The best diet is the simple diet. The three most important aspects of your health are dieting, exercise and sleep (and not particularly in that order). Even if you exercise for 2 hours a day, if you eat like crap then you will feel like crap.
I think that most people look at food as a source of entertainment, or something that needs to “taste good”. I sympathize. When I go out to dinner, I prefer to eat many small plates as opposed to a single large plate, because my goal when I go out to eat isn’t sustenance – it’s to enjoy the taste of foods that I don’t have the know-how to cook (or the time and desire to learn).
The majority of the time that I am eating, however, I tend to focus on a very simple diet. This doesn’t mean that it is bland or tasteless – it just means that it is consistent.
- Eggs – Scrambled eggs, avocado, spinach leaves, sweet potato, and sauerkraut from Cleveland Kraut. Some days I’ll add the leftover meat from dinner the night before or some chopped peppers, but usually it’s just the ingredients above. The kraut is seriously a game changer. It’s a healthy, delicious source of probiotics that has been an effective replacement for the hot sauce or salsa that I sometimes sneak into my scrambled eggs. Click here to check out Cleveland Kraut. Use the code “ManFlow!” for 10% off your order.
- Smoked Salmon Salad – smoked salmon, spinach leaves, avocado oil, avocado, a pinch of apple cider vinegar, and sweet potato. Notice the similarity between breakfast and lunch.
- Salmon & Steamed Vegetables – Wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, spinach leaves, sweet potato (seriously – there is a lot of sweet potato consumption in my apartment), cooked on a pan with ghee or olive oil.
- Bulletproof Coffee – Bulletproof coffee everyday I can do it. Basically, I mix a combination of ghee, butter, coconut oiI, or MCT oil into my coffee – just two of them. (Sometimes I’ll even put some of these fats into a mug and then take it to the coffee place if I’m out of coffee grounds or my latest French press is broken.) I don’t always have Bulletproof coffee grounds with my bulletproof coffee, but I do notice a difference between Bulletproof coffee grounds and other coffees. Some of the “craft” coffee that I have is great, while others tend to give me a huge burst of energy followed by a monumental crash. Bulletproof provides a really nice stream of consistent energy without a crash. Click here to learn more about Bulletproof coffee.
- Water with Sea Salt – Maybe you’ve heard of this one before. Every morning, without fail, I drink a pint of cold water with about 1 teaspoon of Himalayan sea salt. In small amounts, the salt helps your body to better absorb the water and stay hydrated. Salt also has essential minerals that you need to survive. I know that a lot of people caution against using salt, but that’s because they’re adding a crap ton of crap-quality table salt to a preserved meal that’s already loaded with salts. If you eat a healthy diet focused on whole foods, you’ll need that salt. I get mine from Costco. It’s pretty easy to find – Himalayan Sea Salt.
If your diet isn’t simple, make it simpler. By giving yourself restrictions, you create freedom for yourself. (Wait, what?) I guess that’s a talk for another time. For now, make your diet as simple as possible. Select healthy foods and stick to them. Indulge in food on occasion, but restrict to at most once per day (or once per week, if you prefer to follow the cheat day method).
Want more specific info on dieting? Check out The Man Flow Diet. This is a book that I created detailing the foods and the eating habits I utilize to stay lean, to build muscle, to stay energized throughout the day, and sleep well at night. Click here to take a peek.
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About the author, Dean Pohlman, Founder & CEO of Man Flow Yoga, Author of Yoga Fitness for Men, Expert on Yoga Fitness for Men.
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Couldn’t get pages for kraut or coffee
Should be good now!
Also a huge fan of sweet potatoes, the beta carotene and insulin-regulating capabilities make them excellent nutrition. Try the purple ones, too. And the Japanese sweet potatoes are amazing, they are so buttery.
What if you can’t stand sweet potatoes, can I sub for Broccoli?
Absolutely, Jade. Broccoli is great.
Good stuff Dean. I share your belief in a K.I.S.S. concept in eating although it goes contrary to my years of foodyishness (not sure that is a word, actually I am sure that is not a word). When (notice how I said when and not if) you need some variety, here are a few ideas that might still keep it simple. The recipes in the back of The Bulletproof Diet book are generally simple, really healthy, and from my experience mostly very tasty. Beware of the fish recipe though. I have only dabbled with Dave’s new Bulletproof Cookbook so I can’t comment but there does appear to be some easy, good-sounding ideas in there, along with a few more complicated items. Also, Melissa Joulwan wrote a book called Well Fed which has some great ideas for accessible Paleo eating, and most of the recipes are simple and delicious as well. There is also a Well Fed 2 which is great. You could probably live a long and healthy life of simple tasty eating with just these sources.
Thanks, David! I’ll check those out. I already have the Bulletproof Cookbook – I’m a Bulletproof Ambassador, and I love their stuff.