One Thing
People will often ask about one thing that they could do to improve their weight, size or performance. There are hundreds of things, but if I had to pick one it would be;
ELIMINATE ALL SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES FROM YOUR DIET!
Why? Simple carbohydrates are most often referred to as "bad" carb and with good reason. Simple carbohydrates are digested quickly. Many simple carbohydrates contain refined sugars and few essential vitamins and minerals. Your body has no use for them at all. An old though was these were needed for athletic performance and recent studies have show overwhelming that they are not needed at all. So with no benefit and a huge downside to simple carbs, why eat them at all? Because we like the sweet taste of simple carbohydrates, and because the energy rush we get from them is short-lived and leaves us feeling hungry, it is easy to over-eat simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates provide energy in a very concentrated form (sugar is 100% carbohydrate!), so a small amount of it can contain a lot of calories! Also, when we eat high amounts of simple carbohydrate our insulin has to work overtime to keep our blood-sugar levels even, and this can lead to diabetes. Some scientists say that if sugar was discovered nowadays, it would be banned substance! So what do we eat instead? 
Everyone has favorites. I eat allot of fresh mushrooms, tons of onions, celery, tomatoes and peppers. This is by no way a complete list, so what are you eating for you carbs? Give me a few favorites and some ways to eat them that we may not all have thought
READ ‘da Labels!
With allot of folks starting the Whole30 we are going to give you one of the easiest and best ways to keep track of what you are putting in your mouth. It sounds stupid, but the labels will list all ingredients and you will be shocked at the crap they pull. "Dried Mangos" with Mango, Sugar, FD&C Yellow #5, sulphur dioxide (may contain pits and/or pit fragments) are not ok. Tuna with Soy bits and on and on. Preservatives, fillers, glutens are in EVERYTHING and you will only learn what is. and isn't ok by reading. Once you get brands that work, stick with it! Lucini is a dressing we like and keep around and Starkist is a great tuna. If you are unsure, ere on the sahe side and skip it. Another simple and easy thing is GOOGLE. Google anything and you can find out what's what. E-mail with questions and stay on the Bus.
Sweet Potato, Bacon and Egg Salad
I keep breakfast simple with eggs, egg salad and tuna salad with a dense fruit and some carrots. I have used this recipe and it is AWESOME anytime! Watch the portions because sometimes too much is just too much. make it at nite and pop in the fridge for a super breakfast that is ready to go.
Ingredients
2/3 cup diced sweet potato
2 eggs
2 rashes of bacon, diced using meat only (get no preservative/gluten if possible)
1tbs coconut oil
4tbs dill, finely chopped
2tbs Vegenaise
2tbs lemon juice
Instructions
Boil eggs in water for 4-6minutes. Peel and dice eggs.
Boil sweet potato for 4-5minutes or until cooked through.
Place a frying pan on medium-high heat, add olive oil and bacon and fry until browned and slightly crunchy.
In a small bowl, combine dill, mayonnaise and lemon juice.
Place eggs, sweet potato, bacon and vegennaise sauce into a medium size serving bowl. Combine well.
What time is it? Time for a Whole30!
First things first is why are we doing this? Isn’t there an easier way? The short answer is no. Certain food groups (like grains, dairy and legumes) are probably having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent (or non-existent)? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you train, or are pretty lean but still have a little extra puff on your midsection? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat – even the “healthy” stuff. So how do you know if (and how) these foods are affecting you? Strip them from your diet completely. Cut out all the inflammatory, insulin-spiking, calorie-dense, nutritionally sparse food groups for a full 30 days and let your body heal, recover and reset from whatever effects those foods may be provoking. What, exactly, does that mean? Super strict, by-the-book, 100% Whole30 for the next 30 days.
Mellissa and Dallas from The Whole9 developed this program and hundreds of people have had amazing success with it. We want to put a piece up front about any “over selling” aspects of the Whole 30: Many people have had super weight loss and many people have felt much better in both mind and body during this process. We would go so far as to say that everyone’s performance improved, however there are no guarantee on how you will be affected by eating “whole 30”.
