Optimize Your Food: Eat Better on Any Budget | Ft Ashley Negron

Welcome to the Optimizing Beyond podcast. I'm Josh Negron, and this show is all about sharing lessons, ideas, and strategies that sharpen your thinking, strengthen your habits, and push you to grow beyond comfort zones. Let's dive in. Welcome back to the show. I've got Ashley, my co-host, back, and today we want to talk about optimizing your food. Food is such a big part of all of our lives. Most of us eat at least 3 times a day, and it's something you can't avoid. So how do you do it right? It affects all of our wallets. And as we say daily, anything changes everything. Food is something that you do take on every single day, multiple times a day. And so arguably, for longevity and its impact on your body, there is a huge implication there as far as what you can do to optimize your food. We are super passionate about that, and in our almost 20 years together, we've worked really hard and incrementally on this process of optimizing our eating. And so we wanted to share some of those things with you. And I think the first overarching idea across all of these things was looking at food in that way, that because we take in food every single day, that impact on your body compounded over years and decades Has a huge influence in how it can affect your health long-term. You know, one bad meal is not gonna affect you at age 50, but a lot of bad food decisions are. So what does that look like before you end up having a really hard conversation with your doctor at age 40 or 50 maybe? Those are the kind of things that we're passionate about. And then realizing that food is fuel. And that fuel is something that if you take in a higher quality fuel, then, then your body can be optimized to run better. And as always, all the things that we always talk about is those changes didn't happen overnight. We didn't do those all in one year. We spaced those out. We looked at what we could do early on and then kept layering those changes to where now I feel like we've got a pretty great system. So kicking us off, Ashley, when did this mindset change for you in looking at food in that way?

I mean, I would say obviously early on in our marriage, we were young and we didn't have a lot of money. And so we ate as cheaply as possible. ate a lot of processed stuff because obviously that was what was affordable for us in a very limited budget. Now, what I soon also discovered was I was just making easy basic things, but there was a lot that I could actually do with the budget that we did have and start to guide us more towards being healthier. You know, some of that came from me actually gaining quite a bit of weight after we got married and then realizing like, oh, this has to do with the way that you're cooking, what you're cooking, also lack of movement. That's a whole different conversation. But you can do one without the other, but you can't do both. You can't eat bad and you can't not move because the results are going to be compounding. Early on, having to realize— for me, there was this moment of, um, the chiropractor telling me, like, hey, you have to start taking better care of your body or you're gonna be crippled at 50 if you don't figure this out. And that was a very big wake-up call for me because I was in my early 20s and was having enough issues that they were— I was already starting to compound because I wasn't taking care of myself. I wasn't moving, and I wasn't eating well. And so that was probably the first thing for me that kind of kicked this into high gear. Also realizing that around that same time that I might have some level of a gluten intolerance, and the amount of bread, pasta, you know, processed things that we were consuming, um, and in the amount of like, it's not a big deal, I haven't had any today, and then realizing like, well, but I've eaten it the last 3 days, or oh, I'm gonna make this quick compromise, and never really like Fully going, I'm not going to eat gluten, right? And I can tell you, as someone who has been gluten-free now for the last like 15 years, there is so much more available than there was when we— when I very first started on this journey, right? Like, the bread was awful, the pasta was horrible, everything was gritty and grainy and gross, and nobody had figured out, um, you know, what to do, how to make it better, how to make it, um You know, edible, honestly. And so for us it was like, well, I don't need all the processed things. It really just came down to like, I'm gonna consume meat and vegetables and rice. And so that really was that start of that shift for us. And then I wanna say like 10 years ago, you actually started tracking your food every single day. And that let's just took us to another deeper level when you're like, hey, I need this meal to be a little more balanced, or hey, I need you to not use as much fat. Or whatever the day was, like, hey, I need you to adjust and make dinner maybe a little bit differently. Or, you know, hey, I can only consume so much of, you know, maybe it's a carb today. And so, we needed to do something completely different, right? And so, we've just taken time over the years to really dial those things in. But those are the 2 things that stick out in my mind specifically as kind of these turning points when it comes to food for us.

