17 Daily Foods for a Lean Body — Full Breakdown & Transcript

[00:00] When it comes to being lean, what you put in your body is what matters the most. Not necessarily what you do in your workouts. You see, nutrition determines body fat levels, and to me, I take nutrition very seriously. So with that said, I want to share with you 17 foods, yes, that I eat every single day

[00:15] to make sure that I stay on point and lean all year round. And so we'll kick off this list where we kind of kick off our day at breakfast, and one of the foods I have every single day is egg whites. Now don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against the yolk.

[00:28] The reason why I choose egg whites is because I can just pour them out of a container, get six of them, and be off and running. The fact is, the eggs give me a good source of protein in the morning, and there aren't really a whole hell of a lot that fit my meal plan.

[00:42] There's bacon, and there's sausage, but I don't eat any high-fat meal plan, so I don't really include those. My eggs will provide me that 24 grams of protein for six egg whites. It's a good start to my morning, and it's one reason why it's always going to be part of what I do every single day.

[00:57] Sticking with breakfast here, the next food I actually committed to a long time ago was oatmeal. Just plain old-fashioned, slow-cooked oats. And that's when things started to change for me. I noticed I had more energy.

[01:09] I noticed that muscle cramping, which is a thing that I kind of struggled with for a while, decreased tremendously because of the magnesium. And again, with the zero sugar found in this form of oats, I didn't have the crash that I normally did after breakfast. So the point is, I found other ways, though, to make this taste better.

[01:23] Someone throws some fruit in. I learned to throw in some pumpkin and some walnuts that we'll talk about later on this list. And oh yeah, even a little bit of whipped cream. The point is there will never be a food that I do not eat to kick off my day. The next thing you want to see me go a day without drinking is skim milk.

[01:38] Wait, Jesse, that's not skim milk. That's the best I've ever had. I can see the fat running right through here. Actually, guys, I don't think fat is unhealthy. However, the fat is going to contribute calories. And the amount that I drink this every day, that would actually add up.

[01:52] I have between 40 and let's say 50 ounces of skim milk every single day, whether it be in my oatmeal or the glass alone or at night or with my steaks. I have a lot.

[02:04] And realizing that the skim option gives us less fat, I'm only choosing it because of the calorie impact that it would have. Now, if you're not drinking a whole hell of a lot each day, then go ahead and have whole milk. We get a lot of benefits from it.

[02:16] But again, my reasoning for choosing this is really for that extra protein boost throughout the day. And with up to 50 ounces, like I said, that I'm drinking every day, that would be an extra 450 calories if I chose the whole milk version.

[02:29] Again, when you're trying to stay in a certain caloric range, having that much could do some damage. Next up for me are one of those intangibles that oftentimes get overlooked when we're talking about foods. Because this is a food ingredient, and we're talking about cinnamon.

[02:43] Now, I'm not talking about any kind of cinnamon. There's an important difference between cashew cinnamon and Ceylon cinnamon. And actually, one of my YouTube subscribers pointed it out to me a long time ago when they were looking out for me. Because I eat a hell of a lot of cinnamon every day.

[02:57] As a matter of fact, I put it in my oatmeal along with the cinnamon. So to combine these things to become a lot more efficient with our food choices too. But the difference is that cashew cinnamon has some negative side effects. If you eat a lot of it, you can get coumarin toxicity, which can actually lead to some liver damage.

[03:14] Not something I wanted. So for me, stay-along cinnamon is the choice. You might have to go to a specialty store to buy it, but it's definitely worth the effort if you're going to be eating a lot of it. The reason I eat it is because not only do I enjoy the taste of cinnamon, but I also realize its blood sugar stabilizing capabilities.

[03:29] It can help improve insulin sensitivity, which again, when your goal is to stay lean, or if you have aspirations for fat loss, it's just an easy add-on that you shouldn't overlook, and I certainly never do any day.

[03:41] Next up in the food that I have every day at lunchtime is Greek yogurt. And we know the benefits of yogurt. You've probably been told many times before that it helps to boost your immune system. It helps with the probiotics in it for digestive health. So I actually choose it once again as another really good solid choice of protein.