WHY? First and foremost, this will change your life. I was dubious of this claim when I first read it, but became a believer during my first 30. Lisa saw the light during her first 30 as well. It will change the relationship with food permanently. We cannot possibly put enough emphasis on this simple fact. THIS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE! It will change the way you think about food, it will change your tastes, it will change your habits and your cravings. It could, quite possibly, change the emotional relationship you have with food, and with your body. It has the potential to change the way you eat for the rest of your life. We know this because we did it, and hundreds of people have since done it, and it changed our lives (and their lives) in a very permanent fashion.
WHAT? So what does “Whole30” mean?
Eat real food – meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, some fruit, and good fat from nuts, seeds, coconut, olives/olive oil and avocado. Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re fresh and natural.
1. Do not eat dairy. This includes butter, cheese (hard and soft), yogurt (even Greek) and milk (including cream in your coffee or tea).
2. Do not eat grains. This includes bread, rice, pasta, cereal, oatmeal, corn and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa and sprouted grains.
3. Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds (soy, black, kidney, etc.), peas, lentils, and peanuts. (No peanut butter, kids.)
4. Do not eat or add sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc.
5. Do not eat processed foods. This includes protein shakes, processed bars (like Zone bars), dairy-free creamers, etc.
6. Do not drink alcohol, in any form.
7. Do not eat white potatoes. It’s kind of arbitrary, but one, they’re a nightshade, and two, sweet potatoes and yams are a more nutrient-dense option, so go for those instead. (On that note, if you have serious inflammation issues like arthritis, you may want to consider avoiding all nightshades for 30 days.)
8. Most importantly… do not try to shove your old, crappy diet into a shiny new Whole30 mold. This means no “Paleo-fying” existing less-than-healthy recipes – no “Paleo” pancakes, pizza or Fudge Babies.
A few concessions, based on our experience, and those of our clients. These are less than optimal foods that we are okay with you including in moderation.
1. Processed Meat. On occasion, we are okay with organic chicken sausage (these are nitrate, dairy, gluten and casein-free), and high quality bacon, deli meat, and jerky.
2. Nuts. We do not want you cracking out on nuts and nut butters, people. Sunbutter is acceptable – buy the organic (no sugar added) if possible.
3. Dried Fruit. In general, careful with the fruit. Use dried fruit and Larabars in serious moderation, and only if it doesn’t send you running for the nearest candy dish.
4. Non-”Paleo” Vegetables. We’re fine with green beans, sugar snap peas and snow peas. While they’re technically a legume, they’re far more “pod” than “bean”, and we want you to eat your veggies.
5. Coffee and black tea. We’re okay with coffee (black, or with a little coconut milk) in moderation, and only if it doesn’t interfere with sleep. Usually, that means none after noon. If you really want to go hardcore and reset your body’s sensitivity to caffeine, skip the coffee/tee for the 30 day period as well.
6. Vinegar. While it’s technically not “Paleo”, we’re fine with using it in small quantities as a salad dressing or in salsa.
7. Salt. While some “approved” foods like olives or bacon will have some salt in them, go easy when adding salt to your food.
A quick note about THE BUS! The Whole 30 is going to be one big, fun and interesting bus ride and you are on the bus, or you are off the bus. If you do not want to commit to 30 days we respect that and will point you in the right direction, but there is no partial program. In Paleo challenges and Zone challenges you will hear about “open” meals and “slips”…we are calling bullshit right here on it all. On the bus, of the bus. The effects of even a small amount of inflammatory food will last for 10 days and you will gain no real insight into your nutrition. DO NOT get caught up in the “how can I do this forever” We are doing 30 days in a row. If you chose to eat something else, you can get back on the bus but you are back to day one.
NOTES! There are loads of recipes listed as Paleo, Primal and many others on the internet. If an ingredient seems “off”, it probably is.
Paleo, Primal, Caveman ect are all programs designed very similar to The Whole9. The Whole9 is the Whole9 and that is what we are doing.
We are working with a broad based approach to this. For simplicities sake we are keeping this as simple as possible. If you would like to have a more individualized experience with quantity prescriptions, body composition work and bench mark testing this can be arranged through either Lisa or Dave. During the next 30 days we will have our food blog loaded with answers to questions, ideas and inspiration. david@bodybylisa.com is a great way to get your questions answered.
