Disclaimer I: I, Tone Vays, am NOT a Doctor nor ever formally studied nutrition. Nothing here should be seen as nutrition or lifestyle advice, it is simply food choices I plan to take very seriously for 2020. After 20+ years of experimenting with different diets, this one served me really well in 2019, it is simple, makes sense & makes me look and feel younger than my age. Everyone however, is different.
Disclaimer II: Vegans – LOOK AWAY, just stop reading here. The Vegan topic might be addressed in a future blog.
Disclaimer III: It's a good idea to consult a professional before making drastic diet changes, especially if you have health conditions or perhaps pregnant.
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As far back as I remember, probably going back to university days, I have been trying to eat healthy. I remember living with a few cross-country runners and their idea of healthy eating was pasta daily, and maybe that works for some but that was not the year I felt like I was ready to take on the world. After going through many diets like Low Carb, Paleo, Keto, Carnivore & others, there is finally enough confidence to write up a plan for 2020, and you won’t see it in any book. Sometimes you have to just take the time, listen to your mind and body, and come up with your own unique plan.
For me, the search for the perfect way to eat was never to lose weight, I have never considered myself over weight, it was more to keep the weight off and minimize sick days and doctor visits. The biggest problem with many diets is that they require a lot of effort to maintain, Keto for example was good, but keeping track of Ketosis stages was as annoying as making sure you take your vitamin pills, there had to be a better way. Many other diets require counting calories, who has time for that? I never did, life always gets in the way, so once again there had to be a better way.
The following will be broken down into 5 parts.
- What I plan to eat
- When I plan to eat it
- Where I plan to source/buy it
- Managing edge cases of first 3 parts and cheating (because let’s be honest, everyone cheats)
- Specific examples of food choices of a random week in my life.
Strap in, because this is gonna be a long blog post!
Part I: What I Plan to Eat
The Tone Vays Diet does not have a catchy name but I like to refer to it as “Maximizing Nutritional Density”. In order to achieve this, we need to focus on food that gives your body the maximum amount of Vitamins & Minerals in the least quantity & weight that enters your body. This does not imply that you will be eating less food (though when you read Part II, it will probably be the case), you can eat the same amount of food you do now, but by making that food more nutritionally dense, you should be able to go through life without ever considering taking Vitamin & Mineral supplements, which not only gets expensive but tends to be a hassle to keep up with. This plan has additional moving parts because some Vitamins are Water Soluble (leaves your body quickly hence need to be consumed often) while others are Fat Soluble (stays in your body and can make you sick if you over do it on some of the healthiest foods around). Maybe it’s best to explain with some examples on what I mean by Nutritional Density.
A. Empty Protein is Useless – When I tell people: “Every time I cook, I try to add eggs to the meal, but ONLY the Yolks, Egg Whites go in the garbage”. Immediately you get this look of confusion followed by “but what about the protein, your body needs protein!”. Ignoring the fact that your body does not need much protein and can run on fat or even carbs (not recommended) as several diets try to do, my diet mostly consists of protein. Egg Whites however don’t just have low Nutritional Density; they have almost 0 of it. The protein of an egg is split close to 50/50 between the yolk and the egg white, but ALL the other goodness is in the yolk (let’s discuss cholesterol on another future blog as well). By simply using two Yolks instead of one full egg, you just doubled your Vitamin & Mineral intake while keeping your protein intake the same for a few extra calories. Now think about the person ordering an egg white omelet, actually don’t think about it. (And I have to say it’s a lot easier for me to eat 2 barely cooked egg yolks than it is to eat two fully cooked egg whites)
B. All Food in a Category are Equal, but Some are More Equal – Let’s take a look at a very healthy category like Shellfish (sorry to discriminate to those allergic, very unfortunate). After doing some research on the commonly available shellfish options and comparing nutritional profiles, it looks like Oysters, Scallops, Muscles & even Shrimp rank well. Lobster on the other hand, ranks poorly against its Shellfish peers (though not that far below Shrimp). So is an Oyster worth the high price tag?.. Maybe. Is a Lobster worth it?.. Probably not, at least not for me now that I know where it ranks. Hence I will usually order the Shrimp at a restaurant over the Lobster, save half my money, and know I just did a favor to my body.