[03:57] And we talking about around 15 to up to 25 grams of protein per container Now there one caution here Some will tell you that this is great because it contains all nine essential amino acids but you have to realize that not all of them are in adequate levels So if you want to make this a real complete protein you can boost the levels that

[04:15] are lacking in Greek yogurt by adding a little bit of chia seeds or a little bit of pumpkin seeds on top, which is something I oftentimes will do. Guys, I have a sweet tooth. I've revealed that to you before in many videos. How do I keep myself from indulging in that too often? By not depriving

[04:31] myself completely of the things that taste sweet to me. Now again, with some modifications. I don't eat ice cream every day. I choose a lower calorie option with less fat. Again, the calories will matter if you do something every single day. This is something that I indulge in. I do it every

[04:47] single night after dinner. A glass about that tall, full of frozen yogurt. And yes, with whipped cream on top. If you can find something that you really, really enjoy and it helps to keep you on track because you don't feel deprived, then it needs to be in your daily eating plan. And again, this is

[05:02] something that works for me. Find the thing that works for you, but also works to keep you at the goals that you want to achieve. Which brings me back now to the non-sweetened portion of my meal plan. And we're talking about lean protein like chicken, fish, or beef, or meat. Because again,

[05:17] when you're seeking new muscle gains, it's a very important part of what you're putting in your body. Now that being said, I long ago gave up the idea of the boring bodybuilder approach to my protein. You won't find me eating boiled chicken with steamed broccoli. This is not going to happen,

[05:33] especially because it's not necessary. There's so many things that we can do to enhance the flavor that don't commit you to a lifetime of eating boiled, dry, bland food. But when building muscle is your goal, like it is mine, some protein in your diet is going to have to be there. It's an

[05:46] inescapable truth. Where you reach for yours is up to you. This is where I go on a daily basis. Now, this one might catch some of you by surprise, because you probably didn't expect this to be on my plate at least one time every single day.

[05:59] And guess what? It is for one very important reason, because I love it. I grew up an Italian kid in a house with a grandfather who prepared the seven fishes on Christmas Eve. When did you think I was not going to eat pasta the rest of my life?

[06:12] Even being lean, you can still eat pasta. And that's the thing I want to get across to you guys. You have to have a respect for these complex carbohydrates, but you can still eat them. Well, at least I believe you can, because I think it's important fuel for your performance.

[06:25] And for me, it's worth my entire life. As long as I remain active, I can eat these things. But again, I have to have a healthy respect. So how I do it is with how I divide the portion of these on my plate. And I talked about that in my plate division method video, where I showed you that, yes,

[06:40] that one third was actually tied by the protein you just talked about. But then one third of the remainder of the plate came in the form of my complex research of carbohydrates. Again, allocating a certain amount of space because I know that these foods can easily be overeaten.

[06:53] But you're never going to convince me that these should be replaced entirely. I understand there's alternative methods for fueling your body. I'm not an advocate of those. For me, carbohydrates will always be the source. So if pasta was the yin to my diet, then the yang is going to come in the form of the fibrous carbohydrates.

[07:07] Things like bok choy, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower. But we can lump them into a category called cruciferous vegetables. And it's one that I make sure that I have some form of on my plate every single night.

[07:21] The reason for it is because I know the benefits that they provide. Rhonda Patrick is somebody that I have a high respect for, and she goes into great detail how the cruciferous vegetables have something called selphurophane in them that allow us to do a lot of interesting things.

[07:34] Not only do they provide amazing anti-inflammatory benefits, and again, for someone training hard, that's a win-win, but they also have the ability to inhibit myostatin. And myostatin is something that will break down muscle in your body,

[07:47] or at least signal the breakdown of muscle. If you inhibit that, you have a better opportunity to experience new muscle growth. Not to mention the sulforaphane itself is a powerful antioxidant, which we, again, can always benefit from more of.

