Nutrition ........Non "processed" food ideas

Snacks:  I eat a ton of nuts, which are easy to mix up from time to time.  I also buy sugar snap peas in large quantities and use those as snacks, usually with some hummus.  Otherwise I stick with fruit.

Meals:  Meat and vegetable, every meal.  Usually a fish fillet, but sometimes chicken or beef on the grill.  Then on the side I go with a different vegetable every night. 

That's about all there is to my diet, and 90% of it is fresh, whole foods.  The other 10% is workout food; gatorade, gels, etc.  It took me a while to get used to, but I find it to have a lot of variety and don't get at all bored with it. 

Fuit and vegetables are full of carbs.  More than enough for what our bodies need. 

I do use sports drinks and other sports supplements during exercise, but try to limit those to immediately before, during and after a workout. 

Fruits and vegetables.

Here's one I just made this weekend.  I made extra because it serves well cold and will be great after hard workouts this week.  Marinate boneless skinless chicken thighs in a mixture of soy sauce (the only bottled thing), ginger, garlic and pepper for about 15-30 minutes.  Grill or bake until done.  Eat hot the first night then cold or in salad or what not on subsequent meals. 

I also made these zucchini fritters this weekend.  http://ranchogordo.com/html/rg_cook_zuc_fritters.htm  That site is for an heirloom dried been company that is fantastic.  Beans are very versatile as well.  They go well on their own or in soups, stews, bean burgers etc. 

Another way to try to broaden your variety is to think of different ethnic cuisines.  Many ethnic foods (especially Asian) have little processed food in them. 

For snacks, I like baby carrots, nuts, whole fruit such as apples, oranges, bananas, pears, nectarines, and plums.

For breakfast, oatmeal (not instant from a pack) with either fresh or frozen fruit.

Lunch and dinner, mix up a big salad with greens like spinach, romaine, or spring mix.  No iceburg lettuce!  It has virtually no nutrients compared to darker greens.  Chicken or fish, and occasionally beef.

ETA:  I almost forgot, slice up sweet potatoes, and roast them in the oven with a little olive oil brushed on.  They're high in fiber and vitamins, and they can satisfy cravings for bad food like french fries.

i like to make ground bison and veggie stir fry meals , add fresh spices and maybe some salsa , yum yum! fresh salmon burgers, chicken or shrimp kabobs

grilled veggies are great this time of year

If I recall correctly, Dean Karnazes (ultra runner) isn't a big carb eater, but he will eat an entire pizza during a race.

I do the same.  I've started only using them for training sessions over 1.5-2 hours.  Shorter than that, and I only take in water.

oats with flaxseed, almonds, wild rice dishes....

I also make my own marinara sauce....Couple cans of organic, no salt added diced tomatoes.  Smash them up or hit them with the blender for a second, add onions, zucchini, peppers, spice, garlic, and whatever else you like and add to chicken, or pasta or whatever!  

Depends on who you ask, but I'm a fan of having some grains in my diet; mostly steel cut oats for breakfast a few times a week.

The "Paleo" philosophy has you cut out grains for various reasons, but I think as long as your entire diet isn't based on them then there shouldn't be a problem.  Now, starches such as pasta...different story. 

Easy tip for avoiding  bad foods; if it was not around 200 years ago, you probably shouldn't be eating it.

Most grocery stores have them now.  If it's not with the other oatmeal look in bulk bins or in the baking aisle with other things from Bob's Red Mill. 

Not to nit-pick but quinoa is technically a seed. It has a ton of benefits, especially to those who are gluten free or vegetarian/vegan as it is a contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it a complete protein source. It contains 14g of protein per 3.5oz.

Carry on, I really like this discussion

From what I have been taught from some very experienced and smart people, carbo loading provides no benefit.  There are some very stringent protocols out there that may provide a minor increase in the amount of glycogen your body can store, but they take a week or so to do and are not fun.

Real carbo loading should start about ~3 hours before your race.  Otherwise, eat a normal meal the evening before.

BTW, this is for longer races.  For a Sprint tri, I would spend much time worrying about this.