Ok—so I hope it’s becoming clear that this strategy to be able to burn fat and have solid energy—and reduce inflammation in your body too—is based around the idea of making most of your own food…and being strategic about macro & micronutrients.

Whole Foods means single ingredient foods—and you would want to shop on the perimeter of the grocery store. Foods that are pre-made that are also mostly single ingredients—like kefir, yogurt, jared olives, apple cider vinegar—those foods count as Whole Foods too.

In the last section I went into the details of why *only focusing on calorie counting* does NOT work…you have to consider food quality & the amount of plant toxins (like vegetable oils that cause your body to store fat faster) in these foods.

Favor occasional treats--rather than "in moderation"

And in a similar vein—I’m going to share why I favor “occasional treats” instead of the idea of eating things “in moderation.”

Maybe if you have an eating disorder—then the idea of eating things in moderation could be helpful for you.

But this oft-recommended pop-nutrition article recommendation—of counting calories and eating processed foods “in moderation”—just does not cut it, if your goals are to improve your short-term and long-term health.

Real Food is your friend—and eating foods that contain “plant toxins” (see more below) are really hard on your body and they have a cumulative effect.

So, I’m not advocating for eating processed foods “in moderation” at all. I’m advocating more of a “pain-in-the-booty” diet of making most of your own food—from whole food, single food ingredients.

I DO have *occasional treats* like ice cream or cake—but I keep them as occasional treats. I also eat out at restaurants once a week and count that as my omega-6 tax (more about this soon)…

However, an Eating for Energy goal is to sub out & find other delicious and satisfying foods to eat that help your body function optimally—by “trading up” harmful plant toxins.

Occasional treats of processed foods are fine…but again, I don’t think the idea of “moderation” for most people is working out.

What I recommend instead is finding yummy & satisfying Whole Food Substitutions for convenience food that’s unfortunately full of fat-gaining & energy-zapping plant toxins.

What the heck is a Toxin, you may be wondering?

Dr. Paul Jaminet summarizes Toxins like this:

The gut is the front line of health.  The human gut houses 100 trillion bacteria from a thousand different species; they weigh several pounds and make up about half the dry weight of stool. To control these bacteria, 70% to 80% of the body’s immune cells are normally found in and around the gut.

A healthy gut is protected by a mucosal layer that is designed to promote commensal (friendly) bacteria, while providing a barrier to pathogenic bacteria.  Humans have evolved ways to “feed” commensal species of bacteria….

The absence of this protective barrier of mucus and friendly bacteria makes the intestine extremely vulnerable to infectious disease…

In addition to pathogenic bacteria, the gut is confronted by a heavy load of toxins. Bruce Ames and Lois Gold have estimated that the average person eats 5,000 to 10,000 different plant toxins, amassing to 1500 mg per day, plus 2000 mg of burnt toxins generated during cooking.

[Below we’ll] focus on how those 1500 mg of natural plant toxins damage the intestinal wall and its mucosal barrier, thereby bringing about infectious bowel diseases.

The goal of Removing Toxins:

So the goal of removing Toxins focuses on ditching those 1500 mg food toxins—whether they’re toxins made by plants that are strongly protesting you eating them…or they’re man-made toxins that cause free-radical cascades in your body—and replacing them with yummy, satisfying foods instead!

No starving or depriving yourself needed.

These food toxins can sometimes contain excess calories and often get stored as fat in your body. And they really gum up the works when it comes to building Gut Health & Brain Health, too.

The key to having “easy” snowball effect Weightloss (and improved mental function, happiness & energy)…is first DITCHING/REDUCING these things…

And don’t worry—what we’re going to suggest you replace them with is super yummy, comforting, filling, satisfying…and taps into the whole rainbow of flavors you know and love…sweet, salty, bitter, umami, all of them…

Just without the stuff that gums up the works & packs on the pounds.

And Dr. Paul Jaminet summarizes that it’s PLANT TOXINS that make us fat…that our bodies have healthful ways to deal with varying intakes of whole food Macronutrients (protein, safe carbs & good fats)…but when we get into eating habits (and habits can be pleasurably changed! :)) with eating food made with things that our bodies treat as a TOXIN (mainly plant toxins)…this causes a breakdown in our metabolic function and our optimal glucose regulation & disposal pathways in our bodies.

