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Written by Chris Mclinch
Whether they're interested in weight loss or muscle gains, people naturally want to seek out the perfect diet. Magazines and bookstores are crammed with "perfect" diets. Low fat. Low carb. Raw foods. Cabbage soup. They've all got their adherents, but they've all got their detractors. None of them are perfect.
I'm going to let you in on a little secret here: There's no such thing as a perfect diet. As Dave Draper says, "the only secret is there is no secret." A perfect diet would have to help you lose fat, build muscle, maintain your weight, and taste good enough, be easy enough to prepare, and provide enough variety that you'd never be tempted to cheat. That diet doesn't exist. But what does exist is the good enough diet.
The good enough diet is about basic principles of healthy eating. It recognizes that we all like different foods, that we eat to fuel different activities, and that different bodies have different requirements.
Meals on the good enough diet revolve around protein. Whether you're eating to gain mass or to lose it, it's important to eat enough protein over the course of the day to promote fat loss and muscle gain. For most, that's a minimum of a gram per pound of lean mass. For me, I do best with a gram per pound of bodyweight, if not more. Spread that protein intake out over the number of times you plan on eating. For example, I like eating six times a day, and I weigh around 205. If I shoot for 35 grams of protein at each meal, I'll hit 210 grams for the day. If some meals have a little more, I'm covered, and if some have a little less, I'm not going to sweat it. After all, this is all about good enough.
On the good enough diet, all the sources of complete proteins are available: eggs, milk, cheese, beef, chicken, turkey, pork, fish, protein powder, etc. If you're not craving any specific form of protein, go for something lean (white meat from poultry, lean beef, tuna, etc.) or something with good fats (fatty fish or omega-3 eggs). But if you're craving prime rib, have prime rib. It's good enough.
I'm not going to make a specific recommendation on the amount of carbs in the diet. Some people do best on very low carbs--30 grams or less per day. Others do best on much higher carbs--over 300 grams per day. The big rule on the good enough diet is to get your carbs from sources that also give you something else. As such, your carbs will be coming primarily from fruits and vegetables (which give you fiber, vitamins, and minerals), milk (vitamins and protein), and whole grains (fiber and some vitamins). You won't be eating much sugar (whether table sugar or high fructose corn syrup) or refined flour because they don't give you anything else. Again, the exception is if you're specifically craving something. You can buy and treat yourself to a single serving of it, because that's generally good enough.
This doesn't mean that it's good enough to follow every meal with dessert, but if you primarily get your carbs from fruit and vegetables and find yourself craving a Snickers bar, go ahead and buy it. Just make sure that you buy a single bar and really savor it.
For your fat consumption, the good enough diet sets only broad guidelines: between 20% and 65% of your calories should be coming from fat. I'm far more concerned with the kinds of fat your food contains. About a third of the fat you eat should be saturated, a third should be polyunsaturated, and a third should be monounsaturated. None should come from trans fatty acids unless you're specifically craving a single serving of one food that happens to contain them. How to tell if what you're about to eat contains trans fatty acids? Look for the words "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredients.
So what does the good enough diet look like in practice? Most anything.
Breakfast might be eggs, oatmeal, a piece of fruit, and coffee. Or it could be a smoothie made with protein powder, milk, and fruit. The only real constants are that it should have protein and that the fats in it should be healthy and the carbs should provide more than calories.
For me, the next meal is usually just a jolt of protein: maybe a can of tuna or a protein shake. If I want more, I'll have a piece of fruit.
Lunch can also look like almost anything. It should be healthy, simple, and portable. My staples are chili (lean meat, and beans and tomatoes are both nutritional powerhouses), stir-fries (6-8 oz of meat stir-fried with half a bag of frozen veggies and sauce from a jar makes a quick, healthy good enough meal), and grilled chicken (usually thighs or leg quarters) with a side salad. As always, look for protein, carbs that contribute something, and healthy fats.
The next meal is also usually just a jolt of protein: a can of tuna or a protein shake. If I want more, I'll have a handful of mixed nuts.
Dinner can be most anything. Most of the time I'll do grilled meat, chicken, or fish with veggies and a salad. Frequently a beer as well. Not ideal, but good enough. Never more than two beers, though. If it goes from relaxing to intoxicating, you've had too much.
The final meal is another quick jolt of protein: tuna, protein shake, or cottage cheese. I'll usually have some fish oil or ground flaxseeds with this one as well.
Basically, that's what the good enough diet looks like in practice: three healthy meals with three high-protein snacks in my case. The food choices are all healthy unless you're specifically craving something, and you go right back to eating healthy at the next meal if you've cheated at the last one. It's not fancy, but it's adaptable to any goal, it will keep you healthy, it will keep you lean, and it will allow you to add muscle without getting fat.
Sounds pretty close to perfect, doesn't it?
