Best of 2012: Cooking/Nutrition Tips

2012 is coming to a close and, like any year, it had it’s ups and downs. And like any year, 2012 came with it’s fair share of lessons to be learned. I’d like to share some of what I’ve learned with you, so this is the first installment of a multi-part series titled the “Best of 2012” where I’ll write about the best lessons I’ve learned in several areas of health and fitness. The first installment: the top five cooking/nutrition tips I’ve picked up over the past 365 days. These tips will help you reach your dietary goals and make things a little tastier along the way.

1. HOW TO COOK A STEAK LIKE A BOSS

I have a confession that may make you question my manhood. Deep down, under all the lifting, muscle, protein and other manly facades, I lacked one of the key skills of manliness for the longest time.

My name is Tony, and for years, I couldn’t cook a steak for shit.

No matter what I did – grill, broil, slow roast, whatever – I could not take a piece of dead cow, no matter how good the cut, and make it tasty and tender. I can sear a mean tuna, whip up a killer frittata and make homemade coconut milk ice cream that’s to die for. But when it came to the manliest of all dishes, I was more of a busboy than an Iron Chef.

That is, until one day, my girlfriend came home after reading part of Timothy Ferriss’ 4 Hour Chef. She told me about an entire chapter on how to cook top-notch 5-star-restaurant-caliber streak, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. That night, I cooked up some of Ferriss’ “Sexy Steak” and I’ve never looked back.

Turns out I had the technique all wrong. It all comes down to a few key things:

• A good dry seasoning to make a great charred crust
• Getting the steak as dry as possible before cooking (you’ll be surprised how this is done)
• Searing as hot and as fast as possible
• Slow cooking that sucker low and slow the rest of the way

Watch the video below to learn how to make even the cheapest cut of streak taste like it’s straight out of Bobby Flay’s kitchen.

Those worried about the fat and cholesterol, remember: dietary fat and cholesterol are essential for maintaining proper hormone levels, especially testosterone. Grass fed beef and grass fed butter are two of the greatest sources of omega-3 fatty acids – much better than their grain-fed counterparts.

2. SEASON AT EVERY LEVEL

I learned this one from watching Rachael Ray cook on TV sporting that kinda-sexy but kinda-creepy permanent smile that never leaves her face. I guess if I ate awesome food all day every day and still looked that good in my 40’s, I’d be smiling too.

What Rachael means by “season at every level” is to, quite literally, use liberal seasoning for each ingredient and level of a dish. For example, let’s take a basic stir fry  You’ve got your basic ingredients of meat and veggies. You could throw everything in the pan and then season at the end, but that’s boring as hell. Instead, try this:

• Chop up some chicken breast, onions, peppers and broccoli into equal-sized pieces
• Put the chicken in a bowl and toss with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and something sexy like cayenne pepper or chili powder
• Throw the chicken in a hot pan (or wok, as I prefer) with coconut oil
• When the chicken’s about 2/3 of the way done, remove and set aside
• Toss the onions in the pan, adding more oil, salt and pepper
• When the onions are soft, add the rest of your veggies and add in chopped garlic, red pepper flakes, and some more salt and pepper
• When the veggies are almost done, add the chicken back in and add some powdered ginger and – you guessed it – more salt and pepper.

When it’s done, you’ll have a really simple but beautifully seasoned dish with many dimensions of flavor. You’ll find it’s incredibly hard to over-salt or over-season a dish like this. Seasoning each ingredient along the way helps bring out the unique flavors of each ingredient, rather than adding in the seasoning as an afterthought at the end.

And before you yell about the copious amounts of salt, remember that sodium is an essential nutrient for muscle contraction and athletic function. It’s also key for maintaining proper hydration. So as long as your kidneys are functioning well and your blood pressure is in check, don’t fear a little extra salt. Sea salt is the way to go rather than iodine-enriched  table salt.

3. EAT MORE WILD GAME

If we all hunted and killed our own meat instead of buying it at the grocery store, we’d all be a lot healthier and happier.

We know that grass-fed meat is nutritionally superior and more environmentally friendly than grain-fed, farm-raised meat. And wild game is the pinnacle of natural, grass-fed meat. We should all strive to eat more wild game, whether it runs (deer, moose, turkey), flies (duck, geese) or swims (trout, bass, salmon).