Yeah, absolutely. And you mentioned, I mean, you do all the cooking, you do all the shopping and all the planning. So, that's a huge piece there. I know when we were talking off camera that one of the biggest changes for planning, and also budgetary constraints too, for you was when you— when Walmart and Sam's Club finally transitioned to pickup, and you were able to leverage not having to go into the store. Now, you save the time there too. But then you're also not buying all the stuff like that you don't need that wasn't on your list because you saw it and it was on an end cap and whatever. So walk us through how that changed your buying and your planning and your budgeting, really.

Yeah, genuinely. Genuinely, for me, like Walmart and Sam's pickup and delivery has been a huge time saver, first of all. And then, like you said, budgetarily been, been really, really helpful. One of the things that I enjoy about both of those, those apps and those websites is that there's a frequently purchased section. So if I'm like, oh my gosh, I know there's something in the back of my mind that I'm supposed to be adding to my list, I can just look through that and go, ooh, that's what it was. Or when I'm in the kitchen cooking and I run out of something, I immediately can pull up my app. ahead and add whatever that item is in there, and it's already in my cart for the next time. The other upside as well is that my total, um, that I'm spending on groceries is automatically calculating, and I can see how much in the cart it is that I'm spending. And so I know in our budget I have XYZ amount of money every single week to spend on food, you know, on whatever like drinks that it is that we want, whatever that, that looks like. And so I know in my mind like, okay, here's where I'm at budgetary-wise. You know, I do work really hard to limit, um, the number of orders that I do a week, um, in order to, um, you know, not do the whole little, oh, I'm just running in for this thing and then whatever. Because in order to do like delivery or pickup or whatever, it's $30 to $35 minimum. So if I only needed 1 or 2 things, then I've automa— I've, I'm not really saving myself any money than if I ran into the store. And so that for me has been the biggest thing. Also gotten myself to where I plan. Our meals for the whole week. And I, we do pickup or delivery and I try to do it on Sundays now where it all comes, either it comes to the house or we stop and pick it up on the way home from church. And that way I have everything that I need for the week. I've loaded it. I've thought about my meals. For me, I keep a note on my phone that's in like a list and I load that on there. And then I, I show what I'm gonna make for the week and I load those to the top. And then that way it's a running list that you and I keep. So I know like, oh my gosh, this is Josh's favorite things that he wants to eat.

Mm-hmm.

And when I'm like, I don't know what to make this week, I can just look through this list of things that are kind of staples for us and go, ooh, that sounds good, or that sounds good, or that sounds good. And so that's kind of been my hack personally for those 2 things.

So for those that don't know and have never used it before, it sounds like you can keep the cart going and it doesn't ever reset, right? So if you're putting stuff in your cart Monday, Tuesday, it, it keeps carrying over. Is that what you're saying?

Yeah, it will. So it'll just hold those items in your cart until you're ready to check out, until you're ready for your, whatever your big order is, or until you hit, you know, if you're like, I'm not gonna hit the minimum, but I'm like, I know I need this. I don't remember what it was last week. I needed something and I was not anywhere close to the minimum, but I'm like, I'm putting this here, I'm holding it. That way when it's ready, I know that I can go ahead and get that order going. And for us, like, it's been a huge— I mean, genuine huge budgetary saver. And specifically for me, like, it's kept me from those impulse buys, which typically are the less healthier things, right? Like, I have to actually go search for and find and pick the less healthy option, which is a little bit harder to do. Like, I have to actually like search for that rather than just walking past and going, ooh, that looks good, let me put that in my cart, right? And so, you know, even if I do delivery and I'm paying the, the tip for the driver, it's still less than what I would spend if I went into the store and had to do it myself. So it's just been— and time for me. I don't, I don't like to do it. I don't, I don't want to go into those, to those stores. I want— let somebody else— I'll pay you. I don't mind to do that at all. And so for me, that's optimizing.

Yeah. And not everybody has to do pickup. So you can get the same benefit from pickup if you're like, I don't want to— I don't want to pay somebody to deliver my—

that's fine.

Just do pickup. And it's the same difference. You just don't go in, you're buying just the stuff on your list. It's huge. Okay, big objection though. And I've heard this over and over. And you were in this boat until You figured it out. Ashley, I don't want somebody else picking my produce because they're gonna make Walmart decisions. They're gonna pick the oldest bananas, blah, blah, blah. So how do you handle that, Ashley?

