Greetings all -- this is my first draft of my diet plan - I hope to get your thoughts on it. To give you some background - I am a PHD Biochemist who has been working with vitamin D and nutraceuticals such as Resveratrol for the past year. During this time as a side project I have been deeply investigating diet and exercise in both the scientific literature, diet books, websites and message forums. Below is my diet guide with a guide for exercise to follow later.
Thank you for any input you may have - agreeing or disagreeing!
OVERVIEW: Attaining a desired weight and maintaining is difficult. Current weight is regulated by the body through genetics, hormones, physiology and psychology, and resists rapid weight loss or gain. Despite the complexity to old adage “Calories in / Calories out” still holds true, yet understanding the many factors that influence energy balance is vitally important to designing a successful plan for weight loss. For example, particular food items can stave off hunger longer than others or certain exercises can have calorie burning effects long after the activity. Although complex, these factors can be controlled through a weight loss plan that emphasizes both diet and exercise. Additionally and most important to remember is the goal of a weight loss plan. The goal is not weight loss but rather a lifestyle change designed to reduce the chance of acquiring debilitating disease and promote long term health.
DIET: The first step designing the proper diet is to understanding the two primary forces that drive excess “Calorie in”, hunger and caloric density. Multiple factors contribute to hunger, both psychological, including: “lunch time”/ time induced, social eating, and sight/smell induced and advertising as well as physiological, including: low blood sugar/glycemic index, fat deprivation (and the selfish brain hypothesis), stress related, Stomach capacity not full, dehydration and vitamin/mineral deficiency. Taken together these factors increase calorie intake by increasing how often one eats. Caloric density on the other hand is the calorie content per weight of food – which is very high in the “western diet” and steadily increasing. Of further concern is that nutrient density has not been increasing. Thus, its easy to see how the modern diet leads to eating high calorie foods more frequently while still failing to meet nutritional needs – the recipe for obesity.
Diet plan: After reviewing many strategies a common thread to successful ones is the avoidance of refined carbohydrates and processed meats. Examples include potato chips, candies, fast food, tv dinners, white bread, white rice, etc, etc – in other words, Junk food. Here are some general strategy tips:
Meals should be prepared fresh with whole ingredients (meaning chopping and cooking raw vegetables/meats etc).
Learning to cook is a necessity and it is made easier as hundreds of thousands of recipes are available on the internet.
Meal planning a week at a time is helpful to avoid rushed decisions on a meal which often leads to a fast food option
Removal of junk food from the house to minimize temptation
Cheat – occasional intake of junk food won’t destroy a diet but quitting a diet it will.
Fruits & vegetables: Fruits and vegetables should make up the majority of the diet. Variety is important as will be discussed in the micronutrients section. Attempt to acquire organics when possible to cut down on pesticide content. Also look to buy local or better acquire from farmer’s markets, where the produce is usually fresher and taste better.
Protein (Animal): Animal based protein is optional to the diet as vegetarian and vegan diets can meet daily requirements and providing long term optimal health. However, certain nutrients can be easier to acquire through inclusion of animal based proteins. Such protein does not seem to be an important factor for weight loss as this can be achieved with vegetarian diets as well as full meat diets such as Atkins, although one diet concern is that meats are often accompanied by simple carbohydrates (Burger and fries / meat & mashed potatoes). Even though weight loss is not a factor, the decision to consume excess meats may have other health implications (heart disease, cancer, etc). My recommendation is to aim for 3-4 vegetarian dinners per week allowing for the purchase of higher quality organic and free range meats. Fish should be incorporated at least once weekly.
Protein (Non-animal): Non-animal protein dense foods are useful to replace a meat or add balance to a vegetable based meal. Sources include: Beans, Tofu, Wheat protein (Seitan), Soy based imitation meats, nuts, and protein powders among others.
Vitamins/Supplements: Switching to a whole foods diet will help to attain almost all of the daily required vitamins and minerals. However, vitamins you may want to consider include:
Vitamin D: Look to get about 2,000IU vitamin D3 daily. You can take 10,000IU once a week alternatively. If your body mass index (BMI) is greater than 30 consider taking 4,000 IU daily. These levels are all safe and you can measure your blood level to ensure you are in the optimal range by requesting at a doctors office or going to
Vitamin D Council > Information on Vitamin D, Vitamin D Deficiency and Vitamin D Toxicity
Vitamin B12: 500mg once a week should be enough – perhaps every two weeks if you consume meats.
Cod Liver Oil: Refined foods have higher levels of Omega-6 fatty acids and having an imbalance between Omega-3 and 6 is linked to heart disease and many other problems. When you are just starting the diet it out consider taking 1000 mg every 1-3 days then after a month this can be reduced to weekly and then monthly.
Creatine: This is optional – but very effective in increasing exercise performance. 1-3g daily but I would only use for a month straight and then take some time off before using again.
Resveratrol: A supplement that can be found on Amazon. It seems to simulate the effect of exercise but seems only to be effective in those who are overweight. Might be a good way to kick-start a diet – if you want to try considering using 500mg or 1g daily for 1 month.
Fats / Oils: Using the wrongs fats can lead to an imbalance in Omega 3/6 ratio or overload on saturated fats – both associated with heart disease and other health problems. I personally only use olive oil for everything (even for some recipes that call for butter). I also use it for frying, however if the smoke point is a concern then Safflower oil can be used. Real butter / coconut oil can also be used occasionally. Avoid Margarine, corn oil, Crisco, and others that are high in Omega-6 fatty acids and hydrogenated oils.
Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are needed for a healthy and balanced diet but refinement into simple carbohydrates (Carb sources where fiber content has been removed) has led to one of the greatest contributors to the obesity epidemic. My recommendation is to avoid all breads, pasta, rice, cakes, candies, potato products, sodas and fruit juices for the first month. Then work in complex carbohydrates, such as whole wheat/grain breads and pastas, brown or wild rice, and others.
Micronutrients:
The word “nutrient” usually conjures an image of vitamins and minerals, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, etc. However, another level of nutrition, which has only been explored scientifically in detail in the past 10-15 years, is the small molecules known collectively as micronutrients. Generally found in fruits and vegetables, micronutrients have a wide range of beneficial effects including increasing metabolisms, fighting cancer, fighting inflammation, heart disease and more. One example of the most popular of these is resveratrol – found in the skin of grape seeds that simulates the effects of exercise and prolong lifespan. Although each micronutrient will have to be evaluated individually I think the better strategy is to consume a WIDE VARIETY of fruits and vegetables. If I could emphasize this point any further I would – often attempts are made to provide individual nutrients but the results never seem to be as good as consuming whole foods – and the reason may have to do with this micronutrients.
Here are some examples:
Quercetin: Found in teas, apples, onions and more this compound is believed to have multiple effects ranging from fighting cancer to boosting metabolism
Caffeine: Found in coffee, tea, chocolate and more this compound is a stimulant that can boost metabolism and alertness. Overconsumption can be bad leading to stress response in the body but is beneficial in moderation
Epicathecin: Found in chocolate and can boost mitochondrial leading to increases in muscle endurance
And hundreds more and with many more to be discovered and health benefits recognized.
Individual Items:
Potatoes (AVOID): High in starches which quickly break down into sugars in the body – there are better sources of nutrients
Cured Meats (LIMIT): Although not a weight concern – eating a lot of cured meats may increase the risk of cancer.
Orange Juice (AVOID): Store bought fruit juices in general should be avoided. The extraction of the fiber of the fruit, leaving just the juice creates a drink that is loaded with sugar, very high calorie and does not satisfy hunger well. This differs from Juicing where the base ingredients are mostly vegetables or all fruit smoothies where the fiber is blended into the drink.
Iceberg lettuce (AVOID): Very little nutritional content – choose spinach, romaine or one of the many many other varieties of lettuce.
Coffee (Consume): Coffee (and teas) contains caffeine and many other compounds that can be very beneficial. However, the coffee should be consumed black – many times the health benefits are lost with the added dairy and sugar – in fact many starbuck coffee can have as many as 500 calories!
Chocolate (Consume): Dark chocolate can be good – it contains both caffeine and epicathecin – two compounds that will boost metabolism. I recommend either a high percentage dark chocolate candy bar or better – purchase pure chocolate powder and develop ways to use it.
Dairy (Limit): Research on the effects of dairy is confusing. The results of the research show both good and bad and there is a high potential for bias in the research considering the economic outcome. I would suggest eliminating and replacing with soy or almond milk (rice milk is pure simple carbohydrates and should be avoided) or consuming organic milk/cheeses/yogurts in small quantities.
Breakfast: The first meal of the day is typically the worst in the American diet. Waffles, donuts, breakfast cereals, pancakes, hashbrowns and many others are calorie dense foods that lack nutrition. Additionally poor protein sources such as bacon and sausages are cured meats high in nitrates and saturated fats that can also increase the chance of health problems. Food items like these should be AVOIDED. While looking to lose weight make a bowl of mixed fruits (with variety!) the staple breakfast meal. Alternatively, eggs (even better mixed with vegetables) and beans can be mixed in for protein. Whole wheat/grain breads can be included as the target weight goal is being reached.
Eating Out (Limit): Eating healthily at any restaurant, fast food or otherwise, is difficult. Nutritional information is rarely posted, portion sizes typically too large, salt levels higher than normal and food is typically made for taste (more carbs, sugar, fat) and not health. However, eating out is fun and can be educational for new food ideas that can be taking home and made healthier. Probably best to limit eating out but when doing so leave the diet at home.
Water: Staying hydrated is important for a diet. However drinking too much water can also remove many of the important vitamin and minerals in the body. Although forcing down 8 glasses of water a day may not be the best it is generally good to drink water when thirsty and get water through consuming lots of fruits and vegetables.
EXERCISE: I’ll put together a more detailed analysis of exercise soon – in general P90X is an excellent weight loss/fat burning routine. I also recommend taking a 45-60 minute brisk walk (a pace that it is slightly difficult to hold a conversation) once every two weeks to start. As you get closer to target weight increase the frequency of the walks. This will boost your metabolism helping to keep the weight off without having to work for it!
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- The idea behind my diet is education - if you know more about how the body works then the reasons for doing certain lifestyle changes make sense. The diet is not so much about micromanaging what you eat. Still - I disagree with the notion of over thinking it - the workings of the human body is very very complex and I'm sure many people have diets that keep them thin but they don't know what is going on in their bodies to make that happen and will be happy with the results even though their diet may be raising the risk for other morbidities.
