Things I Eat & Drink To Stay Lean & Grow Muscle - Don't Be Scared
My friends often make fun of me for what I eat, but I sort of egg them on when I tell them too much.
Hey, I never claimed to be a chef and I only cook for one.
P.S. That high-end non-stick pan was upcycled off the curbs in like new condition.
Overview:
I'm fairly strict with what I eat when it's on my own terms, but do eat normally (still smart) when I'm being social.
Flavor isn't critical for me. I simply want to eat natural protein-rich foods that are minimally processed to take care of my body and get the maximum gains from my exercise. I seem to age slowly/gracefully and feel young, so perhaps this is my winning formula.
Chemicals or artificial ingredients are always avoided unless there are no other options in a pinch.
While the following foods may seem boring, they help me gain muscle easily, stay lean, and even trim down when I focus on the task.
Meals or snacks I have regularly at home when in gym mode:
- Ground turkey/chicken cooked in a pan with sea salt and natural ketchup (1 pound pre-cooked per serving)
- 7 or 8 eggs cooked over-medium in olive oil with sea salt (my cholesterol is fine)
- 5 or 6 hard boiled eggs
- A can of tuna in olive oil
- Plant-based high protein soy veggie meat (I know I shouldn't have too much of this, but it's 25-30 grams of protein per faux hot dog thing at $1 each)
- Sautéed kale, collard greens or spinach in olive oil
- A sliced plantain cooked in olive oil
- Hummus with wheat crackers
- Natural peanut butter with wheat crackers
- Banana
- Orange
- Cucumber
- Canned corn
- Raw baby carrots
- Mixed sprout seed salad with olive oil and sea salt
- Greek yogurt
- Kefir (usually plain for highest protein/lowest sugar)
- The occasional protein bar (maybe 4 a month for my baseball games or on a late night walk)
- Tablespoon of raw unfiltered honey
- Raw unsalted cashews, peanuts and almonds
*Low/no sugar (outside naturally in some fruits or the honey).
*Limited dairy these days as much as I love it.
*Organic/non-GMO when possible.
I don't stray too much from this list here. I feel no desire when it gives me good results and plenty of energy.
Drinks
- Filtered water (mainly)
- Coconut water
- Orange juice
- Kombucha
- Almond/cashew nut milk (9 grams of protein per serving)
- Store-bought green juice (veggie/fruit medley)
- Gatorade for baseball (not the best, but playing 2 consecutive games for 6-7 hours in the sun lowers my standards)
*I've never had a cup of coffee in my life.
*I don't have any caffeine outside an occasional tea. No energy drinks in 5+ years.
*I haven't had a soda in over 5 years (only soda has been in a rare mixed drink at the bar).
*No protein powders, creatine/steroids (ever), or various supplement shortcuts.
*I usually take a multi-vitamin, or vitamins B and C at the least if I'm being lazy on reordering the former.
Seasonings/Spices:
- Turmeric
- Parsley
- Rosemary
- Black Pepper
- Paprika
*I often add diced garlic, mushrooms and onions to my meats, eggs and vegetables when I have no evening plans, haha.
Perhaps this is or isn't out of the ordinary for health-conscious people, but when I stick to this general regimen, my body shows me it's happy. After cutting down on my calories from excess snacks and carb-filled foods (combined with exercise), I lost 10 pounds in 2 months.
I'm not special here. I just wanted to share what works for me.
I'm also probably forgetting a few things, but this is generally what you'll find in my kitchen "area" (thanks city apartment).
Anyway, just some food for thought. Ahhhhh.
Looking forward to new food pop-up ads on my Steemit account!
Any tips or suggestions to add?
Thanks,
@steemmatt
awww yeah! man I don't live without at least 3 eggs a day! <3
well I add a bit of meyo! :D
It seems you get to know the secret to yourself for staying young
That looks terrible :D
I entirely gave up on cooking eggs for myself. When I am alone, I just whisk some eggs, milk and a teaspoon of sugar and chug that.
Gross!
I recently learned the secret to poaching eggs - ditch the pan and use a frying pan. The egg stuff stays together and it's easier to check cooking progress. No oil, takes 3/4 mins, and surely tastes better than raw!
Why would I want to poach eggs and create one of the worst textures known to mankind :D ?
I have no response to the man who likes to neck raw chicken period!
This makes my egg concoctions feel like fine dining. I haven't been able to get into eating raw eggs outside of cookie batter when I was a kid in fear of salmonella. Hey, if it works for you, stick to your guns. I don't understand what the sugar is for though.
The sugar is for taste, I guess ...
Zuckerei ( Sugar Egg ) used to be a big thing here, before protein shakes and before candybars became omnipresent. Also google Gogol Mogol for the Russian version. They seem to add coffee, also ...
It is a 50's energy drink, that went out of fashion due to fear of salmonella.
Eggs
Tuna
Chicken
Green veg
Natural yoghurt
Nuts
Yep that's 90% of my diet too.
For some carbs I'm liking Couscous, and I'll occasionally shot some apple cider vinegar.
I'm like you, cooking for one should be simple, and healthy.
And that's the food fountain of youth... I'm not a fan of couscous. I've tried it and eat it when I have to, but it's so hard to get on a damn fork. I have apple cider vinegar here that I tried to get into with a small swig a day, but I couldn't get over the bitter taste. I may try cooking with it, although that may reduce the benefits significantly.
Don't mess with success! I lol'd the "my cholesterol is fine" eggs have been good guys and bad guys back and forth since I can remember.
I like your no nonsense approach but I live in a food mecca where the silk road converged so flavours are abundant and welcomed. I am watching my rice, noodles, and glutes though. But fear my belly is mostly attributed to beer. Which is too expensive to have regularly here until steem moons 😂
Awesome!! Not too far off from how I eat too. High protein and fat... low carb and sugar. Except I definitely have coffee in there. 😆 With heavy cream instead of half and half to reduce carbs though. ✌🏻
I think Josh and I are going to do a food experiment for 30 days - the Carnivore diet. It’s basically where you just eat meat and (mostly) unprocessed/full fat animal products like heavy cream, cream cheese, eggs etc. You can use salt to season and have some coffee/tea for beverages - but that’s about it.
Sounds crazy - but I’m pretty excited because I don’t think I’ve ever been in ketosis and this will definitely do that. I’ll just have to say bye to avocados and wine for a month. 😭
Umm I’ve had your eggs and I’d officially like to set the record straight that they were amazing!
This is very interesting. I looked into it and it's tempting to try. Should I wait for you and Josh to make it through the challenge and see your results??? At the very least, I might consider adding more red meat to my day-to-day. I'm not sure I'd like to eat heavy cream, but I'm going to investigate this thoroughly.
Just be prepared to never have avocados or wine ever again if this diet works wonders.
When I cook for others, I care. When I cook for myself, I'm a caveman.
Sounds like a great Keto diet to me, eggs are a miracle food.
If it's Keto, it's completely by accident. I gravitated toward these foods on my own without any structure in mind. Eggs, yes, I can't even begin to conceive how many I've had in my life, but I still love em. Thanks for reading.
Looks like a pretty clean diet except that high fructose Gatorade!
Nice work
Make me hungry.
Very appetizing.😋😋
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