What exactly should I eat and drink?

I don't do diets. By that I mean, trying a certain way of eating for a while, and then coming off of it. Because, I think that anyone that has personal experience, or seen a friend, see their own weight go up and down like a roller coaster, has enough proof to show that it is not sustainable. It is quite depressing. I think it is more important to develop a way of living than just some temporary measure.
 
Food is a massive and very controversial subject. Like discussions over religion, politics, and differences between the sexes, it seems that there is never complete agreement. There is a plethora of information on nutrition, and far from saying: "this is right" or "that is wrong", it is our hope that some general advice will be helpful for you. We have tried to keep it as simple and straight-forward as possible. 

Water:

How much should you drink?. Some say up to 2 litres a day. (traditional black tea and coffee don't count, as they can actually dehydrate you). Just fill up a big bottle of water in the morning; take your time throughout the day and finish the thing before you go to bed each night. If you are dehydrated; you can't do a damned thing. It is that simple. Your body functions shut down; you will feel tired, slow, dizzy, and may not even know why. We need water to distribute the nutrients throughout our bodies, for proper metabolism. It is so important. If we are dehydrated our blood pressure rises, our body temperature increases, we sweat easier, our heart rate rises, we are less able to physically function.....Amounts required by individual vary, so see what is right for you. A rough guideline is to check the colour of your urine; if it is deep orange, you need to drink more. 

After every workout, your muscles need time to be repaired. The muscle fibres break down, and then they build themselves back up again, a little stronger than before. This is how you are able to improve in your workouts, and transform the shape of your body. Think of protein being required for repairing your muscles (and as a secondary source of energy). Vital for tissues, nerves, and bones. Building blocks of protein are amino acids. 

Sources:  Chicken, fish (oily, and white fish), red meat (personally I am not a fan of red meat, such as beef, lamb, pork, but you can get protein from these sources) , fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds, dairy products and grains.

 
Carbohydrates:

This is your fuel. Your no. 1 energy source for working out. You will feel the difference, if you load up on carbs (high-quality carbs).Think of carbs as your benzine or diesel. Lack of high-quality carbs is also another reason for you to feel a bit sluggish, dizzy... sometimes. High-quality carbs or what some folks call the "complex carbohydrates" are found in wholemeal bread, pasta, rice, grains, vegetables, nuts, and fruit. All "carbs" get broken down into glucose, and glucose is what gives us energy (it also powers the brain). Simple carbs like white rice, white flour, white bread, refined sugar, cakes biscuits...are just not much good for your system. This is because the minerals and vitamins have largely been removed in the refining process, and they lack fibre, so you end up with a really temporary, inferior source of energy that is not going to help you in the long run. To some extent, when you consume these simple carbs, they actually eat you, and not the other way around because they use up nutrients and minerals in your body to process themselves. To cut them out immediately is probably not wise, because you might create a "hole" in your diet, and become unhappy. If you eat them, enjoy the food. Just don't overdose.

Sources:

Good complex carbs: whole grains, pulses, vegetables, fruits
Bad simple carbs: refined white grains, white (or brown) sugar, cakes, biscuits, anything with white flour/pastry/rice...

 
Fruit:

It must be fresh (not from a tin), and consume it on an empty stomach, and only eat other fruit with it; no other kinds of foods. Take a test for yourself. Make yourself a fruit salad for breakfast...put as much fruit in as you like...no limits, bananas, apples, pears, oranges, strawberries, grapes, pineapple whatever. Eat it, and don't consume anything else for about half an hour. Then just feel your body, see how you feel, and listen to the signals. 

Then in the evening make an identical bowl of fruit, and eat it as a dessert after your main meal. I won't have to tell you the difference. You will know. You wont have to read a book or take anybody elses advice. You will know that fruit should be consumed on an empty stomach. 

Fruit gives you all sorts of nutrients, it gives you energy, and it clears out your system. It helps you lose weight because of this, and makes you more toned. It is pretty awesome stuff. It gives you energy, helps you lose unwanted weight, and provides all sorts of nutrients. Eat a bowl of fruit (say 4 or 5 pieces) every morning for about 10 days, in the morning, for breakfast, and then see how you feel. 

General Intake:

Very roughly most people's bodies will be happy with about 60% carbohydrates, 20% protein, and 20% fats. Just bear these combinations in mind when making your meals. A lot of food contains a combination of protein, fat carb etc. so don't get too stuck on precise numbers here. Taking a high-level view is probably the best starting point.  

I have never calorie counted for my own sake, and dare it be said, it may not even be necessary. This is a little controversial, but why shouldn't this work for you if you follow these simple guidelines. Sometimes, it is as if people are looking for some deep dark secret held for thousands of years.

This is a highly controversial subject, but let's keep it simple with a personal challenge you can take, and then just look, listen, and feel: 

• Eat plenty of fresh fruit & vegetables & good sources of high quality carbs
• Drink plenty of water (at least 1.5 litres per day)
• Sweat for about 30 minutes every day.

We can still have our chocolates, wine, beer, bla bla bla...and probably enjoy them even more, once we have the cornerstones of diet in place. There would be no more need to "punish" ourselves for being "naughty".