16 Nutrition Tips from THE Renegade
Nothing like being layed up in bed and feelin’ like absolute hell.
Makes you take a cold, hard look at MANY things with all the time on your hands. Time for soul searching.
For a LOOOONG time I been toying with the idea of removing animal products from my diet. When I was younger I didn’t feel sluggish after having steak or hamburger but in my mid 30s things are different. I want to feel better AND be healthier. I am a father of two amazing kids and I want to be around as long as possible to watch them grow and live fabulous lives.
A few months ago in NYC I met up with Jonny Hinds and he brought me to a friend’s restaurant, known for their meatball dish I had a small bowl and when I was done I felt heavy and sluggish. NOT good.
This past week while on vacation in the mountains we grilled a lot. Steak and burgers….. Not feelin’ too hot right now.
My close friend and mentor, Jonny Hinds, without ever trying to convince me to eat a plant based diet, he simply influences me by his mere presence and ability to perform like an animal, and that’s not including the fact that he is 13 years older than I am!
Not sure if I can go full blown vegan, but through the past year I have BIG time reduced the amount of red meat and overall animal meat I consume. Any time I increase my consumption of animal products I don’t feel too hot.
Time to start searching for an organic butcher in the area. Wish me luck!
Years ago, when I was training wrestlers and football players in my garage and backyard I used to exchange lots of e mails and conversations via AOL instant messenger with Jason Ferruggia, who at the time was training athletes from 9 AM – 9 PM every week day.
Jay has gone through quite the transformation since those days and one of the coolest things is his BIG time focus on being healthy. His training, nutrition and lifestyle now focus on giving him a better life. I can relate.
I recently hit up Jay via e mail and it reminded me of old days where we exchanged training info. Something that eludes the mind of many though, is how to eat for optimal health and optimal nutrition. Check out these tips, straight from the mouth of The Renegade himself, they are straight up PRICELESS!!
1) Never eat anything fake or processed. If you can’t kill it, grow it or pick it you shouldn’t eat it.
2) Always eat 100% natural, organic foods. Conventionally grown produce is too risky due to the numerous toxic chemical pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers used regularly. Also, the nutrient value in organically grown produce is significantly higher.
3) Lately I have cut ALL fake foods out of my diet. So that means no more fake veggie burgers, sausage or meatballs. If it was man made, and comes in a box or a bag it wasn’t meant to be eaten. Fake foods freak me out too much to even eat for a cheat meal, these days. I try to only eat what mother nature intended.
4) Always eat grass fed, grass finished, organically raised beef. Factory farmed or conventionally raised meat has a very poor fatty acid profile due to the messed up ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3. Also, when a baby calf is removed from it’s mothers milk and starts consuming grains instead of grass it becomes sick within a matter of days. The calf is then treated with antibitotics for the rest of it’s life and by the time it arrives on your plate it is loaded with drugs and diseases, many of which are allowed by the USDA.
5) Avoid all GMO’s (genetically modified foods)
6) Don’t use microwaves
7) Don’t use plastic food storage containers or water bottles
Don’t overcook your food; especially on a grill. That leads to the consumption of more harmful carcinogens.
9) Avoid inflammatory foods such as corn, soy, wheat and dairy
10) If you have problems with inflammation and suffer any kind of joint pain try eliminating all grains, legumes, dairy, corn and soy based products for a month. I can almost guarantee you’ll fee better.
11) If you feel bloated or sluggish after you eat a food, that food is not something you should be eating.
12) Wash all of your produce with some kind of non toxic produce wash before eating; even if it’s organic.
13) Eat as many raw foods as possible. As many raw foodists will tell you many vital enzymes in food can not survive temps of above around 120 degrees. Load up on the raw stuff and make it the largest part of your diet.
14) Cold water seafood would be the healthiest animal protein to eat, in my opinion, if it weren’t for the fact that all of our water supplies weren’t so incredibly polluted. For this reason I believe you need to limit your consumption of seafood to no more than three times per week, at the very most. Always go for fresh caught fish; never factory farmed fish. That is loaded with the same chemicals and diseases as factory farmed meat.
15) The healthiest, most natural diet probably consists of a huge amount of organic fruits and veggies, some nuts and seeds, little to no grains, and moderate amounts of organic grass fed meats. Of course being big and strong and being healthy aren’t always one in the same. To be big and strong you will need more protein and more starchy carbs. The healthiest starchy carbs are sweet potatoes. You could also have oats, brown rice and quinoa if you were trying to get jacked.
16) To get big and stay relatively lean, some type of carb cycling needs to be employed. You can’t just eat tons of carbs, all day, every day. So you either need to cycle them on a day to day basis or just eat them around your workouts.
Question, comments, additional nutrition tips? Drop them below in the comments section. I Know we have a lot of Paleo followers here as well so I’m looking forward to added comments and personal experiences with nutrition.
