I gotta admit – I've had food on my mind recently.
Real, tasty food.
It's probably because my Frankenfoods presentation at the “Real Food Con” is happening this week (click here to learn more about that).
So anyways, today, I decided to take a picture of every meal that I eat and share it with you.
This wasn't too hard for me, since I tend to eat the same thing for breakfast, the same lunch, and the same snack every day. Then for dinner, I switch things up and try something new – usually either something Jessa makes or else a recipe I discover that I want to learn.
Without further ado, here are today's tasty meals. Below this post, I'm giving you the opportunity to share your meals!
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Meal 1 – Breakfast: Green Smoothie (consumed every morning from my lucky blue mug)
Instructions: 2 big handfuls of spinach, 1 handful arugala, 2 scoops LivingProtein, 1 handful almonds, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 tablespoon collagen. Blend it all, then add a handful of organic cacao nibs and/or Cocochia Snack Mix for crunch. Supplies enough nutrients to keep you full for hours, despite those around you commenting that it looks like horrendously awful health food. It tastes like chocolate-nutty heaven, in my opinion. I use Native Forest brand BPA free coconut milk to mix it, BTW.
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Meal 2 – Lunch: Sardine Salad
Instructions: 2 big handfuls spinach, 1 fresh tomato, 1 handful olives, 1/2 avocado, 2 tablespoons chopped nori (seaweed), 1 can sardines. Sea salt, black pepper, and turmeric to taste. Perfect mix of fish, fats, proteins, iodine, selenium, etc.
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Snack – Pre-workout: Coconut Milk with Protein Powder
Instructions: Use a BPA Free, sugar-free brand of coconut milk like Native Forest brand, and a low-allergen goat-based, cold-processed whey protein or vegan protein source. I put 2 scoops of protein into 4oz of coconut milk, stir it all together, top with unsweetened coconut flakes for some crunch, then eat with a spoon.
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Meal 3 – Dinner: Pork Chorizo Hash
Instructions: Jessa made this, so I'm approximating instructions. Not too hard, really. Bake sweet potatoes or yams for around 30 minutes at 450. When the potatoes are almost done, saute and caramelize white onions in a cast iron cooking pan in butter, then add chopped pastured pork sausage as the onions are nearing the end of cooking. Season sausage/onions with salt, paprika, oregano, cayenne and black pepper. Then chop up sweet potatoes and add those into the mix. Put everything in a baking dish, top with goat mozzarella cheese, and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. I dump tons more cayenne pepper on mine for some added kick, and eat with spinach salad dressed in olive oil, cucumbers and fresh tomatoes.
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So what do YOU eat every day?
Upload your photos to the BenGreenfieldFitness Facebook page, along with simple instructions about how to make your dish (and bonus points if you include the url “TinyUrl.com/JustEatRealFood” when you upload). We'll choose the best photos and recipes, and feature them in an upcoming blog post.
In the meantime, do you have questions about what I ate today? Leave your comments below…
…and if you want even more real food goodness, then click here to register for the awesome “Real Food Con” that's happening online all week this week. My talk is titled “The Real Truth About Workout Fuel – How To Say Goodbye to Engineered Frankenfoods and Eat For Exercise With Real Nutrition”. Enjoy!
37 Responses
Ben, don’t you intermittent fast? I only ask because eating like this throughout the day doesn’t leave much room for fasting. Or do you just eat like this on days you’re not fasting? Also, is eating like this appropriate for ketosis.
Thank you for all you do. You truly are an amazing inspiration to me.
If I eat breakfast late enough and dinner early enough it does :)
What about keeping blood sugar at bay? Aren’t those a lot of meals that would spike blood sugar?
Thank you for this post, but where’s the coffee? It can be a meal if you prepare it that way.
I found my answer. Black coffee after stretches. Got it!
Something I'm curious about is how much protein do athletes need? I have friends who, after visiting the gym, will dump nearly 60g of protein into their body (even if it was only endurance). I've read so many different things on this, and its a pet peeve of mine. Are there any solid resources out there on this subject?
Info here: https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/2011/11/how-m… https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/2013/07/how-m…
I’m doing LC/HF and marathons. When I eat more than 60 grams of protein, my blood ketone level plummets. I know excess protein converts to sugar, but it’s hard to believe doing only 40 miles/week that my body doesn’t need more than 60 grams of protein. My Fat/P/C splits are 75/20/5, generally. Any thoughts, sir? Thanks.
Are you taking all 60g at the same time or spread out over the day? If you space it out in smaller portions and include a good does of fat with it, you should be alright.
Thanks for the reply. I will usually spread it out over the day like 30g breakfast, then 10g lunch, 20g dinner. Lunch and dinner have the most fat calories of the day. Breakfast is 2 scrambled eggs in 2 tbsp butter or bacon grease with a 3 ounce sausage patty.
I take blood ketone level, first thing in the morning before doing anything. Thanks for your time.
You should try the Ketonix. Much more accurate https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/ketonix
Thanks, Ben, or whomever is typing for you. The link doesn't work and you misspelled ketone.
I was looking for some help and tips, other than something to purchase. Thanks for your time.
