WHAT DO I EAT? The success of the Macro Nutrition Plan is based on the Freedom of Choice. Making healthier choices will allow you to feel better and eat more during the day, but in moderation there are no “bad” foods. As long as they fit into your numbers and are spread out proportionally throughout the day, the world of food is open to you. Below are lists of foods by macronutrient, charts detailing those that overlap, sample meal plans, and BIGGER BANG FOR YOUR BUCK tips. Most effective plans include 3 meals a day and am and pm snacks—The timing of meals is less important than you may think, but you’ll want to eat roughly every 3 hours to avoid hunger and keep your body fueled. Not eating in the morning or before workouts will leave you hungrier later in the day and more likely to gas out during exercise, and eating late at night may leave you bloated or uncomfortable before you go to bed. *Tip: Program in foods that drive you first. Be careful with portion size to ensure that you are not hungry throughout the day. For example, plan for HaloTop Ice Cream for a pm snack first to have something to look forward to, and work the rest of your daily macros around it. **Also, drink at least 90 oz of water daily plus 30 oz with exercise. KEY! Helps you stay full and flush out waste.
PROTEIN: •
Chicken (boneless, skinless)
•
Pork
•
Ground beef (choose lean)
•
Steak (lean)
•
Ground turkey/chicken
•
Eggs (also fat and good source for micronutrients)
•
Egg whites (Pure protein. You can buy these cartons next to eggs at market)
•
Fish
•
Deli meat
•
Shell fish
•
Greek yogurt
•
Whey protein
•
Casein protein
Other Protein sources for Vegetarians. Several of these overlap with Carbs/Fats: •
Quinoa. Protein: 8 grams per 1 cup serving, cooked. ...
•
Buckwheat. Protein: 6 grams per 1 cup serving, cooked. ...
•
Soy. Protein: 10 grams per ½ cup serving (firm tofu), 15 grams per ½ cup serving (tempeh), 15 grams per ½ cup serving (natto) ...
•
Mycoprotein (Quorn) ...
•
Rice and Beans. ...
•
Tofu
•
Ezekiel Bread. ...
•
Seitan. ...
•
Hummus and Pita.
•
Spinach
•
Sundried tomatoes
•
Lentils
•
Almonds
•
Nuts
•
Nut butters
•
Chickpea pasta (Banza)
•
Oatmeal
•
Avocados
•
Protein shakes/bars (lots of varieties!)
1
CARBOHYDRATES:
FATS:
•
Potatoes (sweet or white)
•
Olive oil
•
Oats
•
Coconut oil
•
Rice
•
Avocado (carbs/protein)
•
Rice cakes
•
Butter
•
Pasta
•
Nuts (all three macros also)
•
Bread
•
Cheese (all three as well)
•
Fruit
•
Olives
•
Vegetables
•
Cereal
•
Quinoa (contains protein)
•
*Candy (if this drives you, there is nothing wrong with a few gummy bears now and then or even chocolate squares to round out left over carbs. Candy is all sugar so program in low amounts so it doesn’t sap you of carbs for the day or make you feel sluggish)
2
ALCOHOL: Best Results come from Abstention. Alcohol is empty calories (no nutritional value) and reduces the amount of fat your body has to burn so if you choose to drink, you will be charged 10g of fat per beverage. That said, the Macro plan works best because it removes the deprivation factor that leads to failure in most diet plans. If we deprive our bodies of things we enjoy like fast-acting carbs (and drinks!), we will crave it, overeat/drink, and gain weight back! I recommend abstaining from alcohol during the first few weeks so we can get an accurate sense of how your body is adjusting, and then adding in limited drinks/cocktails so that they work into your numbers. For those who drink regularly, you may find that tracking will help you cut down because it’s more satisfying to eat your carbs/fat than to drink them! Clear liquors have fewer carbs than dark. You can find SmartShred alcohol adjustments in MFP. Type in SmartShred and a list will come up.
3
SAMPLE MEALS: BREAKFAST OPTIONS: •
Eggs (and/or egg whites) with *Toast (see Bigger Bang), or sweet potato scramble with salsa.
•
Coffee with cream/milk
•
Greek yogurt with cereal and/or fruit
•
Oatmeal (high protein varieties)
•
*High protein bagel with cheese/eggs
•
*FlapJacked Protein Pancakes
•
Protein shakes
•
Cereal and milk with banana (high carb) or other fruit
LUNCH: •
•
AM / PM SNACK: •
Greek yogurt
•
Nuts
•
Protein bar/shake
•
Low fat/sugar pudding
•
Apple and nut butter
•
Banana with peanut butter
•
*Cookie butter and *Joseph’s Lavash
•
Hummus and Pita
•
HaloTop Ice Cream (add cereal for crunch/low-fat whipped cream)
•
Low Carb Ice Cream Cones
•
Baked bell pepper cups with ground meat/poultry and cheese or quinoa
Turkey/Tuna wrap (Lavash) or sandwich
•
Fish tacos
Salad (will need to weigh/account for
•
Salad with protein and avocado
•
Cod with lemon and cauliflower rice
each ingredient) with protein (meat/ tuna/crab meat/chickpeas/tofu/ sundried tomatoes) •
Hummus and pita
•
Peanut butter sandwich
•
Bean salad
and salsa •
Mexican Tuna Salad with avocado
•
Portobello mushroom burger with cheese and salsa
•
DINNER: •
beans and coconut rice) Grilled Chicken with Cauliflower Rice (or reg, lower portion)
•
Rice and beans (mango salsa black
Zucchini/butternut/spaghetti squash noodles with *Rao’s pasta sauce (with or without meat)
•
Indian chickpea stew with brown rice
•
Cauliflower crust pizza
Dry seasoning will help doctor up any meal (use sparingly for low-sodium plans)
4
BIGGER BANG FOR YOUR BUCK: Choosing foods with lower carbs and fats can help you eat more and stay full. Here are a few to incorporate and swap in place of higher macro options. •
Joseph’s Lavash (Net Carbs: Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Flour Lavash Bread). With the pita bread beneath most market deli counters
•
P28 High Protein Bagels (Wegman’s or online)
•
Rao’s Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
•
Cauliflower crust pizza (Trader Joe’s)
•
Flatout pizza bread (Stop and Shop, Shaw’s, Hannaford)
•
Egg Beaters
•
FlapJacked (protein cakes/pancakes/muffins)
•
HaloTop/Enlighted/Breyers Delight (low calorie/fat ice cream)
•
Low-fat whipped cream
•
Keebler or Food Club Ice Cream Cups (only 3-4 carbs per serving) or Let’s Do…Gluten Free Ice Cream cones (2 carbs)
•
Cookie Butter (lots of varieties at Trader Joe’s)
•
Fiber One Protein Bars. Caramel Nut (tastes like Snickers to me!), or Quest, Rx, SimplyProtein, One (lots of options).
•
OhSnap Pickles (Target) Macro Free!
•
Salsa is very low macro and can doctor up a lot of meals!
•
Yellow mustard is also free
Love and Good Health, Robin Curley Founder—SmartShredNutrition robin@smartshrednutrition.com 978-758-5450
5