168 MUSCLE & FitnESS 07.11

Grass-fed beef maybe one of the healthiest

foods on earth.

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Eat Fat

07.11 MUSCLE & FitnESS 169

According to the nutrition you learned in grade school, John Meadows should be a heart attack waiting to happen. He eats ground beef, drinks whole milk, and cooks with coconut oil every day. If you believe the conventional wisdomthat dietary fat, particularly the saturated kind, should be restricted Meadows ought to be obese and wholly unhealthy. Thing is, hes not. Meadows is ripped and has choles-terol levels healthier than most vegetarians. His Mountain Dog diet philosophy may bridge the gap between nutrition for peak performance and optimal health.

meat, tom schierlitz/getty

BY Sean HySon , C .S .C .S .

The Mountain Dog diet helps you accomplish generally disparate goalslooking like a bodybuilder and getting healthy

to burn Fat

170 MUSCLE & FitnESS 07.11

Body Building, or destroying?Meadows is a competitive bodybuilder in Columbus, OH, and for years, he ate along the same lines as his fellow physique athletes. High protein, high carbs, and low fat, he says. In other words, typical bodybuilding fare like chicken breasts, egg whites, and brown rice. Meadows ate vegetables sparingly and at breakfast indulged in processed cereals such as Fruity Pebbles.His blood work at the time was

horrifying. The recommended range for HDL cholesterol (the good kind) is between 40 and 59Meadows number sank as low as five. His triglyc-erides (fat in the bloodstream) were severely elevated, and so was his blood pressure. In 2005, while preparing for competition, Meadows stomach start-ed swelling up and the pain he felt was excruciating. He began experiencing muscle spasms but toughed it out to compete. When he got home, he went to the emergency room and began bleeding from his rectum. If I didnt just happen to be in the hospital at the time, I would have bled to death, he says. They rushed me into emergency

advice, which included the notion that saturated fat was actually healthy and had been unjustly vilified by the gov-ernments nutrition policies. Meadows immersed himself in books such as The Cholesterol Myth and The Great Cholesterol Con, and studies provided by the Weston A. Price Foundation, a nonprofit nutrition education group.While arming himself with new

knowledge, Meadows also experi-mented on his own body. The first thing I did was switch out regular beef for grass-fed beef, and my waist got smaller. I had some other people try it, and I measured their waiststhey all got smaller. The reason why wasnt clear. Meadows suspects it may have been because grass-fed beef has higher levels of CLAa fat-burning chemicalor that perhaps inflammation caused by beef raised on a corn-rich diet cleared up in his and his subjects bodies. Either way, they saw real results.Meadows then started consuming

more oils, particularly the saturated ones. I used to cook everything in Pam spray, he says, in an effort to cut down on fat and calories. I started cooking in coconut oil and red palm oil, which dont oxidize when heated. Research shows that unsaturated oils, even the widely embraced olive oil, can be damaged when cooked, and their health benefits can be largely negated. Oils containing saturated fats are more stable when heated. Not only does red palm oil not do any-thing bad, the vitamin E in it actually also helps stop LDL oxidation, says

surgery and removed my whole large intestine.The cause was a rare vascular

disease, and while Meadows cant say for sure why it struck him, he has his theories. Im 5'6" and got up to 260 pounds, he says. That takes a lot of food. I would say that years of pound-ing my digestive system played a role. Anxious to heal and return to training, Meadows dove into all the alternative nutrition literature he could find. I wanted to know more about the digestive system, he says. Theres a big difference between getting somebody in shape to compete, and getting them in shape and healthy. I still wanted to train and compete, but I wanted to do it safely.

Breaking all the rulesEric Serrano, a world-renowned medi-cal authority with a long list of elite athlete patients, has been Meadows personal physician since 1997. He had told me for years to change my diet, says Meadows, but a lot of it went in one ear and out the other. Humbled by his near-death experi-ence, Meadows reexamined Serranos

MeaDows eaTs six whole eGGs everYMorninG anD aGainaT niGhT.

John Meadows'recent blood work(left), and the manhimself above.

PaPers, coUrtesy oF JohN m

eaDoWs; egg, tom schierlitz/getty

Eat Fat

MeaDows eaTs six whole eGGs everYMorninG anD aGainaT niGhT.

