Good Nutrition

[MalachiMcMullen]

Alright guys, I know next to nothing about nutrition or a proper weightlifter's nutrition to be more specific. My question is where do I go to learn about it? Reliable books, websites, etc? I like food.

[The Natural]

What are your goals? Weight gain?

-Rex

[MalachiMcMullen]

What are your goals? Weight gain?

-Rex

I don't really care if I gain weight or not, I'm just curious about what constitutes a healthier diet and how to eat to best supplement strength training.

[jad]

www.eatright.org

[twig]

Simplest piece of advice: Eat a balanced diet taking care to avoid fat before 3pm and avoid carbs after.

(Fat people know HOW to lose weight, they just don't DO it!)

[Magnus]

Leehayward.com has some good stuff on there. Just spend some time in the nutrition articles:

http://www.leehayward.com/nutrition.htm

Edited December 27, 2008 by Magnus

[AP]

Two words:

Ice cream

[Scott Styles]

Here's a crib sheet for eating healthy:

1. Drink at least 96oz of water a day

2. Eat at least 25 grams of fiber a day

3. Avoid corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, and processed grains

4. Learn to identify (this can be tricky) and like whole grain breads and pastas

5. Have a lot of vegetables, especially non-starchy ones like brocolli

6. Eat some fruit, but limit it to citrus, berries and melons. Apples, pears, and bannas do little for you. Juice is sugar water.

7. Try to eat something daily that promotes digestion, like yogurt (key words are prebiotic and probiotic)

8. Have some beans on a regular basis

9. Mixed nuts are good for calories

10. Consume Omega 3 fats - (from fish, fish oil, flax oil, flax cereal, special eggs, etc.)

11. Limit alcohol to 1-2 drinks per day at most, avoid it within a few hours of bedtime

12. Eat more food to gain weight, less to lose weight - avoid extremes

In my experience, when you eat out, the battle for that meal to be healthy is already lost - enjoy the food for what it is and don't worry about it.

You will see a wide range of opinions on optimal protein, carb, and fat ratios, along with nutritient timing for performance. Other than the imapct of eating more / less calories, I never got to a point where the other stuff seemed to matter. There are strong arguments out there for:

1. Eating up to 1 gram of protein per lb of lean body mass

2. Having a small meal or drink with protein and carbs before and after a workout

3. Creatine to boost performance overall

4. Caffine to boost single workout performance

[oscar4883]

EliteFTS has a lot of good articles and Q+A stuff regarding diet. Personally I try to do the following:

1. 3 shakes and 3 meals a day

2. Gallon of water a day

3. Yogurt and fish body oil everyday

4. Go out once a week and eat anything you want

5. Lots of low card Monster and diet Mountain Dew

6. Stay away from the enriched stuff

[impala]

Scott Styles gave you some very good tips. I would disagree about apples, however. Apples have pectin (a soluble fiber), which soaks up cholesterol and the skin of the delicious variety is rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants. Going out should be fun, not a tension-filled situation created by denying yourself all those delicious, rich foods. Drink a Slim-fast and eat a small handful of walnuts or almonds before you go out the door. The combo of the two should partly fill you up, keep up your blood sugar and help you eat smaller portions. If you're that serious, never go to the food store or a restaurant if you're really hungry.

P.S. Stay away from those protein bars, they're way too high in saturated fat.

[MalachiMcMullen]

Thanks for all the posts guys! Josh, thanks for the website too! Just what I had in mind! Everything else is just icing on the cake... keep 'em coming guys! I've learned something from every post so far(except Rex's )!!!

[The Natural]

What are your goals? Weight gain?

-Rex

I don't really care if I gain weight or not, I'm just curious about what constitutes a healthier diet and how to eat to best supplement strength training.

You didn't name a specific goal at first, and then when asked about the goals, you named two goals that are in tension with one another.

The best way to eat in order to get stronger is to consume many thousands of calories a day--the idea being overabundance--and eat lots of high-quality red meat every day, as much as you can afford.

If you want get healthier more than you want to get stronger, then you follow what everyone else in this thread tells you to do.

