The Importance of Diet For a Hunt and Everyday Training

Dispelling the Myth of Out-Training A Bad Diet  

Outdoor Solutions’ Founder Greg Ray and Wilderness Athlete’s Kevin Guillen discuss the importance of maintaining a proper diet and the role supplements play in preparing for a rigorous big-game hunt and everyday health.  

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Outdoor Solutions’ Greg Ray:

“You can’t out train a bad diet,” are wise words from my friend Kevin Guillen from Wilderness Athlete, and I have found these words to be very true. Training alone without controlling your food intake will severely undercut achieving the full potential of your body. When we go afield hunting, we need to be in top form, and that means eating a healthy diet to complement a fitness routine.  

When some start training, they go at it like mad; starting a diet that is more than likely very restrictive and nearly impossible to follow for any length of time. Frustrations arise as they don’t eat the anticipated carbs or the portions are so small they stimulate hunger. The human body has to have fuel to perform or it will not respond correctly. The best diet to follow is the one that is sustainable and will help reach the goal without being miserable.  

Over the years I’ve tried the majority of the popular diets out there; Keto, Paleo, Atkins and Macro counting to name a few. I found something that allows me to eat from all the food groups and not drastically restrict one or the other works best for me. And, “Junk Food” is not one of these food groups. 

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I follow the Dolce Diet, which is a personalized meal plan based on whole foods and simply cuts out anything processed or containing sugar. The diet actually lists out what I eat for each meal and how to prepare it. I eat a good amount of fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and lean proteins, which is mostly wild game.  

I eat six times per day, which includes three full meals and three healthy snacks. This may include some type of fruit with almond butter, a protein shake or Greek yogurt with fruit. I should also mention that I drink close to a gallon of water per day. This has huge benefits that we can discuss later.   

Here are a few of the benefits I noticed after a short period of time from following the Dolce Diet.   

• Nine pounds lost in the first four weeks (results will vary)  
• Plenty of fuel and energy to crush my workouts (I will typically do some type of physical activity twice per day)  
• Loss of cravings for sweets and processed food  
• Lowered blood pressure  
• Inches off my gut  
• A “Hubba Hubba” from Mrs. Ray  

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This plan works great for me because I work from home and it is easy to prepare fresh food at any time. I also have the flexibility to make several trips to the grocery store for fresh produce as needed. If you are on the road traveling for work all the time, it creates complications, because it plans out each meal for you. The bottom line is to figure out what you can stick with, eat healthy and train hard. 

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Wilderness Athlete’s Kevin Guillene Take on How Supplements Benefit a Proper Diet:

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So, are we left with whole foods alone to optimize our health? That’s where supplements shine. I work with people on an almost constant basis to help them find the gaps in their diet or opportunities in their day where high-quality supplements can give them a boost. 

First and foremost, I am a firm believer that regardless of how hard you train or how fine-tuned your supplement routine is, eating poorly will result in stagnant results – possibly even negative ones. 

To gain optimal performance from our bodies, we need to be sure we are taking in quality proteins to support muscle, critical vitamins and minerals that nourish foundational health and nutrients that control inflammation and/or optimize gut health. Supplements are tools that help achieve this balance. Today’s food system is chock full of nutritionally bankrupt foods that need to be avoided so it is critical to monitor our dietary intake on a daily basis. Accounting for what we put into our bodies is crucial to maximizing our body’s potential.  

Foundational health is vital to overall health, and leaning on supplements helps achieve this goal. There are three products that will undoubtedly make a positive and noticeable change in the way you feel day to day.  

• Meal Replacement Shake – Instead of resorting to calorie-laden fast food or convenient gas station snacks, a quick meal replacement shake will provide you a balance of macro nutrients, healthy calories and valuable micronutrients that fuel healthy energy and support healthy muscle function. 
• High Performance Multi-Vitamin – Much of our soil in this country has been stripped of its nutritional potency, ultimately producing less nutritious produce. Across the board, we are lacking critical vitamins in our diet, and a highly absorbable and well-rounded, multi-vitamin will help fill in the gaps that help you stay healthy, energized and strong.  
• Complete Probiotic – Gut health is perhaps one of the leading indicators of our overall health, immune system strength, metabolism function and energy production. Through years of eating an imbalanced and overly acidic diet, the bacteria in your gut can get out of balance quickly. A high-grade probiotic will help restore this balance, leading to improved weight management, healthier metabolism activity and energy production, and even a stronger immune system.  

These are just a few ways you can positively impact your health and physical performance on a daily basis. Not only will they help you hunt harder and hunt longer, but attention to your health at this critical foundational level will increase the number of days you get afield. Next time we will take a deeper look into the ways supplements can help you with your gym and mountain performance. Until then, stay sharp and stay wild.  

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