Berardi's Top 20 Superfoods

Dr. John Berardi is one of the top nutrition players in the fat loss game. And he's here to help you burst through your fat loss plateaus, while at the same time helping you improve your health. And maybe more importantly, he wants to show you that eating healthy still means you can enjoy delicious food.

John's list of accomplishments are long and distinguished:

A former national level bodybuilder

A current professor at the University of Texas at Austin

President of Science Link, Inc - Translating Research Into Results
& author of 3 books including Gourmet Nutrition.

I ask John about nutrition every chance that I get because he knows a lot about what is arguably the most important part of the fat loss equation - nutrition.

CB: Do you suggest any superfoods that you think absolutely must be in everyone's diet for health and wellness purposes?

JB:
In my 2005 book (Rev It Up), I outline 20 superfoods that I think are essential in every nutrition plan. Here are the 20:

1) Lean Red Meat (93% lean, top round, or sirloin)
2) Salmon
3) Omega 3 Eggs
4) Low-fat, plain yogurt (lactose free if you can find it)
5) Supplemental protein (milk protein isolates or rice protein concentrate if you have a milk protein intolerance/allergy)
6) Spinach
7) Tomatoes
8) Cruciferous Vegetables
9) Mixed Berries
10) Oranges
11) Mixed Beans
12) Quinoa
13) Whole Oats
14) Mixed Nuts
15) Avocados
16) Olive Oil
17) Fish Oil
18) Flax Seeds (ground)
19) Green Tea
20) Liquid Recovery drinks (like Biotest Surge)


CB: That's great John. I want all my readers to go through this superfoods checklist and then get these foods on their shopping lists ASAP.

Now, speaking of metabolism: what ratio of carbohydrates, fat and protein is best for fat loss or is this something that must be approached individually?

JB:
It really must be approached individually.

You see, after working with thousands of clients, I've discovered that there is no 'one size fits all' approach to muscle gain or fat loss. There are different body types and each type requires a different prescription. For the sake of simplicity here, I'll break individuals up into 3 types:

*Body Type #1 - The Skinny Bastard - The skinny bastard is often characterized as having a 'fast metabolism.'

*Body Type #2 - The Fat Bastard - The fat bastard is often characterized as having a 'slow metabolism.'

*Body Type #3 - The Plain Ol' Bastard - The envy of all. He's the guy that puts on muscle easily while staying lean. He grows and shrinks in proportion.

Okay, so these definitions maybe won't find their way into Webster's but they create a nice distinction between individuals. Now, you might be thinking that these distinctions aren't always evident. And you'd be right. In most trainees these distinctions are quite clear. However, with proper training and nutrition, drug use, or surgery, the line can sometimes be blurred.

Drug use and surgery aside, if you don't know which type an individual is you've got to find out what that person would look like with the removal of the training stimulus.

If the person would end up really thin, not appearing as if they even bothered to work out, then they're a skinny bastard. If the would end up really fat, appearing thick but very chubby/chunky, then they're a fat bastard. And if the person would still look like they work out, albeit a little worse than presently, then they're a plain ol' bastard.

You see it's not how you look today that's most important - it's how you'd look if you didn't train.

CB: So what does each type require?

JB:
I usually hesitate to prescribe macronutrient percentages and grams to clients - after all, isn't it my job to make it easy on them?

So rather than put them in the middle of a macronutrient minefield, I make it simple by translating all that calorie and macronutrient stuff into food that they can eat. As an old prof of mine used to say: "We don't eat calories, we don't eat protein, we don't eat carbs, and we don't eat fat. People eat food; apples and chicken breasts!"

So my nutrition prescriptions involve recommending different food choices at different times of the day. It makes it really simple for the client. No calculator or advanced math skills required.


CB: What about for the nutritionists reading this? How would you recommend they coach their clients with the 3 different body types?

JB:
Body Type #1 - The Skinny Bastard - usually requires a higher calorie, higher carbohydrate diet (vs. the other types) when trying to lose fat. Crash diets, in this group, lead to lots of lean mass lost.

These individuals can get lean by simply increasing their energy expenditure (usually through lower intensity cardio work - so as not to stress their already hyperactive sympathetic nervous systems) and by cleaning up their diets.

Usually these body types can get lean from a diet that's 50% carbohydrate, 20% protein, and 30% fat. That's around what a self-selected nutrition intake would be anyway. That's why it's pretty easy for these individuals to get lean.

Body Type #2 - The Fat Bastard - usually requires a lower calorie diet that prioritizes protein and fat intake while keeping carbohydrate relatively low.

When combined with more high intensity exercise (perhaps 5 weight training, 3 interval, and 2 low intensity cardio) sessions per week, a 30% carbohydrate, 35% protein, 35% fat diet works pretty well in this group - as long as they pay attention to nutrient timing.

Body Type #3 - The Plain Ol' Bastard - usually doesn't have to lose fat - bastards! However, when they do, they usually can do so with a combination of the two approaches above - the exercise prescription of the fat bastard and the nutritional prescription of the skinny bastard.


CB: What about this nutrient timing concept you mentioned?

JB:
Good nutrient timing strategies are based on the fact that the body best handles different types of food at different times of the day.

One of the most important nutrient timing strategies dictates that you should eat most of your non-fruit and veggie carbohydrates during and after exercise. This rule is especially important to our fat bastards above. If you haven't just exercised, put down the pasta, the breads, the rice, etc and step away from the table.

Also, my Gourmet Nutrition book, which contains over 100 recipes (in addition to all the cooking tips and strategies), has all the meals labeled with the right time of day to eat them. This makes it very easy to pay attention to nutrient timing.
******
Thanks John,

CB

P.S. Want more from John?

>>>> Here is John's site

Here's some feedback on his help...

I was 'dieting' on my own for many months before I found PN. And while simple calorie restriction was working for me, it was a real challenge and I struggled every day with what to eat, when to eat, etc. I was also losing a lot of lean body mass along with the fat.But using the PN program changed all of that. It really forced me to think carefully about my menus and now I always know when I am going to eat next and what I am going to eat next. No more head games about "Gee, if I have this breakfast burrito, then I'll need to skip lunch. If I eat this, I can't eat that"... and on and on. In other words, one of the greatest benefits of PN for me has been a huge reduction in the mental stress of dieting. Also, my weight loss now is running about 90% to 95% fat loss...So thank you, Dr. Berardi, for an excellent program! Thirteen months ago, I weighed 375 lbs. Today I weighed in at 201 lbs...Naturally, my weight loss invites a lot of questions from friends and aquaintances and I always tell them about Precision Nutrition."

>>>> Here is John's site