You know, maybe I'm just a lucky human. I don't think that I probably am, but I genuinely have not had— very rarely do I have something that is not up to a quality. Now, also being honest, I buy most of our produce like that from Sam's, so it comes in, you know, a larger quantity and it comes bagged and it seems to be fresher than a lot of the other because they only carry a certain amount of vegetables. It seems to be fresher and they move at a different pace than what maybe like Walmart does. Um, you know, I haven't super experimented with Instacart and with Aldi or using Uber One for Aldi or those kinds of things. I know there's lots of other options available. Just for me, Walmart and Sam's has been fine. Um, you know, and, and every once in a while there's something that's really genuinely not great, and I'll go into the app and I will request a refund, or I will get on and chat with someone and say, hey, like, I was supposed to get this and I didn't, or I got this and it's gross, whatever. Um, and you know, most of the time, like, it's return— they're able to return it for me and I can throw it away and, and move on. And honestly, the last 2 summers there was a couple of times that I went and I was like, you know what, a watermelon is pretty specific. I don't somebody else picking my watermelon. Like, I grew up as a garden girl, like, I can pick my watermelon better. Yeah, turns out I can't. The last 2 years, every watermelon that I've gotten from Walmart delivery has been better than any Walmart or any watermelon that I went in and picked on my own. So I don't know, I have had really, really, really good luck with it, and I don't mind the things that they've picked out for me.

Yeah, yeah. And so The next— one of the other things that we've done is kind of like an ingredient change, an ingredient audit where I'll pick certain things that like, hey, can we transition away from these into these? And so you already mentioned gluten. It was something you were kind of half in, half out, and then realized you didn't like the way it made you feel. So you went gluten-free 100%. And that was a good, good change for you.

Yeah.

I found out through a genetic test that I have a mutation where I don't handle enriched things well, like enriched flour. And so, um, for us, that, that was an easy change too, to get things that aren't enriched. Uh, sourdough is really good for that too, and that helps with the gluten-free situation for you. And then, you know, some things are kind of like potentially bro science, right? So like, there's a bunch of people who say seed oils are bad for you, and then there's other people who are like, that's stupid, there's no research to suggest that. And so for me, it's like, if there's any doubt, Why do I wanna mess with it? And so we just made the decision, you know, olive, avocado, Wagyu butter, that's what we use. And so I just don't see any other point in messing around with anything else. And then I'm pretty critical of reading labels and saying, hey, let's, let's get rid of this. I don't, I don't like the kind of oil they use in here. And so again, it could, it could just be bro science and it won't make any change. However, if there is any possibility, then again, daily anything. So. It's just how we do things. And then artificial sweeteners too. We've recently cut those out. That's in so many energy drinks and all sorts of sugar-free products. You have to be really, really specific. I'm okay with stevia and monk fruit and erythritol, but all the other ones, I just don't see a point. Because if they're like, well, they're mostly safe. It's like, well, again, daily, anything. We used to have Alanis every day. Now we make our own coffee, right? So it's these things where it's like, Constantly making those changes. And the artificial sweeteners, honestly, was one of the most recent and the most difficult to fully, fully cut out. And so always reiterating. And so we used to be sugar-free on everything and using those, those that I mentioned earlier, but, and reintroducing maple syrup and honey back into our diets because those do, those simple carbs do have their place. And then, you know, just making those shifts over time. Throughout the last 10 years have been really, really huge. So Ashley, we talked a little bit budget and how pickup and delivery helped with that. Now I want to ask them a little bit more specifically with these minor shifts that we've done over the years, how do you manage those budgetarily? Because setting the stage here, I remember the decision specifically to switch to organic chicken was eye-watering from a pricing perspective.

Yeah.

Like it was like, you can get this much pound of chicken, uh, you know, and it's endless, you know, you got the flat, that's like size of a tennis racket. But then if you decide you want to do organic chicken, it's this tiny little Ziploc bag and it costs $400. So walk us through like how you made— and it's a good thing you make these individually over time because you can't switch from non-organic to organic in one month. That would be crazy. Like you just double your budget. So how did you make those changes over time? And how did that work?

Yeah, I, you know, I think it's just that you have to pick the thing that's most important to you? Is it gonna be that I'm gonna try to focus on meat? And maybe it's that I find a local butcher shop, or I find a local farmer, or somebody at the farmer's market that I can, that I can buy it from.

That's right, because we got a half a cow from a local—

Yep.

Local butcher. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's the first one.