[08:00] The key is that you don't forget to do it. We've all been told by mom, eating our green vegetables is important. Well now you have some more reasons to make sure that you do Now don be confused by the shameless plug behind me of the best tasting protein on the market for the course of an industry 30 grams per serving Now the fact is this is one of the easiest ways for you guys to get more protein in your

[08:19] diet on a daily basis. And it's through the use of a protein shake. And yes, it's one of those bodybuilder approach remnants that I believe should still stick to this day. Because having a high quality protein shake is one of the easiest, most digestible, most

[08:33] convenient ways to get the additional protein that will help you to meet your daily protein goals. For me, it's a staple of what I do. Every single day when I leave work, the first thing I do when I get home is I make a protein shake. Because for those of you that follow me on Instagram,

[08:47] you know that I don't work out until very late at night. So I don't have my dinner until after I'm done training. That could be 11 o'clock or 1130. So I have my shake. And for me, of course, I'm going to reach for Pro30G because it's our brand. And not because I don't like any other

[09:00] brands. It's just that I know that I can vouch for this one because I put my damn name on the bag. The fact is, it comes in both vegan and regular weight formulas. You have to find the one that's right for you. Maybe it's not this one, but you should find a place in your daily diet for a high-quality protein shake because it's going to help you immensely.

[09:17] And now piggybacking off of that protein shake recommendation, I'm going to go with blueberries every single day. Literally. Because what I do is I take blueberries and I throw them into my protein shake. Because I know the many benefits that blueberries provide.

[09:30] Not only are they a powerful antioxidant, but they actually help in the gym too. They help speed up muscle recovery. If you're going to train naturally, the most important thing you can do is try to figure out a way to improve your body's ability to recover from your hard workouts.

[09:44] And blueberries help here. They actually have been shown to decrease the amount of oxidative stress and damage to human muscle progenitor cells. Basically what that means is if you're trying to add new muscle and you can get less damage to those new muscle cells, well, we're in business.

[09:58] They're also very portable and they contain up to 25% of the daily recommendation for vitamin C. But here's the one point that kind of sticks in my craw a little bit. When people say that they don't eat blueberries, or for that matter, many fruits, because it makes you fat.

[10:12] Guys, there's only 0.8 calories in a single blueberry, which means you can eat 100 of them, and it will only cost you 80 calories. Believe me, eating blueberries never will make you fat, so why don't you indulge, because the many benefits here will far overshadow the reasons why you're not eating them right now.

[10:28] And so if I'm going to share with you the foods I eat on a daily basis, I couldn't make it through the entire video without talking about my nuts. And so in any video of me sharing the foods that I eat on a daily basis, I'm going to have to talk about my walnuts.

[10:41] Because walnuts have unique benefits, especially when compared to other nuts. Number one, they have the highest concentration of omega-3 fatty acids. And we know that omega-3 fatty acids can help to control inflammation and speed up muscle

[10:54] repair and recovery. And just like the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, the same benefits can apply here to you in terms of improving your blood lips and profiles and cholesterol levels. And I mentioned consolidating those foods to make sure that I get all these in on a daily basis.

[11:07] This is where I put my walnuts in my oatmeal every single day. Or it's where I kind of pair them up with that omega-rich fish that I talked about eating before. I know how important dietary fats are to me. I spent the early part of my life avoiding fats because I read all the information that told us to do that.

[11:23] I paid the price for that. I will never do that again. I have to make sure I have them in my diet. This is a great way for you to do it, and it's an easy way to do it too. And so if pasta was my all-time favorite carbohydrate, well, this might be tied.

[11:35] Because I love sweet potatoes. And maybe you can tell by the orangey color of my hands. I eat them a lot every single day. But it's because I know the benefits of them. They're a better form of carbohydrate for me.

[11:49] Again, they're lower on the glycemic index. They make me feel good. They give me good energy to support my hard training. But most of all, I enjoy them. I mean, I literally love sweet potatoes. To me it's almost like a dessert.

