Chris found clips from the Fat Head documentary this week.  I posted the first one to the blog (http://myleanbodybootcamp.blogspot.com).  There are four parts on you tube (after you watch the first one, you will probably want to find the rest).  It is very interesting.  We are going to order the dvd this weekend. 

 

I know that I have talked to some of you about eating fat.  It is SO important to have fat in the diet.  If you don't give your body any fat, it is going to hold onto every bit of body fat that it has, because it does not know when it will get more.  Even saturated fat and cholesterol is good for our bodies.  Our brain and cells are made out of fat and cholesterol, so we have to have it.  If we don't eat fat, our bodies go out of their way to hold onto it and manufacture cholesterol.  One reason why eating a low-fat, low saturated fat diet does not work to lower your cholesterol.  Eat fat - the natural kinds from animals, nuts, and olives, not the kinds from hydrogenated oils in the fryer or in processed cakes and cookies.

 

I know so many of us think that low fat and higher carb (grain) diets are the best and most healthy way to eat.  You are not alone.  That is what we have been told our whole lives.  Grains are not the answer to our body fat issues.  They actually help us gain more body fat...is that anyone's goal?  I know, I know, we LOVE bread...and cannot LIVE without pasta.  But do you know why?  It is because you are addicted to them.  Your body DOES NOT need grains to survive.  It wants them for survival reasons.  They are very dense sources of calories and are very easy to overeat.  That is the nasty trick our bodies are playing on us.  Telling us that we want...NEED more.  Our bodies are made to store extra calories as fat for survival.  For most of our existence, we have had to worry about starving.  Never before have we had so much food at our disposal.

 

Little does our body know that there is not going to be a famine ever again.  We have food everywhere, so we don't need to store all of the unused calories anymore.  But our bodies have not evolved as fast as society.  Our bodies still think that we live in a cave and we are only going to eat what we can hunt and kill or gather.  When we were in a cave, we had to eat as much as we could when there was food.  Then we would have the stores that we needed to get us through until we could hunt again, and who knew when that would be.  So, we still eat and eat so we can store for that famine that is never coming.  If we want to eat, the drive through is right around the corner, the fridge is full.  No caveman ever had a fridge...

 

Human's natural diet was made up of protein (what we could hunt or fish) and fruits and veggies (things that grow).  Our bodies were not made to eat grains.  Grains cause inflammation in the body.  Grains give us the least amount of nutrition for the most calories.  Eating whole unprocessed foods, means limiting (or eliminating) grains from the diet.  All grains are processed.  They have to be in order for us to be able to digest them.  Cavemen did not have the means to process grains so they did not eat them.  Our bodies have not evolved much from those days, so the addition of foreign foods into our diets has changed our bodies and our health.  

 

Eat one ingredient foods.  Eat fruits and veggies and protein and nuts.  You will not believe how great you feel.  You will not believe the extra energy you have to get through the workouts.  Watch the Fat Head clip.  It is really interesting and it will explain why you never hear about this way of eating. 

 

Believe me.  I know first hand.  This email is coming from an "ex-cereal addict."  I used to eat 12 bowls of cereal a day.  When I gave up grains and started eating only protein and veggies and fruits, my body started changing immediately...and it has not stopped changing.  I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO LOOK THE WAY I LOOK IF I WERE STILL EATING GRAINS.  

 

As a side note:  I am not telling you that you cannot ever eat bread again, but the majority of your diet should be made up of the unprocessed foods.  Not processed grains.  Leave the grains and sugar out, and put the good stuff in.  :)

I have created the most delicious stir fry with peanut butter (a healthy fat) and chicken and veggies.  You do not need to eat rice with this.  I shred my cabbage so it resembles noodles, and you don't even miss the starch.  I like my food spicy, so I add crushed red pepper flakes, if you or your family does not like spicy foods, feel free to leave them out.  

 

Serves 1

 

4 oz. Raw chicken breast, boneless/skinless cut into stir fry size strips (this is 17 g protein, 5 g. fat)

1/2 small onion, sliced

1/3 pepper, yellow, red or orange, sliced thin

1 c.  shredded fresh cabbage (I shred a head of cabbage and always keep it in my fridge so it is ready for any meal.  I LOVE to eat sauteed cabbage as a side dish with any meal.)

1 T. Natural Peanut Butter (8 g. fat, 3.5 g. Protein)

Salt and Pepper

Crushed Red pepper flakes

Olive oil spray

 

Preheat a wok or a skillet.  Add the chicken.  Allow it to cook through - about 2-3 minutes on each side.  Add the onions and the peppers allow them to cook for a minute or two.  Add the cabbage.  Cook until the cabbage and other veggies start to brown.  I like my veggies still crisp on the inside, so I don't cook them very long.  Add salt and pepper, PB, and crushed red pepper flakes.  Stir to combine.  Make sure you get the PB spread out over all of the veggies.  Remove from the heat and continue to stir to coat.  Put in a bowl and eat!  It is really YUMMY and satisfying. 

 

My contest diet requires that I have 20 g. protein per meal, and 15 g. fat.  Be careful to measure the PB.  It adds a lot of calories if you are not careful.