Make a Weekly Meal Plan

Macro- & Micro-Nutrients in Review

Ok—so Part 1 of this Eating for Energy course is all about getting excited about getting IN nourishing, energizing Macronutrients (protein, safe carbs & good fats)...

While cutting out plant TOXINS (by pleasurably substituting them with other yummy protein, safe starches, whole fruit, good fats instead).

And Part 2…focused on strategically planning certain foods on a weekly basis, so that you can get in crucial Micronutrients that your body NEEDS to function well.

Without getting all of the Micronutrients you need from food (and potentially a few key supplements too, addressed in Bonus 1)…you may still feel hungry between meals, not energized & not be able to burn fat. For example, not having enough Choline (a main place to get choline is from daily egg yolks) can cause metabolic disfunction…and we don’t want that!

 

And I hope you can see why the trend of trying to "out-exercise" bad Macros, is failing--because certain types of food help your body to function optimally, while others gum up the works.

These are the foods to have fun exploring--to feel energized and resilient, and be able to get fitness/weightloss results.

Here's a quick summary of Eating for Energy Macros:

  • enough Protein…
  • comforting Safe Carbs…
  • and those Good Fats that promote good energy & weightloss (while getting LOW with omega-6 fats & getting enough omega-3 fast each week, too).

Plus key daily/weekly foods to get in those Micronutrients—including daily egg yolks, collagen/glycine, selenium-rich foods, enough calcium, Vitamin A from weekly liver (or supplements), veggies & fermented veggies, too.

 

And Step One with getting your Macros together...is indeed the foundation, as:

You simply can not out supplement—or out exercise—unbalanced & inflammatory Macronutrients.

So step 1 really is getting STRONG with your Macronutrient game! 🙂

the PHD plan, shared from perfecthealthdiet.com

Summary of Macros:

When it comes to Eating for Energy—getting into exploring the QUALITY of your Macros is really important for best results. A calorie is NOT equal to a calorie here, especially when you’re eating foods that may cause inflammation…or not enough Protein to fuel good energy, too.

See Module 3 to learn how to specifically plan out the best “Macro Ratios” to go with your current goals, too!

--With Protein: you want to make sure you get enough of it at each meal--as it's the most satisfying macronutrient, and you will keep eating until you satisfy this requirement.

You can use this simple online Protein calculator (all Protein planning links here)…or go for Dr. Chris Masterjohn's recommendation for building muscle while burning fat--if you're going to be doing my Booty Pump strength training program:

Go for 1 gram of animal-based Protein per pound of bodyweight...and try to get at least 30 grams of animal-based protein in each meal.

Also be sure to include Collagen/Glycine shooters on a meal-by-meal basis to support good methylation (cellular energy & detoxification), to kill your sweet tooth after a meal & help you better digest protein, too.

--With the Safe Carbs: go for eating veggies at each meal...and I recommend focusing on Bitter Veggies to help stimulate bile...

When you're going for 30% Safe Carbs, you want to go for eating 1 pound a day of Safe Starches...and "cycling" the amount you eat over the course of a day (to strengthen your daily cortisol rhythm & support your adrenal health):

Essentially you would have:

1/4 cup of Safe Starches at Breakfast…

1/2 cup of Safe Starches at Lunch…

and 3/4 cup of Safe Starches at Dinner.

(Safe starches include sweet potatoes, yams, potatoes, white rice (white rice crackers & noodles, too), plantains, safe starch flour mix, tapioca)...

AND you want to have several servings of fruit per day & you can mix and match this amount with sugary veggies (like carrots, beets) to add up to 1 pound total of fruit & sugary veggies (keeping it to less than 25 grams/100 calories of fructose daily)

And go for 1-2 cups of Veggies at each meal.

--With Good Fats: there are many in Protein already--and you want to make them the "delicious decorations" of your meals & use them for healthful "cooking accessories" when needed...It's key to focus on trading up any toxic Fats for ones that fuel & nurture your body instead:

Ideally, you would want to get in at least 1 - 2 tablespoons of short- and medium-chain fatty acids (like 1 - 2 tablespoons of coconut oil or MCT oil) for gut health, brain clarity & fat-burning superstar power.

