Body Fuel
The food you eat is fuel for your body. The higher quality ingredients, the higher quality fuel to power, nourish, repair and build within your body and energy field. Consuming empty, nutrition-less calories and foods do not provide the body with the nutrients and ingredients it needs for healthy functioning. After time, the body begins to break down and the aging process accelerates. However if you invest in high quality ingredients with active nutrients, the body will use it to repair itself. The body is incredibly intelligent, it just requires you to provide it with the necessary ingredients and the proper care and maintenance.
Recently, I’ve done an audit of all the ingredients that go into my meals for optimized nutrition and healthy eating, based on my body type and energy needs. This also accounts for what is local, seasonal and available in my area for higher active, nutritional value. There are many body-based systems that outline the most suitable eating patterns and diets best for you, such as Ayurvedic doshas (vata/pita/kapha) (take the quiz here) or body-types (ectomorph, endomorph, mesomorph) (take the quiz here), etc. These can certainly be used as starting guidelines, but the best is to customize it according to what your unique body needs most while being flexible enough to accommodate the fluctuations of your body and seasons.
My diet generally requires high protein, high carbohydrate, high in healthy fats, and high nutrient-dense foods. I need a lot of calories just to function day-to-day which means I need to be in an excess of calories for enhanced cellular healing, repair, and rebuilding. Every calorie I consume needs to be optimized for the highest nutrient and energy output.
I have crafted a list of high energy and nutrient-dense foods that can be incorporated into any healthy, high energy diet for any body type. This is a concise list but should certainly incorporate many many more foods. The key to healthy eating is in its diversity! Don’t be so strict on yourself and allow your body to call the shots as it will indicate what it needs to be fed.
Pacing
Consider when your body needs to consume energy and keep it consistent to a regular feeding schedule. Some tips and guidelines:
Digestion is at its peak performance between the hours of 10AM-2PM. Try to have your heaviest, largest, or most protein and carbohydrate heavy foods during this time.
Avoid drinking a lot of water right before meal time as to not dilute digestive enzymes. Sipping water with meals is ideal.
Eat to 80% full. Avoid overeating to give space for digestion.
Generally breakfast and lunch should be your largest meals with the most energy and calories to consume. Fueling your energy earlier in the day ensures that your body has enough energy to power itself during the day and into the night.
Dinner should be your lightest, and should be ideally completed 3 hours before bedtime for proper digestion, and so your body can spend its energy on repair during sleeping hours (not on digesting your large dinner).
Snacks should be consumed for supplemental energy and nutrients (not empty, filler calories). Think high protein and nutrient-dense nuts and seeds.
Carbohydrates
The type of carbohydrates you consume depends on your body type and constitution, the nutrient mix your body needs, and your taste. Generally the following carbohydrates have the highest energy and nutrients:
Quinoa, Millet, Buckwheat, Oats, Wild/Brown Rice
Sweet Potatoes, Beets, Winter Squashes
Beans, Lentils
Nuts (e.g. walnuts, pumpkin, sunflower, pecan, brazil, cashew) and Seeds (e.g. chia, sesame, poppy)
Locally-Grown, Seasonal Fruit (see seasonal food guide)
Locally-Grown, Seasonal Vegetables (see seasonal food guide): e.g. spinach, broccoli, kale, bok choy, yu choy, Asian greens)
Protein
Wild Fish (ideally high in Omega-3 fatty acids): Wild Salmon, Herring, Sardines, Mackerel
Organic or Locally-Raised Eggs
Organic or Locally-Raised Chicken
Organic or Locally-Raised Beef
Lentils, Beans, Tofu
Nuts (e.g. walnuts, pumpkin, sunflower, pecan, brazil, cashew) and Seeds (e.g. chia, sesame, poppy)
Oats, Quinoa
Fats
Organic, Cold-Press Oils: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sesame Oil, Coconut Oil, Avocado Oil, Flaxseed Oil
Wild Fish (ideally high in Omega-3 fatty acids): Wild Salmon, Herring, Sardines, Mackerel
Organic or Locally-Raised Beef
Organic or Locally-Raised Eggs
Nuts (e.g. walnuts, pumpkin, sunflower, pecan, brazil, cashew) and Seeds (e.g. chia, sesame, poppy)
Avocados
Nutrients
Examples of foods high in the following nutrients and vitamins.
Omega Fatty Acids:
ALA: flaxseed oil, chia seeds, walnuts
EPA/DHA: *cod liver oil, *salmon, herring, sardines, mackerel
Amino Acids: quinoa, eggs, fish, lentils
Vitamin A: *beef liver (3oz = 731%), *sweet potato (156%), spinach (1/2 cup = 64%), carrots (1/2 cup = 51%)
Vitamin B-1,2,3: salmon, liver, eggs, beef, oysters/clams/mussels, lentils, chicken breast, greek yogurt, spinach
Vitamin B-12: *beef liver (3oz = 2,944%), *clams (1lb = 708%), *oysters (9 = 621%), *salmon (3oz = 108%), *tuna (3oz = 104%), ground beef (3oz = 100%), yogurt (43%) + 2 eggs (38%)
Vitamin C: *orange juice (3/4 cup = 103%), red pepper (1/2 cup = 106%), broccoli (1/2 cup = 57%)
Vitamin D: recommended to get your vitamin D intake through sunlight. Around 15 minutes for fairer skin types, 30min+ for darker skin types. Noon sunlight provides the highest vitamin D output.
Vitamin E: *wheat germ oil (1tbsp = 135%), sunflower seeds (1oz = 49%), almonds (1pz = 45%), avocado (28%)
Vitamin K: collard greens, turnip greens, spinach, kale, broccoli
Calcium: greek yogurt (minimal sugar), cheese, sardines, milk, tofu, spinach, kale, chia seeds, bok choy
Iron: oysters (9 = 132%), white beans (1 cup = 44%), beef liver (3oz = 44%), lentils (1/2 cup = 17%), spinach (1/2 cup = 17%), tofu (1/2 cup = 17%), sardines (11%)
Zinc: *oysters (9 oysters = 291%), beef (3oz = 35%), oats (1/2 cup = 10%), pumpkin seeds (1oz = 20%), cheddar cheese (1.5oz = 14%), lentils (1/2 cup = 12%), sardines (10%), greek yogurt (9%)
Potassium: lentils, squash, prunes, raisins, kidney beans, orange juice, banana, milk, spinach, chicken, yogurt, salmon, beef, broccoli
Selenium: *brazil nuts (6-8nuts = 989%), tuna (3oz = 167%), halibut (3oz = 85%), sardines (3oz = 82%), beef liver (3oz - 51%), eggs (2 = 54%), whole wheat bread (2 = 48%), chicken (3oz = 40%), ground beef, oats (3oz = 33%)
Probiotics: miso, kefir, greek yogurt (minimal sugar), fermented vegetables, etc.
Water
Aim for a minimum of 9 cups per day.
Track
The best way to know if you are getting enough energy and nutrients is to track what you eat and drink. Here’s one app you can use to track all of your meals: http://cronometer.com/.
Resources
Learn More About Regenerative Farming and Why It’s Important to Eat From It: http://www.netflix.com/title/81321999
How to Find Local Organic, Regenerative Farms:
http://organicconsumers.org/regenerative-farm-map/
How to Find a Local Farmers Market:
http://nfmd.org/
Farmers Market / CSA/ Farm:
http://www.localharvest.org/
How to Find a Local U-Pick Farm:
http://upickfarmlocator.com/
How to Find Local Meat, Seafood and Dairy:
http://www.eatwild.com/products
How to Eat Seasonally and Locally:
http://www.seasonalfoodguide.org/