If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve likely seen some of my out-of-the-box fitness practices (Animal Flow) and over-the-top nutrition habits (green juicing & tons of carbs?!). I practice a way of life that incorporates and prioritizes healthy living into every aspect of my daily routine. But I wasn’t always like this. I didn’t always feel or look healthy; nor did I pay attention to what went into my body (tons of processed junk) and the havoc it was doing to my body.
Everyone I know commits to 30-minute workouts at least a few times a week. We live in a newly health-obsessed culture and perhaps besides LA, nowhere is that more obvious than here in Miami. But I don’t know many people who take a daily 30 minutes to plan or prep their meals. In fact, NOT planning your meals after a solid workout is like getting a car wash on a day you know it’s going to rain. You simply aren’t reaping the full benefits of your actions. I’ve learned over and over again that no matter how rigorous my exercise, without the right diet I wont see good health or fitness results. On any given day if I am presented with the choice to workout vs stick to my healthy food, I always skip the workout and choose to feed my body right. Obviously if you can do both the results and gains are optimal!
Rewind back to almost 3 years ago when I turned 40: I went for an annual checkup and the results were not good. My doctor announced I was pre-diabetic with high cholesterol and wanted to start me on Metformin immediately to counter my climbing blood sugar levels. I was in complete shock.
I was aware I didnt look like ironnman in tip-top lean shape (I mean, most men my age I knew certainly didnt either), but I also wasn’t techincally out of shape or obese by any conventional standards. I dutifully kept up with all the basic norms that supposedly keep you healthy and in shape: I didn’t smoke, I’d have a few drinks socially here and there, worked out in the gym regularly, did cardio several times a week, and maintained a low-carb/ high-protein diet. That meant I ate turkey, chicken or seafood pretty often to keep my protein high, had moderate amounts of dairy, almost zero carbs and few vegetables. The results: high cholesterol with a defeating diagnosis of prediabetes.
Needless to say, I was super scared and certainly didn’t want to take diabetes medication every day at 40 years old! I had researched that once you start this type of medicine then you have to stay on it for the rest of your life and continuously increase the dosage. My doctor told me to exercise more and eat less carbs but none of it made any sense because I was already doing exactly that. So then why was my bloodwork and the lab numbers telling a different story?
Coincidentally during that same time my wife decided to go 100% plant-based after just having had our second child in order to lose the pregnancy weight. Inspired by Dr. Robert Young’s book “The PH Miracle,” she wanted to specifically try an alkaline diet. Being a medical professional herself, she doesn’t do anything with regards to health haphazardly. She was hardcore and stringently stuck to the diet. Within three months she lost all the 55 pounds she gained during pregnancy, and shortly after weighed even less than before having kids. She urged me to try the routine laid out by Dr. Young’s book which reported positive results specifically for those with pre-diabetes and diabetes. I decided I’d give it a shot after seeing her insanely rapid results.
I stayed on an Alkaline diet for a full year despite how extreme and seemingly unsustainable it was for me. Within the first six months, my A1C level went from a prediabetic level of 5.9 to a normal reading of 5.2. Up until then, I had an excess of about 20 stubborn pounds that just wouldn't come off which I had justified as simply the result of a slower metabolism after turning 40. Well those 20 pounds came right off. Although I still didn't have the elusive 6 pack that I always wanted! It didn't matter since I was definitely getting some great results and my health was on a new and better path. I was 40 years old and back to my high school weight of 185 lbs. I had to buy new clothes and get my wedding ring resized down – two strong signals that a diet is really working. But there was one major problem: I was constantly hungry.
The premise of an alkaline diet is to replace acid-forming foods with alkaline-forming foods. This results in improving your health with weight loss being the obvious byproduct. According to the theory, foods that increase your body’s acidity cause inflammation and diseases like cancer, diabetes, autoimmune conditions such as thyroiditis, and invariably weight gain. Examples of acidic foods include sugar, processed carbohydrates, anything with wheat or yeast, dairy, and most animal products. So the goal is to replace the acidic foods with Alkaline-forming foods, which in turn reduce your acidic levels and promote a healthier (and thinner) body. So what does that leave you eating? Predominantly greens, avocados, and tons of different vegetables with basically no starchy carbs. That was Phase One.
