It is entirely possible to create a diet plan that allows you to gain, maintain, or lose weight while improving your overall health. The guide below, derived from years of experience and research, simplifies some key concepts to give you the knowledge needed to create a personalized diet plan.
The objective of this guide is to help you create a diet plan that will improve and maintain your health, while enabling you to reach your body weight and composition goals.
Concepts
What Foods Should We Eat?
It’s a lot simpler than you’d think. Only eat what is natural, that is, foods that have been available for hundreds of thousands of years: meats, vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts. These are the foods our bodies have evolved to digest.
What foods should we Avoid?
Anything not in that list above. It's that simple.
Why Avoid Grains and Processed Foods?
While grains can be found in nature, humans only started farming and consuming them around 5,000 years ago, after the agricultural revolution. Our bodies have not since evolved to consume them. There’s a reason they are cheap foods - they contain anti-nutrients, cause blood sugar spikes, and have little nutritional value. They place undue stress on the body, often leading to long-term damage. Common health issues like obesity, acne, diabetes and other diseases are directly tied to this dietary shift.
It should be evident that your body is better adapted to consuming foods that align with our natural environment: fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and meats.
Consuming grains and processed foods overloads your body with toxins, prevents healthy nutrients from entering your body, weakens your immune system and making you more susceptible to viruses and infections.
Exception: White Rice is an acceptable grain because it has the anti-nutrient husk removed. It is effectively a pure starch.
What About Dairy?
Dairy can be found in nature, but is intended for baby cows. It contains cow hormones and is typically pasteurized (heated), which denatures fats and makes them unhealthy.
Food Quality
By eliminating refined and processed foods like sweets, candies, and grains, you’ve already taken a significant step toward a healthier diet. To further improve, focus on eating:
- Organic foods (where possible)
- Antibiotic-free meats
- Non-GMO produce
What About Vegan/Plant-Based Foods?
I recommend plant-based milks and protein powders over dairy 100% of the time.
As for plant-based meat alternatives, While not exactly natural, vegan meats are often easier to digest than traditional meats – and that’s a wonderful thing for your body. Do your research and experimentation with soy-based products like Tofu and TVP. Avoid products that include grains like wheat. My recommendation would be to include Soy based meats in your diet regularly, but keep real meat in your diet too.
Balancing Macronutrients
You should aim to incorporate proteins, fats, carbs, and vitamins into each meal to ensure a well rounded diet.
- Examples of Proteins: Eggs, chicken, fish, pea protein, tofu
- Examples of Fats: Avocado, walnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts
- Examples of Carbohydrates: White rice, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, all fruits
- Examples of Vitamin-Rich Foods: Vegetables, fruits
Vitamins
Take a daily multivitamin to supplement any nutritional gaps in your diet, as modern foods often lack essential nutrients.
Protein Intake
My recommendation based on years of experience and self-research.
- 0.5g/lb of body weight for those not engaged in fitness training.
- Up to 0.75g/lb of body weight for those involved in fitness training, whether trying to gain or lose weight. I find that more than that is excessive and hard on the kidneys.
What Should I Drink?
Water - preferably spring water. No surprises there.
Gaining or Losing Weight
There is no universal recommendation for caloric intake. Everyone has a different body weight and metabolic rate. Begin by weighing yourself every morning and taking an average over three days. Track your average weight, and adjust your diet every couple of weeks based on your goals.
- To gain weight, add more meals or increase portion sizes. Gaining more than 1-2 lbs per week is mostly fat and not recommended.
- To lose weight, ensure you are not losing more than 1-2 lbs per week, as rapid weight loss will also result in muscle loss.
What about Detoxing... is it Healthy to Fast?
Yes, when done safely. Fasting allows your digestive system to rest and has tremendous health benefits. It should be done with caution - please research safe practices before planning a fast.
Example Meal Plan
While I am providing a sample diet plan here, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, I encourage you to use this knowledge to create your own diet, while tracking your macronutrient and caloric intake and monitoring your weight and body composition. This will ensure that you end up with a diet tailored to your unique body and goals.
Meal 1. Pecan Smoothie
- Protein: Pea Protein
- Carbs: Ripe Banana, Pitted Date
- Fats: Pecans
- Vitamins: (found in the above)
- Blend with Almond Milk, Ice Cubes and Cinnamon
Meal 2. Tofu Rice Bowl
- Protein: Baked Firm Tofu (seasoned with natural spices)
- Carbs: White Rice
- Fats: Avocado
- Vitamins: Carrots
Meal 3. Berry Smoothie
- Protein: Pea Protein
- Carbs: Ripe Banana, Blueberries, Strawberries, Spinach
- Fats: Walnuts
- Vitamins: (found in the above)
- Blend with Almond Milk, and Ice cubes
Meal 4. Grilled Chicken with Rice
- Protein: Grilled Chicken Breast (seasoned with natural spices)
- Carbs: White Rice
- Fats: Drizzle of Coconut Oil over the rice
- Vitamins: Broccoli
(or) Baked Mahi Mahi with Sweet Potato Mash
- Protein: Wild-caught Mahi Mahi Fish (seasoned with natural spices)
- Carbs: Sweet Potato mash (with Cinnamon)
- Fats: Drizzle of Olive Oil over the fish
- Vitamins: Steamed Asparagus
Final Note
You’ll find a lot of conflicting advice online, much of it even coming from food manufacturers, "qualified" nutritionists, and government agencies. Often they recommend a 'balanced' diet of good and bad foods. The best approach is to ask yourself: Is this a natural food? How does it make me feel? Sticking to a healthy diet takes willpower and commitment, but saying "no" to short-term pleasure and “yes” to the fuel that your body needs is the path to a long and healthy life.