Lead from the FRONT
–Z–
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Filed under Articles, Q & A, Strength Building, Success, muscle building by on Aug 4th, 2010. Comment. 
Comments on 16 Nutrition Tips from THE Renegade
I`m with you. I`m a type 1 diabetic and a professional MMA fighter. All I can really eat are raw vegetables and chicken.
I vaguely remember carbs and trust me, raised blood sugars are among the worst physical feelings around. Cut the carbs, eat raw vegetables, nuts and some healthy proteins and alkanizing water helps elminate carcinogens. I`m looking at all sorts of sdietary tricks at the moment to up my diet game as well. Im trying to drop 20 pounds and add 7-8 pounds of lean muscle. Not a lot of room for error
Zach.. Sweet little article. Every time I read something like this, I get swayed more and more to delve into organic food as my intake is minimal at this point. I’ve been backloading my carbs for the last 4 months (for those that dont know that means little to no carbs breakfast through pre-workout, then load up on carbs pwo.), and the results have been undeniable. I’ve never been so lean and hard in my life. If you’re looking to trim a few lbs in an efficient way, without losing mass, backloading carbs is something I’d definitely recommend. Dave Tate wrote an in depth article about this on elitefts if you want to check it out.
Z – while I can appreciate many of the thing listed here I disagree with some so as you mentioned you are looking for comments. I am in my early 40′s and recently went back to school for nutrition and diatetics for a degree, clinical internship and RD exam. So I do speak from experience.
1. There is no clinical proof that microwaves are unhealthy or hazardous. Same with plastic bottles.
2. Soy is not a source of inflammation and has many benefits for both men and woman. Whole wheat has fiber, minerals, vitamins and other healthy ingredients.
Just some quick thoughts.
Chris
@Chris, thnx for the added comments brother. My own feelings and thoughts towards how I train, eat AND live come from personal experience.
In a nut shell, if something makes me feel “off” in any manner, I am more likely to limit / reduce or remove from my daily actions.
Thnx for taking the time 2 drop a comment brutha, much appreciated!
I think you have the right idea Zach. A person needs to take the info they learn in posts such as this and monitor how foods they eat make them feel. By doing this you can make a diet which fits what your body needs, since we are all different. Nice change pace!!!
Blaine
Hands down the BEST brief post on how to live a healthy strong lifestyle. These are the basics that I preach as well. Everyone will have a personal experience with the foods they eat. Go by how you feel over time and discover how your performance is affected and how your body reacts to grains, soy, dairy, etc being removed or reintroduced to your diet. Som people do great eating only meat their whole lives, others would die doing this. Some never eat meat, this would”kill” others. Follow a plan that works for you, this takes time and discovery. This is the beat part of training. Learn lessons from others, apply them to your life and discover yourself deeper, one day at a time. Eat well, train hard, be happy
Who can afford this, and what is left to eat?
I agree with most of the points, but this is just not feasible for most people.
@Dave – Why can’t people afford to buy grass fed beef, lots of fruits and veggies?
VERY true, it is NOT feasible for most people, but, I wonder if that is b/c of lack of desire or lack of giving a sh*t?
I feel better reducing my consumption of red meats.
I remember my Mom always telling me that when she would shop for me at CostCo back when I bodybuilding the cashiers always asked her if she owned a restaurant
My personal food bill is certainly less today than it was 10 yrs ago brutha
–z–
How can people say they cant afford to buy a load of organic fruits and veggies and organic meat?!? I’m a student and I make sure I stick to these principles when shopping.
It is about priorities, I would rather have a regularly slightly higher food bill if it makes me healthier, whereas others would rather buy the latest video game or spend loads on alcohol. You literally put food in your body therefore it should be priority number 1
My weekly grocery bill is usually around $70-$80, depending on the sales and what I need to stock up on. That is pretty much strictly lean meats, fruits, and veggies. But not the free range, organic stuff. That amount of food lasts me exactly one week.
As an experiment, I went to the local all-natural, all-organic food co-op right down the street to see what all the rage was. I walked out of there with a $104 grocery bill, and it only lasted me 4 days. If I would have bought enough for a week, it could have been close to $180.
I make a decent living in my full-time career, but there is no way I could afford $180 a week.
I think if we focus on getting people to gradually change their diet to healthier, whole foods they’d be a lot more receptive to giving a shit rather than beating them over the head saying that they MUST eat this way or they will die at age 55. For the morbidly disgusting, that could be true. For most, it’s not.
Here’s a couple of tips from a dude that grew up on a farm;
If you have some land grow your own, it’s cheap and not that labor intensive, It requires dedication, but that is why we are here reading Zach’s stuff.
Buy a big ass freezer and find an organic farmer. When he butchers he will usually sell quarters to halfs of beef critters. You can also do this at a butcher. It is pricey at the time, overall it is a very economical decision.
