Ever since my Nana bought me my first nutrition book when I was a 16-year-old reformed fat kid and aspiring triathlete, I have been intrigued by the power of food.
Not just how it fuels the body, but also the brain.
From there it inspired me to study Nutritional Science and Health Promotion at university (which I never even got close to finishing), study Naturopathy online (also skipped finishing that fully), complete a nutrition qualification, become a Poliquin practitioner, spend a lot of my early career coaching physique competitors, and eventually transition into nutrition for CrossFit and Strength and Conditioning performance, before who you all know me as now, The Chief Experience Office at VSC..
Now, a disclaimer. A lot of my personal views on nutrition buck the trend. I do not believe in one magic diet. I am not convinced there is a single perfect approach for everyone. I am, and always will be, an advocate for individualisation. Which, unfortunately, also made me personally what the industry calls a ‘Low Carb Zelot’, but I want to make it clear: I don’t think this way is for everybody, so that’s not what I am here to do.
The purpose of this blog is to help you do two things.
Yes, to understand what to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
But more importantly, to help you take ownership of your own nutrition by giving you a few resources I have used to understand where to go for information that supports your personal biology, your lifestyle and your goals.
What works for me may not work for you. And what works brilliantly for you may send someone else backwards. So, for that reason, this blog post is designed to challenge you to be curious, ask questions, and read the books I am about to recommend. Hopefully, this will help you understand a little bit more about your own personal needs.
So, let’s get into it.
Why Individualisation Matters: Your Stone Age Brain In A Modern World
One of the most powerful books I have come across recently is Solving Modern Problems with a Stone Age Brain by Douglas T. Kenrick and David Lundberg-Kenrick. It explains a simple truth that changes everything about how we eat and live in the modern world.
We are running ancient survival software inside a modern environment that our biology was never designed for.
For most of human history:
- Food was inconsistent
- Hunger was normal
- Movement was essential
- Energy had to be used strategically
- Meals were based on what nature provided, not on what was convenient
Today we live in a world where:
- Food is available every minute of the day
- Ultra-processed snacks are designed to hijack dopamine
- Stress is chronic rather than situational
- Movement is optional
- Marketing shapes our choices more than biology does
Your Stone Age brain still expects irregular eating patterns, real food, and natural hunger rhythms. Instead, it gets supermarket aisles, artificial flavours, and an endless supply of carbohydrates that digest faster than your physiology can stabilise.
This is the mismatch.
This is why some people struggle with overeating, cravings, energy crashes or emotional hunger.
It is not a weakness. It is biology.
And this is why individualisation is essential.
My Own Nutrition… A Real Example Of Individualisation and The Struggles I Deal With In Modern Circles
I have tried many different dietary approaches over the years. Some fit, some did not.
One thing I know for sure is this.
When I increase my carbohydrate intake, it never works for me mentally, physically, or aesthetically.
My energy drops.
My brain fogs.
My body feels sluggish.
This is not because carbs are bad.
It is because, personally, my physiology does not prefer that fuel distribution. My nervous system, my training load, my hormonal profile and my genetic tolerances are pulling me in another direction.
I promise you I have tried to make 200+ Carbohydrates per day for me, and it just never has, and I have flipped back and forward because I really do want current trends in nutrition to suit, so I didn’t stand out like a sore thumb or upset so many people, but I can’t.
For someone else, higher carbs may be precisely what helps them thrive. But not for me!
So What Do You Mean By Primitive? Are We All Hunters And Gatherers?
Now, let’s make something clear. When I talk about our biology evolving slowly, I am not saying I come from a hunter-gatherer tribe on the African savannah. I am Scottish and English in heritage, a close descendant of William Wallace from Braveheart, and my own metabolic tendencies come from my lineage, my ancestors, and the patterns they lived with for hundreds of years.
But the bigger point still stands.
Human biology changes incredibly slowly.
From the 1200s to now, there would have been roughly 25-30 generations. That is nothing in evolutionary terms. Our bodies are still wired for the world our great-great-great-great grandparents lived in, not for a world with fridges, supermarkets and constant access to food, which has only existed for the last century or so.
So, when you start to understand the mismatch between the world your biology expects and the world you actually live in, it becomes obvious why no single nutritional model fits everyone.
