Quality Protein

According to my experience, most people don't eat enough protein. A person's protein intake varies and depends on your sex, height, weight and exercise levels. Normal protein intake ranges from 20 to 50 grams at each meal.

Lesson 1: Look at the package.

If you are eating packaged foods, the number of grams of protein per serving is listed on the package. For whole foods, 3 ounces of most meats will provide about 20 to 25 grams of protein. A 4-ounce hamburger, which is processed, only has about 20 grams of protein while typical lunchmeats have about 5 grams per slice. One egg has about six grams of protein and a cup of milk (not typically recommended) has 8 grams.

Lesson 2: Eggs are an excellent source of protein.

• Go organic. Omega-3 eggs contain a 1:1 omega 6 to 3 ratio, while commercial eggs contain a 19:1 omega 6 to 3 ratio.

• Don't be afraid to eat eggs. You can easily eat one dozen eggs per week, as they will not cause your cholesterol to increase. Scientists have shown that infants who eat the adult equivalent of 40 eggs per week don't have problems.

• Don't eat eggs daily. If you are cooking your eggs, it's important to avoid eating them daily because you may develop an allergy to them. You should not eat eggs more than five days a week if you prepare them conventionally. This will change as you advance in the program; you can tolerate eggs on a much more frequent basis if you don't cook them.

• You can use egg substitutes. You can increase your protein intake by using pasteurized egg whites or egg substitute products in this phase. However, while they are acceptable in this phase, these products are eliminated in the intermediate phase.

The best way to prepare eggs is to not cook them at all, but this is an advanced technique.

Lesson 3: Restrict your intake of dairy products.

Milk, yogurt and cheese are allowed in this phase but are drastically reduced in the intermediate phase. If you have allergies, consider avoiding all dairy, or at the very least, milk. When eating yogurt, please pay special attention to the carbohydrate content as many contain added sweetener, which dramatically increases the carbohydrate content. Also, low-fat dairy products are densely packed with carbohydrates and should be avoided.

Lesson 4: You can eat all meats in this phase.

All meats, including lunchmeats, are allowed in this phase. It would be wise to purchase lunchmeats that are preservative-free. You will move toward higher-quality protein sources in the intermediate phase of the program; however, if you want to try two types of meat that come with my highest recommendation and taste as good as, if not better than, prime beef, consider ostrich and bison. Because both ostrich and bison taste great and are very versatile, this is not a difficult switch to make, and yet these are two of the healthiest meats on earth. Both ostrich and bison are now available in select health food and grocery stores

Lesson 5: Become aware of your soy intake.

All soy products are allowed in this phase, though soy is not, despite a lot of popular belief, really that good for you - amongst other issues, it can weaken your immune system (input the term "soy" in our search engine to find dozens of articles on soy's health drawbacks). Soy products will be excluded in subsequent phases, with the exception of fermented soy products like tempeh, miso and natto.

Lesson 6: Think about your fish and seafood intake.

All fish and seafood products are allowed in this phase but are progressively eliminated in subsequent phases due to fish and seafood contamination with mercury and other toxins; sadly, seafood and fish, whether from the ocean, lakes and streams, or farm-raised, is all showing signs of such contamination, and so even otherwise healthy fish are now advised against and will be phased out in subsequent phases

Lesson 7: Nuts and seeds are okay for now, but...

Nuts and seeds are allowed in this phase but are progressively eliminated in subsequent phases. However, consider lowering your nut intake now if you have:

• Excess weight
• Obesity
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure

The only exceptions will be flaxseeds and walnuts, which can be consumed in moderation in future phases as they help you balance your omega-6 and omega-3 fats. (Most Americans consume dangerously low levels of omega-3. Fish oil, which is purified of any contaminants found in fish meat, is the best source of omega-3, as it also contains the essential fatty acids DHA and EPA. Flax seeds and walnuts are amongst the next best choices, though they don't contain DHA and EPA.)

While seeds and nuts are relatively low in carbohydrate, nuts are dense sources of calories and should be used in moderation. Even in this first phase, you can try to phase out other nuts and just consume walnuts and flaxseeds moderately:

• Flaxseeds: Several tablespoons of freshly ground flaxseeds make great sense as flax has plenty of beneficial water-soluble fibers, similar to Metamucil, to normalize your bowel movements.

• Walnuts: It is best to limit walnuts as they are dense forms of calories and could sabotage your weight loss if more than a few per day are consumed.

Lesson 8: Watch your bean and legume intake.

If you do not have a problem with insulin, these foods are acceptable in this level. If you have high insulin levels, you will want to avoid beans until you have normal insulin levels. If you have achieved your ideal weight, you can introduce beans. Symptoms of high insulin levels include:

• Excess weight
• Obesity
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure

Remember that beans have carbohydrates and are sources of good, but not complete, proteins. Add some additional proteins to your meal if beans are your primary protein source at any meal