6 WEEK CLEAN EATING CHALLENGE

This 6 week clean eating Challenge is devised from several sources.  There is substantial scientific proof that a plant-based diet is the key to weight loss, and that proper nutrition is the key to a full life free of disease.

Did you know:

• ·         Dietary change can enable diabetic patients to go off their medications.
• ·         Heart disease can be reversed with diet alone.
• ·         Breast cancer is related to levels of female hormones in the blood, which are determined by the food we eat.
• ·         Consuming dairy foods can increase the risk of prostate cancer.
• ·         Antioxidants, found in fruits and vegetables, are linked to better mental performance in old age.
• ·         Kidney stones can be prevented by a healthy diet.
• ·         Type 1 diabetes is convincingly linked to infant feeding practices. 1

America’s health is failing and three things point to the cause: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, and DINNER.  We spend more, per capita, on health care than any other society in the world, and yet two thirds of Americans are OVERWEIGHT, and over 15 million Americans have diabetes. Our society does not promote preventative HEALTH CARE, instead we perpetuate SICK CARE by trying to fix a problem by slapping a band-aid of medication over the true cause of the symptoms, the Standard American Diet (SAD).  Instead of dumping our dollars into better SICK CARE, we can heal ourselves take charge of our future and actually take CARE of our HEALTH by eating the right nutritionally sound foods!

This is NOT a diet. There is a reason the first three letters of the word diet are DIE! This is a lifestyle choice. You are eliminating processed foods and choosing to follow a more plant-based diet based on the recommendations from the book Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Thrive by Brendan Brasier, and backed up by research from the critically acclaimed The China Study. Much more focus has come to the forefront on this subject with the recent release of the movie and book Forks Over Knives.  I highly recommend getting any of these books or at the least watching the movie in order to take control of your future and understand the reasons behind your choices. Even if you don’t read the book I am giving you the necessary guidelines to succeed at this Challenge if you so choose. I of course am willing to guide and coach you for free, but I will reference the book for most answers and suggest you read up.  This Challenge is plant-based and it is your option to eat chicken or fish. This challenge is to help people become healthier, lose weight, change their lives, my recommendations are only that RECOMMENDATIONS.  Ultimately, the choices you make are up to you. Again, refer to any of these books to see what they say about- animal consumption.
A specific meal plan and recipes are not provided because I don’t want to violate any copyright laws. However, Dr. Furhman, Brendan Brasier, and Forks Over Knives does provide tons of great recipes and specific meal plans. The internet is also a great place to find recipes, so don’t despair. (See resources below).

I recommend starting the Challenge with the 3 Day Cleanse.  This cleanse will jump start your metabolism and help break some of the food addictions your body has.  Please note that as you break addictions to food, as with any substance, you may experience withdrawal symptoms.  It is not uncommon to feel bloated, have headaches, and general feelings of unwellness the first few days as your body detoxifies from sugar, caffeine, processed grains, animal products etc.  

Basics:

3 Shakeology meals

2 cups of green tea

2 pieces of Fruit for snacks

1 Large salad with protein

Protein choices (Vegan: Hemp,

Vegetarian: Egg Whites, or Grilled Fish or Chicken)

NO ADDITIVES:  No Dairy, No Non Dairy Milk

(Fruit is optional, to maximize cleanse you may choose to eliminate)

Repeat for 3 days

You can contact me for a sample plan!

A few notes:

**Shakeology is allowed and recommended in our challenge. Given that our foods today are so nutrient deprived, Shakeology makes nutritional sense. It contains many different super foods such as goji berries, maca root, wheatgrass, and camu camu to name just a few foods. Many of you have seen the video, but REALLY, if you were to try to buy all the ingredients that are in Shakeology, you would be paying about $40 per shake.

This next video talks about where the ingredients in Shakeology come from. You’ll be impressed:

GUIDELINES FOR THE CHALLENGE:

This is a WEIGHTLOSS challenge if your goal if Sports Performance, or weight GAIN please see me for specifics!

**Eat 4 to 6 small meals a day, every 2-3 hours.

**Exercise 5 to 6 times per week. I am a Beachbody coach. I can help you in choosing a Beachbody program if you are my customer. I am also a personal trainer and can create a routine for you.

