Cruz, the artist
Cruz Jimenez is an artist, originally from Southern California (view his work on www.cruzart.com.) Cruz is working on his next exhibition at Sanderson Gallery in late May so paints at his home studio most days, taking a break to go to the gym in the middle of the day. He's an outstanding cook (having done time in many commercial kitchens) and cooks for his partner and himself most nights. They are on a vegetable and protein kick at the moment, trying to reduce body fat percentage, so it's six small meals a day with plenty of protein at each meal. He says they don't eat a lot of unhealthy food but if anything they probably have too much wine.
6:30am Large glass of water
7:15am Breakfast is small feast, equivalent to dinner. Three poached eggs served with cannelloni beans and kale tossed with avocado oil and lemon juice. two long black coffees
11:30am Workout at the gym, lots of water during workout
1:30pm Lunch is grilled chicken breast, homemade salsa, cos lettuce, two corn tortillas and a large glass of water
3pm Man it's hot! I have a dip in the pool and a cup of chilled hibiscus tea (from Harvest Wholefoods) with a little honey to cool down, and 10 raw almonds
4pm Time for my next meal. Mince patty and a cucumber and tomato salad with olive oil lemon juice
7pm A glass of pinot gris while prepping/cooking dinner
8pm Roasted cauliflower mash, green beans, barbecued turkey breast marinated in tequila, lime, chilli and coriander. A glass of pinot noir. I'm from California where we eat lots of turkey (my Dad always uses turkey mince for his chilli beans), so I was stoked when I found turkey breasts in Farro Fresh this week.
10pm Raw mango and some raw almonds, and a glass of water
Nadia Lim’s nutrition quick fix
I love the fact that though your meals are full of vegetables and low in fat they sound full of flavour, proving that healthy food can easily be delicious! It is often perceived that protein is most important for building muscle/reducing body fat, however carbohydrates are equally important. Carbohydrates are needed before exercise as it is the body’s most efficient energy/fuel source and also helps spare existing muscle mass from breaking down. Your pre-gym carbohydrate here is the beans which are a great slow releasing carbohydrate. I suggest adding in some fruit too. Protein is most important post-workout to provide substrate (in the form of amino acids) for building new muscle. Eating carbohydrate with protein after training improves amino acid uptake, so you’re on the right track by having tortillas with the chicken. To further improve your diet you could do with less meat (maybe skip the meat patty) and having some more fruit to get the optimum protein and carbohydrate balance, but overall you’re on the right track.