Dr. John Berardi’s 27 tips to kick-start your diet on the right foot (part 2)

There were so many incredible tips that I thought I should really break it down in order NOT to overwhelm you.

Here are 15 more incredible nutrition tips from Dr. John Berardi:

Tip #11 Why Choose Oats

by Dr. John Berardi

If you’re looking to gain mass and have a good carbohydrate tolerance, place a bowl of fiber-rich, low-GI rolled oats along with ½ scoop of vanilla protein powder, frozen mixed berries, pineapple and a small quantity of mixed nuts right next to your omelet. This is a muscle building breakfast that’s hard to beat. I place this bowl right next to my omelet for a breakfast that’s hard to beat.

However, if you tend to hold a lot of body fat, just stick with protein, good fats, and veggies for breakfast. Save the non-fruit and veggie carbs till after exercise only – yes, even oatmeal.

I will have to keep the next 9 tips from Dr. John Berardi. You’ll find the last 3 posts in part three of this three part series.

Tip #12 Skip the Cheat Meal, Fatty

by Dr. John Berardi

Cheat meal frequency should be minimized when you’re over 15-20% body fat. Basically, the fatter you are, the more likely that any excess food will be shuttled toward body-fat storage rather than muscle mass. So skip the cheat meal unless you’re lean. And even then, think of it as an alternative food meal – not a cheat. Cheat meals are usually glorified forms of dietary debauchery. Alternative food meals allow for something a little different from the norm without the trough.

Tip #13 Unhealthy ‘Health Foods’

by Dr. John Berardi

Products that claim to be ‘Cholesterol Free’ and ‘Low in Saturated Fat’ often have the most trans-fatty acids. Unfortunately these are the products that most of the public thinks are ‘healthy.’ Remember, trans fats have absolutely no place in the diet! They’re the only type of fat highly associated with very negative health outcomes.

Tip #14 Protein for Fat Burning

by Dr. John Berardi

Protein is by far the most thermogenic of the macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate, and fat). Due to the high metabolic costs of processing it, protein provides fewer storable kcal. The thermic effect of a mixed meal is about 10% of intake, while the thermic effect of protein per se is more like 25-30%. That could mean reving up your metabolism by 200 kcal just from your 200-gram (800 kcal) protein intake.

Tip #15 Good Fats

by Dr. John Berardi

On average, most people should ensure that 25-35% of their energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (animal fat), monounsaturates (olive oil, avocados, etc), and polyunsaturates (flax oil, salmon oil, etc.). Your total fat in the diet may vary but make sure you’re getting about 1/3 of each type for the best fat balance.

Tip #16 Don’t Displace, Dummy!

by Dr. John Berardi

There’s a big difference between a healthy diet to which treats are occasionally added and an ‘all-treat diet.’ In the former, unhealthy foods are consumed rarely and in addition to healthy foods. In the latter, unhealthy foods are consumed often and instead of healthy foods. This is called ‘food displacement’ and must be avoided if optimal body composition and health are your goals. Don’t displace nutrient dense food with empty calories!

Tip #17 The Ratio Diet

by Dr. John Berardi

Want to improve body composition, increase the ratio of fat lost to muscle lost during a diet, improve blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides), prevent wild fluctuations in blood glucose and insulin, and improve satiety when on a diet? Well, you’re not alone. In fact, Dr Layman and colleagues at the University of Illinois are also interested in helping you accomplish these goals.

In their recent studies, they have demonstrated a myriad of benefits associated with reducing the ratio of carbohydrate to protein in the diet from 3.5g of carbohydrate to every 1g of protein to 1.4g of carbohydrate to every 1g of protein. What does this mean in terms of food intake? Well, check out this handy little chart.

kcal/day Fat grams* Carbohydrate grams Protein grams

4500 kcal 150g 450g 338g

3500 kcal 117g 350g 263g

2500 kcal 83g 250g 188g

1500 kcal 50g 150g 113g

*These numbers assume a diet that contains 30% fat.

Tip #18 Protein/Carbs Before Exercise To Burn Fat?

by Dr. John Berardi

While nearly everyone nowadays knows that pre, during, and post exercise nutritional intake is critical for improving protein status and glycogen synthesis, most people fear that the ingestion of protein and carbohydrates during these times will decrease fat oxidation (burning).

Well, put simply, they’re wrong (sticking out tongue).

Studies have demonstrated that even in the presence of a relatively high carbohydrate intake (and large insulin response), the addition of protein to a carbohydrate meal can increase fat burning during exercise.

So it looks like a well-designed pre, during, and post exercise intake will not only improve protein status and glycogen resynthesis but it may actually increase fat burning. Bigger and leaner? Say it ain’t so.

Tip #19 How To Manage Your Macronutrients

by Dr. John Berardi

Are you more likely to be able to decipher ancient Greek texts than figure out how to construct a diet containing 30% protein, 50% carbohydrate, and 20% fat? Well then check out the following resources.

1- www.nal.usda.gov/fnic is the National Agriculture Library’s Food and Nutrition Information Center. Here you can find basic information on dietary supplements, an advanced food composition database, information about the food guide, and a listing of interesting resources about special needs, food allergies, etc.

2- www.nutritiondata.com is a fantastic resource and although it uses the food database above, may actually offer a better presentation of the food composition data. It doesn’t offer the other information, though.

3- www.fitday.com is another great food composition site that offers much more including online diet and fitness journals.

4- www.calorieking.com offers many of the same resources as fitday.com but has several excellent additional features such as an online ‘university’ (weekly education about the physiological and behavioral sides of nutrition). The extras cost money but are worth checking into.

If you’re looking for more great recipes that are yummy and healthy, you might want to take a look at these two great resources from Dr. Berardi:

The Precision Nutrition System: A complete nutrition program containing seven guidebooks, a gourmet cookbook, and access to member’s only resources. It’s everything you need to get into the shape of your life. From the strategies to the food!

You’ll get more information here on: The Precision Nutrition System

Gourmet Nutrition: Dr. Berardi’s new cookbook for the fit food lover (I love this cookbook and I love the healthy recipes). You’ll find over 120 recipes! This beautifully photographed book is a MUST-HAVE (in my humble opinion) for anyone interested in eating body-friendly food. You’ll love the taste and you’ll love what it does for your body.

You’ll get more information here on: Gourmet Nutrition

Photo by slushpup