And it’s truly super amounts of fructose (not from whole fruit, but from high fructose corn syrup & added sugars) and vegetable oils that

“are individually risks for obesity.”

I’ll share how you can Pleasurably (and not painfully) substitute these plant TOXINS that deplete you with food that nurtures & energizes you instead (and still tastes really comforting & delicious, too).

In the first section, I wrote a bit about how Toxic Fats get stored in fat cells--because they trigger Oxidative Stress…and shared the example of the research study that was able to clearly paint a picture with how your body reacts to eating Soybean Oil (causes oxidative stress & instructs body to make fat cells) vs. Coconut Oil (a healthy SaFA fat that your body can & does use for fuel).

So, as a general rule of thumb with Eating for Energy:

You want to aim to cut out, as much as possible, both: Canola Oil & vegetable oil (even the organic version).

The oils are actually quite Toxic to our body...and unfortunately Veggie & Canola Oil is found in almost all processed & pre-made food…even in health food store salad bar/hot bar items…it’s basically been put into everything because it’s so cheap.

And almost all restaurants use Canola or the generically named Vegetable Oil in their cooking as well. It doesn’t matter if it’s organic or non-GMO. It still has the same exact reaction in your body:

To cause a Free Radical Cascade.

If you think that ^^^ sounds bad…it is!

To understand why Vegetable Oils & Canola Oil are TOXIC & you want to avoid them like the plague...and how they cause this lovely Free Radical Cascade in your body...first, you need to know that these oils are classified as PUFA's:

PUFA’s are also called “essential fatty acids” and include omega-6 & omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids. They're called “essential” because unlike short- and medium-chain fats (more about them soon), your body can’t make them and you have to get them from food.

In the Perfect Health Diet book, Dr. Jaminet explains that even though they’re called “essential,” this is a scientific term…and truly if we needed them so badly, our bodies would have evolved to be able to make them…instead, we only need a very limited amount of them!

And Omega-6 fats come from mostly seeds (like canola & vegetable oils)...while Omega-3 fats come from fish & algae.

So with modern agriculture & the drive for cheaply made food…seed oils (and obesity in parallel motion) have dramatically increased since the 1960’s. 

Heat + Seed Oils go POOF!

Dr. Cate explains that PUFAs go **POOF!** (they're VERY heat sensitive…and when heated, while being processed or during cooking, cause a *free radical cascade* in your body—a really terrible domino effect with inflammation…and they really make restaurant French fries NOT a real treat for your body (see my baked sweet potato fries recipe instead :))

Dr. Cate explains that:

"The polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content determines its heat stability, which tells you if you can use it for cooking (PUFAs are NOT good for cooking, side note).

**The other key fact to know is that PUFAs do not come out of seeds very easily, and must be extracted with heat and/or chemicals, which mutates them.**

These distorted molecules...react with oxygen and iron in the bloodstream to create a barrage of free radicals. These free radicals beget more free radical formation, creating “free radical cascades” that, like radioactive energy, can be absorbed by every cell in your body, creating tissue damage and frying your arteries.

How did all this trans and other distorted molecules wind up in Canola oil? From extraction and processing, that’s how. Ironically, the Canola oil that sits in the Canola seed is just fine, even healthy, as it is high in essential omega-3 fatty acids.

The processed Canola oil—extracted with heat and high pressure and the use of harsh solvents, like hexane—is, chemically speaking, an entirely different animal, a substance rendered so rancid you’d think it would stink.

That’s where the “bleaching” and deodorizing come in."

Canola oil is deodorized after this extraction process, to make it palatable.

But deodorizing it doesn't make these distorted molecules go away...

Canola oil is put into almost all pre-made, salad bar & packaged food...because it's cheap to make.

However, it's made by extracting the oil using Hexane (think the gasoline family, yuck)...and then deodorized to smell like, well, not much of anything.

And whether it's organic or non-GMO canola oil--it doesn't matter. If it was cold-pressed canola oil & used in a non-heated recipe, then it would be ok. Almost no one is cold-pressing or preparing food with Canola oil like that, though!

