The Diet of A Champion

From Alex Honnolds mainly vegetarian/vegan diet and Steph Davis eating a plant based diet to Adam Ondras somewhere in between diet of lots of greens and little meat to the far opposite extreams, jordan peterson eating a meat only diet(beef specifically I believe), there is an abundance of different ways people eat. As a climber that’s in the process of really tightening up my health such as, diet, physical fitness, and psyche I have become fully absorbed by learning about nutrition and diet.( as in the food we eat not fad diets)

I’ve read a lot about people who have gone with the plant based diet and swear that it works

I’ve also read a lot about why people appose it to the death.

There’s  an abundance of resources available to read or listen too on podcasts but I hope you guys could suggest good places to start, seeing as this whole nutrition thing is so expansive and dense.

I’ve gone vegetarian for about a year before but it was probably 2 years ago now so I can’t remember how I felt while I was vegetarian, I can’t say I distinctively remember it being bad which I’m sure I would if it was.

What makes sense to me would be Adam Ondras  “middle way” as I’ll call it( sorry too many Buddhist influences). As he explains he doesn’t really have a strict diet. Lots of greens little meat. I figure if you just eat in a fashion that makes your body feel good(long term)  then you can’t be doing too much harm right?

A human digestive system and tract much more closely resembles that of a wolf (obligate carnivore) than that of a cow (obligate herbivore).  However if you want to be lean and strong, probably Ondra has the best approach (not because he is the strongest).  Lots of vegetables, and enough animal protein for recovery.  While you are at it, just eat real foods, and not a bunch of chemicals.  

Ondra is an omnivore that eats a lot of whole foods and gets protein from fish and sometimes other animal sources. It's not that complicated really.

Eric Carlos wrote: A human digestive system and tract much more closely resembles that of a wolf (obligate carnivore) than that of a cow (obligate herbivore).  However if you want to be lean and strong, probably Ondra has the best approach (not because he is the strongest).  Lots of vegetables, and enough animal protein for recovery.  While you are at it, just eat real foods, and not a bunch of chemicals.  

Everything is chemicals

the main thing is to eat clean. No processed food, no sugary drinks, no additives & chemicals.  

I go by a general rule for my meals: 1/2 of my plate is vegetables, 1/4 is a meat, 1/4 is a grain/legume.   Snacks are nuts, seeds, veggies and fruits. (and 92% dark chocolate, I love chocolate)

There's no one size fits all approach but a few reasonable conclusions about diet can be made.

First, the importance of fruits and vegetables is not controversial, easily stated they should be the forefront of a healthy diet. Another way to phrase the term plant-based diet, is plant-dominant diet.

Second, although there is no such thing as an "essential" carbohydrate, they can be considered essential as they are our bodies preferred fuel source and they are the only source of fiber (a nutrient of concern for the majority of American's considering intake is around 15-20 gm compared with the current recommendations of 25-30 gm/day). Furthermore all prebiotics, suspected or known, come from carbohydrates (which brings about another important topic of health as it relates to diet, the gut microbiome). For more on carbohydrates check out a recent "WHO" funded article published this month in the Lancet titled "Carbohydrate quality and human health."

Third, when it comes to the more controversial macro's fat and protein, plant vs animal is completely up to you and will be based on several factors such as your needs, your culture, your beliefs, etc. etc. The science is simply not strong enough to conclusively say one way or another. Nutritional studies at their core are heavily flawed for several reasons. So, when it really comes down to it, the key is what goals you are trying to accomplish. Attempting to gain strength, attempted to lose weight, attempting to maintain, etc. will all call for different ratios of said nutrients. A good starting point for protein is 0.8 - 1.0 gm/kg body weight.  Then calculate your calories from carbs based on what it takes you to hit 25-30gm of fiber and you'll have a pretty good idea of the remainder that will end up coming from fats. Just as with all things, self-experimentation and adjustments will be warranted.

My suggestion is find what works for you and keep record of your favorite go-to meals, snacks, recipes. This will build to a quiver of experience over time and will be easier to adjust and dial in as time goes on. 

