During my absence from poker, I've dedicated quite a big part of my free time to reading nutritional articles and finding a nutrition plan that would help me maximize my sports performance, recovery, health, concentration while studying and give me energy throughout the day. I've obtained a lot of knowledge and changed my lifestyle quite a bit, and it was pretty damn worth it. I know that most of you (as does most of the world) don't really care about what you eat, you just want it to taste good, no matter how unhealthy it is. But for a small percentage of people, this guide might actually be helpful... It will help you keep the energy levels high through out the day, help you concentrate/ and play/learn poker and improve your sleep. I won't say you should eat healthy, it's your own decision. You don't need proper nutrition to become a good poker player (take TwiceT for example and many other pokerstrategists who drink tons of alcohol and still manage to mindfuck everyone), but it will help you with optimization.
Ok, let's start with the basics:
As you already know, sweets, sugar, junk food, etc. are bad for you. Junk food mainly because it contains of quite a bit of sugar, salt and vegetable oil, which is then heated... And it contains quite a bit of trans fats which are really unhealthy. The high amounts of sugar in sweets, juices, sodas... will spike your insulin, and you definetely don't want that. It will only make you hungry, feel shitty and tired and it will not give you a steady flow of energy. It's important to eat before you're hungry and drink before you're thirsty.
Things that I do not recommend using/eating:
-vegetable oil (use coconut oil/coconut fat/coconut butter or even normal butter instead)
-sodas, juices, alcohol
-junk food
-fried food
-sweets
-salt
-white flour/white bread
-cheese (it has tons of fat, no need to exclude it, just reduce the amount)
-sausages/salami
-dairy (quite a few people are lactose intolerant (without even knowing it), and some feel way better after excluding dairy from their nutrition)
-mayonase and margarine (total crap, just like vegetable oil. don't use them.)
-ketchup (if you need it, buy a light one without sugar. regular ketchups have way too much added sugar)
-mustard (use a wholemeal? mustard instead)
If you just minimize the amount of these foods/drinks (and later exclude them), you're about 4/5 way there.
Now, what you should eat (how much protein, carbs, fats per day) is entirely up to you. Since we're not talking about fat loss or anything similar here, it's not really all that important. People are different, some people feel better after eating carbs and some people just want to go to sleep after eating carbs, so it's entirely up to you. I personally feel best when I only get carbs from fruit/vegetables/dry fruit.
What I do suggest:
Carbs:
-lots of fruit and veggies (can be frozen), although take it easy on bananas (too much fructose)
-oatmeal (try to focus on complex carbs, unrefined instead of refined if possible)
-quinoa
-couscous
-agrumes (fresh orange juice, lemonade, tangerines, grapefruits...)
-berries (low in fructose, rich in antioxidants and vitamins)
-mushrooms (very beneficial for your health)
-wholewheat pasta
-unrefined rice
-rice flour, tapioca flour, wholewheat flour pancakes (flour, eggs, water/milk)
-dried fruit
Protein:
-lean meat
-fish
-seafood
-tofu/soy, but only as an addition and not as a replacement for meat, in moderation!
-canned tuna (in own juice or olive oil, not vegetable oil)
Fats:
-coconut milk, coconuts
-all kinds of nuts (cashewnuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, etc.)
-peanuts (technically they're not nuts, but still a good source of fat)
-organic peanut butter
-extra virgin olive oil (don't heat it though, just pour it over prepared meals)
-eggs (2 eggs a day are very good for your health!)
Drinks:
-water (make sure you drink a lot of water throughout the day/have water near you all the time to avoid rehydration which makes you feel crappy/without energy)
-tea (preferrably loose), has many antioxidants, will make you feel better. black tea in the morning, green/white tea throughout the day, red tea/rooibos in the evening (before sleep, not before poker)
Spices:
Make sure you add spices to your meals and experiment with them as they will bring your food to a whole new dimension and prevent you from getting bored of it ;).