And you can add in additional SaFAs & MUFA fats (coconut oil & milk, whole olives, beef tallow, butter/ghee, avocados/oil) as a flexible part of this eating plan, to satisfy hunger and help with Weightloss. These fats are the most flexible part of this Eating for Energy Plan. (You wouldn’t want to lower the recommended Protein or Safe Carb recommendations for muscle, brain, joint & gut health).

  …so if you’re wanting to lose weight, that basically means not adding a lot of extra oils and fats to what you’re eating or cooking…and if you’re steaming or water-sautéing your Veggies & boiling your Safe Starches (cooking, cooling & reheating them ideally for that fabulous resistant starch)…then you won’t need to add extra fats/oils to these foods, and they will still digest well.

These "delicious decorations" & "cooking accessories" are the Macros to reduce if you’re interested in doing a slight calorie-restriction to lose weight (but do get in those 1 - 2 tablespoons of coconut oil or MCT oil! 🙂

However, really focusing on the QUALITY and TYPES of each of these Macros—and getting in your MICROS is also a proven strategy to lose weight without caloric restriction…especially if you are adding in movement & exercise! 🙂

activate the "snowball effect"

And another important Weekly goal:

You want to make sure you're getting enough Omega-3 fats (eating around 2 meals...up to 1 pound...of oily, wild, cold-water, ocean-caught fish like salmon, sardines & anchovies…or krill oil or omega-3 algae supplements)...and getting LOW with your weekly Omega-6 fats…treating nuts and seeds as a "pleasure food" and not a main source of protein...and vigorously reducing oils high in omega-6 fats like canola oil, pre-made salad dressings, fake olive oil, butter spreads…and the oils found in pre-made & factory-made food & restaurant food...

To achieve that optimal weekly intake of omega-3 & -6 fats!

All while cutting out foods that you body treats as toxins--including cereal grains/grasses & the flours made from them...toxic fats like canola, vegetable & seed oils...high fructose corn syrup & added sugars…

Go for safe starches, whole fruit & limited fructose-free sweeteners, instead!

 

Plus:

You want to make sure you plan on a Daily/Weekly basis, a few "Supplemental Foods"...to make sure you're getting as many important Micronutrients as you can, from REAL FOOD.

Additionally...plan a few Daily/Weekly "Supplemental Foods":

Supplemental Foods for key Micros

Daily Foods:

The Drs. Jaminets recommend eating these *Micronutrient-rich foods* on a daily basis (with an updated Collagen recommendation from me):

  • 4 pasture-raised egg yolks/whole eggs daily, 5 yolks/whole eggs daily for women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant (for choline, folate, vitamin A, Arachidonic acid)
  • Daily collagen shooters (more deets in the next section) for collagen
  • Fermented vegetables such as kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir or fermented mixed vegetables (for nucleotides, probiotic bacteria, and vitamins K2 and B12)...
  • and other vegetables such as tomato, avocado, potato, sweet potato, banana, jicama, green leafy vegetables, daily (for potassium)
  • plus an updated Calcium recommendation (from several servings per day of dairy products, edible bones, cruciferous veggies)
  • also, Zinc-Copper regularly from foods like oysters, red meat, cheese

Weekly Foods:

The Drs. Jaminets recommend eating these *Micronutrient-rich foods* on a weekly schedule:

  • ¼ lb beef or lamb liver, weekly. If you like, substitute ¼ lb chicken, duck, or goose liver weekly plus 30 g 85% dark chocolate daily (for copper, vitamin A, folate, choline) or DAILY body-usable Vitamin A alt ideas
  • fish, shellfish, eggs, and kidneys, weekly (for selenium)
  • 1 or 2 meals a week of oily, wild-caught fish or shellfish (or daily algae oil), daily pastured egg yolks (for omega-3)

 

These "Supplemental Foods" are good to plan on a weekly (and a few daily) basis to get key micronutrients from real food, instead of having to rely on taking pill supplements, or having vitamin & mineral deficiencies that can really impact your energy and ability to feel good and/or get results from your movement, too.

