Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food

Going from eating junk to quality food is quite the task. But hey, if you can do it all in one stage, more power to ya. The struggle may come when you are hungry. People want routine, their go-tos when they are feeling lethargic, especially on the go. This is when we tend to fall back into old habits, which can be overwhelming if you are changing everything at once. So perhaps address changing what you eat in stages. Work on replacing your routines and go-tos one stage at a time. Have your new healthier routines and go-tos ready to grab. And with each stage you will find your grocery list consistently getting healthier over time.

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STAGE ONE – Stop Drinking your Calories

No: soda energy drink, fruit juice, sweeteners

Alternatives: water, fresh squeezed juice in limits, plain coffee or tea in limits

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STAGE TWO – Cut Out the Sugar and Grain Snacks

NO: chips, crackers, snacks, candy, little cakes, little cookies

Alternatives: nuts, cheese, jerky, low sugar fruits; berries or melons, yogurt, grain free granola

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STAGE THREE- Rid of Bad Fats and Oils

NO: seed oils, vegetable oil, canola oil, deep fried fast food and restaurant oil

Alternatives: butter, tallow, animal fats, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oi. fast food alternates: burgers or chicken (we’ll talk about the bun later), grilled chicken salad, chili, apple slices(higher in sugar than preferred), whole foods, get plenty of good fats and oils.

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STAGE FOUR- Kick Complex Carbohydrates

NO: bread, buns, pasta, cakes, doughnuts, cookies, pies, deserts

Alternatives: spaghetti squash, whole food wraps, whole food deserts including fruits yogurts and cream cheese or mascarpone based. broccoli or cauliflower rice, sprouted grain bread. Make your own Sour Dough with a whole food flour, (the fermentation lowers sugar).

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STAGE FIVE – Eliminate High Starch, High Sugar, Fruits and Vegetables

NO: potatoes, corn, peas, grapes, mangos, bananas, cherries, pineapple

(Moderately high in sugar and debated include: carrots, green beans, oranges, pears, peaches, plums, apples, cauliflower, eat in limits)

Alternatives: avocado(high in good fat), mushrooms, melons, berries, strawberries, greens, broccoli, brussels sprouts, asparagus, sprouts, beans.

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STAGE SIX- No More Multi Ingredient Foods

NO: labels without whole foods as the individual ingredients

Alternatives: single ingredient foods, if you notice, you are already there, this is the single guideline we have been working toward. Whole foods, or a labels that each listed ingredient is a whole food itself.