Hansen Lister wrote:

Everything is chemicals

Troll 0/10. When we think chemicals in food let's think of the modern era of food manufacturing; colors, flavors, emulsifiers, preservatives, etc. In general they are best to limit. At one point in time, food either came from plants or animals. Now food is coming from mankind and like most things we get our hands on we tend to funk them up at one point or another. 

Beer.

how hard does jordan peterson climb?

Haha I was wondering the same.  Not the best person to look to for athletic nutritional advice.

Wilson On The Drums wrote:

Troll 0/10. When we think chemicals in food let's think of the modern era of food manufacturing; colors, flavors, emulsifiers, preservatives, etc. In general they are best to limit. At one point in time, food either came from plants or animals. Now food is coming from mankind and like most things we get our hands on we tend to funk them up at one point or another. 

No, his point was 100% salient.  Chemophobia is real and completely irrational; there’s nothing inherently bad about chemicals or good about “all natural.”  Arsenic is all natural, but I wouldn’t exactly build a diet around it.

OP if you’re interested in vegan/plant based diets, check out Mani the Monkey.  He climbs hard (14s) and does a lot of diet and training videos on YouTube.  Some of it is a little hokie (as most plant/vegan stuff is), but overall he gives pretty solid advice.  Just make sure you tell everyone you meet that you’re vegan if you decide to go that way.

Wilson On The Drums wrote: 
First, the importance of fruits and vegetables is not controversial

Apparently it is for some people.

I've been vegetarian for 15 years, I climb .12, I have been over 20,000', I squat close to 500lbs, I run mountain marathons.

Ted Pinson wrote:

 Chemophobia is real and completely irrational; there’s nothing inherently bad about chemicals or good about “all natural.”  Arsenic is all natural, but I wouldn’t exactly build a diet around it.

I personally will still continue to avoid foods with added Butylated Hydroxyanisole, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium bromate, Disodium inosinate, Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone, Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and many others.

sean burke wrote: I've been vegetarian for 15 years, I climb .12, I have been over 20,000', I squat close to 500lbs, I run mountain marathons.

Do you think being vegetarian is more expensive than eating meat if you're trying to achieve a balanced diet?

I usually go with, "would my grandparents identify what I want to eat as, 'food'", litmus test, as well as the, Michael Colin advice, "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants". That covers a lot.

Unfortunately, I have my vices. I eat too much sugar, and sweet baked goods especially. I don't sweat (Sweet?) the details.

I also take a little look at my ancestral history of being a pale, freckled Northern European. I don't plan to live to be 120, but if you survived that bullshit weather during the ice age, you're a pretty hardy group when it comes to what your body can tolerate, food-wise. So, things like gluten sensitivity, or being allergic to milk - I don't think that's something that affects me. In my imagination, I play out daily life of my great-great (times many) grandpapy Ranger pulling half frozen carcasses outta the melting continental shelf glacier and callin' it good after drinking perhaps a fair too much of the local brew.

Then, their kids-kids (times many) worked as bog farmers.

Seems as longs as there was food - any kind of food, they did OK. It's just there wasn't food one good while, and that's why I'm in the New World.

Also sun seems to harm me greatly. And no, I will not have kids to keep the red hair genes alive.

Speaking of drinking too much, did you read the above?

Zeb Martin wrote:

Do you think being vegetarian is more expensive than eating meat if you're trying to achieve a balanced diet?

Not more expensive, but mutually exclusive.  Balanced diet.

Eric Carlos wrote:

I personally will still continue to avoid foods with added Butylated Hydroxyanisole, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium bromate, Disodium inosinate, Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone, Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and many others.

Why?  Sodium benzoate I’ll give you, as it was actually what caused me to give up Coke (it’s a derivative of Benzene, which is extremely carcinogenic, and can decompose into it under acidic conditions, such as your stomach), but just because it has a long IUPAC name doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad for you.

I just go for foods that I can visibly identify as coming from an organism.

And beer. Beer always gets around the rules.

Long Ranger wrote: how hard does jordan peterson climb?

Recent studies by epictv show he is projecting a 5.16 out in catalunya right now

Source: kevin jorgensen's addidas manager told me on our smoothie date.
Also i said so 

you would think the "ideal climber diet" would contain a lot of fiber, because at the end of the day, all that really matters is how easy is it for you to shit in a wag bag.

Whiskey. Cigarettes. Anxiety.