Body by Fisher: Jake Fisher thinks his solid play is tied to his diet.

One of the keys to the return of The Jungle just might be the animal grazing on Jake Fishers menu that has fed his career revival.

Bison. And plenty of it.

Thats been Fishers favorite since he decided to re-invent his body after last season. "Lean, quality," he says. Its also his lunch as gets ready for Thursdays practice, already cooked and delivered by his personal chef.

Bison. Potato. Corn. Theres an avocado on top of the take-home box. A steak waits for after practice. Then therell be a delivery some time Thursday to load him up for next week.

The avocado is for electrolytes. Its a science, man, Fisher says.

You don't have to exactly be a scientist to realize that Fisher, one of those two young tackles taking over for departed left tackle Andrew Whitworth and transitioning right tackle turned right guard Andre Smith, is under enormous pressure. Yet he has quietly emerged during the first week of training camp. If you listen to enough camp scuttlebutt, it tells you Fisher is the most consistent offensive lineman of the first week of work.

As much as hes getting raves for his play, hes raving about his diet that has not only beefed him up to 310 pounds but has purged his psyche. He says he hasnt taken any medications since October in an effort to avoid post-career side effects. He says even his immune system is stronger and he rarely gets sick.

I feel way better. More healthy. Mentally and physically, Fisher says. Guys get soaked up a lot of times in what a coach wants them to be at weight-wise that they sacrifice. I just didnt sacrifice ... Everyone has their own way of doing things. Fine tuning. It takes effort. In my third year I have it down pretty well."

Now ensconced at right tackle after two years of playing everywhere but where they drafted him to play, Fisher has re-made his body. At one point last season as he fought nagging injuries and moved around while Cedric Ogbuehi tried right tackle, Fisher slid to 279 pounds at his lightest. As soon as the season ended with Fisher playing the last three games at right tackle, he recruited a South Florida nutritionist.

Multi positions. Not being consistent. Playing tight end, KOR (kick-off return). All kinds of different things, says Fisher of the reasons for his weight loss. Now that Im at a spot where I earned a spot on the line I can really keep my weight up and really focus on what specific things Im doing.

One of the reasons the Bengals drafted Fisher two years ago is because of how conscientious he is. That was the scouting report on him coming out of Oregon it was obvious when they brought him to Paul Brown Stadium for a pre-draft visit. Now its come to the forefront.

Its hard, but its what I want to do. To be great, Fisher says. Its not what Im eating. Its when Im eating, how Im eating. Portions. Timing. Morning and night. Its really just a matter of realizing that everyones body is different. Its not if its more or less, but its quality. Im not sacrificing quality to eat more quantity. Im eating more often. Never allowing myself to be hungry. Eat more often. Always have your body pumping Insulin.

Fisher says he crushed, weights in the offseason on the road to a happy and healthy 310. But he also says, Its what you eat.

Thursday dinner after practice? A rib-eye steak. Some potatoes. Carrots. A little shake. Then before bed, pasta. And when he gets up, more pasta. The week-long reserve is stashed in a locker room refrigerator.

Keep the Insulin level high throughout the night when I sleep, Fisher says.

But it looks like no one is sleeping on Fisher during this steady diet of solid play.

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Fisher's steady diet of play has roots in his diet - Bengals.com

One of the worst places for impatience to set in is on an airplane. When your dry mouth hits at a high altitude, its like a perfect storm for grumpy behavior.

Some advice: dont order a Diet Coke if youre ever in this situation.

According to a flight attendant on flight blog These Gold Wings, Diet Coke takes the longest to pour. The flight attendant says the high altitude makes carbonated drinks foam up more, and Diet Coke is the worst. In fact, the soft drink is so slow, they can usually fulfill three other drink orders in the time that's wasted waiting for the bubbles to go down on one Diet Coke.

This all might seem minor, but the flight attendant explains that on full-service flights, it can make a huge difference, writing: "Pouring Diet Coke is one of the biggest slow-downs in the bar service and on the shorter flights those precious seconds count!"

