The Official Nutrition Thread - Tips, Recommendations, Current Diets

[Duck Off]

Water and protein powder does the trick for me lol


I put some ice cubes in to make it very cold though

Yeah seriously lol. Looking at some of the ingredients people put in their shakes, I would much rather drink protein powder with water and then eat everything else they put in their shakes. I'll feel a lot more fuller that way.

I envy you guys. I just can't stand the texture, let alone the taste with just water and powder.

Unsweetened almond milk really makes them taste so much better. Plus the calories added is very minimal so it's perfect for me. Aside from that half a banana is pretty much it for me. Helps with the flavor.

 

[VanillaCoke]

Just water is only when rushing or saving calories for later

 

[Kitten Mittons]

I envy you guys. I just can't stand the texture, let alone the taste with just water and powder.

Unsweetened almond milk really makes them taste so much better. Plus the calories added is very minimal so it's perfect for me. Aside from that half a banana is pretty much it for me. Helps with the flavor.

I stopped drinking protein powder a while ago but when I did, I used ON Vanilla Ice Cream. The flavor is so mild that it was never a problem (plus it was amazing with iced coffee).

 

[KaseMeOutside]

I cant mix powder with water, to me it tastes awful and has bad texture

I also didnt want to be spending a bunch of money on milk, the yogurt makes a big difference if you are using water with your shake

 

[ColePens]

Absolutely hate using water, but love using ice. If you blend 8oz of ice, 2oz milk, 2 oz water, protein powder and whatever else you want to throw in - it's great. For me, I use strawberries + chocolate protein for a chocolate strawberry shake and it's heaven. It's worth blending if you have the time. It's a million times better tasting.

 

[the pen is mightier]

I don't mind just water and powder, my powder of choice is Vega sport berry. I don't think I've ever tried it with milk or yogurt. I do tend to stay away from yogurt due to the risk of inflammation, as that was a bit detrimental during marathon training.

 

[Duck Off]

Absolutely hate using water, but love using ice. If you blend 8oz of ice, 2oz milk, 2 oz water, protein powder and whatever else you want to throw in - it's great. For me, I use strawberries + chocolate protein for a chocolate strawberry shake and it's heaven. It's worth blending if you have the time. It's a million times better tasting.

same. I can't stand water, but I do a combination of crushed ice and unsweetened almond milk, and it makes the shake 10x better.

 

[KapG]

I envy you guys. I just can't stand the texture, let alone the taste with just water and powder.

Unsweetened almond milk really makes them taste so much better. Plus the calories added is very minimal so it's perfect for me. Aside from that half a banana is pretty much it for me. Helps with the flavor.

The ones I drink just taste like a watered down chocolate milk, no funny texture or anything.

 

[Duck Off]

Easy healthy/semi healthy foods

This sounds like an excuse, and it kind of is, but I struggle with meal prep. With my child's sports, tutoring, etc., and my wife working retail; I'm often playing single dad in the evenings. Therefore, it's very difficult to eat healthy. As everyone knows, the food industry makes eating horribly easy. I find it difficult to eat even semi healthy when short on time. Does anyone have any recommendations for easy foods that are decently healthy? Quest bars and fruit is pretty much the only thing that I've found easy to eat on the go, and as everyone knows; that's more of a snack than a meal. I'd just like some suggestions that are easy. Another one I've done is go with the Sara Lee delightful whole wheat bread with sandwiches. Only 45 calories per slice. Problem is that I'm burning out quickly of them and protein shakes.

 

[ColePens]

I highly recommend game-planning. Find 4-5 close restaurants/places that have healthy alternatives and know exactly what you will get from the menu. Someone that may have a turkey sandwich on wheat or grilled chicken. And start choosing that alternative when you are in need.

Meal prep may not be your favorite thing, but you can also gameplan for how you are going to eat on the run.

