Exposed!! Dave’s Delectable Diet

So what does Dave eat…?

There seems an ongoing battle to carve out a healthy but realistic eating plan in this convenience food culture.

Even the most dedicated REAL foodie out there can fail in the 24/7 nutrition mission. We are surrounded by prettily packaged food, screaming “eat me!” Its looks really tempting when we’ve missed out on our 8 hours the night before, missed out on the work deadline and the cat is sick. Fed up, stressed out, we give up and throw in the towel. Or do we?

Similar to when we exercise, over time our body gets more efficient and goals that seemed impossible are attained because of perseverance, because of conditioning. When it comes to nutrition its the same case of conditioning and forming habits of a lifetime.

Planning meals ahead, experimenting with new foods and cutting down on refined carbohydrates can suck in the early stages, but over time it becomes a breeze. I have a very low sugar and gluten intake, I rarely eats grains apart from oats and I can’t remember the last time I had a biscuit. I have worked hard at eating real food over a sustained period and the results are amazing.

Here is a peek into what I eat. I don’t expect you to adopt this as your nutritional plan as there is no “one size fits all” diet, but grab a few ideas. A vegetarian for example would need to branch out to alternative foods to give them correct doses for their needs. My nutrition is simple, is easy and is varied.

Breakfast

I normally start the day with a pint of filtered water or green tea. I can exercise twice a day at times and I sweat a lot! Therefore fluid intake for me is a major factor.

Option 1: Butchers Bacon, free range eggs, Spinach with Italian herbs.
Option 2: Frozen berry, banana, pear, mixed nut smoothie made with unpasteurized organic milk or coconut milk.
Option 3: Porridge made with organic rolled oats, soaked overnight (this decreases the phyates) with mixed seeds and cinnamon.

If I am in a rush I will have a pre-prepared smoothie in the fridge. Even though its mainly liquid I will still chew and take my time with it to aid digestion.

Midmorning snack

At this stage I will have consumed more water (sipping it, never downing it!)

Option 1: Celery and nut butter or organic peanut butter
Option 2: Coconut, date & pumpkin cookies, chocolate banana cake or peanut butter cookies (see recipes on the website)
Option 3: Large mug of cocoa or a caffeine-free, organic herbal drink from the “Pukka” range such as 3 ginger or vanilla chai. If I have a herbal drink I will sometimes have it with a couple of squares of dark chocolate (90-100%)

As you may have noted I try to consume cocoa most days. Raw cocoa is crammed full of phytonutrients that give raw cocoa powder the highest antioxidant value of any food.

Lunch

Option 1: Last night’s evening meal
Option 2: Homemade soup
Option 3: Mixed vegetables, sauerkraut, tinned fish/ prawns with homemade chutney or extra virgin olive oil pesto.
Option 4: Vegetable omelette
Option 5: Marinated Chicken and pepper kebab (make a batch to last throughout the week)
Option 6: Bacon, grape, broccoli and almond salad

The list is endless when it comes to lunch options. Lets move away from the typical sandwich or the predictable and boring salad. Be creative, make it fun. I try to include sauerkraut into my diet every day, if you were wondering, its fermented cabbage that is packed full of probiotics. An absolute must for any IBS suffers or REAL food fans.

Midafternoon Snack

Option 1: Oatcakes (go for ones void of vegetable oil, including rapeseed oil) with coconut oil, avocado and tinned mackerel.
Option 2: Shredded coconut, soaked oats, organic plain yoghurt and defrosted berries.
Option 3: Apple and almonds

This is usually the time the biscuits call to us, so plan ahead and eat when your body is ready. I very rarely have that over-powering hunger feeling as I am pre-emptive with my eating and consume foods that maintain a steady blood sugar level.

Dinner

Option 1: Sweet potato chips, roasted peppers with organic cheese and butchers pork steaks
Option 2: Beef & green veg stir fry
Option 3: Roast chicken & seasonal veg.

As I tend to work some evenings I will often have my main meal at lunchtime. We have a bad habit of starving our bodies in the day when it needs the energy the most, then when evening comes overeating on a huge meal. Overeating in one sitting massively slows down your metabolism, especially at this stage in the day where the body is winding down anyway.

Its best to cut out eating before bed, as your body doesn’t want to be working on digestion when its trying to repair all the other vital areas. If I do eat something I will try to go for a slower releasing and higher protein choice, to fight off any sugar spikes that will disrupt sleep. By this point I will have hydrated myself sufficiently throughout the day so that I can stay clear of any fluids and avoid wetting the bed.

Other Tips

- Ensure you have a cheat meal once a week, where you eat anything you want! This will not only make your eating choices sustainable during the rest of the week but show you how rubbish nutrition can make you feel! I would suggest Green & Blacks ice cream to be included within your choice.

- Try not to drink large amounts at meal/snack times as this decreases the body’s ability to digest.

- Avoid making food choices through will power but focusing on the bigger picture. For example I know if I don’t fuel my body properly I will perform poorly, so the temporal pleasure of the food is offset by my future goal.

- Avoid cooking and consuming unstable fats such as vegetable oil. Try to cook with stable fats such as coconut oil, butter or extra virgin olive oil.

- Cook in batches to save time. You don’t want to be a slave to the kitchen, so by cooking in advance and in larger quantities this can be a huge time saver.

- If you’re a vegetarian, vegan, paleo fanatic or whatever else, follow your convictions and be open to adopting eating ideas that you can adapt to your needs. If your main source of nutrition comes from vegetables and fruits I would argue that this is the most important factor to anyone’s diet.

- Listen to your body. The quantity of the food I consume varies from day to day. There will be some days where I graze throughout and don’t have a main meal. I tend to eat little and often. However I have finally figured out that my body is the best system to guide my food choices not the latest nutrition guru, like me!

Please remember to contact me, Dave Wall if you are interested in personal training in the Dorchester area or if you would like to trial an exercise / fitness class. Increase fat loss, strength and functional fitness to get you moving better and feeling better.

Dorset based personal training