In addition to sharing these foods...I also shared some alternative ideas--in case you don't want to eat these foods--see the Micronutrients worksheet there.

 

 


Ok—whew! 🙂 Before we move on, I want to invite you to take this Macro & Micro Summary Quiz below...and to make this even easier to implement--

Be sure to also check out the main Macro Meal Planning summary & full Shopping List in the worksheet above...plus a review of the weekly "supplemental foods" & alternative ideas, too!

Making delicious MEALS is key!

You want to focus on making meals using Salt, a little fat, and an Acid—yumminess!

And you can either skip Snacks altogether--to give your digestion time to rest between meals (the “4th macronutrient” as Dr. Cate calls it)--or choose Eating for Energy snacks, instead!

And again, the 3 big keys with Eating for Energy are...

And I think it's key to know that when you follow these ideas, you can indeed:

Enjoy eliminating HUNGER between meals & feeling energized

Be sure to check out the Main Macro Meal Planning worksheet here on this page. Good job making it through the core parts of this Action Girl’s Guide to Eating for Energy!

Next up—I’m going to share how you can add in some often soil & water mineral-depleted micronutrients with a few strategic supplements in Bonus 1

And in Bonus 2, check out the fastest & easiest way to get started with Eating for Energy…with the most important meal of the day (for setting your taste buds)…and that’s Breakfast...

And now, before we keep going...time for a Review Quiz! 🙂

Take the MACRO & MICRO Review Quiz:

Open Quiz +

Macro & Micro Review Quiz:

What’s the most satisfying Macronutrient that we'll keep eating until we're satisfied—so you def want to get enough of it in each meal?
You can set a “snowball effect” in motion with having good energy & losing weight—when you:
True or False: With the Longevity/PHD Macros, you want to get 15% protein, 30% carbs, 55% fat, however, that Fat needs to be low in PUFA and high in SaFA & MUFA.
When it comes to planning your Protein for the week, you first want to plan:
Weekly recommended Supplemental Protein foods include:
True or False: Eating “Very Low Carb” is a safe & effective way to Lose Weight.
True or False: Carbs are the least satisfying but most comforting Macronutrient.
The Longevity/30% Safe Carbs Macro Plan calls for 1 pound of Safe Starches a day, including:
True or False: Brown rice is the “healthier” rice.
To best manage Blood Glucose levels with Safe Starches, you want to:
True or False: Be sure to weigh & measure your Veggies:
How many servings a day are of FRUIT are recommended to get needed Fructose/micronutrients while avoiding TOO much Fructose?
Resistant Starch is WOW, because:
Our culture began to “fear the fat” with:
True or False: Eating Good Fats allow you to burn more Fat?
True or False: There’s already a lot of Good Fats in Protein/meat/dairy/eggs…so you mainly want to focus on tracking your added “delicious decorations”...plus, using the best Good Fats for "cooking accessories"...and getting LOW with your omega-6 fat choices, seeds, nuts & oils.
SaFA & MUFA Fats:
Omega-6 and 3 Fats:
True or False: You can get enough Vitamin A from plants like carrots.
Getting enough Choline (a good source is egg yolks) on a daily basis is important because:
It’s best to use Collagen/Glycine on a meal-by-meal basis:
True or False: As humans, we are able to thrive on a variety of Macronutrients ratios…However, really focusing on the QUALITY and TYPES of each of these Macros—and getting in your MICROS is also a proven strategy to lose weight without caloric restriction…especially if you're adding in movement & exercise.
Awesome! I’ve got a good picture of how to Plan Macros…and Micronutrient-rich foods on the Weekly…let’s go grocery shopping & eat yummy food! 🙂