But the flight attendant does share a handy way of speeding up the Diet Coke pouring process. The method involves turning the can fully upside down and pouring carefully inside the cup.

The Diet Coke doesnt come out of the can when flipped upside down until you lift it up and tilt it slightly. This is because the air pressure is keeping the Coke in the can. It makes pouring the Diet Coke very controllable and reduces the chances of spilling or overflow, the flight attendant writes.

Using this method means also rinsing or somehow disinfecting the surface of the can before pouring, so as not to contaminate the drink with any germs.

A study by Illinois State University also confirms that Diet Coke has higher levels of carbon dioxide than regular Coke, which means it is more fizzy.

Diet Coke drinkers will just have to be patient or hope theyre on one of those magic flights where they get to keep the whole can.

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Why flight attendants hate serving you a Diet Coke - Fox News

Every other month, some new diet is trending. Remember that time when South Beach was huge? Or when you walked into a CrossFit box and heard the word "paleo" 32 times within five minutes? Sure, buzzy diets go in and out of the limelight, but one recent GrubHub study reveals that the raw food diet is soaring in popularity. With a 92 percent increase in raw food orders over the past year, it appears that customers like their food uncooked and with a lack of preservatives.

But why? Well, eating a slew of raw foods means you're getting an abundance of good-for-you minerals, vitamins, phytochemicals, and fiber in your diet. One University of Giessen study of 200 people eating a raw food diet found that they had higher levels of beta-carotene, which is commonly associated with disease prevention. But what other reasons are there to hop on board the raw food diet train? Here's everything you need to know about the raw food diet.

The raw food diet involves exactly what it sounds like: a whole lot of raw food. The foods you consume can be raw (cold) or slightly warm, but nothing can be over 118 degrees. While some followers of the raw food diet allow raw fish, eggs, meat, and unpasteurized dairy into their ingredients list, it's more common to stick to mostly organic, uncooked, and unprocessed foods. Think vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruits, and some sprouted grains. Vegans and vegetarians may feel right at home on this plan.

Off-limits? A whole lot. Essentially anything on the inside aisles of your grocery store is out of the picture here, like pasta, junk food, salt, flours, sugars, juices, and anything processed or pasteurized.

And although everything is raw, you'll need to channel your inner Martha Stewart if you want to do this diet well and not just eat salad after salad. But where there's a will, there's a way. Through preparation techniques involving blending, dehydrating, and food processing, you can make loads of meal options. For example, you can make zucchini chips that fall into the green zone of this diet by slicing zucchini thinly and dehydrating for about 24 hours until they're dry.

Cooking food may decrease the amount of certain water-soluble vitamins and minerals. Plus, a diet high in fruits and vegetables can be great for digestion and lower blood pressure, according to one University of Southern California study. It can also lower your chance of stomach cancer and stroke, and halt the progression of kidney disease.

And there are some unique benefits of consuming produce raw: "Raw foods require more chewing than cooked food," says Deanna Minich, Ph.D., C.N., author of The Complete Handbook of Quantum Healing. "And when we chew, we stimulate different parts of the brain that correspond to learning and memory." One Cardiff University study of 133 volunteers zeroed in on the benefits of chewing gum (which isn't allowed on the raw food diet, FTR) during a testing period. Those who chewed gum reported a more positive mood, greater alertness, and improved selective and sustained attention than those who didn't.

Plus, eating a raw food diet means you're slashing the consumption of processed foods. That's a good-for-you idea whether or not you're following the raw food diet, as cutting them out could prevent weight gain, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers analyzed the diets of more than 120,000 Americans over two decades, and they found that people who consumed sugary drinks, processed meat, and chips regularly were most likely to put on the pounds.

First off, it's really restrictive. Limiting yourself to raw foods means you unfortunately need to cut out some healthy non-raw foods, like a lot of whole grains (think quinoa, brown rice, freekeh). No one wants to feel frustrated when they walk into their kitchen, and just like with any diet, that's possible here when you're tired of eating the same things day after day. If that's not enough, you'll likely have to skip out on the restaurants. As with any diet, it's tough to eat out when you have so many limitations.