Here is another example, labeling Avocado as fruit is being almost disrespectful to the Avocado. Its nutritional profile blows away the next best options like Kiwi, Blueberry, Raspberry, Pineapple and more (let’s ignore exotic fruit, there are always edge cases). Same can be said for organ meat vs animal meat. Whether it’s from Meat or Fish, organs like liver, kidney, heart & brain deserve a category of their own (I personally only eat liver, don't like the taste of kidneys and it's very rare that Chicken Hearts or Brains are on a menu anyway). Liver actually has so much Vitamins & Minerals nutrition, that eating too much of it falls in that scary “too much of a good thing” zone. (But as with everything, Vitamin A toxicity from food is debatable)
C. Don’t Get Lost in the Weeds Comparing Individual Foods in each of the Categories – It’s not hard to rank fatty fish like Salmon, Sardines, Herring & Mackerel slightly ahead (on average) than lean fish like Tuna, Sea Bass, Cod, Snapper, Grouper & Mahi-Mahi, but the entire category is pretty damn nutritionally dense. When it comes to choosing a high density vegetable like Spinach or Kale vs the lowest ranked part of an animal or the leanest of fish like Shark or Swordfish, the saying “it’s like comparing apples to organs” starts to make sense, we actually can compare those, oranges have a slight advantage due to high Vitamin C, but even an Orange gets crushed by a Kiwi which has more Vitamin C at less than half the size. So how do you compare things that barely have any vitamins in common? Not sure yet, so more research is needed, but if it’s a Vitamin or Mineral your body needs, try to get it from the most dense option you can afford to buy.
Here is how I rank the categories at the moment. This might change in the future as sources for standardization of Vitamin & Mineral amounts per gram of food are terrible and inconsistent. It almost feels like a lifetime could be dedicated to doing something someone should have done long ago…. Hmmm kind of feels like Bitcoin Evangelism but let’s stay on topic.
While in general, I personally try to avoid vegetables & most fruit, I try to eat an Avocado & Kiwi daily when readily available and in good quality (more on this in Part III). I also don’t mind eating Blueberries, Raspberries, Pineapples & Mango occasionally. Does this mean I avoid all other fruit? Not really, but the further I stray from what I know is nutritionally dense, the less likely I am to eat it and focus on food from a category further up my list. Same goes for veggies, I am way more likely to eat roots like garlic, ginger & turmeric (because it’s virtually impossible to binge on that), than I am to eat a bowl of spinach & kale (which are pretty damn nutritious but in its own category of ‘Land Veggies’. So where do Onions fall? For me, somewhere in between Garlic & Spinach as they are nutritious, and I just can’t see anyone eating a bowl of Onions so you end up having some in moderation. Going outside the veggies name dropped in this section, it is very, very unlikely for me to touch it in solid form (Explained in Part IV), they are just NOT that nutritionally dense, sorry to disappoint. nutritious, yes, dense, no! Not to mention how this nutrition comes at a great cost, both to your body and the environment. But this is NOT an article of why I don't eat something, it's about what I actually eat.
A common concern I always here is “but you need the fiber”, is very misunderstood. When all you eat is steak, your body digests it all, so there is just nothing to excrete unlike the veggies you eat which can rot in your colon. This is probably why the cow (and perhaps you) end up on the toilet every day (well, maybe not the cow, though I’m sure some politically correct nut is building a cow toilet somewhere). The vegetables you eat have so much crap your body can’t digest, that it has to go somewhere. This is perhaps why there is a giant misconception on fiber & constipation.
This section might be a book of its own one day, but unfortunately we have to move on, but for those that want to learn more, start here.
