college kid diet

[jonas2]

So here I am about to graduate college and looking back at what I have eaten over my college career I am surprised I am not overweight and/or dead. I do not eat healthily. I figure Im moving on in life so I might as well move on from the habit of eating poorly. I am 24 years old, 6'2" and about 190 pounds. Now, I am not looking to lose weight. I might have a few vanity pounds that I could lose courtesy of beer but I am in no way overweight so Im not looking for a weight loss plan. I woud like some help designing a better diet. My diet these days consists of carbs. Thats pretty much it. Lots and lots of carbs. They are cheap and quick to make. I feel this should change. I mean I'll eat chicken or steak now and again but for the most part its all carbs.

Now I know some of the concepts behind eating well but I can't seem to ever get it done right. I'll go on these kicks where I feel I should eat better and I'll end up eating a bunch of salad and chicken with my carbs. This never seems to last long though as I get bored of eating salad and chicken all the time. Could someone please just give me some ideas of how I could improve things. I mean I am certainly still broke like a college kid, I am certainly on the go all the time like a college kid so I guess I need some sort of practical guide or suggestions for things I could make that won't quickly get boring. I would appreciate any help I could get. My only request is that you don't say "Tuna". I hate the stuff unless its in its sushi form but again, thats where the broke part comes into play. :) Thanks in advance.

Jonas

[Randell Waddell]

Some inspiration perhaps.

The shops over here have started selling Tuna sealed in an aluminium satchel with Sweet Chiili sauce, Black Pepper and Lemon etc.

Tuna is no longer revolting!!!

Mixed into a good healthy salad, one obtains a meal that is really enjoyable, one to look forward to and is cheap.

Cheers
Randell :D

[Cam]

Jonas,
I have found Connie Brown's CST Mag article on Incremental Dietary Progression extremely helpful in my own dietary development. (Thanks so much, Connie!)

http://www.circularstrengthmag.com/21/connie.html

Cameron

[Connie Brown]

What kind of cooking facilities and shopping/cooking time do you have?

I guess you already know that you need to find out how to add the protein, good fats, and what I call "more dense" veg, not just salads. broccoli, asparagus, green beans, squash. They will help fill you and make the cheap carbs less interesting.

Some people find it helpful to fix one time period at a time. Like, what to do for wakeup-to-lunch, then lunch-to-dinner, then dinner-to-bed.
This takes more time to experiment but it really nails your habits better.
The rule is you experiment until you find things you really like and will do.

If I were in your shoes, I would cook a bunch of lean protein and roast some veg in advance and then just have it to reheat or toss in baggies for on-the-go.

It is really hard to eat right if you are counting on stores and impulse planning. Alas. I didn't like the plan/prep at first either but it grows on you.

[jonas2]

As for cooking facilities I have your basic kitchen, range, stove, microwave. As for time for grocery shopping, I can make the time for that. I usually go once a week but on occasion twice.


Jonas

[Connie Brown]

Okay then. You might want to invest in a crock pot and George Forman-type grill sometime too, for convenience's sake.

First choice is, do you want meals at regular intervals or uneven, like light during the day and big meal at night?

I would recommend starting with regular intervals so you can get a baseline of what it feels like to have steady energy all the time. Then after that if you want to do the light-eating during the day, you will know better how to avoid crashing from not eating enough (a common mistake)
Specially when you are starting out carb-adapted, and you want to get to fat-adapted.

Maybe for starters you could try making your meals a fist-sized hunk o lean protein, a fist or two of dense veggies (not just salad), and finishing off with slow carbs if you feel like it while you transition.

for breakfast I like a salmon steak on a foreman-type grill, tomatoes, and grilled mushrooms and onions. maybe some skin-on spuds (small) if I have done a heavy CB in the AM.

For lunch it's chopped up meat (chicken, shrimp, steak, and okay sometimes tuna) with tomatoes, celery, and anything else I can stand in there. carrot sticks. squash for staying power.

Dinner is the usual protein & veg (brown, green, yellow, whatever).

If you could make the change to getting in your lean protein & veg first, and never eating carbs on an empty stomach, your transition will be smoother.

[amilcarkabral]

I can't give you the insights of nutritional analysis. But what i can give you are two enjoyable and relatively low-cost meals. They're as old-fashioned as they come: PB&J and Grilled Cheese.

Both of these recipies require Whole-wheat bread (i like cracked and stone-ground). I choose this because a slice of whole wheat bread gets you seven grams of protein, i'm not too worried about carbs. The Peanutbutter gives you some protein too (provided you don't just put a thin layer on). I would guess the cheese gives you some protein, but how much i'm not sure, i don't really worry about fat either. like i said, i'm no nutritional guru.

The two variations on these sandwiches are:
1. Peanutbutter and Honey on toasted whole-wheat bread
2. Pepper jack cheese with tomatoes and basil on whole-wheat bread

Note: all grilled cheese sandwiches must be loaded with butter or spread on both sides before cooking as well as putting some on the pan for good measure (high cholesterol:)

Amilcar

[James Boelter]

If you want to get really hard core...I've been trying two new kinds of bread on the recommendation of Mike Mahler (a vegan strength coach who is strong as hell) - 'Man Bread' and 'Hemp Bread'. I can get them at 'Wild Oats', a yuppie health food/grocery store chain, but other health food store might carry it. These are 'sprouted' breads that are relatively high in protein and low in carbohydrate compared to most other breads - In fact they are on the extreme opposite end of the continuum from white bread; quite nutty, chewy and satisfying. The 'hemp' bread, in particular, seems to be gluten free and wheat free, which can be a help to people who want bread but are allergic/intolerant to gluten or wheat.

I'll put it this way - you DON'T make a sandwich out of this bread. You take one slice and put your spread on it. One slice is enough. A bit pricey, but plenty of nutritional bang for the buck.