Grass-fed beef may be one of the healthiest foods on earth.

Eat Fat

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to burn Fat

meat, tom sch ierli tz /get ty

ccording 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 wisdom that dietary fat, particularly the saturated kind, should be restrictedMeadows ought to be obese and wholly unhealthy. Thing is, hes not. Meadows is ripped and has cholesterol levels healthier than most vegetarians. His Mountain Dog diet philosophy may bridge the gap between nutrition for peak performance and optimal health.

The Mountain Dog diet helps you accomplish generally disparate goalslooking like a bodybuilder and getting healthy
BY Sean HySon, C.S.C.S.

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Eat Fat 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 triglycerides (fat in the bloodstream) were severely elevated, and so was his blood pressure. In 2005, while preparing for competition, Meadows stomach started 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

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 pounding 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 MeaDows eaTs six a big difference between getting whole eGGs everY somebody in shape to compete, and MorninG anD aGain getting them in shape and healthy. I still wanted to train and compete, aT niGhT. but I wanted to do it safely. advice, which included the notion that saturated fat was actually healthy and Breaking all the rules had been unjustly vilified by the govEric Serrano, a world-renowned mediernments nutrition policies. Meadows cal authority with a long list of elite immersed himself in books such as athlete patients, has been Meadows The Cholesterol Myth and The Great personal physician since 1997. He Cholesterol Con, and studies provided had told me for years to change my by the Weston A. Price Foundation, a diet, says Meadows, but a lot of it nonprofit nutrition education group. went in one ear and out the other. While arming himself with new Humbled by his near-death experiknowledge, Meadows also experience, Meadows reexamined Serranos 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 chemical or 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 John Meadows' only does red palm oil not do anyrecent blood work (left), and the man thing bad, the vitamin E in it actually himself above. also helps stop LDL oxidation, says

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PaPe rs, coU rtesy oF JohN mea DoWs; egg, tom schierl itz /getty

Meadows. Cholesterol experts will tell you that the problem is when LDL oxidizes in your blood, and the antioxidant 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 concentrated 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.

done right after the Mr. Ohio. My HDL cholesterol was at 60. Other bodybuilding gurus can get you ripped fast, but I think this diet will get you there quicker because your body is more efficient. We have found a way to be a competitive 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 training 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.

the Mountain dog diet

Confident hed found a superior nutritional strategy, Meadows began posting on online message boards, writing articles for bodybuilding Web sites, and consulting for other bodybuilders. I competed against a client of his, and I was really impressed with his conditioning, says Brad Davis, an NPC national competitor who started working with Meadows in 2009. The results were twofold. My cholesterol really dropped within a years time, and I actually 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, Meadows 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

Get BiGGer
sample Mountain Dog plan for a 190-pound man who wants to gain muscle
Off Day
Meal 1

WeighT-Training Day
Meal 1

Shake made with: 2 scoops whey isolate (50g protein) 2 tbsp natural peanut butter 1 oz wheat germ 3 tbsp raw, organic coconut
Meal 2

4 organic, free-range eggs 1 oz avocado 1 cup strawberries or kiwi

Meal 3

6 organic, free-range whole eggs 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil cup oats 1 tsp red palm oil
Meal 2

6 oz grass-fed beef (ground) cup sliced fresh pineapple salad with veggies and balsamic vinegar digestive enzyme, if needed
Meal 4

2 scoops whey isolate (50g protein) cup blueberries or strawberries

Meal 3

6 oz shrimp 12 cups stir-fried vegetables cup brown rice

Meal 4

6 oz tuna steak 2 slices Ezekiel toast 1 tbsp organic butter

Meal 5 (dUring workoUt)

2 scoops whey isolate (50g protein) 2 tbsp natural peanut butter 1 oz wheat germ
Meal 5

1 scoop waxy maize starch 5g creatine 10g BCAAs cup oats

Meal 6 (poSt workoUt)

2 scoops whey isolate (50g protein)

Meal 7 (1 hoUr aFtEr poSt-workoUt MEaL)

6 oz chicken breast 1 oz walnuts salad with vegetables and balsamic vinegar

Meal 6

6 oz grass-fed beef cup black beans 1 cup brown rice

Meal 8

tom schie rlitz /getty

6 oz grass-fed ground beef 8 asparagus spears cup sliced fresh pineapple

TOTals

1 oz walnuts A few forkfuls of raw kimchi or raw sauerkraut (for better digestion)
TOTals

2,520 calories, 274.5g protein (44%), 108g carbs (17%), 110g fat (39%)

2,954 calories, 286g protein (39%), 215g carbs (29%), 105.5g fat (32%)

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How 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 necessary 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 functioning. 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 levels hence 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

Get leaner
sample Mountain Dog plan for a 220-pound man who wants to lose fat
Off Day
Meal 1

WeighT-Training Day
Meal 1

Shake made with: 2 scoops whey isolate powder (50g protein) 2 tbsp natural peanut butter 1 oz wheat germ 3 tbsp raw, organic coconut
Meal 2

6 organic, free-range whole eggs 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil cup oats 1 tsp red palm oil
Meal 2

4 organic, free-range whole eggs 1 oz avocado 1 cup strawberries or kiwi

Meal 3

6 oz chicken breast 1 tbsp macadamia nut oil cup almonds

Meal 3

6 oz grass-fed beef (ground) cup sliced pineapple cup cooked kale or green veggie digestive enzyme, if needed
Meal 4

6 oz shrimp and 12 cups stir-fried vegetables cooked in water or glutenfree soy sauce or Szechuan sauce 6 oz sweet potato
Meal 4

6 oz wild tilapia or lean white fish cup oats 20g essential fatty acids
Meal 5

6 oz wild tilapia or lean white fish 2 slices Ezekiel toast 1 tbsp organic butter
Meal 5

6 oz chicken breast cup cooked kale or other green vegetable

Meal 6

2 scoops whey isolate shake 1 cup raw grass-fed milk or organic whole milk cup blueberries cup oats
Meal 6

2 scoops whey isolate shake (50g protein) 2 tbsp almond butter 1 oz wheat germ
TOTals:

6 oz grass-fed beef 8 asparagus spears 1 cup brown rice

Meal 7

2 scoops whey isolate powder 2 tbsp natural peanut butter

TOTals

2,715 calories, 282g protein (42%), 138g carbs (20%), 115g fat (38%)

3,076 calories, 348.5g protein (45%), 191g carbs (25%), 102g fat (30%)

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 is a good source of protein and fat.

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PhotograPh ers Name tom schie rlitz /getty