Franco Columbu was one of the greatest professional body builders of all time. I pulled his book Winning Bodybuilding
(affiliate link) from my library, dusted it off and took a look at what he had to say.
The one thing that jumped out at me as I flipped through it was his diet. Here's what the massive Sardinian ate in a typical day - a diet regimen he claims gave him his championship physique:
Breakfast
3 fresh eggs
1 fresh fruit
Large glass of fresh squeezed OJ
Small dish of homemade yogurt made with raw milk with granola cereal
Glass of mineral water with vitamin and mineral supplements
Lunch
Large fresh vegetable salad with small amount of oil and vinegar dressing (one would assume he used olive oil)
1 cooked fresh vegetable never frozen or canned
A large portion of fresh broiled protein, such as fish, chicken, lamb or liver
A small glass of wine or a large glass of mineral water
Mid-afternoon
A plate of selected imported cheeses with fresh fruit in season usually pears
Dinner
Similar to lunch
Later in the evening
Small dish of the fresh, raw milk yogurt
Other than the small amount of granola which is undoubtedly the homemade kind and not the sugared crap you find in "health" food stores, the man ate a virtually high fat, adequate protein, low carb diet. I suppose the large glass of fresh squeezed OJ could be considered over the top, but judging from the amount of physical effort he put into his workouts, I don't think the single glass of OJ stood a chance at bothering the behemoths blood sugar.
I mean, the iconic Italian could explode hot water bottles with his lung power:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tfc5wNClQpo&w=540&h=390]
His diet is one that promotes health, strength and vitality. Hey - if it ain't broke, don't fix it! I'd like to see a vegan whose physique even remotely comes close to his! Now, you might cry "steroids" and indeed I do believe that he probably dabbled in them when he was trying to achieve his Mr. Olympia title. But as you can see in the video and in his picture above, he did not in anyway posses the freak-show physique of the steroid monsters of today:
Comparatively, he looks like a very strong and lean normal human being.
Be like Franco, eat your meat, fat and veggies and lift weights.
Thanks for reading!
