Let’s Get After It

The ultimate goal in any transformation should be to feel incredible. The Eats Diet is about much more than weight loss—it’s about building joy, energy, and vitality. Furthermore, stress and a lack of joy enact chemical and hormonal changes in your body that poorly affect your ability to lose weight by impairing sleep quality, energy levels, appetite, and digestion. Before beginning the nutrition science, you will implement simple daily practices to minimize lifestyle stress and build joy into your life.

Why, How, What

The Three-Headed Monster

Inflammation. Chronic inflammation is a silent killer and monumental barrier to optimal health. Inflammation begins in your gut and travels throughout the body causing a wide range of the most harmful diseases and conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, depression and anxiety, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and dementia and many others. In addition to being a significant health threat, chronic inflammation has been linked to weight gain and weight loss prevention due to its effect on metabolism and hormone imbalances. Chronic inflammation also exhibits indirect influences on your weight loss goals by causing chronic fatigue, mood problems, and poor focus. In this way, inflammation can be a hidden culprit causing us to overeat when seeking comfort from mood problems such as anxiety and depression, eating high energy foods to overcome chronic fatigue, or due to decreased willpower resulting from decreased energy and focus. Vicious Cycle #1: Chronic inflammation sets off a vicious cycle leading to even more inflammation. When we store excess weight as fat in response to inflammation, our fat tissues secrete inflammatory proteins further increasing inflammation in the body. Insulin Resistance. Insulin resistance occurs when your cells don’t respond properly to insulin. When your cells don’t respond properly to insulin and can’t use blood glucose for energy, your pancreas responds by secreting even more insulin. Excess levels of insulin impair fat metabolism and direct the body to store calories as fat, leading to weight gain. Insulin resistance also impairs our hunger cues by affecting leptin, the hormone in the body that works as a natural appetite suppressant. When our bodies no longer respond to leptin signals telling us we’re full, we continue to overeat causing excess fat storage and weight gain. Vicious Cycle #2: Insulin resistance also increases inflammation in the body. Inflammation activates and increases proteins that suppress insulin-signaling pathways, causing more insulin resistance and setting off a vicious cycle between insulin resistance and inflammation. Oxidative Stress. Oxidative stress occurs with accumulation of reactive oxidation species in the body, aka free radicals. An imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body causes widespread cell and tissue damage, which leads to development of diseases and conditions such as cancer, premature aging, diabetes, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, heart disease, and neurodegenerative diseases. Vicious Cycle #3: Oxidative stress in the body sets off a chain reaction of cell and tissue damage in the body that leads to an inflammatory response. Our bodies’ inflammatory response produces more free radicals that can lead to further oxidative stress, creating another vicious cycle. Scientists estimate that the average human body is composed of fifty to seventy-five trillion cells. And all of those cells, including your one hundred billion neurons, are completely reconstructed more than twice a year. Your diet provides the fuel for this cellular renewal.

1 Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is a silent killer and monumental barrier to optimal health. Inflammation begins in your gut and travels throughout the body causing a wide range of the most harmful diseases and conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, depression and anxiety, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and dementia and many others. In addition to being a significant health threat, chronic inflammation has been linked to weight gain due to its effect on metabolism and hormone imbalances. Chronic inflammation also exhibits indirect influences on your weight loss goals by causing chronic fatigue, mood problems, and poor focus. In this way, inflammation can be a hidden culprit causing us to overeat when seeking comfort from mood problems such as anxiety and depression, eating high energy foods to overcome chronic fatigue, or due to decreased willpower resulting from decreased energy and focus.

Vicious Cycle #1

Chronic inflammation sets off a vicious cycle leading to even more inflammation. When we store excess weight as fat in response to inflammation, our fat tissues secrete inflammatory proteins further increasing inflammation in the body.

1 Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is a silent killer and monumental barrier to optimal health. Inflammation begins in your gut and travels throughout the body causing a wide range of the most harmful diseases and conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, depression and anxiety, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and dementia and many others. In addition to being a significant health threat, chronic inflammation has been linked to weight gain due to its effect on metabolism and hormone imbalances. Chronic inflammation also exhibits indirect influences on your weight loss goals by causing chronic fatigue, mood problems, and poor focus. In this way, inflammation can be a hidden culprit causing us to overeat when seeking comfort from mood problems such as anxiety and depression, eating high energy foods to overcome chronic fatigue, or due to decreased willpower resulting from decreased energy and focus.

Vicious Cycle #1

Chronic inflammation sets off a vicious cycle leading to even more inflammation. When we store excess weight as fat in response to inflammation, our fat tissues secrete inflammatory proteins further increasing inflammation in the body.

1 Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is a silent killer and monumental barrier to optimal health. Inflammation begins in your gut and travels throughout the body causing a wide range of the most harmful diseases and conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, depression and anxiety, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and dementia and many others. In addition to being a significant health threat, chronic inflammation has been linked to weight gain due to its effect on metabolism and hormone imbalances. Chronic inflammation also exhibits indirect influences on your weight loss goals by causing chronic fatigue, mood problems, and poor focus. In this way, inflammation can be a hidden culprit causing us to overeat when seeking comfort from mood problems such as anxiety and depression, eating high energy foods to overcome chronic fatigue, or due to decreased willpower resulting from decreased energy and focus.

