Dieting works!
Are you dieting to lose weight or to become healthier? Most diets work because you are conscious about nutrition and most successful diets have one or more of the following features;
- Sugar intake is reduced
- The total calorie intake is reduced
- More protein is eaten
- More healthy fats are eaten
- Fewer allergens are eaten
- There is no longer eating in the evening
- More plant-based food
The perfect diet
If we put all the data from all diets together and create one diet, we will arrive at a diet that pays attention to both what is eaten and when it is eaten. What we make a distinction is the timing. We have a timing for dieting for weight loss. And we describe a timing for a diet to support a healthy lifestyle (maintenance diet).
Timing weight loss diet
If you really want to lose weight healthily, it is best to shorten the time frame in which you eat. This is called intermittent fasting. How extreme you want to approach this depends on your health. Eating only between 12 and 6 p.m. is an example of where losing weight happens fairly quickly. Eating between 2 and 6 p.m. is more difficult to maintain but works very well for losing weight quickly. We recommend starting with a time window of 8 hours. For example, eating between 10 am and 6 pm. If you want to shift the time window by 1 to 2 hours, that is of course no problem.
After waking up, make a cup of coffee or green tea with a tablespoon of coconut oil and a tablespoon of grass-fed butter. You can also drink as much water as you want. As long as you are not yet in your eating window but you feel hungry, take a second cup of coffee with a tablespoon of coconut oil and a tablespoon of grass-fed butter.
Maintenance diet timing
During the maintenance diet or healthy lifestyle, you do not have to adhere to a time window for eating. You can drink coffee in the morning with a tablespoon of coconut oil and a tablespoon of grass-fed butter and then slowly start eating the foods described below. It is also no problem if you start eating a little later in the morning. However, eating food should stop about 3 hours before you go to sleep.
Food preparation
Overcooking food deteriorates the quality of the food. Products are sometimes best eaten raw and vegetables are often al dente. Having to chew your food also improves health and body composition. When baking products or using the oven, make sure that you use 180 degrees Celsius as the maximum temperature.
The foods
Drinks
Drink at least 2 liters of clean fluid during the day to remove waste products. Especially if you are losing weight. Here are the recommended drinks.
- Filtered water
- Water with a little lemon/lime
- Nut milk (unsweetened, max 1 glass per day)
- Tea (green or herbal)
- Coffee (not after 1 p.m.)
- Coconut water (during sports)
Vegetables
You can eat the vegetables below alternately during your eating window. Make sure your diet consists of approximately 30-50% vegetables. Organic is better than not organic. Do you not buy organic vegetables? Rinse it well with warm water.
- Artichoke
- asparagus
- Cauliflower
- Kale
- Spring onion
- Broccoli
- Zucchini
- Cucumber
- Bok choy
- Leek
- Radish
- Celery
- Salad
- Green beans
- Spinach
- Sprouts
- Fennel (max half per day)
- White cabbage
- Carrots
Fruit
A handful of fruit per day is the recommended maximum. We recommend taking a handful of fruit before or after heavy physical work. Fruit and starchy products fall under the blood sugar-raising products and this group has its own eating window of 2 hours a day. Here is a list of the best types of fruit.
- Strawberries
- Pineapple
- Avocado
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Lemon
- Cranberries
- Raspberries
- Pomegranate
- Grapefruit (note medication)
- Apple (green and sour)
- Lime
- Mandarine
- Olives
- Black berries
Starch
The following products contain a lot of starch and, just like with fruit, you should only eat 1 handful per day during the eating window of blood sugar-raising products. So eat the products below within 2 hours before or after eating the above fruits.
- Potatoes
- Banana
- Cassava (must be thoroughly cooked because it is poisonous raw)
- Butternut squash
- Pumpkin
- Rice varieties
- Taro
- Carrot
- Yam
- Sweet potato
Spices
You can use unlimited spices during your eating window and you can also add a little cinnamon to your morning coffee. Please note that if you buy a spice mix, no sugars and a lot of salt have been added. Mixing yourself with loose herbs is wiser. Also try using fresh herbs sometimes. You can use iodized sea salt in moderation.
Proteins
The sources of protein below are best when the fish and animals are wild-caught or the livestock is grass-fed. About 20-30 percent of your daily diet consists of the following products.
- Anchovies
- Trout
- Herring
- Sardines
- Haddock
- Sockeye salmon
- Tongue
- Summerbot
- Wild meat
- Grass-fed chicken
- Grass-fed lamb
- Grass-fed beef
- Chicken egg from grass-fed chicken
Adding protein through preparations can also be useful, especially when you do a lot of sports or heavy physical exertion. We recommend the following protein powders.
Whey hydrolyzate is a predigested milk protein with high absorption and high bioavailability. For athletes and people with an increased protein requirement, this protein is ideal for obtaining the right amino acids in high numbers.
Pepto Pro is predigested casein protein that has been divided into peptides and these are even more absorbable, but the biological value is slightly lower than whey.
Silverback Protein is a vegetable pea protein supplemented with extra essential amino acids so that it has just as good biological value as whey, but plant-based and without lactose.
Essential amino acid blend is a mix of amino acids to supplement the proteins from your diet without actually adding extra proteins. This option is especially useful if you think you are eating enough protein, but not the right amino acids.
Nuts and seeds
A handful of nuts and a tablespoon of seeds per day during your eating window is recommended. The best choice are the unroasted and unsalted varieties. Alternate with the following products
- Almonds
- Cashew nuts
- Hazelnuts
- Chestnuts
- Macadamias
- Pecans
- Walnuts
- Mix of seeds
Fats
Because this diet consists of approximately 25-40% of healthy fats, you can use or supplement the following products liberally.
- Coconut oil
- Avocado oil
- Krill oil
- Fish oil
- Grass-fed butter
- Ghee (clarified butter)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Linseed oil
- Hemp seed oil
Cheat day
It is actually good for losing weight and the chance of success to have a cheat day. During this festive day you can eat whatever you want. According to various studies, 1 cheat day every 2 weeks is better than no cheat day at all. Try not to have more than 1 cheat day per week.