Here Is An Ideal List Of What To Eat, But Remember You Have To Find The Proteins, Fats And Carbs That Will Work For YOU.

Lean Protein

Protein sources include but are not limited to:  grass-fed beef, organic free range chicken, chicken sausage, organic free range turkey, organic pasture raised pork, nitrate-free sausages or bacon, wild Alaskan salmon, cod, scallops, white fish, shrimp, tuna, bison, ostrich, elk, venison, organic free range eggs, whey protein powder, vegetarian (rice, pea) protein powder, and goat milk, cheese, yogurt.  If you can handle dairy, plain Greek yogurt, cheese and milk from organic grass-fed cows.

Eat complete, lean protein with every meal.  To figure out protein intake per day, take your goal body weight and divide by 2.2.  Take that number and multiply it by 1.5, and then by 2 to get your range of protein intake in grams per day.

All of the following equal 7 grams of protein:  1 ounce of meat, 1 egg, 3 egg whites, 1 ounce of cheese, 24 almonds, and 2 TBSP of nut butter.

For example:  A female who’s goal weight is 140 lbs. would want to eat 95-127 grams of protein per day.  This would equate to about 30 grams of protein per meal plus a post-workout shake

Vegetables

Include 1-3 servings of vegetables with each meal and aim for 7-9 servings per day.  One servings equal’s ½ cup of cooked, 1 cup of raw, and 2 cups of salad greens.

Non-starchy vegetables include but are not limited to:  beets, red cabbage, red peppers, radishes, tomatoes, butternut squash, carrots, pumpkin, rutabagas, yellow summer/winter squash, yellow peppers, artichokes, avocados, broccoli, green cabbage, cucumbers, kale, green peppers, swiss chard, asparagus, green beans, Brussels sprouts, celery, lettuce, snap peas, spinach, zucchini, eggplant, cauliflower, jicama, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, and turnips.

Organic or not?  The first priority is to eat the recommended servings of vegetables organic or not.  Then focus on buying organic for the “Dirty Dozen.”  This includes:  peppers, celery, kale, lettuce, and spinach.

Here are a few ideas to increase the amount of vegetables you eat everyday.  Add spinach to a protein shake or RVL meal replacement shake.  I promise you will not taste it.  Add spinach, peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc. to eggs.  Substitute a vegetable for a starchy carbohydrate such as spaghetti squash or zucchini for noodles.  Cauliflower or butternut squash for pizza crust.  For rice, oatmeal, wraps or mashed potatoes use cauliflower as well.

Fruits

If your goal is fat loss, you want to be careful how many fruits you consume each day.  However, it’s important to make sure that you are getting the phytonutrients from them.  Consume 0-2 servings of fruit per day.  Males may be able to consume 0-4 servings per day.  A serving consists of ½ banana, ½ large apple or pear, ½-3/4 cup berries.  The best fruits to eat are raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and red, green, or yellow apples.  Apples, strawberries, and blueberries are part of the “Dirty Dozen”, buy organic if possible.

Healthy Fats

Nuts and seeds:  almonds, pecans, brazil nuts, pistachios, cashews, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, sesame seeds, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, and walnuts.

Fats and oils to use:  almond oil, macadamia nut oil, flax seed oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, extra virgin olive oil, butter (or Ghee), hemp seed oil.

When cooking with oils and fats, especially at high heat, saturated fats are generally a better choice.  Use butter, ghee, or coconut oil when heating to high temps.  Unsaturated fats are less stable and more prone to becoming trans-fats at high heat.  Heat, light, and air can cause oxidation to these otherwise healthy oils.

Just because nuts and seeds are healthy fats does not mean you can eat as many of them as you want.  Limit nut and seed intake to 1-2 ounces per day.

Below are examples serving sizes of healthy fats per meal.

All oils and cooking fats (olive oil, animal fats):  1-2 thumb size portions

All butters (ghee, coconut butter, nut butters):  1-2 thumb size portions

Coconut (shredded or flaked):  1-2 open handfuls

Avocado:  ½ to 1

Coconut milk:  between ¼ and ½ of one (14 oz.) can

Fats and oils to avoid:  canola oil, margarine, and hydrogenated oils (trans fats)

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are not an essential nutrient like fat is.  Most of us can get our carbohydrate need for the day met through vegetables and a small amount of fruit if necessary.  Remember what we talked about in the beginning of this manual with relationship to insulin.  Insulin drives fat storage and eating carbohydrates drives insulin.

When fat loss is the goal, eat vegetables with each meal and “other carbohydrates” only after exercise or not at all.  You must earn your starchy carbohydrates.  If you are not seeing the results you want, you are most likely eating too many carbohydrates for your body.  Everyone’s toleration and ability to process carbohydrates is different.  When it comes to changing body composition, reducing or timing carbohydrate intake is the single most effective strategy to kick-start fat loss in people with stubborn and hard to remove body fat stores.

If you are going to consume “other carbohydrates”, make them gluten free.  Gluten has been linked to 55 health issues and is highly inflammatory in the body.  Gluten free carbohydrates include:  brown rice, beans, corn tortillas, sweet potatoes, flax seed, beans, lentils, corn, red potatoes, and quinoa.

Keep portions to 1 serving for females and 2 servings for males if you choose to have other carbohydrates.  Servings sizes are listed below:

1/3 cup of beans

1/3-1/2 cup of rice or quinoa

½ sweet potato

I hope this list helps, but remember you have to find the foods that will work for YOU!

—
Be Fit,

Michael Romig BS, CPT, CFT, PES, CES, RES & FT
PG Fit, LLC
832-303-7004
www.pgfit.com