Vicious Cycle #3

Oxidative stress in the body sets off a chain reaction of cell and tissue damage in the body that leads to an inflammatory response. Our bodies’ inflammatory response produces more free radicals that can lead to further oxidative stress, creating another vicious cycle.

Oxidative stress can cause chronic inflammation.

Breaking the Cycle:

4 Artificial Sweeteners

The Cue is the stimulus that triggers a habit. The Cue can take the form of something visual (i.e. the sight of food), a time (i.e. wake up, lunchtime, the end of a work day, or bedtime), a location (i.e. work, the gym, your nightstand, the kitchen), or even a thought. The Cue is developed in response to the prediction of a reward. The Cue naturally gives rise to the Craving.

Green Light: Coconut Palm Sugar, Date Sugar, Dried Fruit, Erythritol, Maple Syrup, Monk Fruit (Lo han guo), Raw Honey, Stevia, Whole Fruit, Xylitol

Red Light: Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame, Barley Malt, Brown Sugar, Cane Sugar, Carob Syrup, Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids, Dextrose, Evaporated Cane Juice, Fructose, Glucose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Invert Sugar, Juice Concentrate, Maltitol, Maltodextrin, Rice Syrup, Sorbitol, Sorghum Syrup, Sucrose, Sugar

5 Processed Meats

The Cue is the stimulus that triggers a habit. The Cue can take the form of something visual (i.e. the sight of food), a time (i.e. wake up, lunchtime, the end of a work day, or bedtime), a location (i.e. work, the gym, your nightstand, the kitchen), or even a thought. The Cue is developed in response to the prediction of a reward. The Cue naturally gives rise to the Craving.

Green Light: Coconut Palm Sugar, Date Sugar, Dried Fruit, Erythritol, Maple Syrup, Monk Fruit (Lo han guo), Raw Honey, Stevia, Whole Fruit, Xylitol

Red Light: Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame, Barley Malt, Brown Sugar, Cane Sugar, Carob Syrup, Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids, Dextrose, Evaporated Cane Juice, Fructose, Glucose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Invert Sugar, Juice Concentrate, Maltitol, Maltodextrin, Rice Syrup, Sorbitol, Sorghum Syrup, Sucrose, Sugar

6 Conventional Meats

The Cue is the stimulus that triggers a habit. The Cue can take the form of something visual (i.e. the sight of food), a time (i.e. wake up, lunchtime, the end of a work day, or bedtime), a location (i.e. work, the gym, your nightstand, the kitchen), or even a thought. The Cue is developed in response to the prediction of a reward. The Cue naturally gives rise to the Craving.

Green Light: Coconut Palm Sugar, Date Sugar, Dried Fruit, Erythritol, Maple Syrup, Monk Fruit (Lo han guo), Raw Honey, Stevia, Whole Fruit, Xylitol

Red Light: Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame, Barley Malt, Brown Sugar, Cane Sugar, Carob Syrup, Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids, Dextrose, Evaporated Cane Juice, Fructose, Glucose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Invert Sugar, Juice Concentrate, Maltitol, Maltodextrin, Rice Syrup, Sorbitol, Sorghum Syrup, Sucrose, Sugar

7 Trans Fats

Trans fatty acids, also known as partially hydrogenated oils, are one of the most dangerous foods for your health. The dangers of trans fats come from their ability to raise levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) while decreasing levels of good cholesterol (HDL). This and other properties of trans fats have lead to strong links to the leading causes of deaths and health concerns: cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and many more. Trans fats are now less of a concern in the United States due to a recent ban by the Food and Drug Administration on the production of foods containing trans fats, but they can still be found in stores if the food products were manufactured prior to the ban’s cutoff date. Trans fats can be found in shortening, baked goods such as cakes, cookies, and pies, and packaged foods such as frozen pizzas and microwavable popcorn.

8 Excess Alcohol

The Cue is the stimulus that triggers a habit. The Cue can take the form of something visual (i.e. the sight of food), a time (i.e. wake up, lunchtime, the end of a work day, or bedtime), a location (i.e. work, the gym, your nightstand, the kitchen), or even a thought. The Cue is developed in response to the prediction of a reward. The Cue naturally gives rise to the Craving.

Green Light: Coconut Palm Sugar, Date Sugar, Dried Fruit, Erythritol, Maple Syrup, Monk Fruit (Lo han guo), Raw Honey, Stevia, Whole Fruit, Xylitol

Red Light: Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame, Barley Malt, Brown Sugar, Cane Sugar, Carob Syrup, Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids, Dextrose, Evaporated Cane Juice, Fructose, Glucose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Invert Sugar, Juice Concentrate, Maltitol, Maltodextrin, Rice Syrup, Sorbitol, Sorghum Syrup, Sucrose, Sugar

Gluten

The Cue is the stimulus that triggers a habit. The Cue can take the form of something visual (i.e. the sight of food), a time (i.e. wake up, lunchtime, the end of a work day, or bedtime), a location (i.e. work, the gym, your nightstand, the kitchen), or even a thought. The Cue is developed in response to the prediction of a reward. The Cue naturally gives rise to the Craving.

