Feed Your Body: “The YES List”
- Cold-pressed olive oil or coconut oil, avocado, sesame, or almond oil
- Whole grains: millet, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat; Starches: sweet potato, yams (eliminate for faster weight loss)
- Brown rice, wild rice, basmati or jasmine rice-never instant (eliminate for faster weight loss)
- Real food-shop the perimeter of the grocery store
- Water or herbal teas
- Stevia (herbal with no effect on blood sugar), raw sugar, raw honey, coconut crystals
- Coconut or Almond milk, Goat milk or Raw dairy milk
- Butter
- Sea salt (the darker the color, the healthier it is) or Real Salt
- Dried herbs
- Roasted chicken breast or other dinner leftovers
- Natural spring water or highly filtered water
Eliminate completely: “The NO List”
- Hydrogenated oils (Canola and Vegetable oils)
- White flour or enriched wheat flour
- White rice
- Processed foods (anything in a can or a box)
- Soda, carbonated beverages, and juice
- White sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners (Splenda, aspartame, maltitol, sorbitol, erythritol, sucralose, saccharin)
- Pasteurized Milk
- Margarine
- Table salt
- Condiments: mayonnaise, mustard ketchup
- Lunch meats (unless organic, sulfate and nitrate-free)
- Tap water
- Soy
- MSG (monosodium glutamate)
Limit to 1-2 servings per week:
- Corn
- Potatoes
- Pork
- Shellfish
- Alcohol
- Caffeine (use organic coffee only)
- Sweets
Water: drink half your body weight in ounces of water every single day! If you consume alcohol or caffeine or exercise, you need to add even more water.
ie: If you weigh 160 lbs, you need 80 ounces of water to stay hydrated.
Proteins: start your day with 20-30 grams of protein at breakfast to kick-start your metabolism and ensure level blood sugar levels throughout the day. Combining protein with carbohydrates will lower their glycemic index. A serving of protein should be consumed at every meal. Portion size is the size (and thickness) of the palm of your hand. Lean proteins such as poultry and fish are favored over red and fatty meats. Eat organic grass-fed meats when possible to limit exposure to growth hormones, inflammatory fats, and pesticides.
Seafood: should be wild-caught rather than farm-raised for the same reasons. Limit fish high in mercury to every other week. Visit http://seafood.edf.org for the best and worst choices. Vegetarian sources of proteins are lentils and quinoa.
Fruits and Vegetables: you can have unlimited vegetables, organic when possible! Always eat twice as many veggies as fruits to keep sugar intake low. Fruits and veggies that are darker or more vibrant in color have more nutrients (ie: red grapes over green, dark leafy greens or spinach over iceberg lettuce, sweet potatoes over white). Berries have the highest antioxidant count and the lowest glycemic index (effect on blood sugar). Other low glycemic index choices are apples, oranges, and grapefruit. Limit fruit to 1-2 pieces per day. A serving size is a ½ cup.
Brands We Suggest:
- Nu Naturals Stevia
- Ezekiel bread (in the freezer section of Nature’s Market)
- Real Salt
- Mrs. Dash
- Betty Lou’s nut balls
- Kind bars
- Isagenix meal replacement shakes and bars
- Avoca spring water
- Udi’s gluten-free bread
- Tinkyada gluten-free pasta
Snack Suggestions:
- ½ to 1 cup of raw or roasted nuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts, macadamias, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, and pumpkin seeds. Avoid peanuts.
- 1-2 cups sugar snap peas
- 2-3 celery stalks filled with almond butter
- Apple slices spread with almond butter
- Rice crackers spread with hummus
- Trail mix (avoid mixes that have added oils, sugar, or preservatives)
- Roasted chickpeas
- Kale chips
- Vegetable juices
- ½ cup berries