Survey Says...Beans, Protein, Recovery, and Training

Aimee Lyons of CF KoP at Central East Regionals deadlifting heavy.

Q: I read the grains article, but did not see why beans are bad...??
A: Doing a quick Google search for "lectins" and "phytates," you'll find a plethora of information about why beans are not ideal in the human diet. To avoid gut irritation (read as: holes in your intestines), stay away from legumes aka beans. Yes, this includes peanuts (anybody realize how much peanut allergies have increased over the years?) and things like black beans, red beans, soy beans, etc. Technically this also includes green beans and peas, but these are less harmful and would be considered ok to include in your diet. Think about how much you need to cook these things in order to eat them. For instance, black beans need a long time to cook in order to be consumed. Meanwhile, green beans can be eaten raw. This difference is not necessarily a rule when it comes to other foods, but a loose guideline. 

Survey Says: What do you eat?

Spaghetti Squash and Sausage - looks and tastes like the real thing, without the food coma afterwards!

I get this question a lot: "What do you eat?" I think knowing the science behind nutrition is important for buy-in, but sometimes you just need to know what other people eat! Some people have a pretty good routine of eating while others are still experimenting and learning what works for them. One of the best ways to figure things out is by sharing with others in hopes of learning something from them. I try to have a protein/fat/carbohydrate at every meal, especially the protein and fat. During a typical work week, our food looks like this:

Breakfast - 3 hard boiled eggs, V8 vegetable juice and or piece of fruit like a nectarine, nuts/seeds or avocado.

Lunch - spinach salad with baked chicken, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, avocado and/or nut bar.

Dinner - this varies, but basically we'll do protein/fat/carb (same for every meal). Examples are steak/avocado/asparagus, eggs/avocado/fruit, salmon/sweet potato/nuts, or the spaghetti squash and sausage pictured above.

Snacks - usually I don't snack, but I do keep some nuts/seeds and cans of sardines in my desk. Some people find that gross, but I like the taste and they are easy to keep. Jerky is another great option.

Here's a link to pictures and descriptions of things we have in the refrigerator/freezer/cabinets. We have gotten away from dairy a fair amount, so there is no cheese around anymore. 

On Sundays, we do a lot of preparation and cooking. We'll cook 30 eggs (3 each for 5 days), 5-10 chicken breasts which we season, bake, cut up, and put in spinach salads ready to go. (Different seasoning = more variety.) If we're good, we'll divvy up fruit into plastic bags also ready to go. This way, each night we can prepare the next day's food for breakfast and lunch at work. Yes, as you can imagine it is Tupperware Central, but it's worth not having to think about what to eat later in the week.

On weekends, it's pretty much the same except since we're home I'll make omelets or take more time to make stir-fry, or more elaborate dish. And yes, I have certainly indulged in a cheat meal or two, but mentally I know I am around 80/20% compliant. 

For more food habits sharing, check out my friend, Laura's blog at Against the Grain. 

What do you do for food? Do you have a routine or prepare ahead of time?