So frequently I write about crap that most people don’t care about and/or I’m trying to convey a message across. Yes, I utilize this platform just like many others to express my point of view, even if others may find it offensive. Before I digress into another rant about the transformative change that needs to take place in our society, I’d like to take a pomodoro to write about my diet!
Today is Sunday, and as has become typical for my routine, I find myself preparing some food for the week. At this stage in my life, weekly food preparation is very easy with the local grocery stores and the easy availability of good, healthy food. While cooking up some chicken breasts, I found myself making a quick shake for a nice and easy snack. So, I snapped a quick picture and here we are.
This shake is very easy, it has:
- Water
- 1 Scoop Garden of Life Raw Meal, Vanilla Flavor
- 1 Apple, sliced, with skin
- 1 Banana
- 1 scoop Vibrant Health Green Vibrance
- Milk to top it off (roughly 1/4 cup, adjust water accordingly for more)
Blend it all up and drink. DONE
I have a Braun handblender and a blender bottle (without the blender ball) and it works perfectly.
This shake, is part of my current diet. For several months now, I have been eating this diet, or a slight variation of it for several months now. What is outlined below is typically my diet for 5 of 7 days. Currently, I am trying to stay on this diet even on the weekends for budgetary reasons as well as for training purposes with an upcoming marathon in April. I want to ensure my body is in tip-top shape over the next few months.
My diet over the past two years has altered and changed significantly since my move out west to California. I eased into my healthy ways initially with the help of my girlfriend at the time. She did the grocery shopping and I simply ate what she bought. She was such a good influence on me and modifying my diet in an easy and delicious, yet healthy and nutritious way. Her amazing salads made the transition to healthy eating SUPER easy! This set the tone and helped me change my eating patterns.
Fast forward a couple years and here we are! The daily diet I speak of consists of something similar to this:
Breakfast
- 1 cup hot water with lemon prior to eating
- 2 eggs, pan fried in coconut oil in cast iron skillet
- 1 ham steak
- 2 slices of Ezekial 7 Sprouted Grains Cinnamon Raisin Bread
- 1 cup Guayaki Yerba Mate
Snacks throughout the morning
- 1 vitamin / greens drink (1 serving Vibrant Health Green Vibrance, 1 serving Nature’s Plus Source of Life Liquid, 1 tbsp Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar) occasionally and preferably, I will use the Youngevity line of vitamins and supplements.
- I initially tried the 90 for Life Healthy Start Pak and was very pleased with the results. I believe the Youngevity products are of the highest quality. The saying “you get what you pay for” certainly applies here. Due to their cost, I purchase a less expensive fish oil supplement and rotate out my multi-vitamin mineral drink. I think with increased training over the next few months I will return to using the Youngevity higher quality vitamins and supplements.)
- 1 Banana
- 1 Apple
- ~1.5 cup Hawaiian Mix (some awesome mix of dried coconut shavings, cranberries, banana chips, papaya, raisins, pineapple and macadamia nuts among other awesome things)
Lunch Salad
- 4-5 cups of general 50/50 mix of lettuce blend and spinich
- 2 grilled chicken breasts
- ~1/4 cup walnuts
- ~1/8 gup goat cheese
- ~1/8 cup dressing
Lunch and/or Afternoon Snacks
- 1 cup Kefir, typically Lifeway brand Kefir
- 1 cup Sauerkraut, typically Bubbies’ brand Sauerkraut
- 1 Banana
- 1 Apple
- ~1.5 cup Hawaiian Mix
Dinner
- 1 serving Raw Meal
- 3-4 Eggs (sometimes raw, but only with fresh and local eggs) as a post-run add-in
Periodic snacks throughout the evening on a various trail mix.
With the additional training and mileage over the past few weeks, I have increased my caloric intake by eating additional chicken breasts and walnuts in my salad. Also, I have just about doubled the amount of eggs I am eating because I found a great local source for fresh eggs. Ironically enough she is also a good source for milk…for my dog, of course. You know…there’s federal legislation against the sale of raw milk for human consumption. While it was common to drink raw and unpasteurized milk until the 20th century, we now have federal legislation for “our protection.” Thank goodness!
Moreover, all the fruit and vegetables I buy are organic as much as possible. In an effort to reduce my traditional dairy intake, I am limiting my intake to raw cow milk or store bought goat milk. Cheese intake limited to goat cheese only. I limit my wheat gluten intake to the bread in the morning, but justify it because it is heady and free range Ezekial bread. Oh yeah, it’s also worth mentioning so I get respect from all the hippies out there. Yeah, yeah mother Gaia and all that shit, too. At any rate moving forward…I fry all my eggs in coconut oil. Currently I’m using Nature’s Way Coconut Oil for no other reason than it tastes good and is readily available at my local supermarket and via Amazon.
Many establishment “health professionals” frown on the use of coconut oil because it’s high in fat. It’s safe to say that I am not really to keen on “the establishment” and we’ll leave it at that for now. Also, there’s plenty of people out there (including myself) that might frown on my use of ham steaks for various reasons. But I vary my diet up enough that this isn’t a big issue. Everything in moderation. Besides, with the amount of mileage I am logging these days (30+ miles / week) I could eat just about anything! But with that said, I am trying to shave off a few pounds over the next few months with the marathon coming up. This seems like the appropriate time to really get serious about my diet, so I’m doing it!
So that’s about a run down of how a modern day caveman extremist like me tries to eat for good health and well being.
Stay tuned.
The Nameless Wayfarer 