Being a full-time chiropractic student and business owner gives me very little room for error when it comes to time management for my own meals. I am a huge believer that as a coach and future healthcare practitioner we need to practice what we preach and staying dialed in with what I put in my body lets me be at my best day in day out.
Sam Kavarsky, MS, CSCS
Founder, Science Over Tradition
What I Eat In A Day
- 5 am: 16oz water
Everything starts as soon as I wake up around 5am. 16 oz of water is the initial go to. I recently purchased a reverse osmosis water filter, and the quality is outstanding.
Around 6am I will have my first meal. In the past I have primarily focused on having protein and fats only, but recent research has shown that the addition of vegetables and the order in which food is consumed can play a big role in blood sugar regulation. For example, consuming my breakfast with vegetables first followed by fat and then protein has been very helpful. This type of organization allows me to stay focused in my classes up until lunch time with very few cravings.
My lunch and dinner are dictated by the type of physical activity I am doing that day. On days that I weight train, I will always have carbohydrates at lunch. One mistake that I have made in the past is being in “no man’s land” with carbohydrate consumption. This basically means that I am not utilizing fat as fuel, but I am also not having enough carbohydrates to provide my body with sufficient energy for training. As a result, I have focused on incorporating SLOW carbs over NO carbs. Brown rice and brown rice pasta are the heavy hitters for me. In addition, I will always try to have a different protein source than what was consumed at breakfast to provide variety. Fats and vegetables are also a must. The same concept of eating order within meals applies here as well with the slow acting carbohydrates being consumed last. I do not mix my food together.
Training usually takes place around 3-4pm and I make sure that I always take a three-tier approach to this. 30 minutes prior to training I will consume about 20 grams of a very slow acting carbohydrate shake. I have found this to give me lasting energy throughout my training. During my workout I will consume 1-2 servings of essential amino acids and 1 additional scoop of branched chain amino acids. Post workout nutrition is a rotation between beef whey protein, goat whey protein, or more essential amino acids mixed with BCAA’s.
Dinner is usually around an hour after I am done training. The big goal here is to set myself up for sleep success. Whenever possible, I focus on having leaner sources of protein and a slightly faster acting carbohydrate than what was consumed earlier. The carbohydrates at this meal are consumed with the intent to boost serotonin levels and improve overall sleep quality. 8oz of cherry juice is also pretty common.
I wouldn’t trade school or work for anything right now, I absolutely love what I am doing, but it can be stressful at times. This takes a toll on stomach acid production. As a result, I carefully monitor stress levels and use betaine HCL with pretty much all meals to help improve absorption. It is not about what you consume and all about what you absorb.
What I eat in a day is a constant evolution. Over time I have learned to dial in the basics to the extent that they are now engrained habits. This allows me to focus on more granular details and experiment with different ideas.
