Dr. Life’s Food Pyramid for the Basic Health Diet
The USDA’s Food Pyramid ignores the impact certain foods have on blood sugar, disregards insulin control, and has contributed to our national obesity epidemic. My version creates a much better environment for your body to control blood sugar levels and insulin production, reducing and/or preventing your risk for silent inflammation. It’s the starting point for optimized health and better body composition. Low-fat protein—chicken, turkey, fish, soy, lean meat, low-fat diary, and eggs—works synergistically with fruit and veggies to keep insulin levels down. You’ll notice there are whole grains and complex carbohydrate starches, but few of them. Limiting whole grains delivers the best opportunity for reduced disease risk. So focus on small amounts of rolled oats, pumpernickel, rye, whole wheat, quinoa, brown rice, and other whole grain options. This is also different from the popular Mediterranean Diet, which is tilted on the grain-starch side and elevates blood sugars and insulin levels. My pyramid also uses fats in moderation, and limits those fats to fish oil and monounsaturated fats.
When you are following the Basic Health Diet, you will be having five or six meals a day at three- to four-hour intervals. The recipes and menu suggestions for these healthy food choices can be easily prepared by steaming, grilling, or stir-frying with small amounts of oil. Follow this rotation for one week and then repeat. You can also mix up the days, but try to keep the meals together. At the end of the chapter, there are simple recipes that you can substitute as well if you prefer to cook your meals once a week, as I do.
If you are currently a vegetarian, you will need to make some changes to this diet or simply go to my Heart Health Diet. However, many strict vegans are dangerously low in energy-creating nutrients, protein, essential amino acids, iron, vitamin B12, calcium, vitamin D, and zinc. The risk of these nutritional deficiencies is even greater while you are following an intense muscle- and strength-building program, like the one you will be following in this plan.
Because of this, I strongly recommend that vegetarians, especially vegans, take great care in planning, selecting, and preparing nutritious meals to make sure they are getting adequate amounts of essential nutrients. Not only is it important to include the essential micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) in your nutritional plan, it is also helpful if each meal consists of one portion of carbohydrate and one portion of protein. A portion of each can be measured against the size of a clenched fist or the palm of your hand.
PREPARING MEATS AND VEGETABLES
The way you prepare vegetables significantly affects their nutrient levels. Spinach, carrots, and tomatoes actually have higher antioxidant levels when they are heated. But in most cases, heat and water strip away valuable nutrients, including vitamins and disease-fighting phytochemicals. It’s best to avoid cooking vegetables with water that is later discarded. If your vegetables are cooked in stews and soups, then the nutrients are retained.
Try to eat as many of your vegetables raw (well washed) as you can. If you like them cooked, the best way to maximize their nutrient content is by using a microwave, pressure cooker, or steamer.
Animal proteins should always be thoroughly cooked. There are many infectious diseases you can get from raw poultry, fish, eggs, and meats. Some of the infections can actually make you “ICU sick,” with IVs, a Foley catheter, an arterial line, and sometimes even a respirator. Obviously, this will not be good for your training program.
Eggs Are Never a Bad Protein Choice
Egg yolks have gotten a bad rap over the last several years, and this is because they have fairly high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, which are thought to contribute to heart disease. Recently we have learned that egg yolks can be an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which may actually reduce the risk for heart and blood vessel disease as well as high blood pressure, arthritis, cancer, and diabetes.
However, most of the eggs sold in U.S. grocery stores do not contain much omega-3. The reason is that these eggs come from factory-farmed chickens, which are kept in cages and fed grains that produce little omega-3. Eggs produced by organically fed, free-range chickens have a much higher content of omega-3 fatty acids: This is one case where I believe organic is worth the extra money. And keep in mind that the effects of egg yolks on human cholesterol levels is greatly overshadowed by the large amounts of dietary saturated fat most Americans get from butter, cheese, cream, red meat, and baked goods.
Even if you do eat the best eggs, you should still be somewhat careful about how many yolks you eat, since their cholesterol content may increase your cholesterol level. Most people can eat one egg yolk a day without any problem. And while you may want to minimize your consumption of egg yolks, you most definitely don’t want to avoid the whites. They’re a great source of high-quality, muscle-building protein.
Basic Health Diet
Many of these meals are self-explanatory and require no cooking and little preparation: in other words, they are perfectly suited for men like me. Others require very rudimentary cooking skills, like chopping, baking, boiling, or broiling. Most of these meals can be prepared in a microwave oven as well. Just complete the instructions that precede the ingredients list to create a satisfying and easy-to-prepare single dish.
While you can repeat days if you find some more appealing than others, don’t swap out individual meals. Otherwise, your numbers will be off.
