[Home] [Philosophy] [What's New] [Products] [FAQ] [Feedback] [Order]

From The Desk Of Clarence Bass

If you enjoy and benefit from our website and products, tell your friends.

horizontal rule

[The following article was posted to the Master Trainer website May, 2008 (www.ageless-athletes.com). We reproduce it here, with permission, because we believe it contains an important message/truth that is frequently overlooked. We are often asked which supplements we recommend for losing fat and building muscle. The questioners are incredulous when we respond that, in our experience, the only performance-enhancing supplement that works is creatine monohydrate, and then only for people who don’t eat much meat. Our friend Dick Winett, a health psychologist, researcher and lifetime trainer, provides many of the unvarnished details.]

The Most Anabolic Diet--Real Food

By Richard Winett, PhD

Bodybuilding, fitness, and other training magazines derive a great deal of their profits from supplement ads.

In many cases, the corporation owning the magazine also owns a supplement company or the overall corporation has spun off other corporations producing, marketing, and distributing supplements. So, the magazine may glean profits from its own products and from the ads of other corporations.

Reportedly, while the field has become extremely competitive, the mark-ups on supplements are high and for the corporations that survive, the profits can become enormous.

One result of the interface of publishing and supplement businesses is the widely promoted position that success in training is tied to supplement use. That is, if people are not taking a wide array of supplements then their training effectiveness and results will be severely compromised.

Of course, none of this is true. But with the considerable loosening of oversight and regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), corporations are free to make almost any claim about a supplement. In fact, the FDA only will investigate reports of harm and not claims of effectiveness.

This means that unsubstantiated claims can be made about a myriad of benefits, but as long as there is no evidence of harm, the supplement can remain on the market.

It seems that only creatine has solid empirical data to support its efficacy.  Many other supplements are sold with sparse, if any, real supportive data but with extravagant claims.

Perhaps, the oddest part about the promotion and use of supplements is that many of the more popular ones are substitutes not supplements per se for real food. Many bodybuilders seem to eat some food and then add expensive (albeit, portable) meal replacement supplements to their diet. Most are high in protein, low in fat and carbohydrates but devoid of other important nutrients contained in real food such as fiber and real antioxidants. .

Consuming all these expensive products in the U.S. is more than odd; it's downright crazy. Food in the U.S. is plentiful and if no longer cheap, not necessarily expensive. So, bodybuilders and other athletes, influenced by effective devious marketing strategies, spend a lot of money on supplements replacing the far tastier, healthier, plentiful, and less expensive food.

Can bodybuilders and other athletes just eat real food and train at a high level? Of course, we can.

To illustrate this point, I've provided a food diary of a typical day for me. I've found that I have a great deal of energy throughout the day when I eat often. It's simply a matter of spreading the calories I consume throughout five or six small meals.

If I want to lose some weight and body fat, I try to consistently eat slightly less during the day, and if my weight has slipped and is too low (a rare occurrence these days), I eat slightly more.

I'm also not entirely free from the allure of supplements. I do use a large scoop of protein powder with my cereal, and also take a generic multivitamin, B complex, 250 mg of vitamin C, and 250 IU of Vitamin E. Dosages are far less than years ago because there are some data suggesting that higher dosages of vitamins, once thought to be benign, can be health compromising.

When I travel by plane, I also take Clif bars, fruit or dried fruit, and lower fat cheese. Given the state of air travel these days, I don’t think anyone should get on a plane without one or two meals in your carry-on.

All the food noted in the meals listed here are readily available almost anywhere.

Another point is that over time, as is true of many people, I’m eating more organic products. A final point is that there is some variation day-day, although each day is similar.

Meal 1 (7:30 AM): One half cantaloupe or orange, banana, two egg beaters and one or two regular eggs (‘scrambled’ in the microwave), two slices of whole wheat toast or whole wheat pita, coffee.

Meal 2 (10:30 AM): One serving of grape nut cereal or some other whole grain cereal, with 8 oz. 2% milk, 1 serving of dried prunes and 1 serving of another dried fruit such as raisins, 2 oz. of walnuts, and one large scoop of protein powder, all mixed in the cereal.

Meal 3 (1:00 PM): One cup nonfat yogurt, one tablespoon of peanut butter on two slices of whole wheat bread, one apple.

Meal 4 (4:00 PM): One cup of cottage cheese, one tablespoon of peanut butter, two slices of whole wheat bread, grapes.

Meal 5 (7:00 PM): Small serving (3-4 oz) of tuna, salmon, or meat, grains or two slices of whole wheat bread, one very large mixed salad, vinegar and oil for dressing

Meal 6 (10:00 PM): Only if hungry, 1 oz lower fat cheese, Clif Bar, orange.

Here are some interesting totals. With the 5-6 meals, I typically consumed about 2600 – 2900 calories per day, 145-160 grams of protein (23% of calories), and very little saturated fat.  I usually eat 10 servings of fruits and vegetables and consume a total of about 50 grams of fiber a day. My food consumption is similar to what is recommended in the DASH diet to reduce blood pressure and for ‘anti-inflammatory’ diets for general health.

Decreasing calories to lose weight involves small changes, such as one not two slices of bread with meals, a bit less peanut butter, and fewer nuts mixed in with my cereal. I don’t increase physical activity because I am doing enough of that through walking and training.

The first two meals in the day are almost always about the same, and the other four can vary each day. Some of these meals are also carted around at work.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that I’m often not very hungry in the late afternoon and evening. I always will have small meals in the late afternoon and evening, but they are smaller than even a few years ago. This pattern likely reflects some changes with aging and the fact that most of my physical activity is in the morning.

I haven't listed these meals to suggest that this is the ‘one best’ approach to nutrition.

A ‘best’ approach doesn't exist. People's tastes and preferences in types of foods, frequency of eating, and caloric requirements vary widely. I also almost never eat desserts simply because they just don't interest me that much. Obviously, if I ate a substantial dessert each day, I'd have to eat less of some other foods.

I'm also not claiming that this is an inexpensive way to eat. The total cost for the food for a day is about $15-$17. However, it's pretty easy to blow $15 (or more) on a lunch in many cities. I don't eat out very often. And when I do, I prefer to go to a really nice place and have some great food.

By contrast, eating a lot of meals out makes it more difficult to eat nutritiously and can start to cost a tidy sum. For example, if all of this food or something akin to it is eaten out as small sit-down meals in modest restaurants, the cost in most cities would likely be more than $50-$60 per day, a prohibitive amount. If you need to eat a lot and eat often, don't eat out. Save those times for special occasions.

The point is that most people in the US can eat a healthful diet that will support active living and high-quality exercise. In the U.S., we are fortunate to have ready access to the most anabolic diet imaginable—real food.

horizontal rule

Ripped Enterprises, P.O. Box 51236, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87181-1236 or street address: 528 Chama, N.E., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108, Phone (505) 266-5858, e-mail:  cncbass@aol.com, FAX:  (505) 266-9123.  Office hours:  Monday-Friday, 8-5, Mountain time.  FAX for international orders: Please check with your local phone book and add the following: 001-505 266-9123

[Home] [Philosophy] [What's New] [Products] [FAQ] [Feedback] [Order]

Copyright © 2008 Clarence and Carol Bass.  All rights reserved.