It's also pretty pricey. Shopping organic can cost an average of 47 percent more than standard produce. While you can follow a raw diet without going organic, most traditionalists would say you're not doing it right because, well, chemicals. The pesticides applied to food can have detrimental effects on the body (ruining some of the purposes of going raw in the first place).

Eating raw or undercooked foods can also put you at risk for food poisoning, as bacteria, molds, and parasites might be in your eats (eeek!). Just because you may not be cooking your food doesn't mean you can't protect yourself, though. The FDA recommends you run both fruits and vegetables under water before eating or cutting them.

And although losing excess weight can be great for your health and a major reason why most women choose diets in the first place, this meal plan may take you a step too far. Dieter, beware: In the numerous studies done on the raw food diet, experts agree that weight loss should be monitored. One University of Giessen study cautions fans of the trend, saying that 30 percent of the 297 women under age 45 who were involved in the study developed partial or complete amenorrhea (akalosing your period, which isn't a good thing). Make sure to continually check in on your progress. Evidence shows that people who lose pounds gradually and steadily (at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week) are more successful at keeping weight off, according to the CDC.

First and foremost, Minich recommends that anyone who is interested in starting a raw food diet consult with a health professional. If you get the go-ahead and feel like you have all the tools to execute this new diet safely, make sure to do a pulse check every once in a while and gauge how you're feeling.

"Always be in tune with your body," says Minich. "You're not supposed to feel horrible, and if you do, the diet isn't for you."

If you want to give it a try, consider not going 100 percent raw. Instead, tryeating high raw (80 to 99 percent raw foods) or what is commonly referred to as "raw until dinner." Making a gradual transition to raw can help ease into a new habit and make it easier to maintain.

Link:
The Raw Food Diet Facts You Need to Know - Shape Magazine

Age-related memory loss is to be expected. But can it be mitigated?

There are many different steps we can take to help maintain and even improve our memories as we age. One of these steps is to make a few simple dietary changes. The following shortened excerpt from The Seven Steps to Managing Your Memory lists dietary basics that can benefit memory.

Omega- 3 fatty acids (often shortened to omega- 3s) are important for a number of functions in the body, including the proper function of our brain cells and reduction of inflammation. Although our bodies make many of the fats we need, we cannot make omega- 3s, and so we need to get them from food. There are three main types of omega- 3s and, because you may have heard claims about each of them, well mention them briefly (despite their long names). Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been associated with brain health and cognitive function, control of inflammation, as well as heart health. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) has been associated with heart health and control of inflammation. Alpha- linoleic acid (ALA) is a source of energy and also a building block for both DHA and EPA. Scientific studies examining the benefits of omega- 3s have been mixed, but some research suggests that they may benefit brain health.

Our recommendation is to make sure your balanced diet does include some omega- 3 fatty acids. The most common sources of omega- 3s include fish (particularly fatty fishes such as salmon and tuna), walnuts, green leafy vegetables (such as kale), flaxseeds, and flaxseed oil. Other foods are now being fortified with omega- 3s. You may find eggs, milk, juice, and yogurt fortified with omega- 3s in your local grocery store.

Vitamin D is essential for brain health. In one study, individuals with low levels of vitamin D were about twice as likely to develop dementia and Alzheimers disease compared to those whose levels were normal. Most older adults dont have enough vitamin D. Although you can make vitamin D through your skin, to do so you would need to spend a lot of time outside without sunblock, which you shouldnt do. We recommend a daily intake of 2,000 IU of vitamin D3, usually from supplement pills. You can also get vitamin D from fatty fish (such as tuna and salmon), portobello mushrooms grown under an ultraviolet light, and foods fortified with vitamin D including milk, cereal, and orange juice. Be sure to read the label to see if the product you buy is fortified or not. Lastly, there are some important interactions between vitamin D and some prescription medications, so you should speak with your doctor prior to taking vitamin D supplements.

