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Method · Fuel

Chop chilled shrimp into large peanut-M&M-sized pieces and dry them with a paper towel

Cut the chilled shrimp into roughly peanut M&M sizes (about a half inch). Don't go too small — a shrimp roll is all about large, plump, sweet pieces of shellfish with full texture. Slide the chopped shrimp into a medium bowl, then agitate them with a little paper towel to absorb any last bits of surface moisture, since water on the shrimp goes into the mayo dressing and makes the salad wet and sloppy.

Brian Lagerstrom · Skip the $40 Lobster Roll. Make This Instead.

Method described by Brian Lagerstrom

Method preserved for inspection; not a verified protocol.

Method · Fuel

Dress the salad: 120 g mayo, 3 g salt, chives, lemon zest and 15 g juice; fold gently and taste

Add 120 grams of mayonnaise (Duke's is the best off-the-shelf mayo, in the creator's opinion), 3 grams of salt, and about 15 grams of minced chives (saving the rest for topping). Zest one whole lemon with a microplane (a box grater works; avoid digging into the bitter pith), then chop the zested lemon and add 15 grams of juice — you can go a bit more if you like things zippier. Stir very gently to combine, then taste mainly to check that salt and lemon levels are dialed in.

Brian Lagerstrom · Skip the $40 Lobster Roll. Make This Instead.

Method described by Brian Lagerstrom

Method preserved for inspection; not a verified protocol.

Method · Fuel

Make the poaching liquid: 3 kg water, 120 g salt, 90 g sugar, lemon; bring to a simmer

Weigh out 3,000 grams of water into a deep stock pot. Add 120 grams of salt and 90 grams of sugar. Squeeze in the juice of two lemon halves and drop the squeezed lemons directly into the pot. Bring the whole thing up to a simmer.

Brian Lagerstrom · Skip the $40 Lobster Roll. Make This Instead.

Method described by Brian Lagerstrom

Method preserved for inspection; not a verified protocol.

Method · Fuel

Poach the shrimp off-heat: kill the heat, add 600 g shrimp, 3-minute timer, stir once

Use 600 grams of red Argentinian shrimp. Kill the heat on the boiling water, then gently add all the shrimp. Adding the shrimp cools the water from a high boil into poaching territory, around 190-200°F. Set a three-minute timer and give the shrimp a quick stir to distribute them evenly.

Brian Lagerstrom · Skip the $40 Lobster Roll. Make This Instead.

Method described by Brian Lagerstrom

Method preserved for inspection; not a verified protocol.

Principle · Fuel

Don't deprive yourself of sweets; keep an enjoyable food in the plan

Jesse advises not depriving yourself completely of sweet-tasting foods to keep from over-indulging. If you find a food you really enjoy that keeps you on track because you don't feel deprived, it needs to be in your daily eating plan. He has a sweet tooth and eats a tall glass of frozen yogurt with whipped cream every night after dinner, but doesn't eat ice cream daily — he chooses a lower-calorie option with less fat.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 17 Foods That Make it EASY To Get Lean (AND STAY THAT WAY!)

Claim from Jesse (Athlean-X host)

Recommendation · Fuel

Eat lean protein daily; it is an inescapable requirement for building muscle

Jesse recommends eating lean protein like chicken, fish, or beef daily when building muscle is the goal. He states that some protein in your diet is going to have to be there, calling it an inescapable truth.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 17 Foods That Make it EASY To Get Lean (AND STAY THAT WAY!)

Recommendation from Jesse (Athlean-X)

Recommendation · Fuel

Eat egg whites at breakfast daily

Jesse eats egg whites every single day at breakfast, choosing them over whole eggs for convenience since they can be poured straight from a container, and notes six egg whites provide 24 grams of protein.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 17 Foods That Make it EASY To Get Lean (AND STAY THAT WAY!)

Recommendation from Jesse (Athlean-X host)

Recommendation · Fuel

Eat walnuts daily for omega-3s

Jeff recommends walnuts every single day because they have the highest concentration of omega-3 fatty acids compared to other nuts. Omega-3s can help control inflammation and speed up muscle repair and recovery, and — like those found in fish — can improve blood lipid profiles and cholesterol levels.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 17 Foods That Make it EASY To Get Lean (AND STAY THAT WAY!)

Recommendation from Jeff (Athlean-X)

Recommendation · Fuel

Eat blueberries daily, ideally in your protein shake

Jeff eats blueberries every single day, throwing them into his protein shake. Blueberries are a powerful antioxidant, help speed up muscle recovery, and decrease oxidative stress and damage to human muscle progenitor cells — getting less damage to new muscle cells helps you add new muscle. If you train naturally, the most important thing you can do is improve your body's ability to recover from hard workouts.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 17 Foods That Make it EASY To Get Lean (AND STAY THAT WAY!)

Recommendation from Jeff (Athlean-X)

Recommendation · Fuel

Eat sweet potatoes daily as a better carb

Jeff eats sweet potatoes every single day because they're a better form of carbohydrate — lower on the glycemic index — and give him good energy to support hard training. They also help satisfy his sweet tooth with satisfaction throughout the day.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 17 Foods That Make it EASY To Get Lean (AND STAY THAT WAY!)

Recommendation from Jeff (Athlean-X)

Recommendation · Fuel

Eat Greek yogurt daily at lunch

Jesse has Greek yogurt every day at lunchtime. It provides around 15 to 25 grams of protein per container and contains all nine essential amino acids, though not all in adequate levels.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 17 Foods That Make it EASY To Get Lean (AND STAY THAT WAY!)