In Phase Two of my diet experiment I tried a plant-based Keto approach to hopefully achieve a more muscular and lean physique (and maybe finally get that six pack of my dreams). The Keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat, medium-protein diet. I incorporated a lot of oils, nuts, tofu, vegan cheese and other unavoidable processed foods. I gained weight and gained muscle but I still wasn’t getting ripped. My blood sugar levels started creeping back up even though I wasn’t eating carbs, meat, dairy or eggs (and I was still plant based). Something was definitely wrong and after six months I knew I wasn’t on the right path.
Through some more research I stumbled upon the Mastering Diabetes website and began monitoring my blood sugar using a Dexcom G6 device, which is a digital patch you wear that continuously monitors the fluctuation of your blood sugar in 5 minute intervals. Even though I'm not diabetic I wanted to know what foods affect my blood sugar levels during the course of a day and the Dexcom app would give me the data I needed. Mastering Diabetes is a diet, exercise and lifestyle coaching program developed by two Stanford biochemists/doctors: Cyrus Khambatta, PhD and Robby Barbaro, MPH who are experts on insulin resistance and are both living with type 1 diabetes. Their theory is that the root cause of high blood sugar (insulin resistance) isn’t excess carb intake -- it’s excess fat and protein intake! Their program flew in the face of conventional medical wisdom and truly hard to believe given what all my doctors and trainers have always told me.
Top Left: Santa Fe No Oil Pasta, Bottom Left: Farro Paella, Top Right: Lentil Sloppy Joes, Bottom Right: Overnight Oats
Photo courtesy of Alkamamma
Biology Primer: When your body’s cells become full of fat, it disables insulin to properly bind to your cell walls which disables sugar ability to leave from your blood into the cell, which in-turn sends your blood sugar skyrocketing. A Whole Foods Plant Based approach consisting of an unprocessed whole-carb, low-fat, low-protein diet will reverse this; I'm living proof of it.
I started eating a lot of whole carbs (not white bread - think ezekiel, kamut and whole grain breads, brown rice, or buckwheat) and then moved on to the removal of all types of oils from my food (including “healthy oils” like olive oil). Oil is considered a processed food and full of fat calories that fill up your cells, causing high blood sugar. While you may be a bit conservative with how much you use at home, practically everything you eat out at restaurants is drenched in it (and in sugar) to improve taste. If you think about it logically: humans were not meant to eat the oil of 40 olives in one sitting. Yet that's exactly what you end up doing at each and every meal, which amounts to the equivalent of hundreds of olives a day.
I used Forks Over Knives for their delicious and diverse meal planner (I still use it for new meal inspirations and recipes). It gave me all of the ingredients and an easy to use shopping list. My wife and I would buy them in bulk on the weekends, and then prep for the week. It gave me six different meals to mix and match that I can take with me to work.
Within a month, my blood sugar lowered back down to 5.2 and within 4 months my body fat went from 16% to 5.5% despite my exercise regimen remaining almost identical. I would check my results every month using the machine at my local GNC. What made the biggest difference was the elimination of oil and switching to a high-carb diet.
Whole Wheat Refried Beans Burritos
Photo Courtesy of Alkamamma
My diet didn’t just impact my body fat percentage and how confident I felt at the beach. It lowered my cholesterol and it also completely balanced my hormone levels. A trip to the endocrinologist in my earlier plant-based diet phases revealed that my testosterone levels were slightly low and my thyroid wasn’t functioning optimally (hypothyroidism) as well as some other glaring issues. Years of eating high amounts of fat, constant consumption of animal meat and proteins coupled with a myriad of processed foods had undoubtedly messed with my hormone levels. After the four month mark on this diet, my hormone levels came back to equilibrium and hit levels that are typical for a male in his early 20’s!
Today I’m in the best shape of my life. That’s even compared to when I was 17 and running track for hours a day. And if I occasionally overeat – say an entire no-cheese pizza or a bagel with tofu cream cheese – nothing changes on the scale for me the next day. My wife likes to proudly tell me I’ve finally achieved that six pack too (yes with her help of course, after all she’s the one behind preparing most of these delicious - and most importantly, satisfying- meals).