Antioxidants can defend the body against the harmful effects of free radicals chemicals that can damage cells, including brain cells. Some of the most common antioxidants are vitamins A, C, and E, along with flavonoids and beta- carotene. Most studies looking at the impact of antioxidant supplementation through pills have offered little support that taking these antioxidant pills improves thinking and memory. In fact, taking high doses of antioxidants in pill form can be problematic, with some studies showing that high intake of antioxidants is associated with an increased risk of cancer and death and can negatively interact with certain medications. Thus, although some clinicians would recommend taking antioxidant supplements, such as vitamin E, we do not.

The evidence suggests that eating antioxidant- rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables, can reduce the risk of chronic health conditions such as heart disease and stroke, which, in turn, can improve the health of the brain. Many researchers now believe that it is the types and variety of antioxidant foods that people are consuming that matters most, rather than simply the total amount of antioxidants consumed. We therefore recommend eating fruits and vegetables as part of a balanced diet.

One of the most important ideas that has emerged from the scientific literature is that it may not be any one dietary item that makes a difference in the health of our brains. Instead, it is likely that the complex combination of nutrients obtained through a balanced diet is best. The Mediterranean diet is one such balanced diet that has shown promise for brain health. This diet calls for high consumptions of fruit, whole grains (like bulgur, barley, and brown rice), beans, and vegetables at every meal. The diet is low in saturated fats (the bad fats) but encourages the intake of monounsaturated good fats that lower the bad cholesterol. These healthy fats, found in olive oil, avocados, and nuts, should be eaten frequently. Fish is recommended at least twice a week. Low to moderate amounts of dairy products such as yogurt and cheese can be consumed daily or weekly. Red wine is also a staple of the Mediterranean diet. Red meat and sweets (such as candy, cookies, cake, and ice cream) should be consumed sparingly.

One way the Mediterranean diet helps the brain is by reducing risk factors for stroke such as high cholesterol and diabetes. One study showed that brain volumes were larger for those who followed the Mediterranean diet, equivalent to being five years younger! Other studies have shown that people who eat a Mediterranean diet have a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimers disease dementia compared to those who ate a more typical diet. Not all studies support the idea that the Mediterranean diet is good for cognition and reduced risk of memory loss, but many studies do, and none of the studies reported any side effects that would caution against adopting such a diet in an effort to keep the brain healthy. We therefore recommend a Mediterranean- type diet to everyone looking to modify their lifestyle in a way that benefits brain health.

Featured image credit: food-avocado-healthy-fresh by gutolordello. CC0 via Pixabay.

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Diet and age-related memory loss [excerpt] - OUPblog (blog)

Maybe John F. Kelly can actually do it. If so, he will be the first.

Politico reports that the new White House chief of staff plans to restrict the flow of information to President Trump including news media reports in the hope of keeping the boss on a more even keel. Here's a bit from reporter Josh Dawsey:

When new White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly huddled with senior staff on his first day at work, he outlined a key problem in President Donald Trumps White House that he planned to fix: bad information getting into the presidents hands.

Kelly told the staff that information needed to flow through him whether on paper or in briefings because the president would make better decisions if given good information.

Kelly's diagnosis makes perfect sense, but others have tried and failed to tame Trump by monitoring his media diet.

President Trump's relationship with television goes back decades and now that he's in the White House, his TV-watching habit is still going strong. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

If candidate Trump was upset about unfair coverage, it was productive to show him that he was getting fair coverage from outlets that were persuadable, Sam Nunberg, a former campaign adviser, told Politico in February.

Politico's Tara Palmeri wrote at the time that the key to keeping Trumps Twitter habit under control, according to six former campaign officials, is to ensure that his personal media consumption includes a steady stream of praise.

Okay. But the idea that Trump's Twitter habit has ever been under control is laughable. Maybe these campaign officials know something the rest of us don't that Trump's tweets would have been even more inflammatory if not for their interventions.

