard of many people on a “keto” diet gorging on grapes at night. NOT KETO. Unless you’re a super athlete, stick to berries and low glycemic fruits. Fruit does have nutrients, but if you’re looking to lose body fat, stay away from the added sugar in your diet.

3. Now if you want to build muscle/maintain muscle, I recommend a healthy dosage of starch for 3-4 of your meals. Gaining athletes may also eat fruit as a snack. However, I am more a fan of “slow carbs:” carbohydrates that do not spike insulin (oats, sweet potato, quinoa, brown rice). Post workout, the carbohydrate can be a “fast carb” like white rice or white potato to facilitate insulin replenishing the cells with nutrients.

Author’s Note: I come from a Functional Health background. Although carbohydrates like quinoa, oats, and brown rice might contain certain “anti-nutrients” within their nutritional backbone, I have not seen healthy people succumb to nutrient deficiencies whilst eating them.

Carbohydrate Tips

1. Have healthy carbs stocked and ready to be eaten in your home. Daily meal prep must become part of your routine. I like to aways have quinoa (cooked in bone broth) on hand, sweet potatoes ready to be baked, and extra gluten free oats.

2. Carbohydrates (especially sugar) taste very good. However, sugar raises blood sugar and then you crash - causing excessive hunger/cravings. Eat your fiber, then protein/fat, and finally slow carbs. This will ensure you’re not overeating and have some mindfulness around nutrition.

3. Although I always promote intuitive eating, make sure that if you’re just starting your journey that you measure your food until you can successfully eyeball it.

Flavor Enhancers

Paleo/Whole30 foods should taste great with salt alone. But because I know many readers’ palates require intense flavoring, I will provide some options for healthy flavor enhancement. Condiment addition should still follow MED tenets.

Author’s Note: I recommend eating your food as plain as possible. Why? Eating clean means avoiding excess calories that don’t serve your health’s purpose. Boring? Not for me. For you? You might need to adjust your pallet to accept whole foods + salt alone.

Flavor Enhancement Methods and Strategies

1. Flavor Enhancement is to taste, but that doesn’t mean drenching your food in sauces. I recommend measuring out a serving of your condiment to properly assess the added calories of the food. Based on your Metabolic Type (see below), you will need to adjust your total caloric intake based on the fat/carbs in your condiments vs your protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrate intake.

2. Stick to eating clean condiments. The plethora of Whole30 approved condiments have been pre-vetted for their clean ingredients. This takes the guesswork out of adding flavor enhancers and ensures that you’re intaking quality ingredients.

3. For social purposes, I try to save my condiment usage for dinner and rely on salt alone for my other meals. When its time for a family meal, eat what’s in front of you provided that it meets your goals.

Flavor Enhancer Tips

1. I have steadily watched the prices of Primal Kitchen condiments rise over the past two years. To save money, I buy my condiments from Costco or when they go on sale at Sprouts. We always keep extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, high-quality pink salt, lemons, and limes on hand for use on our food.

2. Beware that many flavor enhancers contain high amounts of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), MSG, and other fake fats. These are not foods that were designed to be consumed by humans. Always read your labels and avoid salad dressings that aren’t two ingredients or less.

3. Eat plain foods. To retrain your pallet, try to eat your meals with salt alone. You’ll find that when things are heavily seasoned after this experiment, that they no longer taste good. Remember, this is the basis of clean eating.

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When To Eat

Time Restricted Feeding

Intermittent fasting aka Time Restricted Feeding (TRF) has become quite popular in the past decade. Although many health claims about TRF have proven bunk, it still successfully lowers the total caloric intake of its zealots. What results? Weight loss!

But weight loss is not the goal… fat loss is the goal. One great thing about TRF is that it frees time in the day: less food prep and its easy to follow. However, TRF eaters often miss their protein mark and many binge eat during the feeding window.

When coaching my students, I’ve often remarked that TRF is perfect for A+ eaters. Those looking to employ its use are often C- eaters… They don’t get enough protein, they eat too much sugar, and they lack nutrients and variety in their nutrition.

So what would successful TRF look like? There are a few methods that free the eater from the bondage of frequent meal prep, but remember, sustainable nutrition does require planning to eat enough protein during their structured feeding window.

TRF is for A+ eaters only…

Warrior Diet

The Warrior Diet is a TRF protocol whereby the athlete only has one large dinner per day. They must gorge food at this time to accommodate their total caloric allowance. This is not only difficult to do but this eating style often results in muscle catabolism.

The Warrior Diet, also known as OMAD (one meal a day), is convenient. Since the fasting window is nearly 20 hours, muscle wasting often results. I have seen my athletes have more success with front and back loading protein into their schedules.

