October 12th, 2008 by Jason
People have asked me countless times what I actually eat. Often they answer before I can say anything, as if trying to guess. I’ve heard everything from grass to tree bark before the person stops to wait eagerly for my response, as if there were truly any chance that I might actually agree.
Well, the fact of the matter is that I eat lots of things to stay healthy, but grass and tree bark aren’t two of them. I suppose grass might not be too bad in a soup or salad, but with my luck I’d show up to pick some about 5 minutes after a dog came by to mark his territory. I do however try to follow my own advice and eat regularly from my list of the top 25 superfoods that I wrote about in September. These are phenomenal foods to incorporate into your day, but variety is important too, so I move around a lot.
The best way to go about this is to probably just tell you everything that I ate yesterday – one day is as good as another, but yesterday is easier to remember and today isn’t over yet. For breakfast I had steel cut oatmeal with raisins, a banana and a few fresh cranberries mixed in to liven things up. Before serving, I added ground flaxseed powder and plain soymilk, then ate one-half of a red grapefruit. I drank a small glass filled with a thick smoothie mixture based primarily upon the acai berry. I also took one fish oil capsule and a low-dose aspirin, which I do every day.
Between breakfast and lunch, I snacked on some kefir and fresh raspberries. For lunch itself I had steamed swisschard sprinkled with vinegar, Quinoa with a dash of seasoning, and some butternut squash with a small pat of real butter. I normally would have my favorite, Promise Activ Spread, but I was out of it. I also had a bottle of spring water during the meal.
After lunch I snacked on some blueberries and one apple. For dinner I had a boneless, skinless chicken breast (grilled) with lemon pepper seasoning, red lentils (cooked in water, then added extra virgin olive oil and a small amount of soy sauce when done), broccoli and more bottled spring water to drink (which I consume throughout the day).
After dinner I had two squares of 85% quality, dark chocolate. Later in the evening, I finished the day with two whole kiwi fruits. I was only going to eat one, but the first one was so good that I couldn’t help myself. Although each day is different, I try to keep a balanced nutrition overall.
One other item worth mentioning is that I try to buy and eat certified USDA organic foods whenever possible. I travel a lot, so it can be quite difficult to always find such products, but I would say that one-quarter of what I consume now is organic. My goal is to increase that significantly, but I’m constrained at the moment to make any more headway.
Organic foods not only contain significantly more nutrients than their non-organic counterparts, but they are also free from pesticides and carcinogenic compounds. I’m snacking on some organic grape tomatoes right now, in fact. Organic foods are often more expensive than non-organic foods, but they are worth it if you have any extra room in your budget at all.
That was a “typical” day in my food life, but on a side note, I also went for a 30-minute run outside and enjoyed the beautiful scenery while getting some exercise at the same time… Back to the topic of food, I rarely consume red meat, artificial ingredients of any kind, enriched or refined products, or foods with much more than a trace of saturated fat, cholesterol or sugar. Furthermore, I almost never consume any trans fats at all.
On the other hand, I often eat steel cut oats (4-5 times per week on average), whole grains (every single day), legumes, lean meats and fish (most notably Pacific wild salmon), fruits and vegetables (8-10 servings per day), and a healthy amount of natural spring water to keep everything lubricated properly. Water is often overlooked, but is a superfood or superfluid in its own right.
I hope this helps, but it isn’t a competition to see who can eat better than who. I probably eat better than 95% of Americans, but there are people who do a better job than me, and that’s absolutely fantastic. The point is to make improvements so you lose weight (if you need to), live a higher quality of life with more energy and stamina and suffer from fewer diseases. A nice little benefit is that you’ll probably live longer, too. Happy eating, and remember to get up and do something every day for exercise!
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