Green Light: Coconut Palm Sugar, Date Sugar, Dried Fruit, Erythritol, Maple Syrup, Monk Fruit (Lo han guo), Raw Honey, Stevia, Whole Fruit, Xylitol

Red Light: Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame, Barley Malt, Brown Sugar, Cane Sugar, Carob Syrup, Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids, Dextrose, Evaporated Cane Juice, Fructose, Glucose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Invert Sugar, Juice Concentrate, Maltitol, Maltodextrin, Rice Syrup, Sorbitol, Sorghum Syrup, Sucrose, Sugar

Dairy

The Cue is the stimulus that triggers a habit. The Cue can take the form of something visual (i.e. the sight of food), a time (i.e. wake up, lunchtime, the end of a work day, or bedtime), a location (i.e. work, the gym, your nightstand, the kitchen), or even a thought. The Cue is developed in response to the prediction of a reward. The Cue naturally gives rise to the Craving.

Green Light: Coconut Palm Sugar, Date Sugar, Dried Fruit, Erythritol, Maple Syrup, Monk Fruit (Lo han guo), Raw Honey, Stevia, Whole Fruit, Xylitol

Red Light: Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame, Barley Malt, Brown Sugar, Cane Sugar, Carob Syrup, Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids, Dextrose, Evaporated Cane Juice, Fructose, Glucose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Invert Sugar, Juice Concentrate, Maltitol, Maltodextrin, Rice Syrup, Sorbitol, Sorghum Syrup, Sucrose, Sugar

Caffeine

The Cue is the stimulus that triggers a habit. The Cue can take the form of something visual (i.e. the sight of food), a time (i.e. wake up, lunchtime, the end of a work day, or bedtime), a location (i.e. work, the gym, your nightstand, the kitchen), or even a thought. The Cue is developed in response to the prediction of a reward. The Cue naturally gives rise to the Craving.

Green Light: Coconut Palm Sugar, Date Sugar, Dried Fruit, Erythritol, Maple Syrup, Monk Fruit (Lo han guo), Raw Honey, Stevia, Whole Fruit, Xylitol

Red Light: Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame, Barley Malt, Brown Sugar, Cane Sugar, Carob Syrup, Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids, Dextrose, Evaporated Cane Juice, Fructose, Glucose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Invert Sugar, Juice Concentrate, Maltitol, Maltodextrin, Rice Syrup, Sorbitol, Sorghum Syrup, Sucrose, Sugar

FODMAPs

The Cue is the stimulus that triggers a habit. The Cue can take the form of something visual (i.e. the sight of food), a time (i.e. wake up, lunchtime, the end of a work day, or bedtime), a location (i.e. work, the gym, your nightstand, the kitchen), or even a thought. The Cue is developed in response to the prediction of a reward. The Cue naturally gives rise to the Craving.

Green Light: Coconut Palm Sugar, Date Sugar, Dried Fruit, Erythritol, Maple Syrup, Monk Fruit (Lo han guo), Raw Honey, Stevia, Whole Fruit, Xylitol

Red Light: Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame, Barley Malt, Brown Sugar, Cane Sugar, Carob Syrup, Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids, Dextrose, Evaporated Cane Juice, Fructose, Glucose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Invert Sugar, Juice Concentrate, Maltitol, Maltodextrin, Rice Syrup, Sorbitol, Sorghum Syrup, Sucrose, Sugar

Elimination by Prioritization

Before introducing how to eliminate foods and break habits, it is important to understand that building new habits is an elimination strategy in and of itself. Recall from Thought Patterns that the brain will devote its resources to recurrent behaviors (Hebb’s Law) and remove neural pathways that are no longer in use (synaptic pruning). Every minute you spend building new habits and foods that serve your Eats Goal is one less minute you spend reinforcing your old habits. The more time you spend building habits from the strategies and foods in the Anti-inflammatory, Taste the Nutrient Rainbow, and Satiety principles, the more probable will eventually replace your old habits. Your new habits will be more rewarding as you start to improve your energy and see your body transform. Your mind will incrementally build a strong association with your new habits further reinforcing. Eventually, your new habits will become your new norm and it will be challenging to resort to old habits. 

Elimination by Deliberation

The Cue is the stimulus that triggers a habit. The Cue can take the form of something visual (i.e. the sight of food), a time (i.e. wake up, lunchtime, the end of a work day, or bedtime), a location (i.e. work, the gym, your nightstand, the kitchen), or even a thought. The Cue is developed in response to the prediction of a reward. The Cue naturally gives rise to the Craving.