The High Performance Journal Written By Dan Go - April 7th, 2026

I'm always looking for an edge.

If there is something that will make me healthier, fitter, and more productive, I'm willing to test it.

I've experimented with thousands of things with my nutrition. Most of them didn't work, but the ones that did have helped me become healthier as a result of adding them.

So in today's article, I want to share with you some nutrition cheat codes I've learned over the last 2 decades of being in the industry.

Btw, I did a similar list of workout​, ​health​, and ​fat loss cheat codes​ you can check out at the links.

This will not contain any of those, as these will be more focused on nutrition.

Are you ready to hack your way to the healthiest version of you? Let's get into it.

You ready? Let's go 🔥

Nutrition Cheat Codes I Know At 46 I Wish I Knew At 26

1. Stop/limit drinking alcohol

I know, I know. This is an obvious one, but it needs to be said. Your body treats ​alcohol​ as a toxin and burns it off before anything else, which means fat burning stops the moment you drink. It also tanks your sleep, spikes anxiety, and adds empty calories with zero nutritional upside. If getting lean and energetic is the goal, this is the single highest-leverage move on the list.

2. Stop eating 3 to 5 hours before bed

When you eat too close to bed, you force your body to digest food when it should be resting. This can ruin sleep quality, gut health, and has been associated with a negative impact on your cardiovascular health. Also, the worst food decisions happen when you're tired, and your willpower has been drained.

So set a hard ​stop of eating at least 3-5 hours before bed​. Your body will thank you.

3. Drink this during the summer instead of alcohol

My go-to mocktail is sparkling water with fresh lime juice and sea salt on the rim. The carbonation creates a mild sense of fullness and stimulates digestive enzymes, the lime juice contains compounds that support liver detoxification, and the sea salt restores sodium and trace minerals your body loses throughout the day.

4. Adopt the Japanese 80% rule

The Japanese call it hara hachi bu: eat until you're 80% full, then stop. It's a staple practice in Okinawa, one of the longest-living regions on earth. The key is to not eat to absolute fullness and to leave a little space in the stomach to allow for proper digestion.

5. Put your body on a meal schedule

How many meals does it take for you to feel full and sustain energy throughout the day? Figure that out, then eat at the same time every day. A predictable schedule trains your hunger hormones, so you stop fighting random cravings and start running on autopilot.

6. You need to be chewmaxxing

This means chewing your food enough until it becomes liquid in your mouth before you swallow. 20 to 40 chews per bite, depending on texture. Chewing each bite 40x vs 15x reduced calorie intake by ~12% for a meal. It also lowered ghrelin and increased GLP-1 and CCK, hormones linked to satiety.

7. Don't drink water during meals

Drinking water mid-meal often means you haven't chewed enough. A sip turns into a gulp, and suddenly you're washing down half-chewed food instead of actually eating it. Water speeds up eating. Slower eating means feeling fuller on less food.

8. Drink water before and after meals

A glass of water before eating stretches the stomach and sends early fullness signals to the brain. Do the same after, and you reinforce satiety without adding calories. The myth that water disrupts digestion has been debunked multiple times.

9. Think of eating as a ratio, not a diet

Aim for 80 to 90% of your calories coming from whole, single-ingredient foods. The other 10 to 20%? Enjoy it without guilt. The all-or-nothing mindset is what wrecks most people. A ratio lets you eat cake at your wife's birthday and get back on track the next morning without drama.

10. Try psyllium husk to increase fullness and lower LDL cholesterol

Psyllium husk is a plant fiber that improves satiety. I talked about it in this newsletter ​here​. If your LDL is creeping up and you want an option before going the statin route, psyllium husk has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol by up to 25%. It's cheap, accessible, and easy to add to a morning routine. Worth the experiment.

11. Drink the knockout sleep tea before bed

I've been drinking a special sleep tea 2 hours before bed and it's changed my life:

It contains chamomile, glycine, and electrolytes.

