TMUSCLE.com | Top 30 Testosterone Nation Diet Articles

The Top 30 Testosterone Nation Diet Articles
Compiled by the editors

With seven years' worth of diet and nutrition articles in our archives, we thought it might be time to rank them and provide some handy links to the original articles. So here you go!

Dietary displacement is when a person replaces healthy, nutrient dense food choices with unhealthy "empty" calories, also called the "all treat diet." This leads to fat gain even if the person keeps calories in check. After JB explores this issue in Part I, he takes it further in Part II and discusses various nitpicking food debates such as raw milk, fruit consumption and free range meats. If you're getting lost in the minutia of macronutrients and food choices, these two articles provide a roadmap to common sense.

"How you doin'?" For some reason, that pick-up line only works for Dr. Berardi. Must be the whole "doctor" thing.

This article starts with a hilarious history lesson on diets. For example, did you know that cold breakfast cereal was invented to cure the "evil" practice of masturbation? True story. Dan John then segues into some great fat loss lessons, a list of healthy food choices, and some practical tips to help you stay lean and mean. Read this article to get some perspective on fad diets and to learn some tips to keep you lean. Bonus: You can masturbate all you want. Check it out HERE.

This article that takes all that complex nutrition science and shows you how to apply it to your daily meals. Dr. Hyght covers all the macronutrients in Cliff's Notes fashion, then provides his own pre-contest nutrition plan to illustrate how it can all be put together. Good stuff. Check it out HERE.

Fatty here really does know his stuff, despite his corpulence.

Maximal muscularity, improved athletic performance, positive shifts in body composition, and marked improvements in recovery: any of those sound good to you? Well then, you have to think about the "when" when it comes to nutrient timing, not just the "how much" and "what." In this article, Berardi breaks down the science behind nutrient timing. If you think you know what to eat and how much to eat, then make sure you know when to eat it to maximize your efforts! Dig on this linkage:

Part I

Part II

The info in this article can be applied to just about any diet. These common mistakes include misreading labels, not keeping a food log, infrequent eating and misusing cheat meals. If your diet isn't working, check this article out and make sure you're not making any of these mistakes! Here's the link.

Science articles on the topic of theoretical nutrition are great and T-Nation publishes a ton of them, but sometimes it's helpful to just chuck the theory and look into the kitchens of the nutrition gurus. With all this scientific info, what are the gurus actually eating?

In this article, guru Berardi tells you exactly what's in his refrigerator and cupboard. To see how JB walks the nutritional walk, checkout the links below:

In My Fridge

In My Cupboard

The grocery store is full of low-carb food these days, but is that a good thing or a bad thing? Both, says Dr. Lowery. In this article, LL looks at the positive and negative side of how the low-carb craze affects bodybuilders. The good news? More high protein and high fiber, lots of vegetable choices, and new low-sugar dairy products. The bad news? poor quality protein (soy and gluten), sugar alcohols, junk fats and high calorie foods. Want the details? Check out the whole article HERE.

You don't have to "go Atkins" to benefit from reduced carbohydrate intake. Most people probably consume too many of the wrong kinds of carbs. In this article, LL provides some sane tips on carb reduction so you can reap the benefits of a "controlled carb" diet without going into a ketogenic rage. Learn more HERE.

In this two-parter, Berardi uses the story of Lance Armstrong to guide readers through a lesson in nutritional preparation and adaptability. The article covers everything from handy recipes and must-have cooking tools to the top ten strategies for the traveling bodybuilder or athlete. Lots of immediately applicable info here that'll help you with just about any nutrition plan. Dig it:

Part I

Part II

Many common foods have pharmaceutical-like effects that can enhance health, physique and performance. In this series, Dr. Lowery lists several such foods, mostly various fruits, veggies, beans and nuts. Example: Pineapple has a recovery-facilitating effect because one of the phytochemicals it contains lessens exercise-induced muscle damage. Pretty interesting. To learn about more of these pharma-foods, checkout these links:

Part I

Part II

In this two-part article, Berardi delves deep into fat loss issues, but this isn't a "diet." Rather, it's a survey of all the things he believes are integral to the fat loss process. First, Berardi outlines the four major concepts he thinks you’ll need to understand and master if you hope to alter your body composition, then he jumps into a primer of fat metabolism and energy balance.

In Part II of the series, JB talks about how to apply all this info, provides some useful strategies, and gives his list of essential supplements. Good info for anyone wanting to lose fat and keep it off. Links:

Part 1

Part II

In this article, Dr. Lowery talks about "pretend" health foods that are actually worse than the originals! These include low-fat peanut butter, margarine and fat-free processed meats among other things. Think you're eating healthy? Better read this article to be sure.

"Eat protein at every meal. Don't mix too many fats with too many carbs in the same meal if you want to achieve optimal body composition." You may have heard this advice before, but where did it originate? With "Massive Eating" of course! Whether you're trying to gain muscle or lose fat, these general guidelines can help. T-Nation has published several articles on this topic:

Massive Eating, Part I

Massive Eating, Part II

The "Don't Diet" Plan

Massive Eating Reloaded, Part I

Massive Eating Reloaded, Part II

We're constantly amazed that some lifters log every rep and set, yet have no idea how many grams of protein they're getting per day, or how many calories they consume. Every bodybuilder and athlete needs to keep a food log for at least a short period of time. What you'll learn is invaluable. The Missing Ingredient outlines exactly how to keep a good food log. This is a perfect companion article to any diet plan.