Part II: When I Plan to Eat it
When I was younger and looking for the perfect meal plan, it was all about ‘eat less more often'. After trying the opposite, I don’t think I’m ever going back. today, Today, I try to eat at MOST once a day with the max food I can handle, and then one more appetizer for the road, The book Complete Guide to Fasting came highly recommended but you don’t even have to read it, just try it. I did, and it changed everything. I feel more energetic and focused, instantly started noticing the drop in body fat and if you have a busy life, imagine the productivity of not stopping to eat three times during your work day (assuming of course you actually like your job and want to maximize your productivity). The hardest part will be training your brain from “it’s unhealthy to skip meals” to “the more meals you skip the healthier you will be.'' Within reason of course, I personally do not like to go more than 72 hours without a meal and even that has only been done twice. Ideally, I eat an early dinner every night, say 6pm so I’m not going to bed hungry and as 2pm rolls around next day, just tell myself to “hang in there a few more hours and the reward of a juicy 600+ gr (21 Oz) Rib Eye is just waiting to be devoured.'' It’s kind of like you know you are going to a nice ‘all you can eat’ buffet for dinner and doing everything you can to stay hungry to get your money’s worth, same concept but every day.
Does this get costly? Very common question and the answer of course is ‘maybe’. If you cook yourself then it can certainly save you money, if you are going out every night and buying a $70 steak for two, consider the cost savings of NOT buying that breakfast on your way to work and the lunch you didn't buy either. It is very possible to have one large high quality meal without hit to your budget. Try to find a reasonably priced all you can eat Brazilian steak house in your area.
True Story: When I was in Tbilisi Georgia, I went out to dinner with two Bitcoin fans and of course we started talking about food as both of them lost an incredible amount of weight over the prior year, we are talking 20+ kg (~50 lb for you Americans). One was following more of a Carnivore Diet, but eating many times a day, the other ate the same stuff he did before but switched to once a day and occasionally skipped a day. My comment was “now imagine the results if you combine the two”. Speaking of the Carnivore Diet, I cannot only eat meat, this might get me kicked out of the ‘carnivore club’ by my friends Jimmy Song, Saifedean and Michael Goldstein, but so be it.
Final Thought: I do not let this style of eating restrict my lifestyle, if I have a business lunch meeting, I will eat as much healthy food as I can so as to not be hungry at dinner time. If I have a tough work out in the morning and really want to eat straight after, then that’s my one meal (as long as I have no big dinner plans on the calendar). And if I get really busy with work or writing a ridiculously long blog post or in a podcast zone streaming an 8 hour marathon, then that’s the day I skip the meal. Most people don’t realize how much focus you get on an empty stomach, not at first but once your body gets a little used to it. If there is a 15 hr flight on the cards, then that’s another perfect day to skip a meal which also helps a lot with jet-lag (damn, sounds like another blog post topic to cover)
Part III: Where to Source Your Food
I care a lot about where my food comes from. I can certainly relate to Vegans when it comes to animal cruelty, but I will NOT lower my well being for a cow. Yes, this is debatable, and maybe I will write the complete opposite blog post in 2030, but at the moment, I am eating what I believe is the best way I can to live a long, healthy and productive life. This means I care a lot about where that food comes from. My first choice is Farmers Markets, this is where I get all my Meat, Fish, Eggs, local Fruit & some of those Root Vegetables. If you are in say North US or Europe, your Avocados and Kiwi will of course be imported so I try to spend the money and buy Organic at places like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.
Ask as many questions as you can about the butchering process for your meat from your farmer. Whenever I’m back in my hometown, I always buy my meat from the same farm I did 15 years ago, and yes, I have visited the farm. Same goes for my fish. When at the store, always go for wild over farmed. Salmon is usually available as either but you don't even have to read the label, just look at the color difference it's obvious which is which. I can’t even recall the last time I saw Wild Tilapia for sale so that’s out, but I know Tuna is always wild, hence there are always cans of tuna in the house for a seafood dip as an appetizer (more on that later).
When it comes to restaurants, read the menu carefully, most higher end places will specify if the fish is wild or farmed, or the meat is Grass-Fed (common in Europe), Grain-Fed (common in US) or hybrid (Grass then Grain for last 30 days as common in Australia). I will admit that Grain finished is usually tastier buy I will usually take the grass fed when all other things are equal. Some people are huge fans of dry aging, for me it’s a significant cost without much nutritional benefit, so do I go for that? Depends, you paying?
Bottom-line, as long as I’m ordering a steak big enough to avoid eating the sides it come with, the dinner goal is met :).