Meadows. Cholesterol experts will tell you that the problem is when LDL oxidizes in your blood, and the anti-oxidant effect of palm oil reduces that risk. Hemp oil and wild salmon, both loaded with heart-healthy omega-3s, were also emphasized.The third big change Meadows made

was dumping conventional eggs for the free-range, organic variety. I started pounding them, he says. I would eat six whole eggs every morning and six every night, knowing that the healthy fats in the yolks would raise his HDL cholesterol. Perhaps most important, Meadows abandoned refined grains. Any carbs he consumed were now con-centrated around his workouts, and he relied only on clean sources such as oats, sweet potatoes, brown rice, and fruit. Naturally, vegetables became a priority as well.

the Mountain dog dietConfident hed found a superior nutri-tional strategy, Meadows began post-ing on online message boards, writing articles for bodybuilding Web sites, and consulting for other bodybuild-ers. I competed against a client of his, and I was really impressed with his conditioning, says Brad Davis, an NPC national competitor who started work-ing with Meadows in 2009. The results were twofold. My cholesterol really dropped within a years time, and I ac-tually got stronger when I was dieting for shows, Davis says. I usually get weak as a kitten as a diet goes on, but I was pushing weight three weeks out from a show that on my regular diet I could do only 12 weeks out. All my lifts were up. While his carbs were very low as competition neared, Davis says the fat in his diet helped him retain muscle fullness as well. Davis placed eighth as a light heavyweight in the 2010 NPC USA Championships.Meadows himself competed in the

Mr. Ohio contest that year and won first place in the light heavyweight class. People asked me what I ate and I told them, whole eggs cooked in palm oil, and beef, he says. They were like, What? Most impressively, Mead-ows has been able to restore his own health completely and maintain it even through the stresses and restrictions of a contest. I got more blood work

Off DayMeal 16 organic, free-range whole eggs1 tbsp virgin coconut oil cup oats1 tsp red palm oilMeal 22 scoops whey isolate (50g protein) cup blueberries or strawberriesMeal 36 oz shrimp12 cups stir-fried vegetables cup brown riceMeal 42 scoops whey isolate (50g protein)2 tbsp natural peanut butter1 oz wheat germMeal 56 oz chicken breast1 oz walnutssalad with vegetables and balsamic vinegarMeal 66 oz grass-fed ground beef8 asparagus spears cup sliced fresh pineappleTOTals2,520 calories, 274.5g protein (44%), 108g carbs (17%), 110g fat (39%)

WeighT-Training DayMeal 1Shake made with:2 scoops whey isolate (50g protein)2 tbsp natural peanut butter1 oz wheat germ3 tbsp raw, organic coconutMeal 24 organic, free-range eggs1 oz avocado1 cup strawberries or kiwiMeal 36 oz grass-fed beef (ground) cup sliced fresh pineapplesalad with veggies and balsamic vinegardigestive enzyme, if neededMeal 46 oz tuna steak2 slices Ezekiel toast1 tbsp organic butterMeal 5 (dUring workoUt)1 scoop waxy maize starch5g creatine10g BCAAs cup oatsMeal 6 (poSt workoUt)2 scoops whey isolate (50g protein)Meal 7 (1 hoUr aFtEr poSt-workoUt MEaL)6 oz grass-fed beef cup black beans1 cup brown riceMeal 81 oz walnutsA few forkfuls of raw kimchi or raw sauerkraut (for better digestion)TOTals2,954 calories, 286g protein (39%), 215g carbs (29%), 105.5g fat (32%)

sample Mountain Dog plan for a 190-pound man who wants to gain muscle

GetBiGGer

done right after the Mr. Ohio. My HDL cholesterol was at 60. Other bodybuild-ing gurus can get you ripped fast, but I think this diet will get you there quick-er because your body is more efficient. We have found a way to be a competi-tive bodybuilder and still be healthy. These two things are very independent of each other, generally speaking.Today, Meadows is a certified sports

nutritionist (CISSN), and offers train-ing and nutrition coaching on his site, mountaindogdiet.com (named for the Internet message board handle he used, which he created in honor of his pet Bernese mountain dog). At 39, Meadows walks around at 230 pounds and 9% body fat, and has gotten as low as 4% for contests using his approach.

Coconut oil helps you burn fat for energy.