There's no easy answer to the inevitable "How much protein do I need?" question. But in this article, Dr. Berardi does his best to figure out the difference between protein need and optimal protein intake. Before you get into an Internet argument about protein, be sure to arm yourself with this info! Check it out HERE.

How did America get to be such a country of fat bastards? TC blends history, politics, science and ha-has to explain how modern America got be such a country of fat bastards. A fascinating story that instructs, too. Here’s the link.

To cheat or not to cheat? That's the dietary question. In this eye-opening article, JB talks about the negative physiological effects of eating big and how best to minimize them. Before you hit the buffet, be sure to read this article.

This is a Q & A article about the practical use of fats and oils. Subjects include fish oil safety, the healthiest oil for cooking, the fats you should avoid and the fats you should be sure to include in your diet. A good primer on fats and oils. Here's the link.

Instead of summing up every single T-Nation diet article published over the years, we're going to just link you to the New Diet Manifesto. This article provides a lot of general info about dieting and sums up 14 diets previously published here at the Nation. It's a little dated, but still a great source of info and helpful links.

Are you on a diet? Are you focusing on long-term weight management? Would you like to eat a whole buncha food and not get fat? Then this is the series for you. Dr. Lowery outlines several methods for "calorie dilution," sneaky ways to expend extra calories, and lets you in on some dirty fat burning tricks. Lots of practical tips in this one. Here are the links:

Dr. Lowery knows nutrition and training! But don't ask him about hair care products.

If a person were to never go on a formal diet, yet always followed these simple rules, he or she would always be lean and healthy. This article contains a list of time-tested, no nonsense habits that you need to apply when designing a good eating program. Read it HERE.

This interview with Dr. Berardi provides a nice summary on why post-training nutrition is so important. He talks about when and what to consume to get the most results from your hard training. Along with the basics, Berardi talks about what's new in the area of post-workout nutrition. Get the whole scoop HERE. And if you want more than just an overview, be sure to read the original article, Solving the Post-Work Puzzle Part I and Part II.

Scan the archives of T-Nation or look through the forum discussions and you'll find several nasty comments about soy protein. Why? Because soy protein, at least in excess, is bad, and we've published four different articles by four different authors to explain why. Check these out before you eat another soy-laced protein bar:

Bad Protein by TC

The Evils of Soy by Cy Willson

Soy is Still Bad Protein by Glen Neilson

Poison Protein by Chris Shugart

Sometimes when a newbie logs onto T-Nation and makes a post he's told to "go read all of Berardi's stuff on nutrition." Not bad advice, but JB has dozens of articles in our archives and it can get overwhelming. That's why we put together The Essential Berardi. Think of this as the Cliff's Notes to around 30 Berardi articles. It'll give you the gist of how a lot of us eat around here, then you can read the full articles to get the details. Handy guide.

Every dieter faces it: the more calories are restricted, the slower the metabolism becomes. So what do you do? In this series, Dr. Lowery explores this issue and provides some smart tips on how to lose fat without crashing your metabolism. In Part I you find info on estimating energy requirements (how many calories you should eat).

In Part II you'll fine info on how many calories to restrict, how much cardio to perform and how much protein to consume. Check these out before your next fat loss phase!

Here's a classic article that breaks nutrition down into simple categories: foods you should eat and foods you should avoid. If you just want to know what to buy at the grocery store to help you look good nekid, this is the article for you. Here's the LINK.

Looking for an extreme, short term, fat stripping, bad habit squashing diet? Are you willing to eat only four solid meals in a month and drink protein shakes the rest of the time? Then maybe the Velocity Diet is for you, but it's certainly not for everyone.

The V-Diet is the latest evolution of the "fat fast" style of diet. Basically, it's low calorie and low carb, and consists of mostly liquid meals. Most people lose twelve to twenty pounds of fat in just four weeks. Extreme? You bet. Fast and effective? You better believe it! Here are the links:

The Velocity Diet, Part I

The Velocity Diet, Part II

The Velocity Diary

One of the best regular features here at T-Nation are the roundtable discussions. We've had several of these on the topic of nutrition featuring some of the brightest, most progressive minds in the biz. For more info than you ever wanted to know about macronutrients, check out the following links:

The Carbohydrate Roundtable Part I

The Carbohydrate Roundtable Part II

The Fat Roundtable

The Fat Roundtable II

The Protein Roundtable

This article can get pretty "science-y" but what it's basically telling you is when to eat most of your daily carbs and when to eat most of your daily fats. We all have similar biological rhythms, and therefore there are optimal times to consume certain macronutrients. For example, glucose tolerance is very poor in the evening so this isn't the best time to eat a lot of carbs. For all the details plus a sample eating plan, click the links below:

Part I

Part II

This article series is a must-read for several reasons. First, it absolutely and positively debunks the myth that "a calorie is a calorie." Because of the Thermic Effect of Feeding and other factors, this old standby just isn't true.

The article goes on to explain why a carb is not a carb, a fat is not a fat and a gram of protein is not a gram of protein. In other words, it explains how different types of carbs, proteins and fats affect the body in different ways. Finally, the article series ends with a practical list of foods you should be eating and a list of basic nutrition rules. Gold. Here are the links:

Lean Eatin' Part I

Lean Eatin' Part II

Did we peg ‘em right, or did we peg ‘em wrong? What’s your pick for the top T-Mag diet article?

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