 

[Captain Bowie]

This sounds like an excuse, and it kind of is, but I struggle with meal prep. With my child's sports, tutoring, etc., and my wife working retail; I'm often playing single dad in the evenings. Therefore, it's very difficult to eat healthy. As everyone knows, the food industry makes eating horribly easy. I find it difficult to eat even semi healthy when short on time. Does anyone have any recommendations for easy foods that are decently healthy? Quest bars and fruit is pretty much the only thing that I've found easy to eat on the go, and as everyone knows; that's more of a snack than a meal. I'd just like some suggestions that are easy. Another one I've done is go with the Sara Lee delightful whole wheat bread with sandwiches. Only 45 calories per slice. Problem is that I'm burning out quickly of them and protein shakes.

Maybe I can help a little.

I've turned to pretty much eating salads most days during the week for lunch and dinner. The one thing holding me back at first was the prep time each and every day. However, I figured out a great system.

I grocery shop once a week, and before I put everything away, I prep it for the week. Chop and wash the lettuce and put in a big tupperware. Chop and tomatoes and cucumbers. I usually buy pre-washed spinach, and a bag of broccoli slaw, which is also pre-cut and washed. I love feta on my salad, so I drain the brine and chop/grate it back into the container. I buy a big bag of trail mix/salad topper, and a jar of peeled and segmented mandarin oranges.

Everything is ready for the week. Toss some of everything into a large mixing bowl, toss with your favorite dressing and voila, less than 5 minutes and you're done. If you like grilled chicken or salmon or whatever protein you can cook that at the start of the week as well and have it ready to go.

 

[Jim Bob]

Maybe I can help a little.

I've turned to pretty much eating salads most days during the week for lunch and dinner. The one thing holding me back at first was the prep time each and every day. However, I figured out a great system.

I grocery shop once a week, and before I put everything away, I prep it for the week. Chop and wash the lettuce and put in a big tupperware. Chop and tomatoes and cucumbers. I usually buy pre-washed spinach, and a bag of broccoli slaw, which is also pre-cut and washed. I love feta on my salad, so I drain the brine and chop/grate it back into the container. I buy a big bag of trail mix/salad topper, and a jar of peeled and segmented mandarin oranges.

Everything is ready for the week. Toss some of everything into a large mixing bowl, toss with your favorite dressing and voila, less than 5 minutes and you're done. If you like grilled chicken or salmon or whatever protein you can cook that at the start of the week as well and have it ready to go.

The other option is get a slow cooker and on Saturday evening load that bad boy up with your protein of choice (I go with frozen chicken breast or pork loin), add spices, add veggies, and then top it off with salsa or tomato sauce.

We get a week's worth of lunches for my wife and I out of that.

Just add some fresh fruit and maybe a small handful of almonds for some healthy fat and you are good to go.

Another thing that helps is getting a bunch of the black takeout containers to portion it out into on Sunday.

 

[Caeldan]

Especially now that it's getting into fall /winter I'm getting back into the crockpot habit.
Chili, pulled pork and pulled beef/stews tend to be my favourites to do.
But yeah the principle is the same... Pick a protein, toss a bunch of complementary veggies and spices in and check back the next day to portion it out

Also works well for doing your own porridges too. A bit of coconut oil, some steelcut oats, some water and then your flavors of choice (usually end up going cinnamon/raisin but sometimes use frozen fruits and reduce the water). For smaller batches, a rice cooker is convenient.

The other thing you can do is prepare your starches in bulk at least so you only have to worry about cooking the protein the day of.

Just toss several sweet potatoes or whatever in the oven at once and bake them. Then store in the fridge and they're ready for mashing if you want to get fancy or just slice and reheat if you don't.

 

[Jim Bob]

https://350plus150.wordpress.com/2016/11/07/saving-time-and-money-on-healthy-lunches/

Here is how quick and easy lunch meal prep is for my wife and I right now.

