Health-First Nutrition Base
Fix micros and balance the plate before touching sport-specific macros
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 70%
Briggs starts every athlete, health-focused or performance-focused, from the same base: health first. That means looking at micronutrients alongside overall energy balance before any sport-specific manipulation. Deficiencies in vitamins and minerals leave you lethargic and blunt recovery, and they can be targeted through food, eating a variety of vegetables and fruit across the whole colour spectrum, optionally supplementing with a green shake or multivitamin. On the energy side, he sets a metabolic baseline (TDEE) accounting for daily activity, sport and thermogenesis, noting the number is skewed for intense modalities like CrossFit that carry an afterburn. Meal composition then follows a near-zone, balanced-plate rule of roughly one-third protein, one-third carbohydrate and one-third vegetables, kept low-resolution rather than micromanaged. He coaxes clients toward more portions and more colour gradually, on a food-quality scale, rather than demanding perfection overnight.
Origin
The starting point Tim Briggs uses with every client at We Dominate Nutrition, shared on Modern Wisdom: health, micros and energy balance first, sport-specific macros second.
Core principles
- 01Every athlete is treated health-first: micros and overall energy balance come before sport tweaks
- 02Micronutrient deficiencies quietly sap energy, recovery and leave you lethargic
- 03Hit a metabolic baseline (TDEE) that accounts for daily activity and training
- 04A balanced plate is roughly one-third protein, one-third carbohydrate, one-third veg
- 05Coax more colour and portions of veg in gradually rather than micromanaging every gram
How to run it
- 1
Set the metabolic baseline
Estimate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) from daily activity, sport and thermogenesis to know your energy baseline.
Watch out TDEE under-reads intense modalities like CrossFit because it misses the afterburn from high-intensity work.
- 2
Target the micros
Eat a variety of vegetables and fruit across the whole colour spectrum to close vitamin and mineral gaps that cause lethargy and poor recovery.
Pro tip A green shake or multivitamin can supplement gaps you can't yet close with food.
- 3
Front-load a green shake
Start the morning with a green shake (shop-bought greens powder or a blend of spinach and beetroot) to knock out a few micro portions before the day even begins.
Pro tip It needn't taste great; it just banks portions early.
- 4
Balance the plate in thirds
Build each meal roughly one-third protein, one-third carbohydrate and one-third vegetables so the day lands about right without micromanaging grams.
Pro tip Think of it like the zone approach: see the plate as protein, carb, fat and veg rather than homogeneous food.
- 5
Coax progress gradually
Use a food-quality scale and increase veg portions and colour range over time rather than demanding a perfect diet immediately.
Pro tip Most people start at one or two portions; prise a little more out of them each check-in.
In the wild
A client checks in eating just one or two veg portions a day. Briggs doesn't overhaul everything; he adds a morning green shake, a handful of spinach at breakfast, and a thirds-balanced prep meal, then coaxes more colour and portions out at each subsequent check-in.
→ Micronutrient intake climbs steadily and energy and recovery improve without an intimidating overhaul.
Common mistakes
Chasing macros while ignoring micros
Fixating on calorie deficits and macros while micronutrient deficiencies persist leaves you lethargic with blunted recovery long term.
Demanding a perfect diet overnight
Trying to micromanage every meal fails; portions and colour should be coaxed up gradually on a food-quality scale.
Is it for you?
Best for
Anyone building a durable nutrition foundation before layering sport-specific fuelling on top.
Not ideal for
An athlete in a short, time-pressured cut who is deliberately prioritising convenience over optimisation.
From the transcript
“the way we approach nutrition we look at health first so we look at the micros as well as the overall energy balance”
“it's like one-third protein one third of carbohydrate one third of veggies”
From the episode
How To Eat For Performance - Tim Briggs - #070
Tim Briggs