We'll probably never know about tweets that Trump didn't send. If his staffersmanaged to him out of trouble even a few times, then their efforts were worthwhile. But no one has been able to consistently prevent Trump from stirring up controversy.

Part of the problem is that in a White House composed of competing factions, people invariably try to advance their agendas by presenting Trump with material which may or may not be reliable that promotes their worldviews.

Politico all over this story reported in May on advisers' penchants for strategically feeding dubious information to the president. This was one example, described by reporter Shane Goldmacher:

Current and former Trump officials say Trump can react volcanically to negative press clips, especially those with damaging leaks, becoming engrossed in finding out where they originated.

That is what happened in late February when someone mischievously gave the president a printed copy of an article from GotNews.com, the website of Internet provocateur Charles C. Johnson, which accused deputy chief of staff Katie Walsh of being the source behind a bunch of leaks in the White House.

No matter that Johnson had been permanently banned from Twitter for harassment or that he offered no concrete evidence or that he had lobbed false accusations in the past and recanted them. Trump read the article and began asking staff about Walsh.

Goldmacher added that then-chief of staff Reince Priebus and White House staff secretary Rob Porter have tried to implement a system to manage and document the paperwork Trump receives. How'd that work out?

Kelly is trying to do the same thing, three months later. Perhaps he will prove a more effective manager than Priebus, but Trump is still his impulsive self, and his aides are still vying for influence. Those immutable factors will make Kelly's mission very difficult.

View original post here:
Trump's new chief of staff plans to restrict the president's media diet. Others have tried and failed. - Washington Post

Ancel Keys, arguably the most influential nutrition scientist of the past half century or so, died in 2004 at the age of 100. Keys invented the K ration, named for him, that provided our deployed military with portable and complete nutrition.He was among the first, if not the first, to hypothesize that heart disease was not an inevitable consequence of aging, but likely related to diet and lifestyle.Obvious as that now seems, someone had to be the first to consider it- and that someone was Ancel Keys.He developed and directed the Seven Countries Study, a colossal undertaking, that tested the above hypothesis, concluding that variation in dietary sources of saturated fat- notably meat and dairy- contributed importantly to cardiovascular risk.

Throughout most of his life, Keys was celebrated as a public health hero.He graced the cover of TIME Magazine as such in 1961, as shown in the image above.

In the years leading up to his death, however, and in the decade since, much of the public commentary about Keys, his lifes work, his seminal Seven Countries Study, and his integrity has been derogatory.There are five apparent reasons for this.

The first is perhaps best described as Newtonian: for every action, an equal and opposite reaction.Maybe we simply cant resist the inclination, whenever someone settles securely on a pedestal weve placed under them, to shift our efforts to knocking them down.

The second might best be described as Aesopian, as in the Aesops Fable that says: we are all judged by the company we keep.The latter years of Keys life, and those since his death, were concurrent with misguided forays into low-fat dietary boondoggles, and somebody had to be blamed.In many quarters, that somebody wound up being Ancel Keys, for having pointed out the harms of dietary fat- albeit only certain dietary fat- in the first place.

The third reason is that everyone seems to love a good conspiracy theory.So, there were careers to launch and books to sell, as there are today, by telling us all that everything authorities had advised was wrong, that the real truth was being concealed, distorted, or suppressed.As one of the worlds preeminent epidemiologists, Keys was among such authorities, and thus an obvious target of conspiracy theory, revisionist history, and alternative facts.

The fourth reason was the advent of the Internet.Once upon a time, you needed actually to know something to broadcast expertise, because an editorial filter stood between you and the public at large.There were ways around this, of course, such as the reliance on celebrity as an alternative to content knowledge as a basis for selling books, lotions, potions, or programs.But even so, the means of disseminating messages favored those with some claim to genuine merit. Now, anyone with Internet access can broadcast opinion, masquerading as expert opinion, into the echo chambers of cyberspace, where those who owned the same opinion already will amplify it.So, for instance, those totally devoted to eating- or selling- meat, butter, and cheese are also apt to eat up, and regurgitate, any allegations against those pointing out the related liabilities.