 

[CanadianPensFan1]

Especially now that it's getting into fall /winter I'm getting back into the crockpot habit.
Chili, pulled pork and pulled beef/stews tend to be my favourites to do.
But yeah the principle is the same... Pick a protein, toss a bunch of complementary veggies and spices in and check back the next day to portion it out

Also works well for doing your own porridges too. A bit of coconut oil, some steelcut oats, some water and then your flavors of choice (usually end up going cinnamon/raisin but sometimes use frozen fruits and reduce the water). For smaller batches, a rice cooker is convenient.

The other thing you can do is prepare your starches in bulk at least so you only have to worry about cooking the protein the day of.

Just toss several sweet potatoes or whatever in the oven at once and bake them. Then store in the fridge and they're ready for mashing if you want to get fancy or just slice and reheat if you don't.

Yep. Im here with ya man.

Like everyone else, I work an 8 hour day. Plus I commute an hour each way. When I get home, the kids are hungry, they want attention so I have no time to "cook."

Every night after things quiet down, load up the slow cooker. Turn it on in the morning and its ready when you get home. Made slow cooker ribs n potatoes for tonight. When I get home, I'll throw some frozen veggie (likely brussel sprouts) and steam them while Im getting stuff ready and wrestling with the kids.

A slow cooker (and also, a pressure cooker) are seriously life savers if you are either a) low on time or b) not a particularly good cook.

Check out Pinterest. There are literally billions of recipes on there.

 

[CanadianPensFan1]

On the protein shake ... yeah, water? No. Just no lol

My morning smoothie is usually: 1 cup of milk, banana, a scoop of ON Vanilla Ice cream, 1/3cup frozen fruit, top off with water.

Pre/post gym smoothie: protein and either milk or juice or whatnot.

 

[RayP]

On the protein shake ... yeah, water? No. Just no lol

My morning smoothie is usually: 1 cup of milk, banana, a scoop of ON Vanilla Ice cream, 1/3cup frozen fruit, top off with water.

Pre/post gym smoothie: protein and either milk or juice or whatnot.

I make a similar shake a few days a week, just with a cup of the Starbucks cold brew added. Soooooooooooo good.

 

[Baetista]

I am looking to start working out to gain muscle as I am skinny - I have a crazy fast metabolism, so I can eat like crap and not gain anything.

What foods/meal plans should I target the most? I don't want to put in the dedication of working out if I am not eating the proper foods to help me achieve my goal of gaining muscle mass.

Simple meals such as chicken breast and than vegetables as sides kind of thing? If there is a thread better suited for this then I'd love to be redirected there so I can get some knowledge on what I should eat and do to help me.

I am 22 years old so just need simple meal plans that don't necessarily cost a lot.

 

[cjm502]

I am looking to start working out to gain muscle as I am skinny - I have a crazy fast metabolism, so I can eat like crap and not gain anything.

What foods/meal plans should I target the most? I don't want to put in the dedication of working out if I am not eating the proper foods to help me achieve my goal of gaining muscle mass.

Simple meals such as chicken breast and than vegetables as sides kind of thing? If there is a thread better suited for this then I'd love to be redirected there so I can get some knowledge on what I should eat and do to help me.

I am 22 years old so just need simple meal plans that don't necessarily cost a lot.

Chicken and veggies is healthy, but a super low calorie meal. You need to pound as many high calorie foods as possible while making sure you get plenty of protein. Do lots of heavy compound lifts. If done correctly you will pack on the pounds. I spent a few summers taking high school football players who were too skinny to make varsity and turned them in to starters. Kids that claim they can't gain weight just don't eat enough, it's that simple. If you think you are eating a lot and still can't gain, you need to eat even more. You get more used to the ridiculous amount of food after a while.

 

[Wood Stick]

I am looking to start working out to gain muscle as I am skinny - I have a crazy fast metabolism, so I can eat like crap and not gain anything.

What foods/meal plans should I target the most? I don't want to put in the dedication of working out if I am not eating the proper foods to help me achieve my goal of gaining muscle mass.

Simple meals such as chicken breast and than vegetables as sides kind of thing? If there is a thread better suited for this then I'd love to be redirected there so I can get some knowledge on what I should eat and do to help me.