Two Meals A Day

A better alternative to the Warrior Diet is starting the day with a balanced breakfast or lunch and finishing with a more socially acceptable dinner (with family/friends). This gives the body much needed energy for work, chores, and strength training.

A minimalist at heart, I know time for cooking is often the deterrent of successful eating. Two Meals a Day allows the individual time at either breakfast or lunch to create their first meal. The time in between and after serves as the fasting window.

PREFERRED METHOD 1

Two Meals a Day + Post Workout Meal (PWO)

My readers typically strength train between 4-6 days per week. Eating twice daily plus a PWO meal assists in recovery and curbs training appetite. The PWO meal can look like a protein-filled lunch, or simply a whey protein shake + starchy carbohydrate.

Two Meals a Day + PWO Meal is very common strategy with my students. If fat loss is the goal, the athlete would only eat two meals a day on non-training days, and add the PWO meal on training days. This method is easily sustainable and assists training.

PREFERRED METHOD 2

Standard Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Eating three balanced is universal. This strategy focuses on eating meals and NOT snacking throughout the day. Standard Meals requires food preparation, but benefits those eating protein-filled meals with less hunger/cravings.

On this plan, breakfast is the largest meal of the day. Since we are at home in the morning, we should end our nightly fast with a high protein meal with plenty of fat to provide us with energy for the day ahead. This requires discipline, but its worth it.

In addition to the three daily meals, hard training athletes will make their PWO an actual meal (I encourage my students to eat only until 80% full in case an emergency arises). For those who aren’t training hard, but want fat loss, three meals daily suffices.

Depending on your circadian rhythm, the breakfast window will be between 06:00-09:00, lunch 11:00-14:00, and dinner 17:00-20:00. When adding a PWO meal, try to make it fit your schedule ie; train just before lunch or just figure out how to fit it in.

For those who aren’t are hungry upon waking, rest assured, hard training will increase the necessity for a large breakfast. Further, a little discipline in scarfing down breakfast for a few weeks will retrain the body to actually be receptive to breakfast.

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Muscle Gain

For athletes on a hypertrophy journey, I encourage 3-4 meals per day with an added PWO meal. These athletes might aim for 40-50g per meal and require swaths of healthy fats and carbohydrates depending on their caloric intake.

Let it be known: if you want to add muscle, you need to eat A LOT. Truthfully I don’t think many have that discipline to both train and live in the kitchen. If you’re reading this article, you are likely the exception. Eat, eat, eat, sleep, then eat some more.

One thing to note when trying to gain lean muscle mass: you are a slave to the kitchen. This isn’t for everyone. On top of training, you will need to be meal prepping daily and grocery shopping frequently. For me, this gets old fast!

Fat Loss

Fat loss results from dedicated training, maintaining high protein, and ultimately burning more calories than you’re intaking. Remember, your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) requires calories just to live. Adding strength training burns calories at rest.

To put this simply, those after fat loss need to eat less food. This can be by limiting carbohydrate or fat intake. I broadly recommend limiting carbs for its insulin blunting effect. This would make the meal template high protein, moderate fat, and low carb.

I have seen the PREFERRED METHOD 1 as the most successful method for fat loss clients. This plan builds a structured method of eating into the day and allows easier food preparation and planning around work, family, and social obligations.

Author’s Note: I need to be blunt. People overeat. To lose body fat, they must eat less. There is no magic formula here. Eat enough protein, eat less overall, and make sure you have a dedicated strength training and MED Zone 2 cardiovascular program.

Maintenance

Like hypertrophic athletes, a maintenance phase requires hitting close to your needed caloric intake. Protein remains high, fat moderate/high, and carbs adjusted to fit your needs. A maintenance phase allows a cushion for fluctuations in caloric intake.

The maintenance phase is wonderful because it promotes Intuitive Eating. I believe we should honor our natural physiology by eating when we are hungry, and foregoing food when we are not. This does take practice, but is the ultimate food freedom.

PREFERRED METHODS 1 and 2 fit the maintaining athlete well. Depending on your caloric need, experiment between these two templates to accommodate your macronutrients. As a note, the template might be switched daily based on hunger.

Author’s Note: Fluctuations happen. Some days you’re just not very hungry and others you are. Similarly, if I overeat at a family gathering, I’ll adjust my next meals or fast so that my caloric intake balances out.

You’ll find that when you’ve been consistent in both your training and nutrition for 2-3+ years, your body will naturally tell you when it’s time to eat more or when you don’t need as much. Listen to these cues, that’s intuitive eating.

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How To Eat

When I think of How to Eat, I think of the PREFERRED METHOD and eating food in a specific order. First, let’s talk about the basics of Metabolic Typing, then eating order, and finally the master Paleo/Whole30 food template for sustainable nutrition.

Metabolic Typing

Depending on preference, you might fill your plate heavily on the protein and fat and light on the carbs. Similarly, there are those who don’t care for protein and instead prefer more fat and veggies. Without testing, you can likely deduce your style type.