Um, also Aldi has great prices on organic meats, on chicken, on beef, on those kinds of things, especially if you can get it on sale and then cap out the max amount per customer and kind of buy ahead and stick it in the freezer, you know. And Sam's and Walmart offer their own version as well. And so you just have to kind of figure out what it is that you're, you know, what is the biggest priority for you? Is it meat? Is it dairy? Is it eggs? What is it? And what do you consume the most of, right? And then figuring out and, and going, okay, so I'm gonna transition to, you know, what's a meal that we eat a lot of chicken in? And I'm going to do that one maybe organic. And then the next one that doesn't do as much, Or will maybe go farther, I'm gonna not do that one organic, and I'm gonna just slowly transition myself to the healthier option. Yeah, like you said, you can't just dive in the deep end budgetarily and all of a sudden go to this. You'll find yourself, you know, food broke, and, and that's not a good— that's not a good plan. So it just has to be this constant little bitty tweaks and little things, right? It's like, can I get this vegetable in organic versus not? Can I get— and, and determining, is that important to you. Because for some people genuinely don't care. You have to decide if that's something that you think is a risk to your health and something that you think is worth the extra money and the extra difference, right? You know, obviously, if, if I have an option and the, the price difference is minuscule, especially on like fruits and vegetables, specifically fruit— fruit is probably the one place that I don't compromise on organic, especially berries and Yep. Those porous things, the porous things. Also, like, rinsing your vegetables and your fruit is a huge deal, and trying to get a lot of those, you know, if you don't do that, like the pesticides and things like that off of those before you consume them. And so there's ways in which that you can, you can do that. And then it's, yeah, it's just a little incremental tweak. And then you, the next time you're like, okay, well, now I'm used to this part of the budget, I'm gonna look for the next little thing that I can do. And the next little thing that I can switch, and what healthier swap can I make, you know, this time around? And, and you just have to look for those little tweaks that work for you and for your family and for your own specific situation.

Yeah, because it depends on what you, what you guys like to eat. And it also depends on, you know, are you in a food desert or are you in an area that, like, I mean, there are, like, I remember going to a farmer's market in Dallas. This thing was like miles long. And you could get anything you wanted, and it was amazing. And so you just kind of have to determine what are, what are those choices. Like I said earlier, getting that half a cow from a butcher early on when we were going organic, that was like really cost effective and really helped us do that. Because non-organic meats have like all these things that could be in there, all these extra things, and that you don't want, that you don't need. And so again, it depends on what you're eating, what your diet consists of, and where you live, really. Yeah.

Absolutely. And the other thing I think that is important to do also is depending on, you know, who you are, what kind of time that you have, what your life situation is like. So maybe it's waiting for it to go on sale. You know, I get the Aldi ad emailed to me every single week and I take a look at it and go, oh, is that anything I can use this week? Maybe I need to go run in and grab some things from the store. Or waiting for, you know, if we, we have a Whole Foods about an hour away, and so now it's like I'm gonna watch to see what's on sale today. Is there something that I can go ahead and buy this in bulk this time? And then I am set on, you know, whatever for the next month until I can go again, or whatever that, that might look like. So there's hacks, there's ways that you can do those kinds of things, there's coupons that you can do, there's all kinds of stuff that is available. You just have to watch, watch that. I also know I have heard people say that— really quick, back to the Walmart and Sam's thing— that it does cost more potentially in the app if you're doing the pickup and delivery. I don't know that for certain because I haven't been in the store in a long So that is something to keep in mind, that that is something that is potential, that there maybe is a little bit of a cost difference. So you're paying for that person's time for Walmart to pay them to go pick out your groceries. So just things to keep in mind when you're trying to do budgetary hacks.

Yeah. And on that note, I think that's probably why the produce selection is typically okay, because I've sometimes watched those people as they're doing it. And I think— I don't know if they pick people that are really intentional, but I see them pick something up and then put it back and pick something else up. So like, I feel like a good number of them are choosing produce that they would want to eat. And they're like, well, I'm not going to pick that one. That one's nasty. So I do really appreciate that just as an aside, watching them do that. And so obviously, I wanted to speak a little bit into my role in this because obviously you're the one that plans, buys, then cooks. I mean, I just eat, you know, that's all I do. But my responsibility is looking for those diet optimizations, right? If there's something that we're wanting, like maybe, maybe a different way of eating that we're wanting to Um, I'm always researching and looking to learn what is an optimization opportunity in our, in our food, because I do think diet and nutrition are so, so important. We are athletes, we work out very hard. And so refueling our bodies so we prevent injury is really important. What does that look like? And that has led to a lot of the changes that we've made over the years. And so, and then the fact that I track my food and have for 8 to 10 years, somewhere around there, um, really helps me be in tune with, with what we're eating, what we're doing. We've tried like, Not keto, but a lower carb diet, you know, that's heavy in, in some fats and meats. And we've tried a lot of different arrangements of diets. So just to see how we feel, how it works, and even in our supplementation too. So like, for example, you and I used to take about 2 protein supplements a day in powder form or a drink form.