The Whole30 is the work of Melissa Urban and Dallas Hartwig from The Whole9 any liberties, or alterations made to any wording, links, or methodology of this program are never meant to contradict any of their ideas. We have worked with Whole9, but do not work for them or represent them in any manner. We love them both and thank them for the millions of hours of work they have done!Whole 30 Starting in September
We have allot of people getting set to do another Whole30, or their first. What is the Whole 30?
Certain food groups (like grains, dairy and legumes) are probably having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent (or non-existent)? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you train, or are pretty lean but still have a little extra puff on your midsection? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat – even the “healthy” stuff. So how do you know if (and how) these foods are affecting you? Strip them from your diet completely. Cut out all the inflammatory, insulin-spiking, calorie-dense, nutritionally sparse food groups for a full 30 days and let your body heal, recover and reset from whatever effects those foods may be provoking. What, exactly, does that mean? Super strict, by-the-book, 100% Whole30 for the next 30 days.
HERE is all the info. Doing it as agroup helps with support and also with shopping and recipes. If you are not sure if this is for you, ask any of the many people in the gym who have done it.
…but they drink it on TV!
Gatorade, Powerade, Accelerade...on and on. The "Sport" drink market is a billion dollar industry and kids have taken notice. So? Did you know that the best of these drinks have over 15g of sugar for every eight ounces? Do you really need all that sugar? After a workout you need to replace your electrolytes and Potassiumwith as few calories as possible. A nice solution is Coconut Water! Here is a great study comparing Gatorade and Coconut Water. Several endurance specialists have worked with Coconut water and have found it to be tremendous benefits for hydration and recovery. Here is another super piece on the benefits. I get to a place where I can simply not drink anymore water. Those times are great for a bit of coconut water with a splash of juice. YUM!
I hate my Vegetables!
We get questions from people who want to eat Pale, or Zone, or Whole9 or any number of ways that are far healthier than what they are currently doing but don't like vegetables. Is there any hope? Unfortunately, there is no substitute for the real thing - don't be fooled by 'green powders', pills or juices. And, not eating vegetables is not an option if you "REALLY" want to eat Paleo or well. Keep in mind that getting kids to try new foods can take 5-7 exposures to the food before it's accepted. Give yourself time, your tastes will change and you will soon find that grilled zucchini, steamed broccoli, and spaghetti squash 'sound good'. Remember your first experience with alcohol (beer, hard liquor, etc.), did you like it?
Here's another way to look at it- do you like going to work every day? Odds are probably not; but, you like the paycheck and benefits right? If you "REALLY" want to eat Paleo and every single vegetable on this list makes you "miserable" then that might be the way to think about it. Keep in mind the health, performance and appearance benefits a Paleo diet (with vegetables) will give you. My hunch is, in time, you'll find you enjoy the way you feel so much that eating vegetables will actually be 'worth it'.
Is it really this bad?
‘”Healthy” Whole Grains’
I was reading a super piece on Free The Animal about "healthy" whole grains and rather than try to peck around and re-write what and link I am simply going to post it in the entirety. HERE it is!
Scallops!
Crabs to Go on Rt50/589 has had killer seafood selection this Summer. The local Scallops have been off the hook so we have played with a bunch of cool recipes. Give this one a shot!
· 1 lb. sea scallops
· 2 Tbsp olive oil
· 1 C chopped onion
· 1 C sliced mushrooms
· 2 cloves minced garlic
· 1 C chopped tomatoes
· 1/4 C chopped parsley
· 2 Tbsp lemon juice
· Oregano
· Pepper
· 1 hard boiled egg, chopped
· 2 Tbsp pine nuts
In a large saucepan, heat the scallops in 1 Tbsp of olive oil until opaque, around 5 minutes. Transfer the scallops and liquid to a bowl and set aside. Rinse and dry the pan.
Now, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in the pan, this time, add the onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté 3-5 min more, then add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 more minute. Add the tomato, lemon juice, chopped parsley, oregano, and pepper. Boil, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the scallops and liquid, and bring to a boil. Serve into bowls, top with the chopped hard boiled egg and pine nuts.