Some spices I use:
-Cinnamon (good deal of fibers, rich in calcium,iron, magnesium,reducing blood sugar and tons of other stuff)
-Chilli
-Unrefined sea salt or Himalayan crystal salt
-Black peppercorns
-Cayenne pepper (high in vitamin A. It also contains vitamin B6, vitamin E, vitamin C, riboflavin, potassium and manganese), I love to spice up soups with this thingy.
-Nutmeg
-Yellow and green curry spice mixes
-Thyme
-Rosemary
-Basil
-Lemon grass
-Ginger
-Galangal
-Sambal oelek (chilli paste, the ingredients are only chillis and salt)
That should somewhat cover the basics, I could write for hours but I don't think it's really neccessary as not many people will actually bother reading this.
I'll just mention something about sleep: 8 hours of sleep is perfect, if you can stick to that it would help your biorhytm a lot... And it would be best to sleep from 10pm until 6am or something like that because of the effect of melatonine in our bodies, but I know that's pretty much impossible for poker players as the tables are full in the night and empty in the morning...
Another very important thing is frequent workouts/cardio. Try going for a jog in the morning (don't push yourself, just a slow, a few km jog) with an mp3 and see how much better you'll feel throughout the day!
And, if anyone is interested, here are some supplements that are generally very useful:
-omega 3 fats (1800 DHA+EPA per day, which is usually 6 capsules - 3 capsules in the morning and 3 in the evening, with a meal).
-multivitamin pills (1 a day should do the trick for non sportsmans)
-ZMA (450mg zinc + 30mg magnesium + 10,5mg vitamin B6 = 3 capsules before sleep, on an empty stomach, greatly improve your sleep quality)
-L-tyrosine (a nootropic, I created another thread regarding these in general discussion; taking 1500mg (3 capsules) of this about 30 minutes before the session (if possible on an empty stomach, eat 30 minutes after taking it) should improve your concentration and decrease stress during the session)
-Gingko biloba (no personal experience with it, but it is said to be a good nootropic as well)
-maca powder ( http://www.macaguru.com/ )
Some healthy recipe examples:
Simple oatmeal
Ingredients:
-oatmeal
-water
-some 100% fruit jam (no added sugar)
-raisins (optional)
This is a very simple and very quick breakfast recipe (although I do reccomend having some protein with it), it takes like 2 minutes to prepare, but you do need a microwave.
-put the oatmeal in a small bowl
-pour water over it so that it covers the oatmeal
-put it in the microwave for 1 minute (I use about 800W = max for my microwave)
-take it out, add the jam and raisins, stir, eat
Omlette with peanut butter
Ingredients:
-3 eggs
-peanut butter
This is another easy breakfast, you might want to eat an apple or something with it. You can also make this omlette along with simple oatmeal to have a great breakfast ;).
-put the eggs in a small bowl
-use a fork to mix them well
-heat a pan and bake the egg omlette
-put one big spoon of peanut butter into it, roll it and enjoy it!
Oatmeal and eggs
Ingredients:
-oatmeal
-3 eggs
-spices (i recommend salt, pepper and anise for eggs in general and this recipe as well)
Another thingy with oatmeal and eggs, but this one isn't sweet.
-put the oatmeal and eggs in a bowl and stir just a little bit so that the oatmeal is evenly spread throughout the fluid
-heat a pan
-put the liquid in a pan
-add the spices
-wait for the egg whites to become white
-mix the now a bit more solid fluid around a bit with a spoon and wait until it's completely baked
-enjoy your meal!
Oatmeal pancake
Ingredients:
-2 eggs
-30-50g of oatmeal
-some water/milk
-100% fruit jam without added sugar
You get carbs, protein and healthy fats from this breakfast, so it's pretty much a win win win situation as it's delicious as well.
-mix the eggs in a bowl using an electric mixer
-add the oatmeal, mix again
-add enough milk/water to get a smooth fluid, mix again
-bake it in a pan and add the jam
Chicken in a curry sauce
Ingredients:
-one pack (300-500g) of chicken breasts/fillets
-100ml coconut milk
-some frozen or fresh veggies you like
-spices (I usually use a green or yellow curry mix + chili)
-some rice or couscous
I just love the chicken prepared this way. Sometimes I experiment with different spices, curry leaves, etc. but this seems to be the fastest and most secure recipe to a great simple meal.