The fifth is the most obvious: along with not wearing plaid, dead men dont fight back very effectively, either.Keys has mostly been turned into a scapegoat since dying.By way of reminder, he lived to 100, and applied what he thought he knew about diet and lifestyle to himself.That alone would make him a candidate for both celebrity and expert status today.One imagines the book: Diet of the Century.

The allegations against Keys come in four basic flavors: (1) he cherry picked countries to enroll in his study to align with the beliefs he already held; (2) he fudged or selectively presented data to make a case aligned with the beliefs he favored; (3) he either failed to study sugar, or misrepresented findings about it; and (4) he advocated for a now generally discredited low fat dietary pattern.

These are not matters of historical interest; these are matters of current urgency, for two reasons.First, diet is now widely recognized as the single greatest, modifiable influence on human health, and has comparably massive implications for the health of the planet.We really do need to know whether dietary sources of saturated fat are the bad idea Keys told us they were.

Second, as ominously pointed out by Vladimir Lenin, a lie repeated often enough becomes the truth.Well, it never becomes the truth, of course- it jus replaces the truth.The alternative narrative about Keys, and his work, is doing just that.The allegations against Keys have spread through so much terrain in cyberspace that no one seeking information on the man, his work, saturated fat, or heart disease risk can avoid tripping over them.This has caused some perfectly legitimate and widely respected scientists to conflate prevalence for reliability, and propound what they have found- adding further to the cycle of repetition.

All of which begs the critical question: did they find truth, or lies?

The only way to answer that reliably was with hard work.The now popular allegations against Keys, and the Seven Countries Study, would have to be turned into questions, such as: how were countries selected and enrolled?Were all of the relevant data published?Was sugar studied in the same ways as saturated fat or not?Then, these questions would have to be answered not with the most readily available or oft-repeated claims, but based on the original source materials dating back, in some cases, more than half a century- and on interviews with Keys co-investigators who were directly involved and there at the time.

The True Health Initiative, a 501c3 non-profit organization I founded to identify and disseminate the fundamental truths about lifestyle and the health of people and planet alike, based on the weight of evidence and the global consensus of experts, commissioned a White Paper to do exactly that.The paper, with its extensive and fully transparent bibliography of primary source material, was just released, and is accessible to all. The basic conclusion is that all popular disparagements of Keys and his research arelies.

To be fair, they are likely lies of two varieties.There is the truly bad, I know that what I am saying is untrue, but it suits my agenda to say it anyway kind.There is the less bad, I found information I liked or found persuasive, and repeated it before verifying it was true kind.The latter is not about willful dishonesty, just carelessness.But since both varieties promulgate misinformation, both kinds are harmful.

Lies repeated often enough never actually become the truth; they simply threaten to smother the truth.After a decade of lies about Ancel Keys and the Seven Countries Study, its time for the truth to break free, and strike back- clad in plaid, or otherwise.

Senior Medical Advisor, Verywell.com

Continued here:
A Decade Of Diet Lies - HuffPost

Many women worry how their bodies will change when they reach menopause. But what you might not realize is thatperimenopauseAKA the change before the changeis when you're most apt to start noticing symptoms.

Menopause, which women hit, on average, around 51, simply means that you've gone afull year without having a period. Some people get there with nary a glitch, so you won't necessarily notice anything before your periods vanish. But many others aren't quite so lucky: As your body wraps up its fertile years, your hormone levels can start to fluctuateand symptoms like mood swings and hot flashes may arise.

Being in perimenopausewhich can start as early as 10 years before menopausealso means that certain aspects of your health are about to change. Right now your estrogen levels may be slowly dropping, but it's only a matter of time before they reach an all-time low... and stay there for the rest of your life. As a result, your risk for health conditions like osteoporosis and heart disease are about to go way up.

That might sound scary, but by making some changes to your eating habits you might be able to ease a lot of the discomfort and keep your body healthier as you age, says Sherry Ross, MD, an ob-gyn at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. Here are five dietary moves worth making when menopause is on the horizon.