Whether they're interested in weight loss or muscle gains, people naturally want to seek out the perfect diet. Magazines and bookstores are crammed with "perfect" diets. Low fat. Low carb. Raw foods. Cabbage soup. They've all got their adherents, but they've all got their detractors. None of them are perfect.
I'm going to let you in on a little secret here: There's no such thing as a perfect diet. As Dave Draper says, "the only secret is there is no secret." A perfect diet would have to help you lose fat, build muscle, maintain your weight, and taste good enough, be easy enough to prepare, and provide enough variety that you'd never be tempted to cheat. That diet doesn't exist. But what does exist is the good enough diet.
The good enough diet is about basic principles of healthy eating. It recognizes that we all like different foods, that we eat to fuel different activities, and that different bodies have different requirements.
Meals on the good enough diet revolve around protein. Whether you're eating to gain mass or to lose it, it's important to eat enough protein over the course of the day to promote fat loss and muscle gain. For most, that's a minimum of a gram per pound of lean mass. For me, I do best with a gram per pound of bodyweight, if not more. Spread that protein intake out over the number of times you plan on eating. For example, I like eating six times a day, and I weigh around 205. If I shoot for 35 grams of protein at each meal, I'll hit 210 grams for the day. If some meals have a little more, I'm covered, and if some have a little less, I'm not going to sweat it. After all, this is all about good enough.
On the good enough diet, all the sources of complete proteins are available: eggs, milk, cheese, beef, chicken, turkey, pork, fish, protein powder, etc. If you're not craving any specific form of protein, go for something lean (white meat from poultry, lean beef, tuna, etc.) or something with good fats (fatty fish or omega-3 eggs). But if you're craving prime rib, have prime rib. It's good enough.
I'm not going to make a specific recommendation on the amount of carbs in the diet. Some people do best on very low carbs--30 grams or less per day. Others do best on much higher carbs--over 300 grams per day. The big rule on the good enough diet is to get your carbs from sources that also give you something else. As such, your carbs will be coming primarily from fruits and vegetables (which give you fiber, vitamins, and minerals), milk (vitamins and protein), and whole grains (fiber and some vitamins). You won't be eating much sugar (whether table sugar or high fructose corn syrup) or refined flour because they don't give you anything else. Again, the exception is if you're specifically craving something. You can buy and treat yourself to a single serving of it, because that's generally good enough.
This doesn't mean that it's good enough to follow every meal with dessert, but if you primarily get your carbs from fruit and vegetables and find yourself craving a Snickers bar, go ahead and buy it. Just make sure that you buy a single bar and really savor it.
For your fat consumption, the good enough diet sets only broad guidelines: between 20% and 65% of your calories should be coming from fat. I'm far more concerned with the kinds of fat your food contains. About a third of the fat you eat should be saturated, a third should be polyunsaturated, and a third should be monounsaturated. None should come from trans fatty acids unless you're specifically craving a single serving of one food that happens to contain them. How to tell if what you're about to eat contains trans fatty acids? Look for the words "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredients.
So what does the good enough diet look like in practice? Most anything.
Breakfast might be eggs, oatmeal, a piece of fruit, and coffee. Or it could be a smoothie made with protein powder, milk, and fruit. The only real constants are that it should have protein and that the fats in it should be healthy and the carbs should provide more than calories.
For me, the next meal is usually just a jolt of protein: maybe a can of tuna or a protein shake. If I want more, I'll have a piece of fruit.
Lunch can also look like almost anything. It should be healthy, simple, and portable. My staples are chili (lean meat, and beans and tomatoes are both nutritional powerhouses), stir-fries (6-8 oz of meat stir-fried with half a bag of frozen veggies and sauce from a jar makes a quick, healthy good enough meal), and grilled chicken (usually thighs or leg quarters) with a side salad. As always, look for protein, carbs that contribute something, and healthy fats.
The next meal is also usually just a jolt of protein: a can of tuna or a protein shake. If I want more, I'll have a handful of mixed nuts.
Dinner can be most anything. Most of the time I'll do grilled meat, chicken, or fish with veggies and a salad. Frequently a beer as well. Not ideal, but good enough. Never more than two beers, though. If it goes from relaxing to intoxicating, you've had too much.
The final meal is another quick jolt of protein: tuna, protein shake, or cottage cheese. I'll usually have some fish oil or ground flaxseeds with this one as well.
Basically, that's what the good enough diet looks like in practice: three healthy meals with three high-protein snacks in my case. The food choices are all healthy unless you're specifically craving something, and you go right back to eating healthy at the next meal if you've cheated at the last one. It's not fancy, but it's adaptable to any goal, it will keep you healthy, it will keep you lean, and it will allow you to add muscle without getting fat.
Sounds pretty close to perfect, doesn't it?