Your genetics, your ancestry, your nervous system, your stress profile, your activity levels and your personal history all influence what foods make you thrive.
Which is why the goal is not to follow whatever diet is trending online.
The goal is to work out what works for you. And really, the only way to work this out is to read and research, trial and error, and commit to growth.
Four Books That Will Change How You Think and Understand Nutrition
To help you conduct some of your own research, I think it is essential to provide you with some direction. The books I’m about to recommend are just some resources that can help you build a framework that enables you to understand how your brain, body and instincts respond to food.
1. Solving Modern Problems with a Stone Age Brain – Douglas T. Kenrick and David Lundberg-Kenrick
This is essential reading. It explains why our ancient instincts around hunger, reward, energy storage, and survival are constantly at war with the modern environment. Once you understand this mismatch, you can start making choices that work with your biology rather than against it.
2. The Metabolic Typing Diet – William Wolcott
This book changed how I see individual nutrition 100%. It explores why certain foods energise some people while draining others. Your nervous system type and metabolic tendencies, and why they matter when it comes to any macro ratio.
3. Peak – Marc Bubbs
One of the most recent reads. But Marc Bubbs comes from a Poliquin background similar to mine, and this book helps open practical and performance-focused approaches that aren’t just ‘go low carb’. Suppose you are training in a facility like VSC. In that case, this book explains why protein, micronutrients, recovery, sleep, hydration and blood sugar control matter as much as your programming. It does not bash down on carbohydrates, low carbohydrates or any trends, just pure science.
4. Eat Move and Be Healthy – Paul Chek
A classic. Chek ties together digestion, stress, posture, sleep and nutrition in a way that makes health make sense. This book will help you understand symptoms and, rather than chase diets, think about the long-term effects of good, individualised nutrition rather than just quick fixes.
Giving you these book recommendations is designed to help point you in the right direction, and to help you think, and to use practical tools to decide what could work for you when it comes to nutrition.
So then, What Should You Eat?
This part of the blog is fundamental, but hopefully helps answer some questions. Use this only as a starting point. Not a rulebook.
Breakfast
Aim for stable blood sugar and mental clarity.
- Eggs, greens and avocado
- Smoked salmon and veg
- Protein smoothie with berries
- Slow-release carbs if you tolerate them well
Lunch
Make this a balanced plate.
- Tuna or salmon salad
- Stir fry veg and protein
- Leftover protein and veg
- Add carbs only if your afternoon energy improves with them
Dinner
Calming, nourishing, not too heavy.
- Lean protein
- Colourful vegetables
- Carbs only if you sleep better with them
Snacks
Stay protein-focused.
- Greek yoghurt
- Cottage cheese
- A protein shake
- Nuts
- Boiled eggs
- Fruit paired with protein
Hydration
Most people eat because they are dehydrated, not because they are hungry.
Aim for 2.5 to 3.5 litres per day, depending on training.
How To Work Out What Works For You?
Here are three questions to help you figure out what might actually work for you when it comes to nutrition…
1. How do you feel two hours after you eat?
Energised or sleepy? Clear or foggy? Hungry or stable?
This tells you more than any macro calculator.
2. Do you perform better with more carbs or fewer?
Track this for two weeks.
Your body will show you the pattern.
3. What happens to your mood when you change foods? (This one is the most important for me)
Your Stone Age brain treats food as a survival signal.
Mood changes are feedback, not flaws. Not everyone is G’d up by a bowl of pasta, but some people are! Is that you or not?
Personally, I get sleepy and short-tempered, dehydrated and sleep poorly… So not good for me. But you may also get this from a huge steak?
The Real Goal
The fundamental goal for this blog was to help you think. And to genuinely explore individual nutritional approaches and to learn more about what is out there.
I do not want you blindly following meal plans.
I do not want you copying the person next to you in class.
I do not want you feeling confused because a diet worked for someone else but not for you.
I want you empowered.
I want you to be educated.
I want you to read.
I want you to pay attention to your biology and your instincts.
Your Stone Age brain is not your enemy.
It is a survival system that has kept humans alive for thousands of years.
Once you learn how it influences your hunger, cravings, energy and choices, you can finally build a nutrition approach that works for your unique physiology.
So there you have it. Get up. Get after it. Become Extraordinary.