Nutrition question

My wife and I have been "exploring" nutrition, reading tons of different books, trying all sorts of diets etc. for about 30 years. A few keys seem to be the most important:
1) Lots of veggies and fruits, as much variety as possible
2) Avoid processed foods of any kind
3) Organic or wild caught etc. if possible
4) Drink lots of water daily
5) We probably eat more fish and chicken than red meat
6) Try not to eat a lot of carbs

That said, I still love good bread, baked potatoes, hot fudge sundaes, good cookies. I just try to keep those things as more occasional treats and limit them as much as possible.

I try my best to do my training on an empty stomach. This usually means I train before breakfast, before lunch or before dinner. However, been riding the trainer later in the evening and really have to watch how much I eat for dinner and snack before I get started.

I've always struggled with doing anything after eating, but I've been an over eater since I hit puberty. Now that I am eating slightly more sensible it doesn't take as long but I still like to give it as much time as possible.

Post training I've been doing a powered protein shake(muscle milk) and a banana/fruit. It hasn't been long enough to report on that but it doesn't seem to be hurting.

But, with not wanting to eat within 2-3 hours of training it makes racing pretty interesting. Most races here are 7am starts to that means breakfast is a 4:00 or 4:30.

Just my $0.02...

1) Breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen, dinner like a pauper. No, paupers don't get dessert every night.
2) I enjoy working out first thing in the morning, before breakfast, but that's preference. It allows me to eat for the rest of the day without having to worry about eating or drinking right before a run or swim.
3) I tend to go heavier on carbs in the morning and work protein in at dinner. (Except for eggs. I love eggs.)
4) Lots of fruits and veggies.
5) I'd read this...(http://www.amazon.com/Racing-Weight-Lean-Peak-Performance/dp/1934030996/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462796745&sr=8-1&keywords=racing+weight) I found it helpful anyway.

Good luck.

Balance is something only you can define based on your lifestyle, what your tri goals are, and how you'll measure your success. Personally, my only true dietary procedures are: avoid fried food, limit junk food, no fast food, and portion control. Pretty much all food besides that is fair game. I eat as much fruit and vegs as I reasonably can. It's a plan I can stick to without much issue. I enjoy going out to eat and getting a delicious steak or something that others may call "bad for you". This is not a statement against others, I'm just trying to say that's what I like and what makes me happy, so it is my balance. Steak has protein in it, right? Haha.

I'm a moderately competitive athlete. Qualified for oly and sprint AG nationals last year, didn't go, but gives you a sense of where I am in racing. If I was training for my first full or going for 70.3 worlds, yeah I'd overhaul and eat all organic and count calories and limit carbs and beer and all that, but Im in the camp that only you can successfully come up with a dietary plan that you can stick to and it should be based heavidly on how you measure success. If your goals are to finish, you dont need to be a slave to a diet that makes you suffer. PR, needs to be a tad bit better. Going for Kona-go all out. It should be based on what you need to strike that balance.

I love wine too, and I have it often! But, my philosophy of portion control applies there too!

Nutrition is deff. one of those things that is super individual. Luke others have said, it's all about balance. Eat well balanced meals and you'll be good. Don't go overboard and let anyone convince you to go ito the "high carb, low carb, high fat, low fat, etc. etc." camps. Don't swing to extremes.

With that said, you specifically asked about before and after workouts. I generally don't worry about pre-workout food because I tend to vary when I workout and I just eat healthy snacks and don't let myself get hungry so I tend to always have a full tank. After workouts... it's all about chocolate milk! Seriously! It's the cheapest "recovery drink" out there and is just the perfect balance of carbs and protein after a workout! Drink a glass within 30min and you are golden... then get a good balanced meal in within the next few hours.

Don't over think it... it's really simple!

Here's two great articles on the choc. milk debate:

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2008/03/milking-chocolate-cow.html

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2009/03/chocolate-milk-vs-endurox-r4-rec...