The See-Food Diet

I've had clients as me what I eat or what my diet looks like. They know that I'm a competitive athlete. I give one of two answers depending on what I think they need to hear.

One answer is basically me giving the Paleo diet spiel. Saying how I try to focus my eating around meat, fruits, and vegetables, and since I'm very active, I make sure I eat enough and spread it out, timing my macronutrients for when my workouts are. I tell them I stay away from grains and anything processed, save whey protein and the occasional protein bar.

But then I give the real answer to those that won't see it as dietary release:

I eat a see-food diet. I see food, and I eat it.

I'm on my bike for an hour or more a day. I lift heavy weights for 2 hours several times a week. I'm on my feet, demonstrating moves, doing all that trainer stuff. I have to eat a lot to stay strong. So basically, I eat whatever I want.

The key word there is WANT. I don't want to eat crap. I want to eat things that help me perform better, that satiate me and won't cause me to crash in an hour or two (I have to eat fairly often as it is). I think things like steak, chicken, and salmon are tasty. I think that most burgers and fried foods are not.

I wasn't always like that. When I went off to college I wanted to eat crap and processed shit like every other kid did. For me, pasta, potatoes, bread, or rice were side dishes to meat, not a salad. It wasn't until probably senior year when I really got the idea of what eating clean meant.

It's been 7 years since college. It's been 7 years of learning about nutrition, how to cook, and changing and solidifying my culinary tastes. So when I say that I eat what I want, it's because I don't want to eat crap.

Still, I can't tell just any one that "I eat what I want."