Nutrition Guide Disclaimer: Please discuss with your physician or healthcare provider before starting this program. The information provided does not intend to replace the advice of a medical professional. Benefits to following a general, healthful diet: Depending on your food choices, it could mean less calories, less salt, less added sugars, and less saturated fat and trans fat than many other diets. When you focus on eating more whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, you may improve how much fiber, vitamins, and minerals you eat. It can lower your risk of conditions like diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and cancer. Approaching with the right mindset: You re most likely going to make mistakes. Over 28 days, there is bound to be something come up unexpected that throws off your plans. It s ok. When this happens, get right back on track as soon as you can. FOCUS ON CONTROLLING WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL AND ACCEPTING WHAT YOU CANNOT CONTROL. The most important thing here to remember- we can t always control the events that happen but we can control our behaviors and responses to those events. Quick start guide: To outline this plan in one sentence- Eat lean proteins, vegetables, healthy fats and other complex carbs with each meal, while minimizing processed foods and alcohol. To improve your likelihood of success I would add- drink lots of water, plan ahead and pay attention to your portions.
Healthy Tips Don t focus only on green vegetables. There are special health benefits to eating blue-purple, yellow, orange, and red vegetables. Eat more legumes (like beans and lentils) and more whole grains. Eat lean protein and supplement with protein powder if needed. In place of non-lean meat, you can get your protein from eating eggs, fish, poultry, beans, peas, soy-based foods, and nuts/nut butters Low-fat or fat-free dairy products are also good sources of protein. Keep your salt intake to a minimum (less than 2300 milligrams per day). Avoid adding salt, soy sauce or fish sauce to your food when cooking. Eat freshly prepared meals at home. Processed foods and restaurant foods contain more salt. Fresh fruits and vegetables are the best choices for snacks. When shopping, choose the products with lower sodium content. Limit your daily sugar intake. Sugar can be found in honey, syrups, jelly, fruit juice, and fruit juice concentrate. Limit sugar-sweetened beverages like soda pop and fruit juice, sugary snacks, and candy It s best to avoid products with added sugar, but if you do eat them, read labels carefully so you know how much sugar is in each portion. It is better to eat unsaturated fats than saturated fats. Avoid trans fats as much as possible. Unsaturated fat is found in fish, avocado, nuts, and oils like sunflower, canola, and olive oils. Saturated fat is found in fatty meat, butter, ice cream, palm and coconut oil, cream, cheese, and lard. Trans fats are found in many processed foods, margarines, fried foods, fast food items, convenience foods like frozen pizza and snack foods, and sweets including pies, cookies, and other pastries. Check nutrition labels. When cooking, use vegetable oil instead of animal oil. Boil, steam, or bake your food instead of frying. Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. If you eat meat, remove the fatty part before cooking.
The Meals: Your meals should look like this: Lean protein Non-starchy vegetables Healthy fat Optional carbs Portions: These will vary slightly based on body weight and energy demands but to give you a general idea, here is where I would begin. Lean protein- 7 to 9 oz for men. This is about 40-60 grams of protein or 1.5 to 2 palm sized portions. 4 to 6 oz for women. This is about 25-35 grams of protein or 1 to 1.5 palm sized portions. Non-starchy vegetables- The more the merrier. Shoot for 2 fist sized portions. Healthy fat- Up to one serving which equals about 16 grams of fat. Optional carbs- Start with roughly the equivalent to ~20 grams of carbohydrates. This can be adjusted based on energy needs and activity level. Sources of lean proteins: Chicken (skinless) Seafood Turkey (skinless) Tofu Fish Pork loin Egg whites Eggs (pay attention to fat content) Proteinshake Protein bar (pay attention to carbs/fat) Sources of healthy fats: Avocados- one serving is roughly half an avocado Olive oil- one serving is one tablespoon Nuts- one serving is roughly 1 4 cup Nut butter- one serving is roughly 2 tablespoons Avocado oil- one serving is one tablespoon
Sources of non-starchy vegetables: Spinach Kale Arugula Broccoli Cauliflower Spaghetti squash Peppers Onions Zucchini Cucumber Tomatoes Celery Mushrooms Brussel sprouts Optional carbs: **Serving size listed to equal roughly 20 grams of carbohydrates 1 2 cup beans 1 2 cup pasta 1 2 cup grains (rice, oats, quinoa) 1 2 medium potato (white, sweet, yam) 1 medium sized fruit (apple, banana, orange) 1 cup berries or melon Snacks Ideas: Protein bars (look for bars with more protein than carbs and fewer than 10g of sugar) Protein shakes Deli rollups- 2 to 3 slices of turkey deli meat rolled up with a slice of cheese Piece of fruit Beef or turkey jerky Low fat cottage cheese Greek yogurt Nuts or nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter, almonds, cashews, peanuts, etc)
Nutrition FAQ: Q: Can I skip breakfast or do I need to eat as soon as I wake up? A: This is completely up to you! Whatever you prefer as long as you re getting your 3 meals in each day. Q: Can I drink coffee? A: Absolutely. I d never suggest giving up coffee ;) HOWEVER, you do need to pay attention to the calories. A Starbucks drink loaded with sugar for example is not recommended. Q: What about alcohol? A: Alcohol will not do you any favors. With that said, as long as it fits within your 90/10 or 80/20 guidelines, 1 or 2 drinks is ok. Q: How much water should I drink? A: A good estimate to aim for is to drink 1 2 of your body weight (in lbs) in ounces of water per day. For example, a 180 lb individual would aim for 90 ounces per day. Q: Should I keep a food journal and write down everything I eat? A: It s not going to hurt but the templates we ve created can be used to simplify tracking your food. Q: How much detail should I include when filling out the meal templates? A: Don t go overboard. More often than not, the simpler you keep it the better. Q: What if I m still hungry after a meal? A: If you just finished your meal, wait 15 minutes. Yes, it can seem like an eternity but that will often be enough time for your body to realize you re not actually hungry anymore. During that waiting period, I would also suggest drinking a big glass of water. Q: What if I have an event and I know I m going to be eating bad? A: As discussed earlier in the approaching it with the right mindset section, plan ahead. If you know you re going to be drinking the upcoming weekend, make sure you re strict leading up to the event so you stay within your 90/10 or 80/20 guidelines. Q: What if I m unsure about what to do with anything mentioned above. A: Ask me for help. You won t be bothering me. I can t read minds (usually) so if anything is unclear, reach out and let me know.