One of the most important things I preach is to keep a semblance of consistency with what you eat.
It's one of my most important principles.
I'll do an email on this soon and help you understand just why its so important (in other words, the benefits of eliminating decision fatigue).
You might think that you want variety and change all the time, but that just makes things harder for you.
The boring stuff works.
That being said, I eat a lot of similar foods, but there are 5 that I have daily – without fail – that contribute heavily to my daily health, vigour and overall wellbeing:
Blueberries
I'm surprised if you're not sick of me by now when it comes to talking about blueberries.
I won't stop though; I want you to max out on them as well.
They are antioxidant royalty; incredible for reducing oxidative stress and DNA damage in the body.
Great for the skin as well as the antioxidants prevent the breakdown of collagen in the skin.
An inflammation dampener that helps with training recovery.
I could go on, and on, and on....but you'd do well to eat them as often as I do.
Walnuts
One of the best nuts to consume – packed with antioxidants and fatty acids that also benefit the skin.
If you're a man, you should definitely be consuming these...
Why you ask?
Eating them consistently has been shown to improve sperm parameters like concentration, shape and motility.
So if you perhaps want to conceive with your significant other in the near future, I'd highly suggest getting these into the mix.
I'm taking my own advice here too.
Pumpkin seeds
These little seeds are absolute mineral powerhouses, and another food that I get in daily without fail.
They're a great source of zinc - great for immune health, skin healing and making DNA - and magnesium, a mineral which controls hundreds of enzymatic reactions in the body.
I tend to get a couple of tablespoons on my oats or in a smoothie, or even occasionally just have them as a snack to chew on.
Load up on these, trust me.
Legumes
I train hard.
It's a non-negotiable in my life for many reasons: strength, muscle mass, bone density, heart health and – maybe most importantly – mental grit and resilience.
Recovering well means that legumes are a daily staple in my diet.
I'm talking organic tofu and tempeh, lentils, beans, chickpeas – any of these will be in the rotation daily in order to get sufficient plant protein into the diet in order to recover well and go again.
Green vegetables
Another food group that has a ton of health-promoting foods for me in there – my go-to's are broccoli, kale, spinach, bok choy, broccoli sprouts and rocket (arugula for my American friends).
Antioxidant rich, packed with Vitamin C and other carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin (great for vision and eye health), iron, chlorophyll, and compounds like sulforaphane which can protect against cancer.
Whether it's in a bowl, a stew, or even frozen spinach in smoothies, I get green foods into my diet whatever the weather. You should do it too.
Honourary mention: oatmeal is a food that I eat pretty much every day too.
Cost-effective, decent mineral content, a blank canvas on which to add other healthy foods...it's a no-brainer.
Find what works for you.
But one thing I would strongly advocate for is being consistent.
When I know foods carry great health benefit, I'm consistent in getting them into the diet at all times.
It would be silly not to, in my opinion.
But in finding your own flow – and dialling in nutrition that will nourish and help you feel good – you should round up a core group of foods that, regardless of where you are, you'll want to get into the rotation every day.
Stay healthy,
Jeff
PS: I've had a lot of questions around supplementation recently.
I've made a video on Instagram detailing my daily go-to supplements that I take to complement my nutrition, plant-based lifestyle and my training.