Mm-hmm.

And now, You do one a day max, and then I typically don't have one at all because my diet now, I get enough protein from the, from the diet itself. Why supplement? That's the whole point of supplements. Like, if you can get it from your diet, that's actually better. And so just optimizing those things, it definitely looks different for different people, obviously. And so I think what I want people to think about is you can have your different roles and, and figure out how to maximize those together. But our goal is aligned together, even though our responsibilities are different. And so what does that look like for you, the listener who's thinking about, well, how do I do this? And I don't want to be a one-man show. You know, and if you and your partner, how are you on the same page, even if your responsibilities and your roles are different? I think that's getting aligned in that way. Like, hey, we want to eat better. What are some ways that we can do that? Finding those low-hanging fruit, the first one or two things that you can do, and then get those nailed in before you try anything else. And then sometimes we've tried something and we're like, Yeah, no. But we went plant-based for 12-ish months. It was when that documentary came out and everyone was like, hey, if you go plant-based, you'll feel like a million dollars and be able to run 7 marathons and like, it'll be amazing. And I stuck to it religiously and didn't break it. And we had a lot of tofu. And what was that other one? Tempeh? Yes. To try to get enough protein. Man, that was intense. And I did not feel like a million dollars. And so good on Lewis Hamilton and all those dudes who are athletes and are plant-based. Awesome. I did not feel that way. So I went back to the meats and I also didn't feel like smashing buttercups. So, you know, whatever. And we've tried other things, different like high-fat diets. And again, didn't, didn't, didn't really feel amazing in that regard either. So I'm like, you know, a well-balanced diet with a good amount of carbs for me is a good mix right now. Because they'll say like, there's no essential carbohydrate, but there is essential protein and fats. Perfect. Yes. However, it doesn't change that I don't feel great at going in that way. So, right, you know, maybe later.

And one thing I would add to like, to my role, I don't do all the cooking and the shopping and the meal planning because I'm the wife. I do it because I enjoy it and it's a love language for me. So whatever that looks like, you know, we, we have lots and lots of friends that it is, um, you know, it's the man that does the cooking and the planning and the prepping because that's something that he enjoys doing and that he's good at it. So it's more about the fact of who enjoys it and who's willing to take on that part of that role, or how do you even split that? Because one of you doesn't have to do everything, right? Nor should you. And so it just— you want to, you want to be cautious in that, that you don't put something on the other person that could cause some potential resentment. Or, you know, you need to be communicating about what it is and how to work together to accomplish this goal together. Because the reality is, is like your spouse could be the person who helps you succeed when it comes to food, or they can be the one to get you off the rails the fastest of anyone. And so just, just a thought to be, to be careful of.

So that brings a— that brings up a good point, Ashley. What do you say to a couple who's like, we both hate cooking? And if that's the case, then the propensity to eat out is higher.

Mm-hmm.

Which typically has more salts, more fats, and typically makes it more difficult to stay fit and it hits the wallet harder. So, I mean, we're just, we're just hitting on a lot of things here. What do you suggest to, to a couple that neither of them wants to cook?

Honestly, there's so many companies available that will drop ship already made meals to your house that are healthy, that are, that are gonna be a balanced meal, that are created by a chef. So they've got good flavor to them. We have a friend at work that uses one of those companies and it has like a certain, like like a, like an oven that sits on their countertop and they throw their meals in there and then that's what they get. And they get to pick those every single week. I could not tell you the name of that company for the life of me, but there's a million available. Um, we've tried several different ones of them, um, you know, and maybe you live in a town that even has like a meal prep company, or maybe your gym has a, a meal prep option. We had one here in town for a while and it was amazing. It was so great.

That was amazing.

