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Foodwaves: Learn to love food and fuel your body

Tom Stevens

(Focus: What are Macronutrients, How to structure a Meal, Learn to love food) 


I love cooking. It brings me untold joy and some much needed connection in a busy schedule. I started cooking properly at university. My mum sent me off with a basic set of skills - how to cook pasta, make eggs, put meat in the oven and such. The usual. But what I learnt at uni was that food can be fun. It can be much more than just sustenance. Fuel. Food should make you excited to eat it. And most people see dinner time as the exact opposite. 


I mean at its root food is fuel. We eat to give our bodies the energy it needs to move, build new cells and well… live. Without food we wouldn’t survive a month. For a complete diet we need to make sure we are eating enough. Enough calories. Enough protein, carbohydrates, fats, fiber and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Each one of those provides our body with key molecules for life. 



Protein is needed to build and repair muscle and bone as well as to make key hormones and enzymes. Carbohydrates are needed as an energy source so our body can not only move but think. Fats play a vital role in insulation and hormone generation. Fiber helps to maintain a healthy gut and slows nutrient absorption. Finally micronutrients are needed to help form key molecules in the body. 


When structuring our meals we want to make sure we get all of these nutrients on our plate. When eating for maintenance or to lose weight, about a ½ of our plate should be full of vegetables so we get enough fiber and micronutrients for our body to function properly. From the ¼ of our plate should be dedicated to a protein source like meat, fish, eggs or beans; and a further ¼ should be dedicated to carbs like rice or potatoes. Finally we should look to get a thumb of fat in each meal through sources like avocados, olive oil or nuts. If we are eating for muscle gain these proportions can change to about ⅓ vegetables, ⅓ protein, and ⅓ carbs with a thumb of fats. 


However the more we break this down into you need to eat this many grams of this and this many grams of that the further we get away from food. Remember food isn’t just the number of calories or the macros inside it. That’s not to say that macro counting won’t get you results - because it for sure will; but is it something you want to be doing your whole life? A better option is to establish a way to make food fun, easy and amenable to your goals. 



Let’s start with fun - food should be tasty and flavourful. Don’t limit yourself to the classic chicken, broccoli and rice because that’s what the internet tells you you need to eat as a gym rat. You can make delicious meals by using these three simple rules; 1. Season your protein - this could be through a simple marinade such as some soy sauce and garlic before you stir fry or a spice coating for grilling/ broiling. I know it sounds basic but even a humble pork chop can be awesome with a bit of fivespice and soy sauce. 2. Eat the rainbow - stop reaching for the same old boring vegetables and expand your horizons. The more colors you can get on your plate the tastier you can make your plate. Start shopping around the edges of the vegetable isles and you never know what you’ll find. 3. Make a sauce - a sauce ties everything together and is also a great way to hide them veggies. Sauces can be easy to do and if done properly, healthy. Take for example the curry sauce in a curry, your basic tomato ragu for pasta or a simple mushroom and stock pan sauce. These can make any normal boring dish super tasty. 


Secondly, make dinner easy. You may be thinking, "Tom, that is all well and good but I don’t have 16 hours in my day to cook the most elaborate meal." Which is a damn shame. The good news is you really don’t need more than 30 minutes to cook an incredible meal, and an hour if you're feeling extra fancy on date night. The trick is to prep. Either cut out the time consuming bits, such as buying pre cut onions and garlic; or allocate some time on a weekend to chop up the meat and veggies you're going to be using in advance. You can even make some sauces in advance. If you plan your weekly meals ahead of time and write a shopping list you can reduce your shopping time in half and use that time to do a bit of prep or sit and lounge with a cuppa. 


Finally, you can still have really tasty food that works to your goals. And it comes down to those proportions above. When you're putting your meal together, start with your protein source, then add your veggies and finally finish up with your favorite choice of carbs. The key is to focus on whole foods. Foods that don’t have an ingredients list that you can make anything from. By sticking to these foods you’ll be getting a great macronutrient split but also plenty of fiber and micronutrients too. You’ll feel fuller for longer, be eating nutrient dense foods, recover better and be more energised. The only challenge is keeping your portion sizes consistent. If your gaining muscle work to the edge of your plate. To maintain or lose muscle you’ll want to leave a bit of space around the rim. Equally this method works when eating out too. 



By working with these simple constructs its easier to make fun, easy and goal driven meals but also meals that you can eat for the rest of your life without needing an app to track or tell you what to do. Enjoy food. You don’t have to be a good cook to do that. You just have to be willing to give it a go. Soon your brain will find the habits easy to do and it’ll be second nature making quick and healthy meals. Food is fuel. But food can be so much more. 



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