Part IV: Edge Cases, Alcohol and Cheats
Everyone cheats and the first question most ask is “what about alcohol”, so let’s address this. I understand how difficult it is to maintain a diet, every time you are near friends and family all you hear is “can you eat it just this once, why are you depriving yourself?”. Basically, they just don’t understand that everyone says that and most of the crap we eat does not even taste that good. Having said that, as long as you know you are cheating on a good diet and can keep it to a minimum, you can get away with it. Let’s cover a few highlights.
1. Liquids over Solids – I prefer to cheat with a liquid over a solid, this means I would occasionally do a juice that has say pineapple, carrot, something green like spinach, celery or cucumber along with veggies & fruits we talked about earlier like ginger & maybe some lemon. But do I plan to eat a carrot any time soon? Absolutely not. This kind of brings us to Alcohol, since it’s a liquid. I am perfectly comfortable drinking alcohol with this diet, but let’s not get carried away. Beer is still gluten, so stay away, cider has way too much sugar so stay away (says the guy that eats Pineapple). Is beer & cider, better than eating bread or pasta, sure, but that’s an unreasonably low bar. So what do I drink? Tequila on the rocks with lime is favorite choice, other options are spirits in general, sparkling wine and to a lesser extent wine & sangria. I personally have a soft spot for wine even though I know I drink more of it than I should and at the expense of more optimal choices like Tequila. As for other liquids, stick to tea, bone broth & to a slightly lesser extent, coffee. Don’t touch anything on the soda side like Coke/Pepsi, but you don’t need me to tell you that, it should be obvious.
NOTE: If you are going to follow Part II, you will see how quickly a glass of wine and especially Tequila gets you buzzed at 6pm on a 24hr empty stomach, so be careful.
2. Don’t deprive yourself of taste – basically, if I’m using something I know I should not be eating to enhance the taste of the food I should be eating, it’s all good. Some examples are:
A. Seasonings including curry powder, onion powder, even the greens like Italian Seasoning, Oregano, etc. I use the green stuff less often but the point is to use common sense. Are you stuffing your fish with Oregano or just giving it a little sprinkle? One of the options is questionable.
B. I don’t like the taste the water, why would I, it’s tasteless, but when I add Mint Leaves and cut up a Lemon to add to the jug, it now becomes something tasty.
C. Of course I will dip my Sashimi in the soy sauce with some wasabi mashed into it with a little ginger on the side. The meal is Fish, the bad stuff just makes the meal amazing.
3. Have a few reasonable borderline items to get your fix – for me, this is anything Coconut & Dark Chocolate. I looked at the nutritional profile of coconut milk & water and while it’s not as great as some say, it’s certainly not terrible. I love the taste of both, so when cooking curry, I use coconut milk/cream & my fridge always has coconut water in it. Yes it’s sweet & has ‘Natural’ sugar but it has kept me away from Sodas for 10+ years. Same goes for things like ice cream & other deserts, the less gluten and more coconut/nuts/fruit it has, the more likely I am to eat it. Something like Cheesecake is not the end of the world, better if you do it yourself with less sugar and a bottom layer using nuts and suddenly it’s within the top half of the graphic from Part I. Same goes for ice cream, make it yourself and keep the sugar to a minimum, Coconut cream can be perfect to satisfy that sweet tooth.
4. Is Chicken a Vegetable? – I can see you laughing but this was something that was said by Saifedian on our Carnivory podcast. To be honest, looking at the nutritional profile of chicken breast vs beef, the difference is not that big, but when you consider the health advantages of Red Meat Fat vs Chicken Fat (and I still need to look into the difference in their proteins), I will be staying away from Chicken/Duck/Turkey in favor of more Red Meat. Does this mean if I’m at a home or restaurant dinner that cooks the greatest chicken in the city and my choices are that chicken or a vegetarian meal, of course I will eat the chicken, but the only parts of a chicken that are in my fridge, are Eggs, Liver and occasionally Hearts.