(Discover the ONE simple, natural solution that can help you reverse chronic inflammation and heal more than 45 diseases. Try The Whole Body Cure today!)

Excerpt from:
5 Ways Your Diet Should Change During Perimenopause - Prevention.com

Ashton Do

Professional athletes dont get to the top by accident. It takes superhuman levels of time, dedication, and focusand that includes paying attention to what they put in their bellies. In this series, GQ takes a look at what fit people in different fields eat on a daily basis to perform at their best. Heres a look at the daily diet of a male model and personal chef.

Youd be hard-pressed to find two professions whose approach to diets differs more widely than male models and personal chefs. But Rze Traore, a 25-year-old Portland, Oregon native and a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, makes a living doing both of those things. When hes not flying around the world to cook for guys like Rick Owens or The Wires Michael K. Williams, Traore is busy walking in runway shows or starring in magazine editorials. We asked the multi-talented chef, whos spending part of his summer in New York working at The Nomad alongside restaurant legend Daniel Humm, how a guy who makes lobster rolls and pasta all day maintains a year-round six pack.

GQ: Is it hard to stay fashion-guy lean when youre in a kitchen all day? Do you ever have moments where you step back and say, Im maybe a little bigger than I would like to be?

Rze Traore: I have those times for sure. Especially if youre a model, youre kind of never happy with how you look. You have days where you feel great, but you also have this obsession with being that perfect puzzle. Youll wake up and youll be like, Damn, my cheekbones are filling up! Crazy shit like that. But when I do feel that way, I get on the bike, or I go to the sauna, and Im sorted the next day.

So its easy for you to bounce back from it.

Yes. If I get a modeling job, Ill work for it. At this point in my career Im not doing a lot of running around for castings or whatnot. Its more direct bookings, so Ill know within like four or five days, and thats enough time for me to give the client what they want.

What made you want to be a chef?

I started with the whole chef thing straight out of high school. I was 17 years old, and I wanted to know the whys with food. Why does food act this way when it reaches a certain temperature? No one in my family knew about that. They just knew how to cook good food and that was that.

What were the good foods you remember eating growing up, the things you couldnt get enough of?

It was a lot of stews and very hearty dishes from my dad, because he was the cook at the house coming from the Ivory Coast background and culture. And he cooked fish. That was a big thing. Ive kept that with me: my passion and my obsession with seafood. [My favorite dish growing up] was braised fish with, like, veggies and couscous. It was something that my dad always made.

Why do you think he was so focused on feeding you a clean diet?

I was born with a heart murmur. I had surgery twice, once when I was a newborn and once when I was like 14, 15. So its always been about staying healthy and not eating too much red meat. And during the recovery, the only thing I could do was get in the kitchen and find ways to get myself healed. Thats another way I got into food: trying to be healthy.

Is that the only thing that kept you lean? Were you an athlete in a past life?

Yeah, I was definitely into a lot of sports. I was into track in high school. Did a little swimming, basketball. Im like 64, so I took advantage of those sports that make sense [for tall people].

How did you get into modeling? Where were you discovered?

After Le Cordon Bleu, I found myself in Washington, DC, working for a very good restaurant called CitiZen. Thats when I started to slowly get introduced with the whole modeling industry. And I decided to just move to New York and make my way up the ladders as far as getting signed, and I ended up moving to London, because thats where I started working the most.

Tell me about your day-to-day diet. You work in one field where guys get made fun of for being underfed and another one where you actually feed people. How do you eat, personally?

So I wake up and I automatically put on a pot of green tea, every morning. After that I get on my Peloton bike, just to keep the ticker happy. And from there, I go to the sauna. Im obsessed with the sauna. And then I find myself in the kitchen and make myself a good breakfast.

Before we get to breakfast, what is it about the sauna that you like so much?

Im obsessed with having good skin. And with the sauna, what it does is it gives me a gloss, if that makes sense, and it cleans out my pores. Thats my favorite thing about the sauna. Its kind of like a shortcut for having a good face.

