27 Nutrition Tips from The Master (John Berardi): Part One

When it comes to nutriton, there are a lot of voices out there on the internet vying for your attention. Doing a simple search for “best nutrition strategies” can be overwhelming enough to deter you from making the changes that you want to make. Who to believe?!

Everyone is a fitness expert, right? Every new website has a different plan an opinions on strategy shift drastically from month to month. It can be frustrating.

I’ve spent a lot of time online sifting through all the information out there, and at the end of the day, it’s John Berardi that rises to the top. His free articles like The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Nutrition Plans are diamond mines of rock-solid nutrition advice from a guy who has been formally studying exercise science and nutrition for years.

In the following weeks I’ll be featuring 27 tips from Berardi: starting today!

Wondertwin Powers Activate, Form Of: More Than 100 Ways to Eat Cottage Cheese

Sal just looked up from his desk (we work together) and said, “I wonder what would happen if you fried cottage cheese?”

This is quintessential Sal.  The Sicilian take on one of the healthiest protein sources out there: yes, but can you deep fry it??? 

I have no idea if you can fry cottage cheese or not (and I don’t plan on finding out anytime soon) but I do know that cottage cheese is one of the most excellent protein sources out there.  I would die without it.  I buy multiple tubs at one time.

Glycogen Loading: Pre-Race Rituals for Entering the Carb Kingdom

There was a thread in the Cross Crusades forums last week about pre-race nutrition. I neglected to chime in, but I thought I’d share my nutritional preparation strategies here.

My diet is typically about 30% carbs, 30% fat, and 40% protein. If you know your macronutrients well, you’ll notice that it’s a pretty low-carb plan. I’ve tweaked the ratio several times over the past years, but I’ve found that this works pretty well for me, leaving me with enough energy for my workouts but allowing me to stay lean and support and build muscle structure.

Eating for ‘cross races demands something a little different.

Like Pumpkin Pie? You’re Going to Love This Festive Jay Robb Protein Shake

I know what you’re thinking.

And, no, I don’t work for Jay Robb.  I don’t have a reseller’s agreement and I’m not even an affiliate.   I just happen to think they’ve got some really rockstar products.

Among them?

Yammit! Energy Nuggets

I happened to get my hands on some Yammits a while back and I have slowly been experimenting with all of the glory that they can bring. Here’s my latest post-workout shake that has Sally singing praises.  Just in time for my favorite season – a protein shake worthy of the Pumpkin King:

A Knock-Your-Socks-Off Jay Robb Fudgesicle Recipe for Labor Day

Last week Maggie Wang posted her favorite recipe for making protein fudgesicles. (By the way, she’s wicked smart and completely kicks ass. Her website contains a wealth of information and she’s extremely entertaining to boot.)

Inspired, I adapted her recipe to include my favorite whey protein isolate (Jay Robb!) and a nifty new chocolate product that I recently discovered in my favorite neighborhood grocery store, New Seasons Market. (I also used good old cow milk instead of soy milk cuz I don’t have any dairy tolerance issues.)

The result is a seriously religious frozen chocolate explosion.

Oh. My. God.

You’re going to love this one.

I’m a Delinquent – Here’s One Killer Recipe to Make Sure You Don’t Go Down the Same Road

What’s the fastest way to screw up what might otherwise be a mind-blowing, muscle-searing workout? Neglect your pre-workout meal.

Daniel totally called me out on it this morning as I agonized through a torturous round of shoulder-press-squat-combos.

“What did you eat this morning?” he asked.

Yum: From the Kick-Ass Protein Shake Files

I was running out today to make an 11:15am appointment and I had to have my late morning meal on the go. No problem, I thought, I’ll just whip up a protein shake and be on my way.

I surveyed the refrigerator and planned my attack:

The QuickStart Guide to Eating: Better Nutrition in 217 words

Don’t have time to deal with all the crap I wrote in “The Super Basic Five Steps You Can Take to Begin to Eat Smarter“?

No problem.

I boiled it down into three handy-dandy guidelines to give anyone a jumpstart on improving their nutrition.

How to Blast Fat Off Your Body in Record Time

Fitness can be about a lot of things. It can be about creating a feeling and experience of wellness and establishing healthy patterns and habits in your life. It can be about creating a strong body so that we are better prepared to weather the unpredictable ailments and challenges that may come our way. It can be about performance – about pushing our limits and stretching our concept of what we are capable of doing.

It can be all those things and more – and we’ll do well to keep the big picture in mind.

Sometimes, however, it just comes down to the question that I get asked so many times:

How do I get this fat off my body and keep it off?

The Perfect Protein Shake: Why Jay Robb is My New Personal Hero

(The true story of how I found my new favorite, totally killer protein powder.)

I drink protein shakes. Lots of them. I need them. I love them. In a five or six-meal-per-day nutrition plan, they’re essential for a quick and easy way to get a lot of high quality protein fast, without a lot of effort.

Because I’m trying to get extremely lean right now, I also am interested in keeping my calories for the day on the low side (1500-1800). This means that I can’t afford to be chuggin’ away on a protein drink that is 300-350 calories. I prefer to get the bulk of my calories from real, whole foods.

When I first started doing protein shakes I used MyoPlex Lite, ala the Body For Life program. At 180 calories, 25 grams of protein, 19 carbohydrates, and 1.5g of fat, they put up some decent numbers. However, I found them to be a little too thick, particularly when made with nonfat milk. I drank them religiously but never truly enjoyed them.

About 2 months ago my friend and former co-worker, Beefcake (bodybuilder, former trainer, all-around-fitness nut), told me about a new line of products from BSN called Lean Dessert. First of all, can you say marketing!? The flavors are all named after desserts like, “Banana Creme Pie”, “Chocolate Fudge Brownie”, and “Fresh Cinammon Roll”.