Nutrition/Supplements

First things first, I am NOT a nutritionist. I cannot tell you the enzymatic effect of grass fed beef on your endocrine system. I can tell you the methods of nutrition that I think work very well for getting stronger. I am going to keep it as simple as possible.

Things to Eat:

1) Meat lots and lots of meat. Chicken, Beef, Fish, Pork, Deer, Squirrel….Any flesh of once living breathing creatures. Fish, grass fed beef and free range chicken would be preferable but for those overseas I’m  pretty sure the DFAC’s are still lacking those options so just eat the delicious meat they provide, haha! The albumin found in eggs is also and excellent source of protein.

2) Fruit and vegetables, lots of them.(smack yourself if you didn’t already know that)

3) Good sources of fat. Yes fat is your friend and will provide an excellent source of energy as well as increase your testosterone levels. Avocado, nuts n seeds, almond butter, whole milk, coconut milk, olive oil etc…..

Things Not to Eat:

1) Sugar

2) Bread (if you do eat bread eat white bread, yep white bread NOT wheat)

3) Pasta

You’re probably where you’re going to get all your “carbs” from at this point. Its a valid concern. The answer is lots of veggies, haha. If you have trouble getting enough veggies to fit the bill sweet potatoes are an excellent option. If you’re overseas and options are limited white rice and regular potatoes are a great option to devour before resulting to bread and/or pasta. That all being said when you find yourself with limited options and the choice is between eating something “bad” or not eating at all, the answer every single time is to EAT!

Portioning:

In all seriousness, eat until your full. If your trying to gain a significant amount of strength eat all the time, but if you find yourself out on extended operations and can’t exactly have a nice little well balanced meal every few hours, don’t sweat it! As it turns out intermittent fasting from time to time has its benefits as well in terms of gaining strength.

Supplements:

I take a minimalist approach when it comes to supplements. The only ones I would really advocate are:

1) Fish Oil with a high concentration of DHA’s and EPA’s.

2) Vitamin D especially if your on reverse cycle overseas and are getting little to no natural sunlight. 2,000-4,00 iu’s a day should be sufficient

3) A creatine based pre workout supplement. There’s a ton of these out there but try to stay away from the ones with a ton of fillers and added ingredients.

4) A whey protein is also good to have on call when the DFAC is closed and for immediately after lifting. True Athlete has quality whey and pre-workout products but is also pricey.

In the end, if you’re eating well and regularly you don’t really need much in the way of supplements.