Although I’m not attached to this concept, I do find the Metabolic Typing Diet a valuable tool for creating an eating style. I have personally always tested as a Protein Type and indeed, protein is what I think about when I imagine food.

Protein Type (Fast Oxidizer)

Protein Types typically prefer a large cut of meat at each meal. This can be a leaner or fattier cut dependent on taste preferences. They might only use additional carbohydrates as an afterthought when placing food on their dinner plate.

As a fast oxidizer (fast burner of energy), Protein Types prefer substantial amino acids at their meals and easily hit their allotted protein goals. However, they would become ravenous only eating a vegetarian meal. They need high protein and fat to stay full.

Nutritional Styles: Carnivore (ish), Paleo (ish), Whole30 (ish)

Pros: Maintain Satiety, Reaches Protein Goals

Cons: Might not Eat Enough Veggies/Fiber, Need “Heavier” Foods

Carb Type (Slow Oxidizer)

Carb Types rely on swaths of fresh and cooked vegetables. Though they might also like animal protein, they tend to think of food from a carb perspective. Their daily macros are typically low to moderate in protein, low in fat, and high on carbohydrate.

As a slow oxidizer (slow burner of energy), Carb Types can get full from eating fibrous veggies and starch alone. Carb Types typically have the most difficult time reaching their allotted protein goal and have difficulty in gaining muscle mass.

Nutritional Styles: Vegan, Vegetarian

Pros: High Variety of Veggies/Fiber, Growing Plethora of Vegan Food Options

Cons: Constant Hunger, Fat Gain or Skinniness, Does Not Reach Protein Goal

Mixed Type

Mixed Types are the in-between of Protein and Carb Types. They are flexible in what they eat and consume equal parts protein, fat, and carbohydrate. Mixed types do not typically have issues in eating what is in front of them (which can be an advantage).

As a mixed oxidizer (medium burner of energy), Mixed Types must focus on maintaining adequate portions of protein at each meal to hit their allotted goal. Largely intuitive eaters, an initial period of tracking protein is advised.

Nutritional Styles: Paleo (ish), Whole30 (ish)

Pros: Maintain Satiety if Protein Goal is Reached, Easy to Eat Almost Anything

Cons: Might not Reach Protein Goal, Laissez Faire/Garbage Disposal Eating, Lack of Planning

Goals (for me).

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Food Eating Order

One of the most informative books I’ve read recently is the Glucose Revolution by Jessie Inchauspé. Since my family genetics contain a proclivity toward diabetes, I am fully invested in maintaining level blood sugar to ward off this chronic disease.

In her book, Inchauspé relies on data from blood glucose monitors (CGM) to show the effects of the order of food intake and their effect on blood sugar. Ultimately, the recommendation is to eat fiber, protein/fat, then carbs for proper glucose blunting.

For athletic and longevity purposes, it is vital to blunt our insulin response for metabolic health. Level blood sugar brings calm to often anxious individuals and moderates daily energy. Remember the acronym FPFC (fiber, protein/fat, carbs).

Jessie Inchauspé’s book, The Glucose Revolution, is chock-full of helpful figures. Can you believe a pear causes such a spike of blood glucose?! But when adding a healthy fat to the pair, blood glucose barely spikes. Eating sugar or simple carbs alone is a big NO NO. The only time you’d want a glucose spike from food is your PWO meal.

Fiber → Protein/Fat → Carbohydrates/Dessert

ie; Salad → Steak → Sweet Potato → Dark Chocolate

When we prepare our daily meals, we should actually think of them as meals. If you were to imagine eating a meal with your family, you’d probably think of your mother making a large salad, a cut of protein, some sort of carbohydrate, and a dessert

In my household, this is my typical dinner. But it might look different for breakfast where I don’t have a salad prepared. Instead, I might pack protein/fat and carbohydrates. The structure changes to protein/fat → carbs. It’s not complicated.

Meal timing matters.

Meal Template

1. Prioritize Protein - 4-8oz depending on your ideal bodyweight/training needs

2. Add Healthy Fats - 1-3tbsp of additional fat (olive oil, avocado, olives, nuts, etc)

3. Calibrate Carbs - fibrous veggies ad libitum, 1/2-2cups of starchy carbs

4. Implement PREFERRED METHOD 1 or 2

via: Paleo Leap

via: Whole30.com

My Idealized Eating Schedule

Breakfast

8oz Ground Beef + 4 Whole Eggs + 1/2 Avocado + 1.5 Cups Quinoa

Lunch

8oz Chicken Thighs + Serving of Veggies & Olives + 1 Cups Sweet Potato

Post Workout

1 Can Wild Planet Salmon + 1 Cup White Rice

Dinner

8oz New York Steak + 2tbsp Sauerkraut + 2 Cups Quinoa + 1/2 Avocado

Dessert

4 Squares Hu Dark Chocolate Salt

What Happens in Reality

Breakfast

8oz Ground Beef + 4 Whole Eggs + 1/2 Avocado + 1.5 Cups Quinoa

Snack

12 Macadamia Nuts + Large Honeycrisp Apple or 2 Chicken Apple Sausages

Post Workout (usually early afternoon around 2:00pm)