The EATING GUIDELINES are pretty specific (ie. 1 cup of beans per day, 1 lb or raw veggies, etc.) Please take the time to read them. Again, you’ll have to get creative with recipes or buy the book, which is only about $9.

Here we go:

UNLIMITED (eat as much as you want):
all raw vegetables, including raw carrots (goal: 1 lb. daily)
cooked green vegetables (goal 1 lb. daily) **You can eat all veggies raw if you like
beans, legumes, bean sprouts, or *tofu (minimum 1 cup daily in total of these)
fresh fruit (at least 4 daily).
eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomato and other non-starchy vegetables, cooked and raw (unlimited)

*Beans should be eaten daily; tofu should be eaten less frequently.
**Barbie note: I would actually eliminate tofu or use it just once a week, not as a main dish.
LIMITED (not more than one serving):
cooked starchy vegetables OR whole grains–Maximum 1 cup per day (butternut or acorn squash, corn, sweet potato, brown rice, cooked carrots, whole grain breads*, whole grain cereals*)
raw nuts and seeds (1 oz. or 28.5 grams a day) or 2 ounces avocado
ground flaxseed (1 tablespoon a day)
soymilk, low-sugar preferred–Maximum 1 cup a day**
*avoid breads and cereals as much as possible
** I would recommend ALMOND, HEMP, OR RICE MILK.

OFF-LIMITS:
dairy products
animal products
between meal snacks
fruit juice, dried fruits
salt, sugar
Alcohol ***

*** I would recommend cutting out alcohol for six weeks or limit it to one drink a week. Eliminate sugary drinks altogether!

It is your choice to add in animal products (CHICKEN or FISH ONLY).  If you do follow the 90/10 guideline.  Try to keep animal products to 10% of your diet to maximize benefits, detoxification, etc.  It is not uncommon to lose upwards of 20 lbs on this diet and improve your overall health.  If you are on any medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol I suggest you watch closely because your need for them will diminish greatly.  Tell your Doctor about your plan so he can monitor your medications and drop them accordingly!  Keep track, keep pictures, keep being amazed!

NUTS and RAW SEEDS, but not ground flax, are optional for people who want to lose weight while they follow this weight loss plan. People who have difficulty losing weight may also eliminate the starchy vegetable/grain.
Resources:
Dr. Fuhrman Online: Official Website
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/drfuhrman
Sample Recipes: http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/recipes.aspx

Forks Over Knives: http://forksoverknives.com/

JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP FOR THE CHALLENGE!!!!

  

The Definition of "Beautiful"

I have always struggled with society’s definition of beautiful.  The dictionary defines beauty as the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest).  Unfortunately a person’s idea of what is beautiful is overshadowed by mass media, magazines, and T.V.   Everywhere you turn today you see unhealthy images of “beautiful” people.  The runways are littered with skinny, malnourished models.  T.V. shows and movies exhibit thin armed and weak stars, at least for the female counterparts.  Females have been forced into a role where the perceived image of what is beautiful is not a strong, independent woman, but a guant individual.  What do you find beautiful? 

My definition of beautiful is a healthy, fit, toned person. A healthy person does not look emancipated, lanky, or malnourished.  A fit person can easily do regular exercises without getting out of breath.  A fit person does not use chemical substances, such a smoking and drugs, and eats a balance, clean diet.  A toned person has muscle definition that is lean and balanced.  The amount of muscle can vary according each person’s own preference, but resistance training is a must and necessary to a “beautiful” person.  A ‘beautiful” woman is empowered, strong, confident, and fit.   

Little girls and women have been trying for decades to conform to society’s idea of what beauty is and this has led to an alarming rate of eating disorders.  In the United States, as many as 10 million females are fighting a life and death battle with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. Millions more are struggling with binge eating disorder (Crowther et al., 1992; Fairburn et al., 1993; Gordon, 1990; Hoek, 1995; Shisslak et al., 1995). I was once one of those 10 million females that looked at the magazines and watched the T.V. shows and struggled with my self image.  I tried to fit my body into society’s ideal image.  Thankfully I was able to change my view and fitness has saved my life.  I have now dedicated my life to helping others like me get healthy and fit and by doing so change the definition of  “BEAUTIFUL” to an empowering and strong word that encompasses drive, passion, and health.  Over the next few months I will be writing articles on health and fitness geared towards being a healthy, empowered female.  I welcome your emails, questions, and topics for discussions!