Recommendation from Jesse (Athlean-X host)

Recommendation · Fuel

Eat plain slow-cooked oats every morning

Jesse eats plain old-fashioned slow-cooked oats every morning. Switching to oatmeal increased his energy, reduced his muscle cramping tremendously (attributed to magnesium), and zero-sugar oats prevent the post-breakfast energy crash.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 17 Foods That Make it EASY To Get Lean (AND STAY THAT WAY!)

Recommendation from Jesse (Athlean-X host)

Recommendation · Fuel

Keep eating complex carbs like pasta; allocate a third of your plate to them

Jesse says even when lean you can still eat pasta, respecting complex carbohydrates rather than eliminating them, since they are important fuel for performance; as long as he remains active he can eat these things, and carbohydrates will always be his primary energy source. To avoid overeating, he uses a plate division method allocating one third of the plate to complex or starchy carbohydrates, because these foods can easily be overeaten without portion allocation.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 17 Foods That Make it EASY To Get Lean (AND STAY THAT WAY!)

Recommendation from Jesse (Athlean-X)

Recommendation · Fuel

Include lean protein without the boring bodybuilder diet

Jesse says to include lean protein like chicken, fish, or beef in the non-sweetened portion of the meal plan for muscle gains — protein is an inescapable truth when building muscle is the goal. But don't eat boiled chicken with steamed broccoli; there are many ways to enhance protein flavor without a lifetime of bland food.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 17 Foods That Make it EASY To Get Lean (AND STAY THAT WAY!)

Recommendation from Jesse (Athlean-X host)

Method · Fuel

Assemble: mayo as glue, ~3 oz salad, light pepper and chives, squeeze together

Slather a little mayo on the toasted bun as glue so the dressed shrimp don't fall out. Stack in about three ounces of finished shrimp salad — don't overfill, or the shrimp-to-bun ratio gets out of whack and the shrimp start falling out, making it hard to eat (it's always a dance: it looks like it can take more, but too many overflow). Add a couple cracks of fresh pepper — not too hard, as pepper can overpower the shrimp — plus a little more chive for presentation. Old Bay would also be a fun topping, but be careful with it like the pepper. Finally squeeze the roll together so it's cohesive and the shrimp are tucked in.

Brian Lagerstrom · Skip the $40 Lobster Roll. Make This Instead.

Method described by Brian Lagerstrom

Method preserved for inspection; not a verified protocol.

Creator perspective · Fuel

Recreate a New England-style lobster roll using red Argentinian shrimp instead of lobster

The creator's core idea: use a widely available but little-known shrimp that looks and tastes like lobster but is much easier to cook and much cheaper, to recreate the taste and texture of a New England-style lobster roll.

Brian Lagerstrom · Skip the $40 Lobster Roll. Make This Instead.

Claim from Brian Lagerstrom

Recommendation · Fuel

Eat edamame nightly as a complete plant protein

Jeff recommends eating edamame every single night. He notes it provides 17 grams of protein per cup and is the only vegetable containing all nine essential amino acids. He also advises not avoiding soy over fears it lowers testosterone and raises estrogen, citing recent research contesting that claim, and shares that he has eaten soy daily with zero estrogenic side effects and will continue, while leaving the choice to the viewer.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 17 Foods That Make it EASY To Get Lean (AND STAY THAT WAY!)

Recommendation from Jeff (Athlean-X)

Recommendation · Fuel

Drink a daily protein shake with blueberries; pick a formula with 30g+ protein

Jesse recommends finding a place in your daily diet for a high-quality protein shake because it will help you immensely. Every day when he gets home from work, the first thing he does is make a protein shake before late-night training (he doesn't eat dinner until after training, which can be 11:00 or 11:30 PM). Choose a powder with at least 30 grams of protein per serving, in vegan or whey formulas, whichever is right for you. He throws blueberries into his shake every single day because blueberries help speed up muscle recovery after hard workouts.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 17 Foods That Make it EASY To Get Lean (AND STAY THAT WAY!)

Recommendation from Jesse (Athlean-X)

Recommendation · Fuel

Eat canned pumpkin daily as a low-calorie orange food

Jeff recommends eating canned pumpkin every day, putting it in oatmeal (his pumpkin oatmeal recipe) or eating it straight. He calls it a powerful superfood with high levels of vitamin A, and suggests reaching for it over more calorically dense sweet potatoes when you want orange foods with lighter calories. He cautions that eating too much canned pumpkin or sweet potato can leave your skin slightly orangey.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 17 Foods That Make it EASY To Get Lean (AND STAY THAT WAY!)

Recommendation from Jeff (Athlean-X)

Recommendation · Fuel

Eat ginger daily, e.g. pickled, for blood sugar and recovery benefits

Jeff recommends incorporating ginger every day, personally in pickled form, noting it is almost zero calories and the needed amount is so small anyone can do it. He says ginger stabilizes blood sugar by increasing insulin sensitivity, can improve your ability to withstand hard workouts, and cites a recent study showing it can decrease delayed onset muscle soreness by up to 25%. If you dislike the taste, it can be consumed in many different forms; pickled is just his choice.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 17 Foods That Make it EASY To Get Lean (AND STAY THAT WAY!)

Recommendation from Jeff (Athlean-X)