Recommendations

Here is just a quick shopping list of ingredient you may not be familiar with, but that are quite beneficial for most people who are looking to change their body composition for the better.

Proteins
Egg whites (best place to get these is Costso. 3 x 500 ml for $4.50)
Cottage cheese
Greek yogourt

Protein powders

This is a far from exhaustive list, however it does represent a variety in brands, costs and types that I have used myself and liked, or those use by many of my clients.

Whey Protein (stevia sweetened)
1. Optimum Nutrition Natural 100% Whey
2. PVL Whey Gourmet “Naturelle”
Whey Isolates (artificial sweeteners)
Blended Whey Proteins
1. Dymatize All Natural Whey Protein (stevia sweetened)
2. Ultimate Nutrition Whey Sensation 81
3. PVL Maxx Essentials “Whey Maxx”
Casein (slow-release)
1. Optimum Nutrition 100% Casein
Vegan protein, unflavoured: NOW pea protein
Vegan protein, berry: VEGA sport performance protein

Another great resource for top quality protein at great prices is True Protein. They allow you to custom build your own protein, so if you are a closet chemist, this is definitely worth checking out.

Fats, Nuts and Oils

Mixed nuts are great, particularly: almonds, walnuts and pecans. For the best prices, get them in bulk from Costco (unsalted). Costco also offers the best prices on organic natural peanut butter and almond butter.

Fish oil

Most of you will benefit from ingesting 1000-2000 mg of DHA per day. The easiest way to do with is through a combination of eating more oily fish, taking fish oil and small amounts of flax/chia.

Costco: Omega 3 capsules (400 mg EPA, 200 mg DHA): $25 for 240 pills
Walmart: Hollista Wild Salmon (300 mg EPA, 200 mg DHA): $15 for 150 pills

If the prospect of swallowing 6-12 pills a day isn’t your thing, go for a liquid.

Ascenta NutraSea: 2-3 tsp/day of this one
Trophic Nutrition Omega 3 Fish Oil – EPA/DHA 1:2: requires 1 tsp/day of this one

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

The preferred cooking oil. When doing light sautéeing or pan frying, always use coconut oil. It’s far more heat stable than extra virgin olive oil. Can be found in many supermarkets now, make sure to buy extra virgin – it should smell coconutty when you open the bottle, not bland.

Chia and flax seeds

Both seeds are high in omega 3 fats (unlike most seeds that are high in omega 6 fats), chia has a much milder taste than flax. Flax also needs to be ground prior to consumption, whereas chia can be consumed as is.

Bulk Barn or grocery store

Preferred starches/grains

When needing a sandwich option, either of these options can work. The wraps are better for people needing lower carbohydrate options.

La Tortilla Factory high fiber wraps (large size).

In London, they can be purchased at Remark… not sure where else you might find them.

Sprouted grain bread (optional, only if you feel you need bread, *just pick one, you might need to search the freezer aisle to find these ones*)

Stonemill bread:
Ezekiel bread

When using grains as a side dish or during the post-workout time period, opt for:

E.D. Smith No Sugar Added Syrup: (Superstore/Loblaws/No Frills)

http://www.edsmith.com/web/edsmith-products.nsf/e374fe863facb54f85257234006e3491/bd9bbb00173a80d78525720b005e14b4?OpenDocument

I’d also recommend investing in some high quality green tea. The Tea Haus at Covent Garden Market http://www.theteahaus.com/ (across from JLC, 2nd floor) has a great selection of loose teas.

I recommend the Mango Sencha, Sencha Echinacea or the Kyoto Cherry Rose… all of these make an excellent hot/cold tea. And green tea is a great, natural fat burner with secondary health benefits.

Many athletes do benefit from adding a quality multivitamin to their daily routine, especially as calories start to come down. Two of the brands I like for athletes are: Platinum Naturals http://www.platinumnaturals.com/activ-x.html or NOW Foods ADAM Multivitamins http://www.nowfoods.com/Products/ProductsAlphabetically/078564.htm