START OWNING YOUR LIFE
I saw a guy today in the drugstore, really heavy dude, and he was standing in front of the Nutri-Grain Bars laboring over which ones to buy. He also had a bag of sugar-free candy in his hand. I knew he was trying to eat healthy. I knew he meant well. I wanted to grab him (and every other man, woman and child in the country) and let him know these kinds of packaged foods are not going to help you achieve the permanent weight loss you so desperately want. Sugary “health” bars are just like candy bars, filled with refined sugars, refined flours and a bunch of other CRAP. There is no nutritional value in these products. They will not help you lose weight! If you are looking at a “Strawberry Snack Bar..with real fruit filling!” you are being sold a lie. Go buy some organic strawberries! That’s the only thing that is real. Okay, enough on my rant about snack bars….now I’m going to tell you how I feel about ALL processed food.
To adopt DDP Yoga Nutrition the first thing we need to do is clean out that pantry. When I was a kid I got expelled from Catholic School for flashing a girl in my jock strap. I guess that was my version of a Panty Raid. Well, to begin this new lifestyle, we need a Pantry Raid. You may be surprised at how empty your pantry will be when we are done. Don’t freak out….but we are getting rid of all processed foods. Yes, all of them! That means no cookies, no crackers, no candy, no chips, no snack bars. It all has to go. If you think you are eating “healthy” crackers or chips because they say “natural” or “low fat” on the label, you are cracked. You may as well EAT THE BOX since you get about the same level of nutrition from eating cardboard. Pack them up and give them away to a shelter. Now don’t panic, there are many alternatives, such as gluten-free crackers, cookies, and brownies that are to die for. We use these as treats/cheats but only in moderation, if you really want to hit your goals.
What remains in the pantry and refrigerator? Think about single ingredient foods — foods in their most natural state. Most of these foods will be found around the perimeter of the grocery store — in the produce section, refrigerated section with eggs and dairy, plus the meat and seafood department. Rarely do you need to walk down one of the aisles. That’s where all the packaged junk is found.
________________________________________________
NUTS AND PEANUT BUTTER
Let’s use nuts as an example of walking up the ladder from what is off the DDP Yoga list, to what makes the list on Phase One, Phase Two, and Phase Three. On any of the levels, nuts get to stay in your pantry. Nuts have a combination of protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates. They are a great snack in moderation (i.e., one ounce of almonds is about 170 calories – if you eat a 10 oz. package you’ve just downed 1700 calories! Pay attention to suggested portion size.)
Now you need to choose the best nuts possible! Become a label reader… if your nuts also have added oils, or hickory smoke flavoring, they are no longer a single ingredient food. The cleaner the ingredient list, the better. If they’re toasted, roasted, or glazed… they’re dead.
Now you begin to see how we clean out those cupboards! If you have those mainstream peanut butters we all grew up on, time to change brands and change your palate. Why are we accustomed to peanut butter with high fructose corn syrup? Because that’s what Mom gave us! Then we grow up, and buy the same brand and feed it to our kids. How are we to know any different? Our biggest choice has always been, “Smooth or Chunky”. We repeat the patterns of how we were raised. Time now for a change.