Oh, and, and it just, um, yeah, it just depends on your life situation. So, but look for options that are available to you other than that quick fast food kind of thing or that heavy eating out all the time. You know, for us it became like we now eat out maybe once a week.

Mm-hmm.

Maybe once a week, typically maybe twice a week. There's one other night, you know, we eat out after church on Sundays and then maybe one other Maybe not always. Yeah. And for us, it became because we were switching away from seed oils. Honestly, that became one of the biggest things for us was just the way that eating out could potentially make us feel and and the results that might happen in the gym after that. And so, not to say that we don't. Now listen, when we go on vacation, all bets are off. When we are on vacation, we are foodies. I love to find good food. Food is a love language for me. I love to cook it. I love to feed other people, and I love to enjoy really good food. But those are the moments that food is not about fuel. It is more about the experience around the food and the way in which it's meant to be enjoyed, and trying new experiences, meeting new people, going to new restaurants, all of the things that come with that when, when you travel. And so there has to just be a balance. We don't deny ourselves completely, but we also don't go so far the other way to which that all of our food that we're consuming is fast or from a restaurant.

Absolutely. And I have a dear friend who kind of tried a different strategy that, that was really awesome. enjoyed it. And so he was like, I wanted to learn how to cook. He didn't hate doing it, he— but he didn't know how. So it's this little difference here. So if you're like, well, I wouldn't mind it, but I, I legit don't know what I'm doing, and how would I learn? Like, you learned with 4-H, that was super helpful. And so you went into 4-H because you were interested in it. But as an adult, how does somebody do that?

Mm-hmm.

And so he's like, well, I will subscribe to like a service like HelloFresh. And he was like, and because they send me, I still have to be the one to cook it. He's like, that taught me like flavor profiles and what to add together and what things complement each other. And he's like, so every single time I got a different meal that I cooked, I learned something new. And he's like, and then I started like weaning myself off. And he's like, and instead of making 5 meals that week, HelloFresh meals, he's like, I would only make 2 because I would know how to do the other ones from scratch.

Mm-hmm.

And now he doesn't do it at all. And I think that's really cool because for him, it wasn't like, oh, I'm doing this for convenience because I don't want to have to buy everything myself. No, for him, it was like, this is actually going to teach me how to cook. And it was awesome. So, that's a suggestion too, if you're like, hey, I'm actually open to it, but I legit, besides cooking oatmeal and eggs, I don't know what else to do.

Right.

And so, that's a super, super good way to do it. Yeah.

I will also say the other thing that I have done is... I, I watch a lot of cooking shows. And I watch a lot of cooking reels, or I'll watch YouTube videos, or I'll just have them on in the background and I'm listening to things, but I'm gleaning like, oh, I can put these flavor profiles together, and oh, I can do this, right? I— we laugh and have this joke in our house that I rarely follow a recipe, right? Like, I'm the human that goes, I'm gonna combine these 4 different recipes because I know that this one on its own isn't gonna work because of this, and then this one's this way and this one's this way. What did you actually put in it? That's a really great question. Can I replicate that? Not on your life, because I mixed a whole bunch of things. So it's this running joke in our house, which makes your food tracking super great and fun. Absolutely. And there's a reason that he has a couple hundred recipes in his food app is because I am continually tweaking and changing and adding and doing because it's an adventure for me. And food is this learning, Cooking food is my happy place. And so that's one of those things that like I just keep curating and tweaking, and it only comes with time. Like the cook that I am now at 17 years of marriage is so different than the cook that I was, you know, in my early 20s. And so, and that just came from time and repetition. And like we talk about with anything else, daily anything changes everything. Like the fact that I had to cook, that you cook, you have to cook, that's part of just being an adult, right? Mm-hmm. But that I get to cook every single day means I'm constantly tweaking and looking for all of these little ways that I can optimize my cooking. You also, um, started, you know, there was a season of time after I dislocated my elbow that you had to actually do the cooking and I had to teach, like walk you through step by step how I did that. And then it became that we prepped together in the kitchen in the evening and we would either like watch a show or we would chat or we would listen to a book or it was this time together. in the kitchen and learning to see that as that sweet season that it was. And so, just look for ways to optimize that. For us, I don't take my Sunday afternoon and meal prep for the whole week. I've done that a few times and I just, it's actually more exhausting than it is time-saving, I think, really.

And it robs your enjoyment of cooking that you enjoy.