[12:01] Again, when I have that sweet tooth that will never go away, it's something I just sort of rely on to give me some of that satisfaction throughout the day. Not only do they have four to six grams of fiber per potato, but they have something called carotenoids Basically all the orange foods have carotenoids and there are three radical scavengers that can go out there and kind of break down the cells that sort of advance or accelerate aging So it what makes me look young after all these years

[12:25] The fact is guys, there's so many reasons why I love my sweet potatoes and if you ever try them and get into them yourself, I'm sure you'll have the same love affair that I do. This next one is another one of those green vegetables that I make sure I don't miss on

[12:37] a daily basis. So it's not one of the cruciferous vegetables, it's asparagus. You may know someone who eats asparagus because you can smell them from a mile away, or at least if you walk by the bathroom after they go to the bathroom, you can smell them from a few rooms away.

[12:50] But it's got so much more benefits than just the ability to turn people away. It has the ability to create a skin-tightening effect. This is actually a food that bodybuilders rely on as almost nature's diuretic to help them remove excess water weight.

[13:04] And it all starts with low levels of body fat, because if you're sitting at 25 to 30% body fat, all the asparagus in the world probably won't make a visible difference. But you'll still probably enjoy it because it's a great tasting vegetable. It's one that I make sure I include every single day.

[13:17] So this next one might trigger a few people because they're not a big fan of soy. And I actually didn't think I was either because if you believed everything you read up to this point, you might have avoided it like the plague. But I don't anymore.

[13:29] And I eat it every single night in the form of edamame. It provides 17 grams of protein per cup. It's the only vegetable that provides all nine essential amino acids. Now, a lot of people will avoid soy in any form because they're worried about the testosterone-lowering effect and the increases in estrogen.

[13:45] But recent research has actually found that a lot of people are contesting whether or not that's true. It's something I've eaten every single day and experienced zero estrogenic side effects. So, at least in my case, I'm going to continue eating it.

[13:57] What you do is up to you. I mentioned earlier the other orange foods. Well, my other orange food of choice that is absolutely something I eat every single day is canned pumpkin. And I put it in my oatmeal, as you've probably seen in my pumpkin oatmeal recipe,

[14:10] but I can eat it just like this because I know how powerful it is in terms of being a superfood. It has high levels of vitamin A, but as I mentioned, again, back to the sweet potatoes, you have to be careful about how much you're ingesting because it could leave your skin a little tab orangey.

[14:25] But again, as a powerful free radical scavenger and anti-ager, it's something that I'm going to find a way to put into my diet every single day. Another good point here, this is one of those lower calorie options when it comes to the orange foods.

[14:38] Remember, sweet potatoes are going to be more calorically dense. This, not nearly as much. So if you're looking for something that's going to be a little bit light on calories and still give you the chance to have the orange foods every day, this is the one you're going to want to reach for too. If there's a food I've become a more recent believer of, it's been ginger.

[14:53] And I incorporate it every single day in its pickle form. We're talking about almost zero calories, and I get to experience the benefits we know it can provide in just about a pinch. But one of the best things that ginger provides is a blood sugar stabilization effect because it can increase insulin sensitivity.

[15:11] The other thing it does is it can improve our ability to withstand hard workouts. In fact, there's a recent study that shows it can decrease delayed onset muscle soreness by up to 25%. And again, unlike some of the other foods we covered, the amount that you have to ingest is so minimal, I feel like everyone can do it.

[15:27] Now, maybe you don't like the taste of ginger, but you can do it in so many different forms. This just happens to be the one that I choose. I highly recommend it, guys, and make sure that I put it in my diet every single day. Wait, Jesse, you're not supposed to see this one.

[15:39] Well, okay, listen, I'd be remiss if I didn't at least admit to this, because this is also a part of my daily eating every single day. I put it on my oatmeal, I put it on my regular yogurt, Greek yogurt, and I put it on my frozen yogurt at night.

[15:53] No, I'm not scared of the calories here. The point is it's another one of those things that keeps my sanity and keeps me enjoying the foods that I eat. Speaking of that, guys, if you want to see my whole day of how I put together all these meals, you can check out my full day of eating video here.

[16:06] I highly recommend it. Lots of people have asked me, Jeff, how and what do you eat? That reveals everything in a nutshell. If you're looking for a full program, guys, an inclusive meal plan, you can find it at Athleanx.com. And if you haven't done so, please subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss a video when we put one out.

[16:19] All right, guys. See you soon.