Because of it's heat-processing (and then being re-heated in restaurant & processed food preparation)...it causes this Free Radical Cascade in your body...and again that makes that side of french fries at a restaurant, and processed convenience foods, not a treat at all!

So Canola Oil & Vegetable Oil (also extracted in a similar manner, creating mutated molecules that cause free radical damage in your body)...are Toxin #1 on the AVOID list for this Eating for Energy plan.

Don't worry though--there are much safer & yummy fats you can use for cooking instead!

AND another reason to ditch the Canola & Vegetable Oils:

Dr. Jaminet explains that if you’re eating too many omega-6 fats (above 4% of calories), this causes your body to make them the #1 thing they digest first, above other fats.

Umm, you can see how that would start to add up to gaining weight pretty quickly here!:

As eating too many omega-6 fats also causes an Inflammatory response in the body…above 6% calories and they start to build up in fat tissue, releasing further inflammation…causing obesity, liver disease, allergies & asthma, depression & mental illness, cancer, bowel disease…oh man!

Get LOW with Omega-6 fats

So one of the big goals with Eating for Energy, is that you want to Get LOW with Omega-6 fats by not going out to eat a lot, or choosing food that isn’t prepared with oil when you do (for example, get mashed potatoes instead of french fries :))…and by not eating packaged & pre-made foods that have been made with common seed oils.

PLUS, surprisingly—you don't want to count on Nuts & Seeds as a main source of Protein in a meal--or eat them too frequently as a snack.

The Drs. Jaminet emphasize that nuts & seeds should be treated as an occasional "pleasure food"...essentially because nuts & seeds are very high in omega-6 fats.

Nuts & seed may be little--but they pack a big omega-6 punch. They also contain a high amount of Phytic Acid which unfortunately binds the rich micronutrients found in them & other foods eaten with them...making them not available for us to absorb. 🙁

And, often shelled nuts can go rancid very quickly...all reasons to treat nuts & seeds as an occasional "pleasure food"--and not as a go-to snack or main protein source.

The rise in obesity in America is not only attributed to increased soy oil consumption in processed food--but generally an increased omega-6 consumption as well. :0

(More deets and a system for planning how to get LOW with omega-6 fats in the Protein section)

For now though, it's important to highlight that American diets are typically at 9% omega-6 fats—so you can see how these cheap, heat-processed (and heated) Omega-6 seed oils (and too many nuts/seeds) are causing obesity & major health problems 🙁 …and many people are deficient in Omega-3 fats, at the same time.

I'll share how to get your PUFA ship (omega-6 & omega-3 intake) energizing & fabulous in just a bit!

Getting an optimal weekly intake of Omega-6’s & Omega-3’s is a KEY PART of making Eating for Energy work well...

(and it's not as difficult as it potentially may sound).

The second thing you want to cut out, as much as possible are these high toxin foods: Cereal Grains (wheat, barley, rye, oats* & corn*)...and food products/flour made from them. 

These cereal grains are essentially rich in Phytic Acid & Phytates...which are substances found in these grains that not only lock up key micronutrients like iron, calcium & zinc...these phytates also bind up those same micronutrients from other foods you're eating in the same meal. 🙁

Some cereal grains can be hard on your digestion for many people...and maybe more importantly though...

These cereal grains take up "caloric space" in your daily meals and instead of giving you a lot of nutrition--they end up binding key micronutrients, instead.

And remember, your body is going to function optimally & feel the best when it gets all of the Micros (and Macros) that it needs. 

Plus improperly prepared beans & legumes (peas & green beans are fine)…these are major gut-punch & mineral-binding foods UNLESS you prepare them properly, in a way that dramatically reduces their phytate & lectin content (I share how to do this in the Protein section)…

The Drs. Jaminet used to strictly recommend not eating beans & legumes at all--but they have relaxed their stance on this a bit. They can be a good source of protein (although not complete)...but they also can be very hard on your digestion & they can steal other nutrients from your body too if you don't prepare them properly.

Plus, relying on them too frequently as a main protein source can displace saturated fat & essential micronutrients your body needs for multiple functions, as well.

Also on the exclude list, for their inflammatory & gut-punching ways...are unfermented soy & soy products (tempeh & shoyu (both fermented) are ok for variety)...