-Chop the meat on a board
-Heat the wok
-Cook the rice/couscous separately
-Fry the chicken in the wok a bit, when it becomes brown add the veggies, stir a lot.
-When the veggies become nice and soft, add the coconut milk and spices and let it boil for a bit.
-In the end, you can mix this with rice/couscous to get some kind of a curry risotto, or you can eat them separately.
Tuna salad
Ingredients:
-2 or 3 small cans of tuna (about 100-150g of meat) in it's own juice
-Spring salad mix
-Spices (salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice)
Anyone can make this, it's prepared in a matter of minutes and a really good meal, though it might turn out to be a bit expensive, depending on the tuna quality.
-Remove the juice from the tuna cans
-Mix the tuna into the bowl full of salad
-Add salt, pepper and olive oil and squeeze a lemon over the salad (to taste)
Salad with chicken
Ingredients:
-one pack (300-500g) of chicken breasts/fillets
-spring salad mix or your preferred salad
- a dressing from the spices you like (vinegar, garlic, onions, pepper, salt, olive oil)
-joghurt (optional)
This is really simple and takes only about 10-15 minutes to prepare.
-Chop the meat into small dices/slices (whichever you prefer) and heat the pan/wok meanwhile
-Throw the meat in the pan/wok and stir it frequently, you can also cover it with a lid, and "cook" it until it's nice and brown... well, don't burn it ♦.
-Put the salad in the bowl, put the meat over it, add the dressing (you can use yoghurt instead of olive oil, I really like it with yoghurt), mix the salad
-eat the salad
Lentil soup
Ingredients:
-lentil
-water
-spices (laurel, onions, salt, pepper, chilli...)
This is a really cheap and simple recipe. Soups are incredibly easy to make, healthy and delicious. You can make them complicated (add some vegetables you like, for example carrots, peas...) or keep them really simple like this one.
-put the lentil (I use brown, haven't tried green yet) in a pot and cover it with water
-add a few laurel leaves
-cook for about 45 minutes
-add the spices you like (I usually add onions, salt, pepper and ground extra hot chillies (I use a pestle and mortar for them)).
-eat!
The only downside of this recipe is a quite long preparation time, but a pro is definetely that you can cook large amounts of it and then freeze it for later usage ;). It's great to have some of this soup for dinner or supper, or perhaps even as a night snack... Just put it in the microwave for a few minutes ;).
Vegetable soup with fish
Ingredients:
-Vegetables (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, peas... whatever you like)
-Fish fillet (I usually use a frozen panga fillet, you can use fresh ones as well or other fish, but that will be more expensive)
-Spices (pepper, salt, cayenne pepper)
This soup is great because it's really good and you can cook it a lot at once and have it for multiple meals. You can freeze it as well but in that case make sure that the veggies and fish you use are fresh!
-Boil the water, add the veggies and cook them for about 20 minutes.
-Add the fish and cook the soup for about 20 more minutes, or until the fish is cooked nicely
-Add the spices when you serve the fish. Cayenne pepper goes really nice with this 
Simple fish
Ingredients:
-fish fillet (can be frozen)
-fresh/frozen veggies or salad
-alluminum foil
-preferred spices (salt, pepper)
This might take a bit longer time to prepare, but you won't actually be preparing it - it will just be baking itself for a bit longer.
-heat the oven to about 180°
-add spices to the filled and place it on the alluminum foil and wrap it up to look like this:
-make sure that you wrap it fully (not like in the picture) so that the steam stays inside the foil
-repeat the process with veggies if you're using them
-put both the fish and veggies in a baking tray
-pour about two glasses of water in the tray (around the foil, not inside)
-bake for about 25-30 minutes, if you forget about it and leave it inside 45 minutes - 1 hour, don't worry about it, it won't get burned
-you can either eat the fish with veggies on a plate or add it in the salat like in the previous recipe
That's about it, If you should have any further questions, feel free to ask them
Thanks! Now i just need to force myself a bit 