Correct.

Correct.

Yeah. So, for us, it works well to like, I'm going to double a recipe or I'm going to triple a recipe. And then, whatever we had for dinner, that's what leftovers are for lunch the next day, right? And so I'm always a little bit ahead. Or is there something that I can go ahead and while this is cooking for tonight, what can I prep for tomorrow night? What can I go ahead and pre-chop? What can I get ready to go ahead of time while that's being done, right? There's little tweaks that you can make and little things that you can do to help set yourself up so that food prepping is not so overwhelming. You know, the other thing is it depends on if you're the kind of person that can eat the same thing every single day because food is fuel. You, or if you're me and you get bored and it has to be what is— what I was craving, what sounds good, what am I going to engage in, what time of the year is— we have this debate in our house about soups and stews and what time of year you can eat them. Anyway, so that might be a fun year. It might be a fun poll in the comments. Are you—

Can you have chili when it's hot? Yes.

No, of course the answer is no. Um, anyway, all of those kinds of things. So just look for little, little ways to optimize. Maybe it's that you make an extra batch of something one night and you put it in the freezer, and then if it's— if you know it's going to be a crazy week, you can just pull that out and let it defrost and you're ready to go, right? You don't have to think, you don't have to do— also, an Instant Pot is an incredible way to help with meal prepping. Making a big batch of chicken and then like, I'm gonna throw that in the Instant Pot, it doesn't take any effort on my part, and then I have chicken for the whole week, or whatever that that looks like, right? I'm gonna pre-ground fry up a bunch of ground beef, and then I have it, and all I have to do is flavor it, and we're ready to rock and roll, right? What are the little things that are going to work for you in your life to optimize it? And what little things can you change to just make these few little healthier choices? Also, I would highly recommend starting to track the amount of fat that you use when you cook. When I started to realize how many calories were in a tablespoon of oil, or a tablespoon of butter, or a tablespoon of tallow, I went, I can't just dump and go. So that is probably where a large chunk of our fat and calories come from, and we don't even know it. And so that's one of my biggest hacks, is to go ahead and measure the amount of fat that you're using in a recipe, and you'll kind of be surprised and realize you don't actually need as much as you think that you do.

And that's the thing, that's the bottom line here, that even us, we're still adjusting, we're still optimizing, we're still looking for opportunities You've gotten really good at tweaking recipes. Like you joked about, I have like probably 400 desserts in my app that have been saved. And that's the, that's the part that we're constantly still messing with and tweaking and adjusting. You know, just last year we made several changes to how we were eating and kind of the macro composition, just playing with things as we were learning and we wanted to try it. And so regardless of where you are, whether you're a beginner with this or you're a serial optimizer looking for more ways to optimize your food, A big thing is just picking the first thing to swap out. What's the one thing that you're gonna stop doing? You know, are you doing— is it something as simple as like, I should probably stop drinking full, like, soda, you know? Or is it getting rid of those artificial sweeteners? That may be tough, like, you know? And so, is it changing your oil up? Is it, you know— so just think about those things. What is the lowest hanging fruit? What is the most research behind it? Like, I don't know if like maybe seed oils and artificial sweeteners should be your first pick if you're drinking soda. And so, you know, prioritize your stuff. You know, are you eating out a bunch of times? Like, you know, can you scale one back and add another home-cooked meal, right? So these are just small tweaks that you can do. And then, you know, if you're a little bit more seasoned, you know, audit your system. Like, who does what? Is there anything that you can tweak that you can make better? And then evaluate what's working. Again, you want to continue to just make those small adjustments because daily anything changes everything. And food is so big, such a huge part. I mean, most people are eating 2,000 to 3,000 calories every day, and the quality of those calories matter. And even people who look amazing at the gym don't always consume the greatest quality, and sometimes that does catch up to you. Someone who looks great can still have heart problems and still have arteries that aren't in great shape because the quality wasn't there, right? So, and who knows what, what some of this artificial and processed stuff can, can In fact, even if you do work out, if you're eating low-quality stuff, when you're in your 50s and 60s, maybe you could start paying for that. And we don't want to do that. So that's why we do this. Food is so, so important. Thanks for listening to the Optimizing Beyond podcast. Remember, growth happens when you take action. So subscribe, share this with a friend, and most importantly, put what you learned into practice because as we know, daily anything changes everything.