07.11 MUSCLE & FitnESS 171

tom schierlitz/getty

PhotograPhers Name

172 MUSCLE & FitnESS 07.11

Off DayMeal 16 organic, free-range whole eggs1 tbsp virgin coconut oil cup oats1 tsp red palm oilMeal 26 oz chicken breast1 tbsp macadamia nut oil cup almondsMeal 36 oz shrimp and 12 cups stir-fried vegetables cooked in water or gluten- free soy sauce or Szechuan sauce6 oz sweet potatoMeal 46 oz wild tilapia or lean white fish2 slices Ezekiel toast1 tbsp organic butterMeal 56 oz chicken breast cup cooked kale or other green vegetableMeal 62 scoops whey isolate shake (50g protein)2 tbsp almond butter1 oz wheat germTOTals: 2,715 calories, 282g protein (42%), 138g carbs (20%), 115g fat (38%)

WeighT-Training DayMeal 1Shake made with:2 scoops whey isolate powder (50g protein)2 tbsp natural peanut butter1 oz wheat germ3 tbsp raw, organic coconutMeal 24 organic, free-range whole eggs1 oz avocado1 cup strawberries or kiwiMeal 36 oz grass-fed beef (ground) cup sliced pineapple cup cooked kale or green veggiedigestive enzyme, if neededMeal 46 oz wild tilapia or lean white fish cup oats20g essential fatty acidsMeal 52 scoops whey isolate shake1 cup raw grass-fed milk or organic whole milk cup blueberries cup oatsMeal 66 oz grass-fed beef8 asparagus spears1 cup brown riceMeal 72 scoops whey isolate powder2 tbsp natural peanut butterTOTals3,076 calories, 348.5g protein (45%), 191g carbs (25%), 102g fat (30%)

sample Mountain Dog plan

for a 220-pound man who wants

to lose fat

Get leanerHow exactly does he do it? Here are the main points.

Eat organic. Toxins are stored in fat. If you eat conventionally raised meat, you increase your chances of taking in steroids, hormones, and other chemicals that affect your ability to lose fat and stay healthy. Its funny, but when you first start eating mostly organic food, you feel like crap, says Meadows. Its your fat cells releasing all the toxins that have built up inside you. Then you feel good. I tell people to be patient. Eat organic meat and eggs whenever possible. Any milk you drink should be from grass-fed cows, and non-homogenized. Raw milk is the best option, as it will contain all the neces-sary enzymes your body needs to digest it, but its not easy to come by unless youre part of a farm co-op group.

Eat more fat. Half the composition of your cell membranes is saturated fat, so its essential for healthy func-tioning. It also makes for stronger, more supple joints. Meadows has competed in bodybuilding since the age of 13. He says his joints have never felt better than they do now, when his saturated fat consumption is at its highest. Fat is also key for absorbing fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A, which encourages protein turnover and, indirectly, muscle growth. If youre bulking up, fat allows you to eat fewer carbs overall because its so calorically dense.

Cut back carbs. All degenerative diseasessuch as dementia, heart disease, and arthritiscan be tied to high blood sugar, says Meadows. When you eat lots of carbs, your blood sugar elevates, and then the hormone insulin kicks in to bring it back down. In doing so, it takes the calories youve consumed and stores them as fat. It also causes the saturated fat you consume to raise cholesterol and triglyceride levelshence the harm saturated fat has been associated with over the years. Once your blood sugar is low again, youre hungry, and your instinct is to eat more carbs to bring up your blood sugar. Its a perpetual cycle, says Meadows. The higher your fat intake, the lower your carbs need to be, says Meadows. If

you find youre getting fat, you didnt lower your carbs enough.Meadows recommends having

conservative portions of carbs, such as a cup of oats, mainly around workout time. While this shouldnt raise your blood sugar significantly, you can lessen any spike with some fat (try adding two tablespoons of almond butter).

Consume prebiotics and probiotics. These two kinds of healthy bacteria help make digestion more efficient.

Take supplements. Meadows recommends taking alpha-lipoic acid for liver health and for its ability to lower blood sugar. Digestive enzymes are great when youre bulking and have to take in a lot of foodtheyll reduce any gas and bloating.

White fish isa good source ofprotein and fat.

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Eat Fat