And it's a no-go with peanuts & peanut butter too--as they cause inflammation. Don't worry though, you can TRADE UP peanuts & peanut butter with nut butters (as a pleasure food) instead. 

So ixnae on the cereal grains & flours (white rice is fine), beans & legumes (unless prepared properly...with special attention given to increasing your saturated fat & missing micronutrients)…plus, unfermented soy & peanuts/peanut butter. 

These foods are getting kicked to the curb because of their high micronutrient-binding or toxic content. 

If you’re wanting to get rid of a Pot Belly…the secret, according to the multi-year China Study?

Ditch the bread—the cereal…and the flour. This study found that *gluten* is the biggest culprit in causing that gain around the middle.

Essentially because they bind up key Micronutrients you need like Calcium, Zinc & Iron--even when you combine them with other foods that would normally be rich in these micronutrients.

Plus, as briefly mentioned, some of the other yucky things WHEAT can do:

—for many people, wheat can open holes in your intestinal barrier (by triggering zonulin release), causing Leaky Gut—which then allows toxins & bacteria to enter your body, which causes inflammation & a chance for antibodies to form

—wheat can also cause a rush of auto-antibodies that attack the thyroid, gut, nerves, brain, connective tissues & joints…so if you’re dealing with an auto-immune disease, thyroid problems, hormonal imbalance or arthritis—one of the best things you can do is to ditch wheat, flour & cereal grains

—and wheat is able to bind to other molecules & cause some people's bodies to make antibodies against them…which can lead to food allergies and autoimmune attacks (and disease)

Oh man, look out for those cereal grain plants!

In Dr. Cate’s book, Deep Nutrition—she talks about how plants are not these benign, defenseless things that we grow, pick & eat.

Plants actually develop self-protection strategies—and some of these plants (cereal grains, seeds & legumes especially) just DO NOT want to be eaten by us, as evidenced by the havoc they can create.

And this plant defense system makes us Fat, too

So I know going "very low carb/keto" is all the rage now...but I'll share much more about why you don't need to ditch Carbs in order to lose weight. Your body actually has quite a few super important uses for Carbs.

There are Safe Carbs that contain lots of Micronutrients--without those binding phytates--and those are going to be your yummy, satisfying friends!

PLUS, a way to "daily cycle" them to help support your circadian rhythms, too.

And Dr. Paul Jaminet breaks it down even more, that it’s NOT Carbs per se that make us fat:

This brings me to a point of difference with Gary Taubes. Although glucose is toxic in high doses, the body has an extensive machinery for disposing of excess glucose. As we discussed (in this post)…all tissues of the body participate in glucose disposal. Dietary glucose is not likely to do much damage unless the body’s glucose-disposal machinery has been damaged by other toxins first.

Obesity is caused not by carb calories per se, but by natural plant toxins. Plants, not carbs, make you fat!

Along with malnourishment (which we will address in the next section, so key!!)…food toxins are why we get fat.

So get excited that even though you are cutting out cereal grains (which are high in plant toxins (the plant's natural defense system))…you still get to eat other yummy "safe carbs" & fruit--that are low in these plant toxins--instead. 

And here’s just a little more encouragement why ditching BREAD allows you to lose weight too…on a little more lighthearted note:

Ok, so one of my favorite books is called Bringing Up Bebe…and it’s about a personal & empirical research comparison between American and French styles of parenting. I just recently listened to the Audio book version, and was re-delighted all over again! The author, Pamela Druckerman—is living in France with her British husband, and she’s originally from New York.

Besides her amazing pregnancy & motherhood/familyhood research & stories…she shares quite a bit about the French Philosophy of healthy Weightloss and healthy weight maintenance..both for moms & kids.

One thing that’s important though is that kids do indeed need more Carbs…a little more fruit & safe starches…than adults need, that’s important.

And the author notes that French mothers view muffins and flour snacks as treats for kids…

Probably the biggest French Weightloss secret though she noticed—as I like to highlight too—is that most French families (and single people) MAKE FOOD…i.e. COOK…together at home.

AND lastly--they give up BREAD.

I know, I know—if you’ve ever been to France, the baguette and Pain au chocolat are delicious…

But the author reports that French women raise their hands and emphatically say “no!” when they want to get rid of extra weight around their waist & thighs.