Eat for strength and your health will suffer somewhat, at least long-term health. Eat mainly for health and your strength will suffer somewhat.

In the above I'm using 'health' in the common way it's employed today, i.e. a term in large part involving the idea of longevity.

I don't accept this definition of health, as it reflects the mediocrity of the society that produced it. But it seems to be the sort that is assumed in this thread, so I use it.

Was Louis Cyr healthy? In today's sense of health, no. Was he healthy in another sense? Yes.

-Rex

[Scott Styles]

Interesting on the apples. My understanding is the bulk of the nutrition is in the peel, with the actual sweet part of the fruit offering little more than sugar and water. In any case - I eat an apple if I want one, I just don't look at it as health food.

It is very easy to get caught up in the details of this stuff - in my experience they do not matter and can make compliance with your eating plan just about impossible. Doing the basics right every day is hard enough, especially if you want to eat with others. For me, finding a balanced diet that is socially sustainable is certainly the hardest part of eating healthy.

If you do want to go nuts on the details, the site below is pretty good. I use them to get CEC's for my ACSM cert, so I've covered most of the fitness professional courses:

http://www.nutritiondimension.com

[MalachiMcMullen]

What are your goals? Weight gain?

-Rex

I don't really care if I gain weight or not, I'm just curious about what constitutes a healthier diet and how to eat to best supplement strength training.

You didn't name a specific goal at first, and then when asked about the goals, you named two goals that are in tension with one another.

The best way to eat in order to get stronger is to consume many thousands of calories a day--the idea being overabundance--and eat lots of high-quality red meat every day, as much as you can afford.

If you want get healthier more than you want to get stronger, then you follow what everyone else in this thread tells you to do.

Eat for strength and your health will suffer somewhat, at least long-term health. Eat mainly for health and your strength will suffer somewhat.

In the above I'm using 'health' in the common way it's employed today, i.e. a term in large part involving the idea of longevity.

I don't accept this definition of health, as it reflects the mediocrity of the society that produced it. But it seems to be the sort that is assumed in this thread, so I use it.

Was Louis Cyr healthy? In today's sense of health, no. Was he healthy in another sense? Yes.

-Rex

True, and I agree. However, one can consume calories without the sole source being stuff like pizza, candy, pop, and red meat. Besides, I have the chicken and steak part down. There isn't a week that goes by that I don't have either at least twice

[kyle102887]

I follow the precision nutrition method. Precision Nutrition

[climber511]

Natural foods in the appropriate quantity for your goal of strength gain, weight loss, and/or longevity according to where you are in life and where you want to go. If the ingredient list reminds you of chemistry class more than a food list - there might be a better choice to put on your plate. You can get away with a lot when you are young and highly active with a rampaging metabolism but adding additional calories will not result in strength gain for someone who is already obese or tending towards it. Rex is right but not necessarily for those who already have a very high bodyfat percentage - at some point I think the advantage of the additional food is outweighed by the additional non functional mass you need to move. I think as you age and your body becomes less efficient - the amount of nutrients needed for heath increases and the need for an excess of calories decreases - in short - eat more low cal - nutrient dense foods and watch your bodyfat levels.

Stay hydrated.

Eat enough fiber to stay regular.

Eat enough calories to gain - lose - or maintain as your goals require.

Processed foods are not your friend.

Nutrients and appropriate calories are you friend.

Chemicals are not your friend.

White flour and sugar are very close to poison.

Buying and using a juicer with a variety of fruits and veggies seems to have made a difference in the way I feel - nothing magical but a difference.

[Incindium]

Eat your vegetables! I'm eating a bag of frozen snap peas, mixed stir fry veggies, or a couple cans of green beans every day. They add fiber, vitamins and taste good. With those new microwave steam bags its really simple and quick as well. Just 5 minutes in the microwave, add some salt and pepper and you are set.

[Magnus]

http://www.gripboard.com/index.php?showtopic=29657

Scroll down to Brouse's post (#4). Thats how you get big son

Well, that's okay for newbs, but when you're ready to quit messing around and get serious about it, this is the only way to go:

http://www.videovat.com/videos/1712....