But this is easier said than done, especially if you don’t hunt or don’t have friends that hunt who are willing to give you a share of their hard-fought kill. Luckily, this year alone, my girlfriend’s father brought home a 150-pound white-tailed deer, a 200-pound mule deer, a 300-pound elk and dozens of geese. Let’s just say he had a few venison steaks to spare.

If you don’t hunt, don’t have friends with guns or you live in the city, you could always order wild game online. Places like US Wellness Meats and Broken Arrow Ranch have a solid selection, but keep in mind that some of it is farm raised. And the nutritional value and sustainability of meat you hunt and kill yourself is unmatched.

4. ADD HEALTHY FATS TO SALADS

Everyone knows vegetables are good for you and that they should make up a large portion of your diet. Salads are the simplest way to get raw veggies in large quantities. But sometimes salads can be boring in the flavor department.

What’s the easiest way to add flavor? Add fat! But I’m not talking about creamy dressings like ranch and Caesar. I’m talking natural, healthy fats from whole food sources.

Foods like avocado, olives, nuts and grass-fed cheeses are full of unsaturated fats that can add flavor to a mundane salad. They’ll fill you up more than a regular bowl of rabbit food, too. One of my favorite salads of all time is baby spinach, arugula, sliced tomatoes, chopped avocado, diced kalamata olives and crumbled goat cheese – healthy and delicious.

Another great way to add flavor without sacrificing nutrition is to make your own salad dressings. A good homemade dressing needs just a few simple ingredients:

• An oil (extra virgin olive is the staple here)
• An acid (vinegar like balsamic or apple cider are great, but you can also use lemon juice or other acidic citrus juices)
• Seasoning (savory herbs like basil, oregano and dill are great in dressings)
• A little surprise (This is where it gets fun. Get creative. My personal favorite is a tablespoon of Dijon mustard with a teaspoon of Vermont maple syrup for a tasty maple-Dijon vinaigrette.)

5. INTERMITTENT FASTING

Nutrition timing is often overlooked in favor of nutrient quantity and quality. Just like the trifecta of training, nutrition and recovery, if one element is lacking, your results will suffer. The rising popularity of intermittent fasting has taught us that when we eat is nearly as important as what we eat.

I’ve shared my thoughts on intermittent fasting before. It’s not the only effective dietary approach out there (despite being marketed by many as such) and it’s not for everyone. But I’ve fallen in love with the convenience and the way it just “feels natural.”

How can I sum up intermittent fasting in 100 words or less? Eat fewer, bigger meals – mostly at night. The premise is to consume most calories (and all starches) at night to limit fat gain and maximize recovery from exercise.  It’s been shown to minimize fat gain, increase mental clarity and improve digestion. The thought is that our hunter gatherer ancestors – who were generally lean, mean and awesome – spent most of the day hunting. Maybe they grazed on some berries or edible flowers, but they didn’t eat a ton til they brought home the big kill. And they certainly didn’t eat eight meals a day out of Tupperware containers. (100 words exactly – nice!)

Personally, intermittent fasting has changed my life. For three-plus years it was a daily battle of force-feeding myself to walk around at 195 pounds at a Hobbit-like 5-foot-7. But by simply skipping breakfast, eating protein and greens during the day, and feasting at night, I’ve completely changed the way I feel. Intermittent fasting has allowed me to slowly shed fat, get down to a more sustainable body weight and fix my notoriously-bad digestion – all while gaining muscle and getting stronger.

Where to start with intermittent fasting? Read Warrior Diet by Ori Hofmekler and The Renegade Diet by Jason Ferruggia. While you’re waiting for the books to ship to your door (or you’re too lazy to actually read a book), read everything by Martin Berkhan at Leangains.com and check out this article by Sean Hyson of Men’s Fitness magazine.

HERE’S TO A TASTIER 2013

I hope you enjoyed some of these cooking/nutrition tricks that I picked up this year. It’s little things like this that can make or break a muscle-building or fat-loss plan. With these methods, you’ll never have to sacrifice flavor for health.

What are some cooking/nutrition tricks that you’ve learned recently? Share your thoughts!