But you can still get into the Joie De Vivre with yummy safe starches, instead!

And I’m excited to share more about how Safe Carbs (which are gut-friendly carbs) are actually your fat-burning friends!

However—here’s just one more thought when it comes to Bread.

I know that you can literally fall in love with bread—and feel like it gives you so much pleasure, that you feel addicted to it. It’s been shown to stimulate opioid-receptors in the brain!

And, since our Gut has 100 trillion bacteria from a thousand different species (they’re outnumbering us!)…it’s worth asking:

is it really “you” that loves bread? Or is it the buggers in your gut that love bread?

I started wondering this myself when I found myself in a rut with drinking wine every night when we lived in NYC. I was exercising A LOT when we lived there—so it wasn’t making me gain tons of weight—but I became very curious around my evening craving for red wine. True, going to bars & restaurants is a main form of entertainment in NYC :)…so it represented being social, too. However, I didn’t like how it made me feel sleepy and that I literally craved it. Since it didn’t make me feel energized at night (and I do like feeling energized though mellow/relaxed in the evening)…I started thinking “who” it was that was craving this wine when I intellectually knew that it was making me feel tired?

Also—I too used to really enjoy bread. I know some real bread lovers—and in knowing them, I’m not going to say that I was a huge bread Lover (that’s a whole other classification :)), but I was certainly a Bread Enjoyer. I really liked cereal and bagels for breakfast. On Fridays, I would even have a donut…I ate sandwiches for lunch while driving to teach in my after-school programs…and I was tired at night and single, so I ate A LOT of frozen pizza. 🙂 Yes, I enjoyed bread. I was worried about giving it up. It does make eating “convenient”…

But I will tell you deeply truly from the bottom of my heart that I don’t really miss it. I have NOT resisted the “free bread bowl” at a restaurant…but then regretted it later with the bloating and feeling tired and having to cut my social evening short. So that makes it easier for me to say no to the free bread bowl. And sometimes I give in, and I experience how it makes me feel…and it makes me feel clear that I feel better without the stuff.

So—no need to beat yourself up if you enjoy or love bread—or if you fall victim to the convenience or free-ness of bread—but truly…if you want to get your gut operating well…and be able to support your thyroid/adrenal health, your hormone balance, your digestion & energy…then…get excited about THIS idea:

There’s no need to give up the Comfort and Pleasure that eating wheat, corn, rye, grains (white rice is good, as a standout grain exception) give you…

when you can experience Comfort, Pleasure, Satisfaction…and help build healthy Gut Flora and a strong Gut Lining…from Safe Starches instead.

Satisfaction, Comfort…PLUS good digestion/improved absorption of what you eat. Feeling good, feeling happier, feeling more energized.

You just need to Trade Up the foods that you’re getting your pleasure & satisfaction from…and there are certainly ways to make them convenient too! 🙂

I’m going to be sharing more about the yummy Safe Starches here in just a bit—but I want to get you thinking of some foods that you are in a habit of eating…that you can Trade Up with eating for energy (and fullness/pleasure/comfort) instead with Worksheet #2!

And finally though—to finish what you want to kick to the curb for your Gut & Brain health (and energy too)…

And finally, you want to cut out High Fructose Corn Syrup & added Sugars…these are the other things you want to give up in order to Eat for Energy (and get results with exercise).

It’s in almost all processed food. So if you’re giving up Canola Oil (see number 1 above), it’s pretty easy to give up High Fructose Corn Syrup & added sugars as well.

Why is this so important?

Ok, before I get to the weight-gain issue here…let's talk about something potentially more serious:

How too much Sugar...especially highly concentrated Fructose (high fructose corn syrup)...has been shown to play a critical role in the epidemic of Cardiorenal disease.

Cardiorenal disease is an umbrella term used to group together diseases that affect the heart & kidneys…where chronic disfunction of one of these organs may affect the other. These two organs communicate with each other through a variety of pathways in your body, and have an interdependent relationship.

Dr. Richard Johnson and colleagues did a review of the evidence for sugar (highly concentrated fructose) as a cause of obesity in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition a few years ago...and found that fructose (found in concentration in processed/pre-made foods & high fructose corn syrup...we're not talking several daily servings of fruit here) is able to uniquely increase uric acid, which may likely be the cause of Cardiorenal disease.