I am 22 years old so just need simple meal plans that don't necessarily cost a lot.

Chicken and veggies is healthy, but a super low calorie meal. You need to pound as many high calorie foods as possible while making sure you get plenty of protein. Do lots of heavy compound lifts. If done correctly you will pack on the pounds. I spent a few summers taking high school football players who were too skinny to make varsity and turned them in to starters. Kids that claim they can't gain weight just don't eat enough, it's that simple. If you think you are eating a lot and still can't gain, you need to eat even more. You get more used to the ridiculous amount of food after a while.

Pretty much. While bulking I love my carbs more than ever. My diet generally consists of sweet potatoes, rice, lean turkey, chicken, lean ground beef, eggs, hashbrowns (I know), etc.

I'd do compounds. Just starting out, brand new, I'd actually stick away from deadlifts/squats. Learn your technique for those lifts.

Push
Pull
Legs

Eventually add in your squats and deadlifts. You can get away without doing them at first to be honest.

 

[Crease]

Keto has been great for me. In six weeks, I went from 169 to 162 and a lot more definition without feeling hungry.

 

[cjm502]

Pretty much. While bulking I love my carbs more than ever. My diet generally consists of sweet potatoes, rice, lean turkey, chicken, lean ground beef, eggs, hashbrowns (I know), etc.

I'd do compounds. Just starting out, brand new, I'd actually stick away from deadlifts/squats. Learn your technique for those lifts.

Push
Pull
Legs

Eventually add in your squats and deadlifts. You can get away without doing them at first to be honest.

I've been on the push, pull, legs thing for the last 2 years. Nothing better then hitting everything 2x a week!

 

[Captain Bowie]

I've been on the push, pull, legs thing for the last 2 years. Nothing better then hitting everything 2x a week!

Except legs day is the WORST.

 

[ijuka]

Random stuff on me and my protein shakes even though the discussion on them is half a year old:

I just hate artificial flavors and also consider them really unhealthy. I also don't want there to be any random additives. As such, I've been drinking unsweetened protein powders. There's a whey one I really love. It has around 8% of fat(A positive, I usually have some trouble getting enough fat in my food) and it mixes super fast and well. I just drink it mixed with water, about twice a day. It has a very full, creamy taste and is just plain delicious to me. I seriously wouldn't drink any of the artificial sweetener-based 20 ingredient list poison, but I guess what you do with your own body is up to you. Then there's the casein-based one that I drink one portion of after my last meal of the day. It doesn't taste nearly as good nor does it mix nearly as well but it's okay as it's just once a day. Just natural with no sweeteners or additives, of course.


Apart from those three, I have a protein smoothie, which is one of the absolute highlights of the day for me. I put in 2dl of milk, 1 dl of yogurt(natural), 100g of blueberries, 1 banana, 10g of coconut flakes, 10g of chia seeds and about half a portion of the whey protein powder. It tastes just absolutely divine to me and the nutritional profile is ridiculously good, considering that this is also the primary b-12, d-vitamin and calcium source for the day. The only other significant one would be the protein powder, I'd wager. I guess the banana would be the most unhealthy thing here but it just works way too well here to leave it out, it tastes disgusting without it. This also is super filling, I'm always stuffed even if I was really hungry before drinking it. So I think that it's kind of nonsense to say that drinking calories doesn't fill you up properly, at least if it's done like this.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

Have made a few slight adjustments to my diet and it's going well.

Avoiding bread. If I crave carbs or a breadlike substitute i opt for corn tortillas. I can see how eating alot of bread can make you fat just with how you consume it an the way it can absorb things.

Got into the soda trap at my new job. Was sucking them down all day but have weened myself off for the most part.

I'm under 220 for the first time in forever. I'm 6'2 so I think 205 would be a great weight for me.

I also find myself not eating cheese at all. Didn't set out to not eat it but you can be sure my next in n out trip will include some!