5. What about those big cheats – If you gonna do it anyway, do it all at once and make yourself sick of it! I have taken down an entire Tomahawk Steak for 3, we’re talking 1+ kg (or 2.2 lb for you Americans, 40+ oz), and how do I feel the next day, amazing! On the other hand, I made a curry vegetable soup a few weeks ago, put it through a blender as to not make my digestive system suffer processing insoluble fiber & pigged out on it for an early dinner after my usual 23 hour food break. How did that go? I felt like crap for 2 days. It tasted great by the way, happy to post the recipe for you Vegans that for some crazy reason might reading this far :). The secret ingredients are full fat coconut milk & high quality curry, but after this little experiment, I will have 0 desire to eat any Veggies for months. Same is said about bread. I have a soft spot for Indian Naan & Georgian Khachapuri, in fact I’m thinking about them right now, but I will limit their intake to when I visit those countries or perhaps a very high quality restaurant. My other weakness is Sweet Potato but to be honest, the nutritional profile of it is not too bad. So what does that mean, I won’t go out of my way to buy it or cook it, but if I’m ordering a few burgers (hold the bun & veggies), I might replace the sides it comes with like French Fries & Salad for some Sweet Potato.
This section can also go on and on, but basically just use common sense. I like to think of it as, “if it’s to enhance the flavor of healthy food, go for it.”, “eating a little tiny bit when fasting, is the same as eating a full meal, so don’t.” and “If you’re gonna cheat, take a day in a month and go all the way, just pig out till you get sick of it and maybe you can last two months next time without it.”
Part V: Tone's Food Diary - Examples & Recipes
So let’s go through a random week in my life and what I ate leading into finishing this blog post, as they make put away the laptop on this 13-hour flight from LA to New Zealand. Let’s start 7 days earlier on a Saturday as that is the day my farmers market is open.
Saturday Morning – Shopping Day - Because I know I’m only in town one more week before flying out, I buy just enough Meat, Fish & Eggs (Dozen). In addition, I stop by Trader Joe’s for Organic Avocados, Berries, Kiwi’s, Salmon, Mixed Nuts (Unroasted & Unsalted), canned seafood and Limes/Lemons/Ginger/Garlic. Everything else is not perishable and is at the house.
Saturday Early Evening – Out to Dinner with Friends & Fans. Prior to leaving the house, ate an Avocado & a Kiwi. At the Restaurant ordered Cheese Plate as Appetizer (w/ some nuts & fruit). Additional appetizers were Tuna Tartar & Pickled Herring. Ordered Braised Beef as main course, no idea what was in the sauce but it was great (again, if it’s a liquid, I’m more open to it), but did not touch the potatoes on the side. Had a few drinks, Hot Mulled Wine (kind of sweet), Lychee Martini (also kind of sweet) & at least one more drink (don’t recall but it wasn’t beer) --- Sorry forgot to take pictures.
Sunday Late Afternoon – Fish Day – I like to eat the fish I buy from the farmer's market by Wednesday of same week, this time I only bought enough for 1 meal. 1/2 Dozen Oysters, Scallops, Tuna & Mackerel (all fresh/raw, with some soy sauce & squeezed lemon) this was not enough so about an hour later, I made a seafood dip, see pictures below (Canned Tuna & Oysters, Avocado, Lemon, Mayo, Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper + the Oil from the Oyster can). Prior to eating the fish, I ate a Kiwi, and snacked on Blueberries & Raspberries. – No Alcohol
- I make the seafood dip all the time, sometimes with other fish, see image under Tuesday meal:
Monday Evening – Meat Day – 1 lb of Beef Tartar. Since my meat is frozen when I buy it from the farmer's market, I don’t mind eating it raw as long as it’s defrosted just a few hours prior (again knowing where your meat comes from is key). In a big bowl I mix 1 lb (.5 Kilo) of Raw Beef (I have also done pork, lamb & goat but its not the same, I tend to cook them these days), 1 Lemon, a few tablespoons of Avocado Oil, 3 Raw Egg Yolks & lots of seasonings: Garlic Powder, Ginger Powder, Onion Powder, Cumin, Salt, Pepper. Prior to making this, I would eat an Avocado, a Kiwi and snack on a small portion of Raspberries & Blueberries as the meat finishes defrosting. Also munched on a bunch of mixed nuts, was too lazy to roast them. – No Alcohol (Sorry no pictures on this but it would be boring anyway. Here is an example of me making this same Tartar back when i was still chopping the Garlic, Ginger, Onion & some Greens into it)
Disclaimer: this is NOT a recommendation to eat Raw Meat at home.