BASIC HEALTH DIET
DAY 1
Food
Calories
Fat Grams
Protein Grams
Carb Grams
MEAL #1:
Combine oats and milk in a large microwave-safe dish. Cook in microwave oven on high for 3 minutes or until oatmeal is thoroughly cooked to the consistency you prefer—more time may be needed. Top with blueberries. In a separate lightly oiled pan, scramble the egg whites and serve on the side.
Starch
½ cup rolled oats
303
5.4
13.2
51.7
Very lean protein
5 egg whites
86
0.3
18
0
Low-fat milk
½ cup 1% milk
53
1.2
4.3
6.1
Fruit
2.4 oz blueberries
39
0.2
0.5
9.9
MEAL #2
Fruit
1 large (7.9 oz) apple
116
0.4
0.6
30.8
Very lean protein
1 scoop whey protein drink
110
0.75
22
0.5
MEAL #3
: Combine all the ingredients (except for the soup) on a single plate to create a salad.
Very lean protein
4 oz canned tuna (in water, not oil)
122
1.2
26.5
0
Vegetable
2 cups shredded lettuce
32
0.6
6
2.4
Vegetable
½ cup tomato
16
0.2
0.8
3.5
Vegetable
½ cup cucumber
7
0.1
0.3
1.3
Vegetable
1 oz chopped red onion
12
0.1
0.3
2.9
Monounsaturated
2 oz olives
82
8.7
0.6
2.2
Polyunsaturated
2 tbs fat-free Italian dressing
13
0.3
0.3
2.5
Soup/Starch
1.5 cup “Not So Portuguese” kale soup
102
2
3
18
MEAL #4
Vegetable
2 stalks celery
5
0.1
2
1.2
Monounsaturated
2 tbs natural reduced-fat peanut butter
200
12
9
12
Fruit
1 large (7.4 oz) pear
121
0.8
0.8
32.4
MEAL #5
Very lean protein
4 oz 96% lean beef, broiled
185
6.7
29.2
0
Starch
5 oz baked or microwaved yam
164
0.1
2.1
39.1
Vegetable
8 asparagus spears
26
0.2
1.4
2.5
Vegetable
5 oz roasted red peppers
51
0
0
5.1
TOTAL
1827.95
41.3
140.9
224.1
DAY 2
Food
Calories
Fat Grams
Protein Grams
Carb Grams
MEAL #1
: Combine ingredients in a single bowl.
Very lean protein
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese 1%
81
1.1
14
3.1
Fruit
½ cup raspberries
32
0.4
0.7
7.3
Starch
½ cup low-fat granola
195
3
4
38
MEAL #2
Fruit
1 cup cherries
194
0.6
2.2
49.2
Medium-fat protein
2 pieces string cheese
120
5
14
1
MEAL #3
Very lean protein
6 oz shrimp, boiled
168
1.8
35.5
0
Vegetable
4 tbs salsa
20
0
0
5
Vegetable
3 cups mixed green salad
20
0
1
3
Monounsaturated
2 oz avocado
91
8.3
4.8
1.1
Starch
8 oz baked or microwaved yam
263
0.2
3.4
62.7
MEAL #4
Very lean protein
1 oz nitrate-free turkey jerky
101.5
1
19.25
1
Fruit
1 large (7.4 oz) pear
121
0.2
0.8
32.4
MEAL #5
: Combine pine nuts and vegetables to cooked rice before eating.
Very lean protein
4 oz flounder, broiled
132
1.7
27.3
0
Monounsaturated
1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil (for coating the fish before broiling)
120
14
0
0
Monounsaturated
20 pine nuts (about .2 oz)
11
1.2
0.2
0.2
Vegetable
1 cup steamed broccoli
55
0.6
3.7
11.2
Vegetable
1 cup(2.5 oz) steamed bok choy
9
0.1
1
1.5
Starch
1 cup cooked wild rice
83
0.25
3.25
17.45
TOTAL
1831.65
39.45
135.1
234.15
DAY 3
Food
Calories
Fat Grams
Protein Grams
Carb Grams
MEAL #1
: Stir egg whites together and pour into a lightly greased frying pan over medium heat. Add the cheese, bell pepper, tomatoes, and onions. Pull eggs toward the center until thoroughly cooked.
Very lean protein
2 large egg whites
34
0.1
7.2
0.5
Medium-fat protein
1 oz 2% shredded cheese
80
6
7
0.5
Vegetable
3 tbs bell pepper
6
0.1
0.2
1.3
Vegetable
¼ cup tomato
7
0.1
0.3
1.5
Vegetable
1 oz white onion
10
0
0
2
Fruit
1 large (5.5 oz) peach
61
0.5
1.4
15.5
MEAL #2
: Combine all ingredients for a salad.
Vegetable
2 cups steamed bok choy
18
0.3
2.1
3.1
Starch
1 cup couscous
176
0.3
6
36.4
Vegetable
1 cup (6 oz) artichoke hearts