This is purely informative and is based entirely on official studies by licensed meducal groups. I want to help people who keep asking over and over what they should eat. Enjoy.
There are 5 basic food groups: Grains, Vegetables, Fruits, Dairy, and Meats. Also fats/oils are eaten, though they are not a part of the 5 basic food groups.
Grains: A small, hard seed or fruit of cereal grass. This group contains, but is not limited to, cereals, breads, crackers, and pastas.
Vegetables: an edible stalk, root, or leaf such as spinach or carrots.
Fruit: the ripened, seed bearing part of a plant, such as a pod or berry.
Dairy: a product made from milk, such as cheese or yogurt.
Meat: the muscle flesh from an animal, such as beef, fish, or poultry.
fats/oils: These are high in energy, but in excess can lead to very bad health.
There are 6 basic classes of nutrients: Carbohydrates, Protein, Fat, Water, Vitamins, and Minerals.
Carbohydrates: Any of a group of compounds, including sugars, starches, and cellulose, that are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are the bad kind of carbohydrates that you find in high-fructose corn syrup and other sugar sweeteners, and there are the good kinds of carbohydrates that you find in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that are crucial to your health. About 30 to 50% of the diet should contain good carbohydrates.
Protein: Complex organic compounds occurring in all living matter that are composed of amino acids and are essential for tissue growth and repair. The best muscle building (and maintaining) diet includes lean beef, pork, poultry, and fish, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ( do not fry meat, only buy lean meat, and cook your own meat as much as you can). The reason is simple: Animal protein builds muscle better than soy or vegetable protein does. To build muscle during a strength-training program requires you to eat .60 to .82 gram of protein per pound of body weight. If you weight 200 lbs., for example, you should be taking in 120 to 164 grams of protein a day.
Fat: Energy rich compound found in animal tissue, nuts, seeds, and fruits. Fat is not the enemy America made it out to be in the 90s. As long as your food contains mono saturated fat, as opposed to poly saturated fat or unsaturated fats, which are unhealthy. A diet should contain as much as 40% of fat, with most if not all of it mono saturated.
Water: A clear liquid compound of hydrogen and oxygen that is essential for most plant and animal life. Water carries all-important oxygen and nutritional fuel to working muscles, clears out waste, and dissipates body heat, to name just a few of it’s vital functions. It’s also lost at a rapid rate when you exercise. A healthy person should have sic to eight 8-ounce glasses a day. An active person should drink more. If you feel thirsty, you’re already slightly dehydrated.
Vitamins: Any of various relatively complex organic substances that occur in small amounts in plant and animal tissue that are essential for the continuation of normal life functions. It is of vial importance to get vitamins in food, not pills, because food contains other substances that either make vitamins work better or provide beneficial effects all their own. Remember that vitamin pills were only invented in the last 50 years, but our body has been healthy for millions of years. Thanks be to God!
Minerals: A natural solid inorganic substance having a definite chemical composition and characteristic crystalline structure and being neither animal or vegetable in origin. Minerals are important for structure of bones, maintaining vital functions such as heartbeat and muscle contraction, and regulation of things like cell activity. These are only needed in small amounts, though, as most minerals including sodium, magnesium, and iron are harmful in excess. A good diet, balanced as outlined, will give you all the minerals you need. Zinc is especially important in exercise. Foods high in zinc are lean beef and pork, skinless poultry, and seafood such as oysters, crab meat, and tuna. Whole grains, beans, and legumes are also good sources of zinc.
What you should buy:
Grains: Whole grain breads, crackers, and cereals are best Look for low sugar and sodium counts. Pasta should include very few ingredients and not be overly processed. Oatmeal is good, too.
Vegetables: Look for dark greens, and solid feel. Tomatoes, olives (not canned in salt, but fresh or frozen), onions, broccoli, bell peppers, celery, mushrooms, and carrots are very healthy. Potatoes are an excellent source of potassium and carbohydrates. Don’t load them up with salt, butter, and cream, though. Try salsa instead.
Fruits: Different fruits have different effects. Apples, oranges, pears, and peaches are good for meal replacement. Raisins, berries, apricots, and dried fruits are high in nutrients and very high in antioxidants. Bananas, dried apricots, or dried figs are rich in potassium and carbohydrates. Fruit juices, such as orange juice, apple juice, cranberry juice, raspberry juice, and pear juice are totally fine as well.
Dairy: Look for non fat and low sugar. Both, not one or the other. Nonfat milk, plain yogurt (add fruits later), nonfat cheeses, and cottage cheese are good examples. As whey protein powder is a milk derivative, I will also include that here. Whey protein powder is essentially for helping to build muscle as efficiently as possible. Look for it in the health section.
Meats: We can enjoy lean beef, lean pork, chicken, eggs, turkey, and fish so long as we don’t eat it in excess. You need .6 to .82 gram of protein per pound, per person. Example: I was about 210 lbs. at the start of my diet, and I needed 126-172.2 grams (4.44-6.07 oz.) of protein a day.
Fats/oils/sodium: Fats and oils should be mostly, if not completely, mono saturated. Look for olive oil dressing. As most food will be barbecued, baked, boiled, or broiled, frying oils will not be necessary. Sodium is already being eaten in foods listed above, so no need for more. Butter should be either real unsalted butter, or fat free margarine. Use butter spreads as sparingly as possible.
Keeping all of this in mind, you need to have an eating schedule every day.
Meal #1: around 8 am
eggs, cereal/oatmeal with non fat milk and no sugar, fruit
9:30 am: drink a glass of water
Meal #2: around 11 am
sandwich with tuna/lean beef/lean pork/turkey/chicken, whole grain bread, dark green lettuce/spinach/bell peppers/tomatoes/onion, using a light olive oil or no more than 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise, a fruit, and a glass of water
12:45 pm: drink a glass of water
Meal #3: around 2 pm
same sandwich probabilities, with a glass of water
3:15 pm: drink a glass of water
Meal #4: around 4:30 pm (pre workout)
Make a shake or smoothie with one scoop of whey protein powder, 1 cup of fat free milk, 1 cup fresh or frozen berries, and 1 cup of orange juice.
If that is not available, have 1 cup of fat free milk, an apple, and either an ounce of nuts, or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.
5:30: work out (all healthy people exercise)
Meal #5: around 6:45 pm (post workout)
Another shake/smoothie with 1.5 scoops of whey protein powder, and 2 cups of fruit juice. OR 2 cups of PLAIN nonfat yogurt with fruit blended in.
Meal #6: around 8:30 pm
Dinner time. This meal should contain a lean meat, potato/banana/dried fruit, and a fresh vegetable/salad, and olive oil based dressing. And a glass of water.
11:00 pm: go to sleep. Sleep is very important, so don't skip sleep. Also, 'catching up' on sleep is ineffective. Try to sleep at least 8 hours per night.
Good health and best wishes.