Tuesday Early Afternoon – Fish Day – Because the prior meal was smaller than my average 1 meal a day, I was hungry fairly early. Roasted my own Mixed Nuts over Ghee + Coconut Oil (~200gr), two decent sized fillets of Wild caught Salmon over avocado oil with seasonings. Topped with two Raw(ish) Egg Yolks (drain the Egg Whites in the garbage, put the Yolk on the pan once fish & nuts are removed for a minute max on low heat, Yolk is 80-90% raw, careful not to bust the Yolk till after it leaves the pan). Squeeze a Lemon into the pan while on low heat with some grass fed butter and use the spatula to scrape off the excess fish and nuts that might be stuck on the pan… this makes an amazing sauce to pore over the Salmon & Eggs. Also use a little bit of the fresh lemon to drizzle over an Avocado that is on your plate as well. (while things are cooking I munch on Raspberries, Blueberries and eat a Kiwi) – No Alcohol
Wednesday Evening – Russian Sauna / Bathhouse (Healthy on so many levels, but this place has great food too). Prior to heading to the Sauna, I eat my usual daily intake of Avocado, Kiwi, Berries. Ordered appetizers of Pickled Herring, which comes with lots of Onions & Potatoes with fresh garlic on top (ate a little of the onions & all the garlic, but did not touch the potatoes). Also ordered Liver Cubes which I think are beef liver, but this does not matter at all. It also comes with onions but didn’t touch them. Ordered a set of Lamb & Pork Kabobs as main course (technically two main courses, but did not eat any of the sides). Also had a Fruit/Vegetable Juice or two (Pineapple, Carrot, Ginger, Lemon) – No Alcohol
Thursday Evening – Out to dinner again with a friend/fan, you guys know where to take me, gotta have a legit steak at least once a week. Several pics below from multiple weekly dinners of similar type. At least 600 grams of meat (21+ oz) and a few approved appetizers to kick it off. About 3 glasses of Red Wine consumed with the steak.
Done this type of dinner many times, here are random images:
Friday Evening – Sushi Night with friends/family (order in). Appetizers I got were: Tropical Storm (a ball of octopus, crab meat & squid, wrapped in thinly sliced Avocado with spicy mayo sauce & salmon roe/caviar on top). Tuna Mango Tartar (small chunks of tuna, layer of chopped mango, more chunks of tuna on top). Uni Shooter (Sea Urchin, Quail Egg, Fish Eggs). Main Course was Sashimi Platter (yes, I ate the ginger & dipped the fish in wasabi mixed in soy sauce). Also ate half a roll with no rice (spicy tuna surrounded by avocado). For desert, had some dark chocolate with coffee (I usually drink tea but needed to stay up to pack and get ready for a very early flight) - Probably drank half a bottle of wine this night (don't drink Sake often but don't have a problem with it)
Pictures from the Restaurant website of things I usually order there
Saturday – Fly to LA in the AM then meeting a friend in the evening at a bar with good food for drinks/dinner. Ordered 2 burgers (one Grass-Fed Beef the other Lamb) without buns or veggies, but added Bacon, Avocado and a Fried Egg to both (yes, I ate the egg whites too). This was on the expensive side as each side was $2-3 so between the two burgers, that’s 6 sides. Total cost $50 + a Tequila (Reposado or Anejo of course) on the Rocks with Lime. Was lucky to get away with one drink, friend was driving, usually I drink more even though I know it’s not ideal. (did not take pics, sorry)
- While this is NOT the Burger I ate in LA, here is an example of a perfect burger from Chiang Mai Thailand:
Sunday Early Afternoon Meeting at Cafe - I should NOT eat this day because I’m about to get on a 13-hour flight from LA to New Zealand and not eating flight days helps a lot with jet-lag (a blog for another time). However, it’s a business meeting and it would be rude not to eat, but if I’m going to eat, I will eat 2x the normal amount. Ordered 2 Poached Eggs with side of Avocado & 2 gorgeous cuts of Pork Belly. Food was great, but I know I won’t eat again for over 24 hours, so I ordered ONE MORE of the same. Had a cup of Matcha Latte w/ Coconut Milk before the meal then one after. During the meal, just water with lemon - No Alcohol
Monday/Tuesday – New Zealand is a full day ahead so while it’s still Monday evening in LA as I type this, it’s Tuesday late afternoon in Auckland. It’s been over 24 hours of no food and I’m assuming we will go out to dinner tonight with friends. If we do, I hope there is a nice juicy Rib-eye on the menu, New Zealand meat is legit. If I don’t eat today, will really look forward to a nice meal next day.
