Nutrition 

My philosophy on nutrition is one that supports the body for day to day activities and for healthy exercise and play. Some of these are bad for obvious reasons (ie sugar, flour) and some seem to stir up some questions.

I utilize diet/nutrition as a ‘healing’ source and also for providing nutrients for support for function and recovery. The reason legumes is a ‘do-not’ list is simply due to the variants in all of us. In other words, some of us can digest legumes more efficiently than others. For those that have no problem with legumes, dairy might be difficult for them and vice versa for those who have difficulty digesting legumes, dairy may not bother you. The point is we are all different and our bodies (ie genetics) varies and we must find what works for us as individuals, not a cookie cutter approach based on dogma, belief systems or fad diets. 

Either way you must understand that some things that do actually bother you on a cellular level may not present with signs other than lethargy and /or bloating. These are signs that your body is struggling with digestion. So, the goal is to clean up all possible threats to your system and allow it to heal in and of itself.

When it pertains to grains and bran’s, the idea here is to eliminate allergic responses. Again, these responses may be subtle and somewhat undetected (read under headaches) but they are there and over time they can destroy your GI tract. 

Most of you know someone or have heard of someone that has a ‘gluten intolerance’ or Crohn's disease.  This happens when a protein that originates from grain & wheat causes a gut irritation or inflammation of the digestive tract which can increase its permeability (food or substance ability to exit the gut into the body or vice versa - and this is BAD!).  When these foods or substances enter our bodies or blood stream our bodies natural defenses kick in and boom you end up with some serious inflammatory responses and some as serious as Crohn's.  

Below is a basic outline of food choices and guidelines.  My nutrition plan for you may vary based on your needs and willingness to change a few things, but in general this is a great starting point. 

Lean Protein:

• Grass fed beef
• Free range chicken & eggs
• Wild caught fish & shellfish

Good Fats:

• Avocado
• Coconut Oil, milk & unsweetened flakes
• Olive oil
• Some nuts & seeds: Macadamia & walnuts are ideal

Veggies/Carbs: (Organic Preferred)

• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Kale
• Cabbage
• Asparagus
• Cauliflower
• Onions
• Sweet Potato - primary use for post workout and high intensity athletes (including weekend warriors!)
• White Rice - this is reserved for those in high level sports (collegiate or professional level) and as a change to the daily sweet potato to help change things up. 

NOTE: Frozen veggies are not ideal, however I recommend always having a few bags on had just in case. We cannot always plan ahead for unforeseen situations.

Fruits & Berries (Organic Preferred)

• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Strawberries
• Melons

Now for the do NOT’s:

• ALL grains & flour products
  Examples: Breads/ grains / cookies/ cake/ scones/ tortillas / pastries…etc…..
• ALL sugars
  Examples: Soda’s / capri suns / jamba juice / naked juices….etc…..
• Artificial sweeteners
• potato’s / corn / beans / rice
• peanuts
• All processed foods
  NOTE: If there are more ingredients on the label than in your personal name and address, put it down and walk away!
• Dairy
  NOTE: YES dairy. I know, how bad can milk, yogurt or cheese be. It is based on an allergic response not a ‘good v. bad’ idea. This is something that most re-introduce after the 14-day initial period. Please try no dairy for 2 weeks and see how you feel and then re-introduce and see how you feel after. Chances are you will do just fine, but try it and see.