So ditch these toxic *added sugars* for the health of your kidneys & heart…

As additional studies have shown that Sucrose & again especially Concentrated Fructose (high fructose corn syrup) can cause weight gain & features of metabolic syndrome. (Fingers pointed sternly at *added sugars.*)

Whereas, the same results did not happen when people ate Starchy Carbs (and some fruit) as their primary carbohydrate instead.

Eating *added sugars* can cause a rise in blood pressure, impaired glucose tolerance & insulin resistance. The sad thing is that these things can happen just by eating a typical American diet, by eating processed foods with added sweeteners and sugar. Bleck.

It’s pretty easy to kick these sickly sweet added sugars to the curb when you ditch the pre-made foods—and dump the soda, sweet tea & sweet lattes…and go for filtered water, coffee & tea, instead!

But you may be wondering--but what about my sweet tooth?

We have got you covered...

The best way to cure a “sweet tooth” is to make sure that you’re getting all of the Macro & Micronutrients that you need…especially Good Fats & Safe Starches--and fat-soluble vitamins & micronutrients (including glycine/collagen) too!...as Dr. Jaminet writes, (and insert mine for clarity):

If, as I believe, the key to weight loss and curing obesity is eliminating appetite [hunger between meals], then it’s important to eliminate any deficiencies of fat-associated micronutrients. Micronutrient deficiencies trigger food cravings, and deficiencies of fat-associated micronutrients will trigger a craving for sweets.

Get IN your Good Fats & Safe Starches...and key fat-soluble vitamins & micronutrients...and kiss your demanding "sweet tooth" goodbye! And I’ll be sharing a great “protein addition” recommendation with Collagen/Glycine, that helps eliminate your sweet tooth, too…

And again--it's not that fructose is bad (I'm not talking about the fructose found in bananas or other whole fruit...that fructose is GOOD in a strategic amount)...

Instead, getting a TON of fructose in these "dark calories"--mainly from *added sugars* and high fructose corn syrup (both found in pre-made & processed food)--can really rollercoaster your energy, derail your blood glucose management, and pack on the pounds.

**The fabulous thing is, you do want to get some fructose—which is awesome to know that you can eat a few servings of Fruit everyday, and rock this small, necessary fructose requirement. Yum 🙂

More about Fruit...and some recommended action steps to cure a sweet tooth coming up soon...

So just as a quick review, the Toxins & Micronutrient-blockers you want to kick to the curb, summarized by the Perfect Health Diet:

Notably:

The exception is white rice, which we count among our “safe starches.” Rice noodles, rice crackers, and the like are fine, as are gluten-free foods made from a mix of rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch.

*They also recommend not eating peanuts. And not eating beans & legumes without proper preparation...More about ways to properly prepare beans to reduce the greatest amount of lectins in the Protein module.

Giant PS: I also symbolically chose this image above...maybe if you're a bit younger than me, you might not recognize it...

But it's a *hole punch* 

Because for many people, these foods with TOXINS in them can act like a hole punch in your Gut Lining.

They can also cause big spikes in your blood glucose levels...which is very hard on your energy & Brain health.

It may seem awkward & not convenient to give up these "convenience foods"...but once you get into a FLOW with making their "trade-up" twins...it is very tasty, can be quite convenient & very satisfying.

With no gut "hole punching" included.

Giant PPS: Again, one of the central tenets of this way of thinking & eating is that basically--you want to make your own food! 

I told my sister that Eating for Energy could also be called "the pain in the butt diet"...

Because basically pre-made food that you can buy in a bag, in a jar or from a salad bar or restaurant IS going to be made with *cheap ingredients,* even if they're organic...that can seriously sabotage your health, energy & waistline.

It's not so much about being a good "label reader"...although that IS key when you do buy the occasional something that's pre-made (like spaghetti sauce or something--you can actually find organic ones with no added oils...or rice crackers...)

It's more about TRADING UP these foods & finding ways to make your own food as "convenient" and do-able for you instead.

This slims you. This energizes you. Making time & space to shop and make food & trading the crap vegetable oils & added sugars out is a life changer.