ANABOLIC EATING

ANABOLIC EATING
By Shane Robert

If you grew up in the dark ages reading muscle magazines, like me, you will recognize titles like “Anabolic Eating.” They were usually followed by some kind of subtitle like “meals to add slabs of beef to your frame,” or “recipes to get jacked,” or some other nonsense. I’m sad to say they worked. At least for me.I was always a skinny teenager and the prototypical ectomorph “hard-gainer.” Any article that promised to make it easier for me to “Get Steroid Huge Without Drugs” commanded my attention. It was all silly of course. All food is anabolic if you are eating in anything but a caloric deficit and protein is anabolic (growth promoting) pretty much any time you eat it, as long as you eat enough protein to consume 2.5 grams of the amino acid leucine (about 30 grams of most complete proteins), which triggers muscle protein synthesis, aka building muscle. To act like there is something special about a specific kind of food or meal plan is disingenuous at best and downright fraudulent at worst. 

Whether you are looking to get jacked or Rocky 4 shredded, eating is a huge part. As such, I like to find recipes that can work for either goal. One of my go-to recipes over the last 10+ years is a simple one-pot dish that is inspired by Thai flavors. I will share two versions, the original and a more authentic Thai version. It’s a great base that can adjust calories by using different meats. ORIGINAL

RECIPE

• 1 pound ground beef (use leaner is cutting, fattier if bulking, or even ground chicken breast…though that’s not as good) 
• 1 cup Jasmine Rice
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1.5 cups broth or water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• ¼ packed cup chopped cilantro 
• 4 green onions, chopped

Rinse your rice a few times until the water is mostly clear. Heat a pot over medium heat. De-seed and dice your bell pepper. Add the ground beef and bell peppers to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until beef is brown and peppers are soft. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and cover. Cook until all the liquid is absorbed. Add the cilantro and green onions and stir. Put the lid back on and let sit for 5-10 minutes. 

• 1 pound ground beef (use leaner if cutting, fattier if bulking, or even ground chicken breast…though that’s not as good) 
• 1 cup Jasmine rice
• 2 red jalapeno peppers
• 4 - 8 Thai chili pepper
• 1.5 cups broth or water
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 - 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• ¼ packed cup chopped cilantro 
• 4 green onions, chopped

Cook this the same way as above. Obviously, this is a much spicier version and will have a different taste due to the inclusion of fish sauce and oyster sauce.