Nutrition Basics 1 – Nutrients

Let´s get started. You know I have to work with some numbered rules again:

Carbohydrates:

I. When my blood sugar levels rise really high, I often feel sluggish and get brain fog. I looked it up and found that as blood glucose levels rise, testosterone levels drop.This does not happen if I´m really hungry, have trained hard prior to eating, and the carbohydrates aren´t as simple as seeing through a politician´s lies. Rises in testosterone on keto diets are most likely temporary and due to this factor.

II. On a diet, consider replenishing your glycogen stores once in a while with high-carb days. This will make diets more bearable, but is not absolutely necessary and will obviously slow down progress a little bit.

III. Consume most of your carbs before and after your workout. On rest days, some people suggest cutting the carbs back, but see for yourself whether that works.

Fats:

IV. I experimented and consumed only olive oil until 12 AM, at which point I had drank about 300 ml (10.7 fl. oz.), which is about 2500 calories. I did not feel any energy crashes, but towards the end I drank the oil too fast and my stomach started giving me trouble. In conclusion: High-fat diets are great for sleep, but fat takes long to digest, so you shouldn´t eat a lot of it before sleeping. I once had 3 nightmares in one night after eating greasy food at 11 PM.

V. Consuming fats and carbs together results in a steadier blood sugar, you can draw your own conclusions from that. Eating extremely large amounts of both macro nutrients means you have high blood sugar levels for a long time, ergo not good.

VI. Don´t set fats too low, they are required for cell and hormone production. Consume saturated (coconut, animal fats or red palm oil etc.) and monounsaturated fats (olive, avocado or sesame oil etc.), try to avoid polyunsaturated fats (except for Omega-3s). All fats should be as unprocessed as possible, but don´t use extra virgin olive oil for cooking. Don´t believe anything mainstream media and sites like wikipedia say about fats, they are known for cherrypicking data and promoting outdated propaganda. I might write an article on that some day.

Proteins:

VII. Science claims a good amount is at least 1.0 g / lb (2.2 g / kg) of bodyweight. Serge Nubret used to eat several pounds of horse meat or sea food a day, his kidneys were fine to begin with and they remained fine. Is this necessary? No. I can count the days on one hand, when I reached 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. On 2, I had 2 lbs steaks, on the other 2 I had 7 scoops of protein powder and on another I had 1.3 lbs of chicken breast (and nothing else, as I was full). I realized that consuming this much protein can’t be required, and frankly, it isn’t.

VIII. It is a good idea to consume medium amounts of protein with every meal. Try to have some high-protein foods in your diet. Supposedly, protein doesn´t contribute to fat gain, though I don´t know about that, especially considering point IX..

IX. Protein is a lot better digested if you consume it with fat, such as a shot of olive oil. Especially true for protein powder aka. isolated protein, this is the irony of protein powder.

Further:

X. I want to mention how, supposedly, mushrooms and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli etc.) lower estrogen levels, but that´s probably due to an increase in SHBG (sex-hormone-binding globulin), which lowers estrogen, but also free testosterone. That´s called throwing the baby out with the bath water. Frankly, it might not matter.

XI. The number one thing you can do to initiate muscle growth is eating more, even if you don´t train this should cause you to gain muscle. The better your training, nutrition and recovery are, the less fat will be among the weight gained.

Supplements (not necessary!):

XII. Vitamin D3 is massively important for a long list of bodily functions. If you can´t get enough sunlight exposure, supplements are almost always a good idea. You could also get a UV-B light bulb (designed for reptiles, but it works and if you use it too long or too closely, you can even get sunburn). Note that your body can´t absorb D3 without enough magnesium. Also note that D3 is fat-soluble, so wash it down with some oil. Consuming too much D3 leads to weak bones and teeth. Stick to the recommended dosages.

XIII. Magnesium, as mentioned above, is important, also it helps against nerve problems, muscle cramps, as well as anxiety and insomnia.

XIV. Zinc is extremely important, to a lesser degree selenium, chromium and vanadium (the first two for testosterone production, the last two for proper insulin metabolism.

XV. Before training, you might consider using caffeine, beta alanine, creatine (the last two fill up stores in your body instead of immediately working, don´t take more than 5g of either per hour and maximally 3 times that per day), Tongkat Ali (that shit works, partly because it tastes like smelling salts) and citrulline malate (works equally well for pumps and erections), glycerol works similarly and promotes tissue health.

XVI. Supposedly also useful supplements, even though they´re hard to test on yourself, are: Vitacholine, Omega-3s, Polyphenols, Curcumin and other vitamins and minerals.

XVII. Supplements I wouldn´t recommend are: GABA and Melatonin (I´ve taken four times the maximum allowed dosage, noticed very little). Plant / mushroom / bacteria etc. extracts (there are thousands of species with potentially beneficial effects, such as broccoli, pomegranate, yamabushitake, Lactobacillus reuteri – try finding that one, ground up elephant tusks, snake blood etc., are you going to take them all?). Phospatidic acid (especially if you´re already taking creatine), as well as most things labeled “weight gainer” or “fat burner”. The last two might work, but there are better and cheaper alternatives. Furthermore, I advise against testosterone boosters of most kinds, especially commercial ones that either contain suspicious plants or simply minerals and vitamins you can get into your diet in different ways.

Meal Frequency, Ingredients And Preparation:

XVIII. Do not use excessively high temperatures while cooking (which denaturize proteins and destroys oils)..

XIX. Unless you have the intestines of a pig, there will be foods that mess with your digestion. Avoid them after a testing phase. For me, it´s primarily milk and sometimes, oranges, though grains, nuts and onions are also problematic for a lot of people.

XX. A lot of bodybuilders advocate eating a handful of meals a day. Some of them even explain how several big insulin spikes a day are bad for health. How do both opinions fit into one person? Eat as few meals as is possible with your macros. Don´t eat snacks between meals unless necessary.

Ultimately, note Miyamoto Musashi´s words, which are a vast generalization, but contain wisdom:

There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.