I don’t own a microwave, however there has been some research into microwaves and cancer. these studies have show that microwaving meat for 120sec will remove most cancer causing HCA’s. This kills nutrition content though.
Remember that most Co-ops, and natural food stores are really over priced. Make the extra effort and find some local organic farmers and buy straight from them. Or make some money, buy some land, and grow your own.
When did Zach lose his marbles? Did one of those rocks slip out of his hand and bean him? LOL!
There’s more hysteria, false info and CAPS IN THE ABOVE MESSAGE than I’ve seen in all my years of checking the ‘toobs for exercise and nutritional information.
Get a grip, Zach. Seriously.
@octoman – i cut & pasted this from QnA I did w/Jay via email, which converted it to caps from word press
so, my friend, get a grip yourself and calm down, keep your negativity elsewhere.
–z–
@Octomom
As someone who is one of Zach’s best friends and talks with him everyday I know
that everything Zach does, says, or teaches he believes in 100%.
There is nobody who walks their talk more than Zach.
…and cmon…If your going to leave a critical comment have the stones to sign your name to it.
Telling a guy like Zach to “get a grip” while hiding behind the blog handle of “Octomom”
is little lame
Nothing worth havin in life is easy boys. Luckily I kill all my own red meat here in Montana and do a tuna run out of San Diego for seafood. It’s up to you how you want to live. Don’t make excuses if Zach is raising the bar for you too much. Keep it up Zach. Guys like you keep me wanting more.
@octoman
These are typical recommendations for body composition change. There is no hysteria here. Take a good look at some of the most effective programs out there and many of these will be the core beliefs behind them. It is a good guideline system for a person that does not want to get too scientific with their diet. Most of the people that I train do not have time for macronutrient partitioning on a daily basis. They want some guidelines that they can follow so they can get results. This is what Z has been giving out. Research some of these points and you may develop an arguement against the recommendations or you may not. Lets not cast stones via blog format. Offer insightful comments and suggestions. As strength and conditioning coaches we offer information to increase out ability to train our clients. Leave something tangible. Maybe something you have had success with. Dont be hatin’ on Z man. Hes got passion and respect for his athletes and the information he delivers. Obviously you, my friend, do not.
The best advice I see here if it makes you feel like crap, don’t eat.
I don’t worry about pesticides, water bottles etc. I try not to eat to much crap. More people would be better served to not be fat , exercise a little, don’t smoke and drink like a fish.
I think a lot of this is a lot if effort for minimal gain for most, if you avoid the real bad stuff you’ll live as long as your genetics allow. Smoking, lack of exercise, and being a fatass is what kills people early.
Being super tight about your diet won’t hurt you, maybe. Myself, I let myself lose to much weight I feel beat up. To much crap will affect me of course. Weird thing though, to clean doesn’t seem to really help me much.
I get somewhat concerned when people get to wild about what they eat, unless they are solid all around. People like to latch onto what they think us an easy answer . I’ve had pts lecture me about dll the supplements they think they need, but they don’t even exercise.
Octomom get a grip on yourself dude.
Pot shots about capital letters wow man that’s hardcore…
Zach keep kicking ass behind every successful person lies a pack of unsuccessful haters! You too paulie!
Leo
Sorry bro don’t know where Leo came from!
Damn iPhones.
Lachlan
As difficult or confusing as it may seem at times with all the information on nutrition available, this short set of rules has incredible validity. I have been eating in this likeness for quite some time and have seen many physical ailments disappear. Additionally this type of diet gives me physical balance and helps towards a steady mindfulness throughout the day. Learning to simplify your diet to the necessities of your lifestyle simply requires you to pay attention to your body, it is in fact, quite intelligent by design. I think Michael Pollan said it best. “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” Thank you very much for this post Zach, it is insightful and should be carefully examined by anyone looking to improve their lives!
the more of my diet that comes from protien the better i feel. the more of it that is carb rich the worse i feel. i eat cereal once in a blue moon and feel like crap for 2 days afterward. cakes, pies, i never eat. taste bad to me. taste bad, don’t eat it. i let the fat take care of itself. fat is not a four letter word. diet is. develop healthy eating HABITS.
as for attacks on Zach, well, Zachs fairly open about leaving if you don’t like what he has to say. the UNDERGROUND is his tribe, don’t like the chief, well, walk away.
The more we look at these issues the further backward we seem to go– all except the issue of grains fit in with the human diet up through less than 100 years ago [grains go back to the Neolithic revolution ~10-12K years ago].
why anyone would think it nuts to try and eat more simply and purely escapes me– eat as our paleolithic forbearers did and then we eat as we evolved to.
a very simply rule– if a publicly traded corporation, whose primary objective is the maximization of profit, is getting paid from what you eat, that is probably not a good indicator of quality and benefit to you, the end-user.