1 Can Wild Planet Salmon + 1/2 Avocado or 8oz Ground Beef + 1.5 Cups Quinoa

Dinner

12-16oz New York Steak + 2tbsp Sauerkraut + 2 Cups Quinoa + 1/2 Avocado

Dessert

4 Squares Hu Dark Chocolate Salt

Author’s Note: because life happens, I know that I can get two ideal meals in per day (breakfast and dinner). If I have not reached my protein goal by dinner, I will have a very large serving of protein and am usually ravenous at this point.

Because I have a meal structure and general plan, I know that this diet will serve my energy needs and not put extra fat on my body. This is sustainable and how I eat 95% of the time. 

My nutrition works for me: I am building muscle mass and athletic performance at 38.

My Nutrition Rules

1. Minimum Effective Dose Eating

   • As I age, I am more aware of my longterm metabolic and heart health. I try to eat less rather than more. However, I know that my caloric intake matters for my goals. I try to eat only as much as I need to ensure balanced blood glucose levels. I avoid overeating for its negative effects on my digestion and its resulting malaise.

2. Food is Fuel, Not Entertainment

   • Eating out of boredom results in overeating. I’ve had enough clients to realize that those who can’t lose body fat are likely eating too much. I focus on eating actual meals and avoid snacking. Food is fuel remember?

3. Hara Hachi Bu

   • I believe in always being ready. Being stuffed with food not only makes you less lethal, but it overburdens digestion. Live your life as easilyy as possible hombre.

4. No Snacking

   • I try not to break this rule unless I am training very hard or am preparing for a big trip to the mountains.

5. Simplicity Honors Adherence

   • For me, simplicity is eating the same thing every day. However, I try to rotate my food groups ie; steak, chicken, bison, fish to avoid food intolerances. I will do the same thing on a daily or weekly basis with my healthy fats and carbs.

6. Constraints

   • Because I have a family history of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), I always avoid gluten, dairy, and corn. Further, my physiology functions better without high FODMAP foods. I also try to avoid sauces or flavor enhancers except for products made by Whole30 approved companies like Primal Kitchen.

7. Discipline

   • Jocko Willinck said it best, “Discipline equals freedom.” So where are you on your journey? Discipline is my superpower. I realize that if I can rely on doing the hard work now, life will become more fluid and easy.

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Master Meal Preparation

I won’t sugarcoat it: to honor sustainable nutrition, you need to master the basics of cooking and meal preparation. This is easier than many people believe, but you must collect common household items that facilitate ease of cooking:

1. Skillet

2. Cutting Board and Knives

3. Mixing Bowl

4. Baking Dishes

5. Oven, Grill, AirFryer

6. Rice Maker, Pressure Cooker, Crock Pot, Microwave

Invest in channels like YouTube for learning to cook common foods like scrambled eggs, roasting chicken, using the crockpot for stews, learning how to grill meats, steaming vegetables, or using a cast iron Dutch Oven for cooking ground beef.

Remember, a little effort every day results to huge wins over time. Just like fitness, you will learn the nuances of cooking batch food. When you improve these skills, you will be able to meal prep all of your proteins and carbohydrates for the entire week.

Meal Preparation Tips

1. Focus on cooking starches on Sundays and prepare 3-4 servings of protein per day (ground beef, grilled chicken thighs, roast in the crock pot). Sauerkraut is ready to go for dinner, but veggies typically need to be steamed on the same day.

2. Keep inventory of prepared proteins in your fridge. When you’re in a hurry, you are not going to want to prepare a healthy meal before hitting the road. Having proteins ready to go in glass containers is the key to nutritious eating.

3. Remember, how you do anything is how you do everything. So why fall short when it comes to your eating? Put the effort in and you will be rewarded.

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Summary

Focus:

1. 1g of High Quality, Animal Based Protein Daily per LB of Ideal Bodyweight

2. Drink Half Your Bodyweight in Oz. of High Quality Water Per Day

3. Determine Your Goals: Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, or Maintenance

4. Optimize Blood Sugar Response

5. Master Meal Preparation

John Parker

April 23, 2023

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Resources

For Autoimmune Athletes

Suggested Reading

1. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration

2. How to Eat, Move, and Be Healthy!

3. The Paleo Solution

4. Whole30

5. The Glucose Revolution

6. Sacred Cow

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