Fueling your body is easy—if you can pull yourself away from fancy flavor combinations and the latest culinary trends. Just load your plate with foods that are proven to make you stronger and healthier, eat, and repeat. Sure, you won’t get to throw around words like spoom or zabaglione, but repeating this single spartan meal will help you outperform and ultimately outlive those who do.
- 1// Grains
½ cup cooked wheat berries, pearl barley, and wild rice
Eating whole grains has been associated with lower risk of heart disease and diabetes. The grain’s outer layer is tough and packed with fiber, which helps your digestive system function. Inside is a starchy, fluffy layer that holds the nutrient-dense germ.
- 2// Fillet of salmon
Salmon’s omega-3 fatty acids work to build the brain’s cell membranes, lower blood pressure, and improve circulatory function. Just 6 ounces of fatty fish per week will reduce your risk of heart disease by 36 percent. The fish’s vitamin D builds bone, and its selenium helps curb diabetes.
- 3// Fruit medley
⅔ cup cantaloupe, blueberries, and blackberries
Berries are a tasty vitamin-delivery system, providing A, C, and E, along with folate, which is important for cellular metabolism and renewal. Cantaloupe contains potassium, which is crucial in keeping the heart, muscles, nerves, and digestive system working.
- 4// Veggies galore
Half the plate should be filled with vegetables.
Vegetables lower blood pressure, slash heart disease risk, and help ward off stroke and cancer. The lutein and zeaxanthin in dark, leafy-green vegetables are credited with stopping harmful free radicals. Collards are a nondairy source of calcium. Plus, fiber!
- 5// H 2 0
Forget all that vitamin- and sugar-enhanced stuff you can buy—what you need the most is free from the tap. A glass before dinner will help you eat less, and drinking enough water overall aids digestion, gets nutrients efficiently to your body’s cells, and protects your organs and tissues. Toast to that.
Input | Exercise
Input | Information
Input | Sleep
Input | Nutrition
Output | Performance
Output | Wellness
Output | Longevity