I am certain that with my current diet, my body is functioning at its most optimal level. I have no doubt that it can do the same for anyone else. Sticking to this regimen has been nothing short of life-changing and it can be for you too.
MY DIET BROKEN DOWN
This is a whole foods plant based diet and does not include any types of oils. I typically portion my daily food into 70% whole carbs, 15% plant based fats (no oil) and 15% plant based protein. Below is my food and supplement intake for a typical day.
Early Morning 6-7am
Large Black Coffee before half hour of cardio (4-5 days a week)
After Cardio
1 Large Green Juice from celery, spinach, cucumber and lemon (I add a few drops of Ionic Zinc)
Supplements:
2 Elysium Basis Tablets (NAD+ Precursor)
1 Vitamin C 1000Mg
1 Vitamin D
1 Omega 3 Algae Oil DHA + EPA
4 PSX Daily Fiber Capsules
1 Alpha Lipoic Acid - 300 Mg
1 Resveratrol - 600Mg
1 CoQ10 - 100Mg
1 B-12 sublingual tablet
Late Mornings (8am to 12pm)
Bowl of organic rolled oats with a cup of blueberries and one sliced banana
Snack of mixed nuts (one small zip lock bag full) (roasted unsalted peanuts, cashews, brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts)
1 green apple
1 tangerine
1 Ezekiel Bread or Kamut bread sandwich (2 slices) with a small amount of organic almond butter (almonds are the only ingredient-no added sugars or oils) and a sugar-free jam.
I switch between these 2 meals for lunch: 1 small bowl of whole wheat elbow pasta. Sauce: organic crushed tomatoes with oregano, garlic powder, italian seasoning, basil and red crushed peppers. No Oil. OR 2 whole grain wraps with black bean spread, corn, salsa (no-oil) from whole foods with black pepper and sea salt.
Afternoon 1pm to 5/6pm):
20 Mary’s Crackers with a few spoons of no-oil babaganoush (from whole foods)
1 10 oz protein shake made with unsweetened almond milk and vanilla flavored vegan rice protein
Salad: Chopped kale, spring mix, romaine lettuce, chopped cucumber, tomatoes, scallion, corn, half avocado. Spices/Dressing: turmeric, black pepper, sea salt, cayenne pepper, cumin, red crushed pepper with a little bit of tahini (no added oils) & fresh lemon juice.
Large bowl of black rice cooked in water (1 cup cooked), 1 cup mushrooms sautéed with water (no oil), and spinach, onion, tomato, roasted cauliflower, broccoli, two tablespoons of black beans, and chopped green beans. Drizzles with tahini.
1/4 Bar of Hu Vegan Dark Chocolate
After dinner I take another 4 PSX Daily Fiber Capsules
Friday nights: dinner swap out rice bowl for a recipe from forks over knives + few slices of freshly baked Kamut bread.
Weekends Lunch:
Whole wheat pizza (no oil, no cheese) with tomato sauce and toppings: sliced tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, broccoli, red bell pepper
Veggie whole wheat pizza with no cheese or oil
Photo Courtesy of Alkamamma
Some notes and tips:
Eating Out:
If I go out to eat I always check the menu beforehand and choose the meals that I want so I know what to expect. If the restaurant has absolutely nothing that makes sense and I can't change the venue, then I typically eat a meal before I go and just have a few drinks and a salad at dinner (no oil!) or steamed veggies.
When going out to eat my go-to meals are:
Pizza with veggies and no cheese
Pasta made with chopped tomatoes used as sauce (no oil)
Bread and salad with Vinegar and pepper (no oil). And if I can’t order those things?
Look for side dishes that you can mix and match like roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli and spinach or roasted cauliflower.
A salad -no cheese, and no dressing (use fresh lemon and pepper instead).
Timing is important:
Try to front-load more of your calories and meals in the earlier part of the day before 12pm. Studies have shown that your body does better at burning calories when they are consumed during the day as opposed to having a big meal at night. Many people who do intermittent fasting don’t eat all morning until the afternoon. But the more effective method is to stop eating earlier in the afternoon and fast through the evening until morning. I’ve been doing this for a few weeks now and have seen much better results.
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