And after contacting Metron, their reply was:
"Thanks for your inquiry. METRON are single-use devices that do not require any electronic meter. Check back with us after the first of the year regarding pricing and availability.
on Dec 09, 2013, AkersBiosciences.com <[email protected]>"
Maybe you'll let us know when these are available and how much.
Sorry about the spelling and wonky link… it’s been one of those days. Have you read this? https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/2011/11/how-m… it might help.
Ben, Thanks very much for the link on the protein intake. I guess I'm just going to have to eat more fats in order to bump up the BK level, as I am happy to be in nitrogen balance.
So, does the purple in the breath tube mean the breath ketone level is equivalent to a blood ketone level between 0.5 and 3.0? I appreciate your time.
There isn't really a direct correlation. The blood test measures the ketones that are circulating while the breath test measures the ketones that are actually being burned/utilized.
Man, I was way off. In doing Crossfit, and being a mesomorph, is the 80/10/10 a good format for me?
It's a good place to start. You can tweak it as you go. Higher exercise volume days may require slightly more carbs.
What is your general macronutrient breakdown? I have been on the ketosis format for 3 weeks and have read to eat 65/35/5. I saw that a lot of your carbs come from the sweet potato.
Is this on just a typical day with training or no training?
I love the green smoothie idea. I use to do that daily until the keto format and I have been figuring out how to get it back in.
Ketosis is more like 80/10/10 for fats/carbs/protein. Most of my carbs come from sweet potato or white rice!
Where’s the wine or dark chocolate? :) Seriously, though, thanks for sharing – I love seeing posts like this and discovering how different people’s bodies do well with very different diets.
No wine and dark chocolate on that day. Actually I totally QUIT dark chocolate once I started eating cacao nibs. They're healthier!
This is a great post Ben,would love to see more of these ideas.
I agree….
What I eat:
Breakfast: Green smoothie- almond milk, greens/ cabbage, protein powder, chia seeds, hemp seeds, raw cacao powder, spirulina, dulse flakes, cinnamon, stevia, frozen blueberries. Handful of walnuts with salt and pepper, cup of homemade Kombucha.
Lunch: Huge salad, always with avocado, sprouts, seaweed, seeds and various veggies including fermented veggies. Sometimes Tempeh or beans.
Dinner: Huge bowl of steamed greens/ cabbage/ bok choy with sauce usually made with tahini, favorites are tahini, ACV and horseradish mustard or tahini, sesame oil and Bragg's Aminos.
Pre-workout: 2 Tbls MCT oil and Yerba mate tea
Treat: blended, fermented coconut meat with stevia added (tastes like coconut yogurt) or coconut oil with cacao powder, stevia and my favorite salt (Redmonds Real Salt)
Thanks Ben!
Snap a photo and upload to http://www.Facebook.com/BGFitness!
hey ben,
what brand of sardines do you eat? i was eating a lot of the wild planet sardines because the cans are bpa free, but they’re californian sardines, which probably means that there’s a ton of radiation in them. but i don’t know of any other brand that has bpa free cans. hm…….bpa or radiation…….which is worse?
We use "Bella" brand, wild caught, skin on, bone in, BPA free: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HTI3BQ/ref=a…
Ben,
Thanks for the post and all the great information on your site. I just have a few questions for you:
1. In some of your YouTube videos covering smoothies, you talk about adding calcium to offset the oxalic acid but I didn't see it on your list of ingredients. Do you still worry about oxalates? And is adding calcium something you still do?
2. I love the taste of frozen blueberries added into my morning smoothie but I recently heard Dave Asprey comment that eating fruit in the morning was not advisable and could contribute to "brain fog". Do you have any thoughts about that?
3. Do you try to incorporate bone broth into daily or weekly diet, or is the collagen protein a replacement for this?
Thanks for your time and advice!
I actually take 10 capsules of Mt. Capra Capraflex nearly every day, which is a dense source of Di-calcium phosphate <a href="http:// (http://www.pacificfit.net/items/capraflex)” target=”_blank”> <a href="http://(http://www.pacificfit.net/items/capraflex)” target=”_blank”>(http://www.pacificfit.net/items/capraflex)
I don't eat much fructose. Not conducive to staying lean for MY body. The more you exercise, the more fructose you can get away with (e.g. listen to my 30BananasADay interview). I have the equivalent of one serving of fresh raw fruit every 2-3 days. It's nature's dessert, so to speak, so I don't overdo it.
I have about 4-5 cups of bone broth a week, and collagen nearly every day.
Thanks for the post Ben. I'm curious, you're always saying that you are not paleo- but from everything you eat it sure seems like it. Why do you say this and what do you have against paleo?
I allow for the inclusion of grains and legumes if they have been soaked, sprouted, fermented, etc. You will notice I had goat mozzarella with dinner. That is dairy. Bad me. Not Paleo. ;)
Ah right. I would agree with that! I would say you're 'mostly' paleo :)
A lot less meat than I imagined.
Are you aiming for more of a planted-based nutritional approach? This is pretty much a vegan diet minus the fish and pork.
Between all the sardines and pork I'd tend to disagree with you…
Hi Ben,
Thanks for sharing.
The smoothie: do you add water to that (as opposed to coconut milk)?
Regards
Jose
Coconut milk!