NOTE: on the LA to NZ flight I had a bottle of water, then two glasses of white wine (back to back), a cup of tea & a glass of water, in that order over a 13-hour span. It was way more liquid than I should have had as it made me go to the restroom way too many times instead of just relaxing in my seat, writing this article, watching Joker (good movie) & sleeping, in that order by the way as I wanted to get into the new time zone. (I work first while fresh, forced myself to stay up and watch a good movie to be tired and ready to pass out as the time in New Zealand was getting close to midnight, flight landed at 6 AM and I felt like it's morning for my body as well)
Addendum: There was a meal that night, after landing at 6 AM & not having anything to eat or drink till 5 PM local (total time of no food was 30 hours), the meal was a 500 gr Grass-Fed New Zealand Beef Rib-eye + a chicken liver appetizer (this appetizer came with an incredible mushroom sauce that I kept dipping the Steak into but unfortunately have to report that I ate the mushrooms that were in the sauce for the liver. Forgot to take a picture, was too busy chatting it up with Kim Dotcom at the dinner table… Name Drop!)
Additional Notes
1. You should get a general idea by now on what I drink, but let’s make it clear. When cooking my own food, assume I’m drinking Tea with the meal and I usually go through 3-5 cups of tea during the day. Sometimes I will drink Coconut or Regular Water (which I flavor with Mint and Lemon). Not much of a coffee drinker, maybe 2 cups a week & always socially). I drink all kinds of teas, Green is probably the one I drink most often and Chamomile the least. Just a personal preference. I’m not a fan of black tea by itself but flavored black or green is great (mint, mango, ginger, etc)
2. This is not my typical week in relation to alcohol, usually there is a much higher intake, trying to cut back but it’s hard, I only drink socially, but I’m in social situations too often with lots of free alcohol or people wanting to take me out for a drink. I never drink alone and try not to pay for my own drinks, this helps me cut back on the intake.
3. I try to separate Fish days from Meat days. Why? I’m not sure. I’ve heard it’s better but have not had time to do proper research. Am I religious about it, NO, if there is good seafood & good meat to eat at the same time, I will eat it.
4. I am a huge fan of Whole Fish. When I see fresh caught local fish on the menu (common in South East Asia & Caribbean, it trumps many meat choices on the menu)
5. I did not mention anything about exercising so sounds like another blog post is coming. TL;DR is I go through stages, sometimes work out every day, sometimes a month straight without a push-up.
FINAL NOTE: Evolution of the Tone Vays diet plan
As I continue to research more about what is healthy for our bodies, it is possible I will be moving into the direction of Carnivore. So things like Nuts will be moving down the list from Occasionally to Avoid (due to high amounts of Phytic Acid) & things like Avocado moving down from Preferred to Occasionally (due to high amount of Soluble Fiber). At the moment I am still focusing on the good Vitamins & Minerals from set food but not enough attention is being paid to the bad things that food also brings. While an Avocado is packed with great stuff, it also has a slight dark side, a high quality grass-fed steak on the other hand will probably have close to 0 dark side and hence this trade off needs to be further explored. Same goes for fish, due to Ocean pollution, fish now caries a dark side as well. More to come in one year, stay tuned.
Closing Disclaimer: Once again, this is NOT nutrition or lifestyle advice. Many ask how I stay fit at my age with this crazy lifestyle and it’s 75% food, 25% exercise. It is not a recommendation to do the same, but this is what is working for me.
Additional Images of Food Porn!
