Nutrition

Every day for the next 30 days you will be provided with a full menu with recipes each day.  This will consist of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Each week you will be provided a shopping guide that will ensure you have all of the ingredients you will need. So let’s get started.

The human body is incredibly complex and there is truly no limit to the number of things that are impacted by diet. With this in mind, you will hopefully notice that as you fuel yourself properly, it will a long way to improving your sleep, stress levels, and exercise capacity (the other 3 areas of focus for us over these 30 days).

Meals should focus on the following foods:

Healthy fat: extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, grass-fed tallow and organic or pasture-fed butter, ghee, almond milk, avocados, coconuts, olives, nuts and nut butters, cheese (except for blue cheeses), and seeds (flaxseed, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds).

Vegetables: leafy greens and lettuces, collards, spinach, broccoli, kale, chard, cabbage, onions, mushrooms, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, sauerkraut, artichoke, alfalfa sprouts, green beans, celery, bok choy, radishes, watercress, turnip, asparagus, garlic, leek, fennel, shallots, scallions, ginger, jicama, parsley, water chestnuts.

Protein: Whole eggs; wild fish (salmon, black cod, mahi mahi, grouper, 
herring, trout, sardines); shellfish and mollusks (shrimp, crab, lobster, mussels, clams, oysters); grass-fed meat, fowl, poultry, and pork (beef, lamb, liver, bison, chicken, turkey, duck, ostrich, veal); wild game.

For grass-fed and high quality meats, Butcher Box is an excellent resource – and they’ll deliver right to your door.

Fermented foods: live-cultured yogurt, kefir, kombucha tea, tempeh, kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles, coconut yogurt, pickled fruits and vegetables, cultured condiments, fermented meat, fish and eggs.

Prebiotic foods: Acacia gum, raw chicory root, raw Jerusalem artichoke, raw dandelion greens, raw garlic, raw or cooked onion, raw leek, raw asparagus and raw potato starch.

Low-sugar Fruit: avocado, bell peppers, cucumber, tomato, zucchini, squash, pumpkin, eggplant, lemons, limes.

Herbs, Seasonings, and Condiments: You can go wild here as long as you watch labels. Kiss ketchup and chutney goodbye but enjoy mustard, horseradish, tapenade, and salsa if they are free of gluten, wheat, soy, and sugar. There are virtually no restrictions on herbs and seasonings; be mindful of packaged products, however, that were made at plants that process wheat and soy.

How to construct your plate:

Although you will be supplied with a recipe option for each meal for the next 30 days, you may come across a meal that does not look appetizing or that you just don’t feel like cooking. In that case, just follow these instructions for constructing a healthy plate using the foods mentioned above.

Keeping this simple meal construction guide handy will be important for long-term success beyond these 30 days. It will allow you to consistently come up with your own recipes using these simple guidelines.

1. Fill your plate with 2/3 above ground, colorful vegetables. These can be cooked or uncooked. The easiest way to cook them is to either steam them or sauté them. If sautéing, you’ll want to use a saturated fat as the oil ex: coconut oil, butter, ghee, lard etc.
   
2. The other 1/3 of your plate should consist of high quality animal protein. This can be baked, grilled, slow-cooked, sous-vide, or in some cases raw. See the protein section above for some great options. *If you follow a vegetarian program then you’ll want to concentrate on foods such as eggs, nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and pistachios, broccoli, avocados, grass-fed whey protein for your protein sources.
   
3. Add in some fat. Feel free to drizzle some high quality fat over your plate for both the health benefits and the flavor. Olive oil and coconut oil are some good options. You can also have a side of avocado instead. *If you are trying to lose weight then go easy here. Though a healthful source of calories, oils are still quite calorically dense. Needless to say, do not pour half a bottle of olive oil on your plate if this is you.
   
4. Round out your plate with a side of fermented food. Some great options include kimchi, sauerkraut, a cup of kombucha etc.

Eating out

Life happens and we don’t always have the ability to eat at home or cook our own meals, but this doesn’t mean that our health has to suffer as a result. If you find yourself in a situation where you are unable to prepare a meal, do your best to make sure that what you are eating is lower-carb, gluten free, higher in healthy fat, fiber and protein.

At restaurants, most times this looks something like the following:

A salad with 4-6 oz. of animal protein and olive oil and vinegar drizzled on top.
Grilled fish with a vegetable side. *If your meal comes with a starch or grain, ask to substitute for a vegetable or salad.
Grilled or baked chicken with 1 or 2 sides of vegetables.

If you see something else on the menu that looks like it meets these standards then go for it!

On-the-go

If you are on the go and find yourself in a gas station, convenience store, airport etc. and you need something to hold you over then your best options include:
Nuts
Whole fruit
Unsweetened greek yogurt
Cheese
Cold cuts (if nitrate & nitrite free)
Boiled eggs
Coffee with whole cream
Kombucha 

How many calories should I eat? How many carbs should I eat? How much fat should I eat? How much protein should I eat?

For the purposes of this program, the goal is to not have you worry about quantity, but rather concentrate on quality. That said, if you’re following the recipes in this guide and you find that you’re still hungry then feel free to add in additional leafy vegetables or healthy fat, or both! If you have more muscle mass than the average person, then you may need to include an additional 4-6 oz. serving of protein or even two servings.

What if I have a sweet-tooth?

If you find yourself craving something sweet it’s not a character flaw, we’re all designed to crave sweets. But, this doesn’t mean it’s ok to eat half a pint of ice cream. Instead, have some dark chocolate on-hand and enjoy 1-2 pieces. Eventually you will find that your craving for sweets will dissipate as your taste buds adjust and your metabolism shifts. * It would be a smart idea to throw away all your sweets so you don’t give yourself the option to cave if you’re one to crave sweets.

What about gluten?

Avoid it. None of the recipes provided contain gluten so need to worry there. If you’re going to construct your own plate then concentrate on the foods provided and you will be fine.

The deleterious effects of gluten are finally being understood and accepted by mainstream medicine and for good reason. Removing gluten from the diet can be a panacea for some. In other words, gluten can be a contributor in a whole host of health conditions and it is highly likely that removing it from your diet will help you perform better.  Even if you think gluten has no effect on you, you’ll want to avoid them because:

1. Foods that do contain gluten are mostly nutritionally sparse relative to vegetables, fruits, animal protein etc. They are definitely not optimal in terms of their nutrient density.
   
2. The majority of gluten containing foods are much higher in carbohydrate and we want to keep our carbs lower.
   
3. The way that grain agriculture is currently practiced is unsustainable and highly dependent on pesticides.

What about alcohol?

It would be ideal to avoid alcohol completely for these 30 days, however you may indulge in a glass of wine a few times per week. Avoid beer, as most beers contain gluten. Hard alcohol should also be mostly avoided. Remember, alcohol is a neurotoxic. *A great wine option is available from Dry Farm Wines. Their wines are lower in alcohol, sugar, pesticide free etc. All the things you want if you’re going to enjoy wine.