How do you eat during the rest of the day?

For breakfast on a normal day Ill toast up some blue corn tortillas and some sunny side up eggs. And Ill saute some veggies with it. Asparagus is what Ive been doing lately, because thats in season. And if I have some onions in the fridge, Ill go for that. My breakfasts are pretty in and out.

For lunch, whenever I get a break during the day Ill usually do like a seared fish, whether its tuna or black bass or fluke. And I make a little green salad with some dill and whatever else I can find. And thats my quick lunch.

Do you eat dinner or are you on this intermittent fasting kick like everyone else?

For dinner, I eat a lot of veggies. My whole style is being about to go in the kitchen and just free fall. If I go in the fridge and I see, I have these ingredients, thats what Im going to create. Its usually sauted veggies with some spices, and a protein. Which is either chickenI make an amazing whole roast chicken, or sous vide chicken or Ill have some leftover tuna and Ill make a quick tuna salad or tuna nicoise.

This all seems pretty calorie restrictive.

I have this thing: eat what you can afford. Meaning, if I can afford to lose a meal calorie wise, then thats what I feel comfortable with, instead of going crazy over an amount of food that I wont be able to burn.

So youll eat a meal thats, say, 500 calories, knowing that you can burn that off in a workout.

Exactly. I know that I can get on the Peloton and ride for 40 minutes and burn that off. So I can afford that. Two thousand calories? I know I cant do that; it wont be too pleasant. But I have my days where I take breaks. The alcohol is where it gets me.

The alcohol is where it gets all of us. What do you eat on your cheat days?

Im a major, major ice cream fan. About two weeks ago I ate an entire pint of ice cream just sitting! That was like, a big no no. But it was very good vanilla ice cream, and I enjoyed it. I like good stuff, I just tend to avoid it. I also eat a lot of pizza. Im obsessed with it.

How often would you say these cheat days happen?

Probably every two weeks, so Im due for another one soon.

Is there anything youre planning on making when the time comes?

Pancakes. Matcha pancakes are one of the things that Ill load myself up with. And theyre very quick to make. Just rack those up with some good maple syrup and youre golden.

Im sort of surprised its not something more luxurious.

People think chefs make themselves Michelin-starred restaurant food every night. And its the total opposite, because thats what youve been doing the whole day. Its not like you dont think youre worthy or anything, its just you just want to have good food that you know how to make. Like, I could do it, but its not that serious when its just for me.

Is there anything you wont eat?

Pork. Yeah, I dont eat pork.

Is that a religious thing or is it just because of how it affects your body?

Its more about how if affects my body. Now, if I want to try a dish for a client, Ill take a quick nibble. But I never buy pork. It doesnt react well for me. I also do not like cottage cheese. I think its pretty disgusting. Im pretty open minded when it comes to food. But yeah, cottage cheese is a no.

Im glad you mentioned your clients. Who are the coolest people youve cooked for? Rick Owens has made a couple of appearances on your Instagram.

I cooked for Rick and Michele [Lamy, his wife], and the whole Rick Owens corp in Venice. The thing that I love about Rick and Michele is that they are all about a clean diet. Ricks favorite salad is like an avocado salad, and staying fit is his thing. Really loved them, really great people, great energy. Thats who I like to be around.

As far as coolest client? Its the actor Michael K. Williams. This guy has has an amazing career, and he is still the most humble person on earth. Hes definitely one of the coolest clients Ive gotten to work with and be friends with.

What do you do when your clients want something thats rich and super indulgent?

My philosophy with feeding my clients is, Im gonna give you a background of my cooking style and technique, but I can really make anything you want me to make. You know, just because I eat a certain way doesnt mean thats how you have to eat. Im definitely going to make what youre obsessed with or what youve really been wanting, and you can rest assured that Ill do that with the freshest ingredients and in the healthiest way I can.

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Link:
The Real-Life Diet of Model and Chef Rze Traore - GQ Magazine