By Chris Parsons
"With this vessel you will voyage into uncharted territory and achieve the impossible; but only if the vessel is properly maintained."
Whether you believe in God or evolution, there is one striking fact that we must all come to terms with; we are given this one body to carry us through our time on this earth. With that being said the maintenance of this body is paramount. The proper sustenance will bring mental clarity and physical benefits, so eat right.
Personally I find counting calories and micro/macro nutrients to be tedious and frustrating, so I refuse to do it. The things that I am consuming and how they effect me are the things that are what I personally monitor. So in my little world I have broken foods into four components. Before going any further, I will warn you, dear reader, I am not a nutritionist. Moving on... The four things that I track are:
1. Protien
2. Vegetables (particularly green ones)
3.Carbs
4. Sugar
Some people will need to add the category of salt because of its effects on their body, but I am not one of those people, so I'll speak on what I know.
Meat and eggs are the most effective ways to deliver protein to your body. (Eggs more so because of how easily your body can digest them) Protein will make you big and strong... There is also fat in these things which is essential, but we aren't going to get into all of the science behind that. You can google it if you need further information. The general rule of thumb is one gram of protein per pound of body weight, but if you're like me and can't stand the idea of keeping track of that, just make sure to have large portions of meat or eggs with each meal. Simple! It is best to buy organic if you can. When cooking meat I will use a touch of olive oil and when cooking eggs I use real unsalted butter. (margarine is poison) I season them with salt, pepper and some random spices.As much as we love to deep fry food, don't do it often... Eat lots of protein.
When it comes to Vegetables, I try to look for green stuff. Broccoli and asparagus (especially asparagus wrapped in bacon) are my go to veggies. If I buy frozen I will also look for what is called a California blend. (which has broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower) Eating them raw or lightly steamed are going to give you the most benefits. Salads are good and if you can stomach a spinach salad that's really good! Again, I season my vegetables with salt, pepper and some random spices, and depending on how I cook them I will normally add some butter or cook them in olive oil (just a touch to wet the pan they don't need to swim) Eat lots of vegetables.
Carbs... There are carbs in basically everything that you eat, so if you can avoid things like bread and tortillas you're better off. Oatmeal, rice and quinoa are the carbs that we should eat and are my carbs of choice, though I do love a bowl of cereal, which is normally backed full of them as well. (Fruity pebbles and Reese's puffs are full of sugar but dammit I love them) Look there is no easy way to say this, but you should probably limit carbs. Most of them are turned to sugar, after being broken down by your body, and sugar makes you fat...
Image by the cooking channel
I'm just going to come out and admit that I am a sugar addict. I love soda, cake, donuts and candy! Limiting myself here is where I personally struggle the most and if I recall properly, there have been studies that show when you eat sugar, the same areas in your brain that become addicted to drugs go crazy. Sugar is addictive and should be limited as much as possible, but not eliminated. Most of us associate eating with pleasure and if we strip every bit of joy out of eating we aren't going to maintain any level of discipline, as it pertains to our diet, and we will just keep eating poorly. So don't say never, just give it to yourself on special occasions or every once in a while in moderation.
Guys, just eat lots of protein, lots of vegetables and listen to what your body is telling you. The more you do this, the better you will get at understanding what you need at any given time. Properly maintain the vessel with the proper fuel and as always stay geeky!