Chamomile relaxes me, while glycine improves sleep quality.

The electrolytes help me absorb water, so I don't wake up to go pee at night.

— Dan Go (@CoachDanGo) March 26, 2026

Chamomile contains apigenin, a compound that binds to GABA receptors in the brain to promote relaxation, glycine lowers core body temperature to improve sleep quality, and the electrolytes help your cells absorb and retain water so you're not up at 2am to pee.

12. Use the 20-minute rule after eating

Done eating and still feel a little hungry? Wait 20 minutes before reaching for more food, and get busy. Satiety hormones like leptin take about that long to reach your brain. Most of the time, the hunger dissolves on its own.

13. Drink a protein shake before a meal

One of our clients couldn't hit his protein target and kept overeating at meals. We had him drink a shake 20 to 30 minutes before eating. It cut his appetite at the table and got him closer to his daily protein goal at the same time. Two problems solved with one habit.

14. Stop eating distracted

Eating in front of a screen gives your brain two dopamine signals at once, which trains you to need more food to feel satisfied. Put the phone down. Eat at a table. Your satiety signals work better when eating is the only thing you're doing.

15. Go to bed slightly hungry

A little hunger at bedtime is a signal that you've been in a slight calorie deficit that day. That's the goal when you're losing fat. Hunger passes. Learning to be okay with it, rather than immediately eating through it, is a skill that separates people who reach their fat loss goals from people who don't.

16. Eat this 3-minute fat loss breakfast

My go-to breakfast is 250g of low-fat Greek yogurt, one scoop of whey protein, a teaspoon of psyllium husk, and 100g of frozen fruit. It's around 300 calories, 10 fiber, 40-50g of protein, and full of micronutrients.

The Greek yogurt improves gut health and gives you a protein boost. The whey delivers a fast-digesting muscle-building protein, keeping you full for hours. Psyllium husk adds soluble fiber that slows glucose absorption and feeds your gut microbiome. The frozen fruit gives you natural sweetness and micronutrients without spiking blood sugar.

Prep this the night before for a gut-friendly, high-protein, high-fiber, delicious-tasting breakfast.

17. Use smaller plates

Your eyes are wired to your hunger signals. A smaller plate looks full with less food on it, which tells your brain you're getting a complete meal. People who switch to smaller dishes consistently report feeling more satisfied with fewer calories. Try it for a week.

18. Eat from blue plates

Blue is almost nonexistent in natural foods, which means your brain may unconsciously associate it with food that isn't safe to eat. Studies suggest eating from blue plates can reduce calorie intake by subtly suppressing appetite. Sounds strange, but it's one of those low-effort swaps worth testing.

19. Drink broth with your meals

Many Asian countries with the lowest obesity rates do this regularly. Broth before or with a meal can reduce total calorie intake by around 20%, largely due to its water content, volume, and nutrient density. A simple vegetable broth is all it takes.

20. Move after you eat

Ten to fifteen minutes of walking or ten bodyweight squats after a meal improves blood sugar control, boosts insulin sensitivity, and aids digestion. Make it a family ritual, and it stops feeling like a health habit and starts feeling like part of the day.

Choose 1-2 From This List and Thank Me Later

You don't need to implement all 20 of these at once. Pick one or two that solve your biggest problem right now, and do them consistently for 21 days.

The goal isn't perfection. It's building a version of yourself who doesn't have to think so hard about this.

Onward and upward. 🚀

- Dan

When you're ready, here are 2 ways I can help:

1. The Lean Body 90 System: When you’re ready to get in great shape, Lean Body 90 is the obvious choice. You can get in great shape and reach your fitness goals in just 90 minutes a week. Lose weight and build muscle even without hours in the gym or highly restrictive diets. Join 1000+ students here.

2. Are you an entrepreneur who wants to get lean, boost energy, and get in your best shape? Apply for private one-on-one coaching here.

Disclaimer: This email is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician.