The problem is that they don’t get their energy from the right foods. When you follow a carbohydrate-based diet, your blood sugar rises and falls sharply with every meal. When it goes down, so does your energy—this is the crash you feel shortly after lunchtime that makes you want to fall asleep at work in the afternoon.

By reducing the amount of carbs you eat and replacing them with healthy sources of fat, you can stabilize blood sugar and enjoy steady energy and greater mental focus all day. These are two characteristics of a ketogenic diet, the ultimate version of a low-carb approach to nutrition that’s also a great strategy for losing weight, preventing or fighting serious illness, and promoting a myriad of other health benefits.

Let this guide answer all your questions about how to “go keto,” from the original strict diet that started the low-carb craze to the modern, more flexible adaptations that may better serve athletes and people looking to adopt healthier eating habits.

What Is A Ketogenic Diet?

Like the Atkins Diet, a ketogenic diet is very low in carbs, however, the difference is that—in a ketogenic diet—the majority of calories come from fat and protein intake is lower. Here’s how it works: Most people take in the bulk of their calories from carbs, so when you restrict carb intake and increase your fats, you send the body the message that it must switch fuel sources. The liver begins to convert fat—both the fat you eat and the body fat you store—into molecules called ketones. When the number of ketones rises to a certain level in your blood stream, you are officially in a state of “ketosis.” At this point, your body uses fat as its primary energy source.

The medically-defined ketogenic diet has 75% of daily calorie intake come from fat, 20% from protein, and 5% from carbs. However, most of the benefits of ketosis can be achieved with additional, moderate amounts of carbohydrate, taken in post-exercise. The medical model of five percent carbohydrate is unnecessarily restrictive—especially if you exercise.

A modified version where 40–60% of your calories come from fat, 20–40% come from protein, and the remaining 20% from carbs typically works great for most people. (See “I Work Out. Is A Ketogenic Diet Right For Me?”) We call this approach—which appears to be more practical and sustainable for most—Mod Keto, and use that term to refer to those numbers throughout this article. While it may not technically put you into ketosis, you’ll keep insulin low enough to promote fat loss (see below) and mental focus while still having enough energy for hard workouts. Maybe best of all, you’ll enjoy the freedom to eat a wider breadth of food than you could on a classic ketogenic diet.

Where Does The Ketogenic Diet Come From?

People have inadvertently followed ketogenic diets for as long as they’ve walked the earth. Before the advent of agriculture, when humans had to hunt and gather their food, it was common to fast for long periods and then take in mostly fat and protein foods, with only limited carbohydrates coming from berries and vegetables. Avoiding food—particularly carbs—for long periods makes your body think that food is scarce, and it responds by making several adjustments to become more efficient with your energy. You don’t have to fast to make a ketogenic diet effective, but the two are often done in combination for the best results.

Suprisingly, Research has found that ketogenic diets have been formally prescribed to treat epilepsy since before 500 B.C. In the 1920s, they were adopted by Johns Hopkins Medical Center as a means of treating epileptic children, and have been used there ever since. In recent years, ketogenic diets have been investigated for their potential in treating several diseases (see “What Are The Health Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet?”)

How Will a Ketogenic Diet Help Me Lose Weight?

Since you begin to burn more fat for fuel, ketogenic diets make losing pure body fat much easier.

There’s a hormonal component at play too. When you eat carbs, your blood sugar (glucose) rises sharply. It rises when you eat anything, but carbs convert most quickly to glucose. The pancreas releases insulin to take excess sugar out of the bloodstream, storing most of it as fat. Because ketogenic diets minimize carb intake, insulin levels are kept low, limiting the calories that can be stored in your fat cells.

This is often cited as a reason why ketogenic diets tend to outperform low-fat diets in clinical trials. A study in the journal Lipids found that ketogenic dieters lost almost twice as much weight as a group following a low-fat diet over 12 weeks, even though calorie intake in both groups was the same. Incredibly, ketogenic diets often promote weight loss even when calories aren’t controlled. A trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine allowed a keto group to consume as many protein and fat-rich foods as they wanted, while the low-fat dieters had to restrict their calories. After six months, the low-carb eaters enjoyed significantly greater weight loss, and still slightly more after a whole year.

If this makes you question the old adage that “a calorie is a calorie,” and that it’s the overall number of calories you eat that determines whether you gain or lose weight, you’re right to be skeptical. A study from Nutrition & Metabolism had subjects follow either a ketogenic diet or a low-fat diet and then switch diets for the same amount of time (50 days for the men in the study; 30 days for the women). In each case, the participants tried to cut 500 calories from what they had been eating, but in the keto approach, the men ended up eating significantly more. Nevertheless, cutting carbs worked better for losing fat for both men and women across the board. More impressive still is the fact that the men lost three times as much fat directly from around their waists as they did dieting on low fat.

Results are one thing, but no diet will work long-term if it makes you miserable to follow it. You’ll quit, return to your old ways of eating, and regain the weight. But this is where a ketogenic or Mod Keto approach really shines. Fats and proteins are highly satiating; eating them keeps you feeling fuller, so you’re less likely to feel like you’re “starving”—even when your calories are low—and you break your diet to pig out. A study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association on overweight women found that not only did they lose more weight on keto than they did with a higher-carb, lower-fat plan, they reported feeling less hungry throughout the diet.

As we recently reported in our rebuttal to the Netflix documentary What The Health, two of the earliest studies that compared the effects of carb- and fat-based diets found strikingly different outcomes in how the subjects felt and behaved. Although calories were equal for both groups, the high-carb gang complained of being lethargic and depressed, while the high-fat eaters remained energetic and satiated from their meals.

What Are The Health Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet?

Apart from all the pros that come with dropping body fat, a ketogenic diet can improve several other aspects of health and even treat serious disease. A ketogenic diet can…

1. Increase focus

As we alluded to in the beginning, a carb-rich diet puts your blood sugar on a roller coaster ride all day. When it’s down, so is your ability think clearly and focus, colloquially known as “brain fog.” There hasn’t been much research on the ketogenic diet’s effect on brain fog in healthy people, but the first thing most notice after they cut carbs (even in the first day) is clearer thinking and a better attention span (that is, until they come down with the “keto flu”—see below—which is very temporary).

Ultimately, once you’re in ketosis, the brain can get 70% of its energy from ketones, so pay no attention to rumors you’ve heard that the brain “runs on carbs” and your IQ will drop when you cut them out. In addition, your body is adept at generating any additional glucose necessary through a process called gluconeogenesis.  Some find that they’re so alert on low carbs that they don’t need coffee in the morning.

2. Benefits for Epileptics

Since ketogenic diets promote better thinking, it shouldn’t be surprising to find that they have other positive effects on the brain too. Epilepsy is a brain disease that causes seizures and loss of consciousness. Research has shown that a ketogenic diet can help reduce symptoms in about half of epileptic patients. Furthermore, a study in The Lancet found that children who followed a ketogenic diet for three months—and previously hadn’t responded to medication—saw their seizures decrease by an average of 75%.

3. Benefits to Cancer Therapy

Cancers thrive under high-glucose conditions where there is a lot of sugar in the bloodstream. It stands to reason then that reducing glucose levels would help to combat cancer cells. This is one theory behind why ketogenic diets are effective for treating tumors, particularly in the brain and digestive tract. A 2015 article in the International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology sums up the findings of multiple studies on ketogenic diets and cancer with the following: “there is increasing evidence that the ketogenic diet may also be beneficial as an adjuvant cancer therapy by potentiating the antitumor effect of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.”

4. Benefits for Cardiovascular Health

Based on mainstream media fear mongering, you might think that a diet high in meat and animal products could damage your heart, but research on ketogenic diets shows the opposite. A review of studies that pitted low-carb and low-fat diets against each other for better heart health found that the low-carb approach was more effective for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease after six months and at least as effective (if not more) after 12 months. A 2012 meta-analysis in Obesity Reviews—23 studies examined; data collected from more than 1,100 subjects—confirmed the favorable effects of keto dieting on major cardiovascular risk factors.

5. Benefits for Skin Health

Remember when your mom would tell you that your zits were caused by all the junk food you ate? She may not have been crazy after all. A 2012 review in Skin Pharmacology and Physiology concluded that a ketogenic diet used as a short-term intervention (30–60 days) can support hormone levels that affect acne.

6. Eliminate Food Allergens From Diet

Many people have allergies or intolerances to the gluten in wheat, as well as beans and sugary foods, without even realizing it. They assume that digestive problems and brain fog are a normal part of life, but they don’t have to be. As these foods aren’t allowed on a ketogenic diet, you may notice near-instant relief upon eliminating them. See “What Can’t I Eat On A Ketogenic Diet” for a full list of banned foods.

What Can I Eat On A Ketogenic Diet?

In short, lots of fat and protein. Many times, when ketogenic diets are prescribed, dieters aren’t asked to restrict their intake of either nutrient in any way—that includes letting people eat as many saturated fats as they like. Although there are exceptions, many people find that relying on fat and protein keeps them satisfied to the point where they don’t feel the need to eat a lot of food. They don’t overeat, so they don’t have to keep close watch of their calories.

One of the great pleasures that a ketogenic diet offers is the liberal consumption of classic “guy foods.” You’re free to eat burgers (as long as they’re without a bun), cheese, and even bacon—provided that you’re sourcing them from high-quality, organic, suppliers. Here’s a list of the main food sources that get the keto stamp of approval.

Meat

Classic ketogenic diets don’t make any distinction about the quality and sourcing of your meats. Most diet researchers who are looking to help people lose weight quickly in a clinical setting don’t care if they eat grass-fed organic beef versus ground chuck that comes from a feedlot—but we do. There are proven nutritional benefits to consuming naturally sourced vs. conventional meats, especially in the long term. Do your best to eat organic, pasture-raised meats: red meat, chicken and turkey, and game meats. The Mod Keto diet we like uses these whenever possible.

Whole eggs

Preferably from pasture-raised hens and high in omega-3 fats (for the same reasons as organic meat).

Fish

Always wild caught if possible and the fattier the better. Salmon, trout, mackerel, and sardines are popular choices, whereas the larger predatory fish like tuna and swordfish are typically high in toxic metals like mercury and should be avoided most of the time.

Dairy

Organic and from grass-fed cows is crucial here. Butter, cream, unprocessed cheese (cheddar, not Velveeta). Note: milk is NOT included due to its carb content.

Avocados

Bring on the guacamole!

Fibrous vegetables

Greens, peppers, onions, garlic, cauliflower, and so on. Although technically a fruit, and fruit intake should be limited (see “What Can’t I Eat on a Ketogenic Diet” below), tomatoes are allowed, as they’re low in carbs.

Unrefined oils

Coconut, avocado, and extra-virgin olive oil, primarily.

Nuts and seeds

Go easy on these. While they’re great sources of fat, nuts and seeds contain small amounts of carbohydrate that can easily add up to something significant because they’re fairly easy to overeat (how many times have you absent-mindedly killed a jar of almond butter or a bag of pistachios?). If you’re following Mod Keto, they’re OK, but watch your portions. Macadamia nuts, pecans, and Brazil nuts are some of the safest choices.

Some condiments

Salt, pepper, salsa, mustard, horseradish, and various herbs and spices.

What Can’t I Eat on a Ketogenic Diet?

Basically, anything high in carbs—no matter how nutritious it is otherwise—should be minimized or banned from your kitchen.

Sugar

This encompasses soda, fruit juice, smoothies, pastries, candy, and desserts, as well as some condiments like ketchup and barbecue sauce.

Alcohol

No smart diet allows you to booze, but in addition to the problematic effects of alcohol by itself, most drinks contain sugar. However, the occasional small serving of dry red wine may not kick you out of ketosis or otherwise spoil your fat-burning efforts.

Processed foods

Crackers, chips, or any snacks labeled as “low-fat,” no matter what other nutritional benefits they may claim. Also included here: foods that contain sugar alcohols (such as sorbitol or xylitol). These are common in “sugar-free” foods and may negatively affect ketone levels.

Fruit

The sugar content is too great. However, small amounts of berries are low in sugar, and can be part of a ketogenic diet.

Grains

Oats, corn, rice, pasta, bread, and other wheat-based products. See “Are There Any Other Exceptions To The Rules?” below.

Beans

Peas, lentils, kidney beans, garbanzos, etc. Again, see our section on exceptions.

Processed fats and oils

Mayonnaise, soybean oil, canola oil, and other vegetable oils.

Are Starchy Vegetables Keto?

On a strict keto diet plan, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, parsnips, and other root vegetables and tubers are blackballed. However, if you’re doing a ketogenic diet and working out, or the Mod Keto diet we like, you may want some extra carbs to support your workouts, and these foods should be your main source. See “I Work Out. Can I Do A Ketogenic Diet?”

Are There Any Other Exceptions To The Rules?

On Mod Keto, you can get away with eating moderate amounts of other carb-based foods such as fermented bread (sourdough), sprouted grains, and chickpeas. This version allows for a broader selection of foods because it recognizes the nutritional benefits of some carb foods regardless of their lack of compliance with a strict keto diet. Sourdough and sprouted grains, for example, contain numerous vitamins and minerals in a highly digestible form, and chickpeas are high in fiber, slowing down your body’s digestion of their carbohydrates and preventing the blood sugar spikes that raise insulin. When these foods are eaten late in the day or after workouts, the small hazards they pose to the effectiveness of ketogenic dieting are greatly offset and don’t outweigh the benefits. See “I Work Out. Can I Do A Ketogenic Diet?”

What Does A Day of Keto Meals Look Like?

Below is a sample day of eating for someone who’s just easing into a ketogenic diet.

Breakfast

Omelet made with (organic) eggs, tomato, and mixed peppers, cooked in coconut oil. Sliced avocado.

Lunch

Grilled (wild caught) salmon, salad dressed with olive oil and vinegar

Snack

Handful of cheese (from grass-fed, organic dairy), handful of almonds

Dinner

(Grass-fed) burger topped with salsa and (organic) bacon, asparagus spears dressed with (organic, grass-fed) butter.

As mentioned earlier, protein can raise insulin just as carbs can. The body actually makes carbs from protein in a process called gluconeogenesis, so it’s important that any high-protein food you eat be paired with fat and fiber sources to slow its digestion and keep insulin in check. Never eat egg whites—go with whole eggs and pair them with avocado. White fish are lean, so cook them in butter or oil, and eat them with vegetables.

Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, to get better results, consider cutting the number of meals you eat back and combining the diet with long fasts (called intermittent fasting). For example, start by skipping breakfast. Remember that our Paleolithic ancestors discovered ketosis out of necessity—they had to hunt and forage for food, and often went long stretches without any. Scientists believe that many of the benefits of going keto come from its mimicking the early stages of starvation. Your body is in fight-or-flight mode, which helps account for the alertness you experience. To take full advantage of the diet, you can gradually scale back to having one meal per day at night.

This isn’t as severe as it sounds. Without eating, your mind will be sharp and you’ll burn fat at a greater rate. To control hunger, you can drink water and coffee, blended with butter or MCT Oil, as needed (see “What Supplements Can I Take on a Ketogenic Diet?” below). At night, you can eat as much as you want. This strategy works well for people looking to lose weight (especially the very overweight) and improve general health.

Note, however, that if you’re an athlete, you’ll probably need to take in more food to support your activity and muscle mass. See “I Work Out. Is A Ketogenic Diet Right For Me?”

What Is The “Keto Flu?”

As your body switches over from fueling itself with carbohydrate to fat, there is going to be a little bit of a lag. This is what people call the Keto Flu, since at some point during the first two weeks of a ketogenic diet people can feel lethargic, moody, have difficulty sleeping, and even develop bad breath. Stick with it. All of this is normal and will pass as your body adjusts to ketosis. The bad breath is the result of a specific kind of ketone that exits the body through breath; you can mask it with a chlorophyll– or sugar-free mint.

It takes anywhere from three to six months to become fully adapted to using ketones, but the worst should be behind you in a matter of days, and you’ll be feeling better than ever.

Is the Ketogenic Diet Safe?

We listed keto’s numerous health benefits above, but a diet that’s heavy on meat and all but bans fruit and whole grains flies in the face of conventional nutrition dogma, leaving many to wonder if going keto might be dangerous long-term.

For most reasonably healthy adults, there’s no evidence to suggest that it is. Interestingly, our colleagues at Healthline.com unearthed a particularly powerful piece of evidence from the US Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board. Their 2005 report clearly states that, “The lower limit of dietary carbohydrates compatible with life apparently is zero, provided that adequate amounts of protein and fat are consumed.” While they don’t recommend consuming no carbs at all, and neither do we, it goes to show that extremely low doses are not only safe but natural as well.

How Do I Know If I’m In Ketosis?

The only way to be sure is by testing your blood glucose and ketone levels with a monitor (we like the Precision Xtra, available on amazon.com for $40). But not only is this invasive (you have to prick your finger), it can get expensive, as the monitor requires test strips too which can be five dollars each. Ketosis can also be measured through devices that analyze breath and urine, but these aren’t as accurate.

A low-tech, low-cost way to check that you’re on the right track is look for the telltale signs: keto flu and bad breath in the early stages, and then reduced hunger and fast weight loss. If you’re watching your carbs and staying true to the diet, it’s just a matter of time before you settle into ketosis—or close enough to it (if you’re following the Mod Keto protocol) to see and feel results.

I Work Out. Is a Ketogenic Diet Right For Me?

Sports nutrition science has long preached that carbohydrates are the body’s best and preferred fuel source during exercise, but research is emerging to suggest that they don’t have to be. A study published in Nutrition Metabolism looked at overweight women who weight trained on a ketogenic diet, finding that they lost body fat without significant loss of lean body mass.

Another trial from the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that a month of keto dieting didn’t negatively affect performance in gymnasts while decreasing their body fat levels. Furthermore, the researchers determined that muscle was spared specifically due to ketosis. In other words, despite a low-calorie intake, the athletes didn’t lose significant amounts of muscle because their bodies used ketones for fuel—not protein from their muscle tissue.

Other studies have shown that ketogenic diets don’t hurt strength or endurance (once the athlete is fully adapted to them), but if you’re a dedicated gym goer or highly active person, we don’t see a need to take the textbook keto approach. A more moderate, low-carb plan (such as Mod Keto) will work fine. According to Onnit’s Director of Total Human Optimization, Kyle Kingsbury, a former pro athlete who has experimented with low-carb diets for years, getting 40–60% of your calories from fat, 20–40% from protein, and 20% from carbs is a good balance that will give you the weight loss and focus benefits of ketosis without the potential for low energy or slow recovery from exercise.

If you’re a more passive exerciser and not doing aggressive workouts like high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which is characterized by short bursts of all-out work efforts interspersed with short rest periods, you won’t need as many carbs and can therefore increase your fats even more. In that case, a diet closer to 65% fat, 25% protein, and 10% carbs may be more appropriate.

Dominic D’Agostino, one of the world’s foremost researchers of ketogenic diets—and an amateur bodybuilder—has said that he personally takes in 65%–70% of his calories from fat and 20–30% from protein.

Try timing the carbs you do take in strategically. Carbing up at night after you’ve trained will make your liver and muscles soak up the carbs they need to recover from the workout and fuel your next one. Starchy, slow-releasing carbs like potatoes and other tubers would be perfect. Do NOT eat carbs before you train, as they will replace fat as your fuel source for the workout.

How Do I Set Up A Diet?

The beauty of a low-carb/ketogenic diet is its simplicity. For most people, eating more fat in place of carbs will prevent overeating and lower insulin levels so you lose weight quickly and without having to track calories or macros. Start with that.

However, if you’re an athlete or regular exerciser, or you find you’ve hit a plateau with your diet, you need to start reading labels and recording what you eat. Above, we gave you percentages of total calories to follow, which begs the question, “how many calories should I be eating?” The answer depends on your goals.

If you want to lose weight, multiply your current body weight by 10–12. If you’re very overweight, choose the body weight you’d like to have and times that by 10–12. This isn’t an exact science; you just need a starting point. You can adjust your calories from there as things progress.

If your goal is to maintain your weight but change your body composition (a little more muscle, a little less fat), multiply your body weight by 13–15.

For example, a highly active 180-pound man who wants to lose weight doing Mod Keto would set his calories at 2,200 (180 x 12 = 2160). Fat will make up 60% of his diet, which is 1,320 calories (0.60 x 2200). Since there are nine calories per gram of fat, he’ll eat about 150 grams of fat daily.

Twenty percent of 2,200 is 440 calories, or 110 grams each of protein and carbohydrate (as protein and carbs both contain four calories per gram).

So, in short, this 180-pounder should aim for 2,200 calories consisting of 150 grams fat, 110 grams protein, and 110 grams carbs to diet down.

Whether you work out or not, do your best to consume the bulk of your carbs in the evening with dinner. Not only will this keep your mind sharp during the day when you most need it to be, it will further help your body adapt to using fat for fuel.

What Supplements Can I Take on a Ketogenic Diet?

Going keto is much easier than it used to be. Products now exist that can help you reach ketosis sooner and bring you back into it after a cheat meal here and there. Exogenous ketones—including beta-hydroxybutarate—are ketones made in a lab that function just like the ones your body makes from fat. They’re particularly beneficial in combating the keto flu, helping you think more clearly while your body makes the adjustment.

MCT oil is another go-to for ketogenic dieters. A study in the journal Diabetes found that medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs)—a type of saturated fat—improve cognitive function when blood sugar is low, encouraging the body to generate more ketones for the brain to run on. And, as we reported in our defense of coconut oil last summer, MCT’s are burned quickly for energy. A Journal of Nutrition study comparing subjects who consumed MCT’s or the same amount of long-chain fats lost significantly greater body fat after 12 weeks. Meanwhile, research from 2015 in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that subjects who consumed supplemental MCT’s ate less at meals afterward than those who were given processed corn oil. Their glucose raised less after a meal and their leptin, a hormone that promotes satiety, was higher.

Remember that proteins can raise insulin levels just as carbs do, potentially pushing you out of ketosis or preventing you from reaching it. The ever-popular whey protein is one such offender. In its place, you can supplement with an essential amino acid product. Take a look at products like NatureAminos, which you can pick up HERE. Amino acids do act on insulin, but not to the same extent as whey. You’ll get the muscle-building components of protein in an even more digestible form without threatening your ketogenic diet.

The post The Ketogenic Diet For Weight Loss, Energy, and Better Health appeared first on Onnit Academy.

So, if you’re interested in being vegan and keto, here’s how to do it.

The Complete Vegan Keto Diet and Food List

What Is A Vegan Keto Diet?

First, let’s be clear about what these terms “vegan” and “keto” really mean.

Vegans consume no animal products. Like vegetarians, they don’t eat meat, poultry, or fish, but they also avoid dairy, eggs, and other foods that contain even trace amounts of animal ingredients. Most vegans won’t eat gelatin (made from bones), casein (a milk protein), and fish oil supplements, or refined sugar (some brands of which use cow bones as a whitening agent).

There are many benefits to a vegan diet, including some that affect health and longevity. The authors of a 2016 study found evidence that reducing animal-based foods (when they’re conventionally raised on factory farms, that is, not organic) may reduce the incidence of diabetes, obesity, cataracts, and heart disease. Other people go vegan for ethical reasons, believing animal consumption to be cruel and harmful to the environment.

Now, what about those keto guys and gals?

Ketogenic diets originated in the 1920s as a treatment for epilepsy, but they’ve since been credited for promoting a number of health benefits ranging from improved insulin sensitivity to everyday mental clarity, in addition to fast weight loss. Strict ketogenic—or “keto”—dieters limit carbohydrate intake to about 5% of their daily calories while keeping protein intake at around 20%. Fats, then, make up close to 75% of their calories. (For more details on setting up various ketogenic diets, see our guide HERE.)

Restricting carbs and relying on dietary fat causes the liver to convert fat into molecules called ketones, which are used as fuel. When ketones show up above a certain threshold in your urine or in a breath test, you’re officially in what’s known as ketosis, and your body is running on ketones.

One big reason people go keto is sustained energy. When you don’t eat copious amounts of carbs, levels of insulin—the hormone that controls blood sugar—remain much steadier than they do on the carbohydrate-based diet most people are used to. When your blood sugar is stable, you don’t have afternoon energy crashes that make you want to fall asleep at your desk. A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that a ketogenic diet controlled blood sugar more effectively than a more standard, low-calorie diet that was high in carbs.

Keto diets may also make it easier to burn extra fat off your waistline. Research from 2013 in the British Journal of Nutrition found that keto dieters lost more weight long-term than those who ate a low-fat diet.

Of course, one of the big complaints about a keto diet is that—like a vegan approach—it’s very restrictive and can be hard to stick to. That’s why we like to make people aware of a slightly less rigid approach we call Mod Keto that offers much of the same benefits as a strict keto diet but is much easier to follow long-term. With Mod Keto, carbs are raised to about 20% of your total caloric intake, protein to 20–40%, and fat is reduced to 40–60%. While not technically ketogenic (your body will probably not produce appreciable ketones at these levels), the higher protein and carb allowance supports workouts and activity better while still stabilizing blood sugar and promoting fat burning.

So we’ve got vegan and we’ve got keto… Put them together and you’ve got a plan that has you eating a higher-fat, lower-carb menu that is also devoid of animal products.

It sounds simple enough in theory, but the two approaches can be contradictory. Low-carb, high-fat meat, fish, and poultry are staples for keto dieters, but they don’t work at all for vegans. Meanwhile, high-protein legumes and meat substitutes are go-to’s for vegans, but their carb content makes them verboten for keto adherents.

How, then, does a person balance the two?

The Vegan Keto Food List

The goal for the vegan keto-dieter is to eat:

• plenty of plant-based fats
• some plant-based proteins
• as few carbs possible

Below are some foods that fit the vegan-keto bill nicely, courtesy of Liz MacDowell, N.C., founder of meatfreeketo.com. “This is basically every vegan keto-friendly whole food in your typical North American grocery store,” she says, “which can help take care of the what-can-you-eat-on-vegan-keto question.”

Good protein sources are marked with a “p”, while foods that have a higher-carb content (and should, therefore, be eaten sparingly) are marked with an asterisk (*).

Nuts

• Almonds*
• Brazil nuts
• Hazelnuts/filberts
• Macadamia nuts
• Pecans
• Peanuts*
• Pine nuts*
• Walnuts

Seeds

• Chia
• Hemp
• Pumpkin
• Sunflower

Nut & Seed Butters

• Almond butter
• Coconut butter/coconut manna (“meat” of the coconut)
• Hazelnut butter
• Macadamia nut butter
• Peanut butter
• Pecan butter
• Sunflower seed butter
• Tahini Walnut butter

Other Whole-Food Fat Sources

• • • Avocados
    • Coconuts
    • Olives

Healthy Oils

• • • Almond oil
    • Avocado oil
    • Cacao butter
    • Coconut oil
    • Flaxseed oil
    • Hazelnut oil
    • Macadamia nut oil
    • MCT oil
    • Olive oil

Vegetables

• • • Artichoke hearts
    • Arugula
    • Asparagus
    • Bell peppers
    • Beets*
    • Bok choy
    • Broccoli
    • Brussels sprouts*
    • Cabbage
    • Carrots*
    • Cauliflower
    • Celery
    • Celeriac*
    • Chard
    • Collards
    • Cucumbers
    • Daikon radish
    • Dandelion greens
    • Eggplant
    • Endive
    • Fennel
    • Fiddleheads
    • Garlic
    • Jicama*
    • Kale*
    • Kohlrabi
    • Lettuce (all types)
    • Mushrooms
    • Mustard greens
    • Okra
    • Onion
    • Radishes
    • Rhubarb
    • Rutabaga*
    • Shallots
    • Spinach
    • Squash—winter*
    • Squash—summer
    • Swiss chard
    • Turnips
    • Zucchini

Fruits

• • • Avocados
    • Blueberries*
    • Coconuts
    • Cranberries
    • Lemons
    • Limes
    • Olives
    • Raspberries
    • Strawberries
    • Tomatoes
    • Watermelon

Sauces & Condiments

• • • Chili sauce
    • Hot sauce
    • Hummus*
    • Mustard
    • Soy sauce/tamari
    • Salsa
    • Tomato sauce
    • Vinegar

Vegan Keto Fridge Staples

• • • Apple cider vinegar
    • Dairy-free yogurt*
    • Dairy-free cheese*
    • Pickles
    • Micro-greens
    • Sauerkraut
    • Seitan*(p)
    • Sprouts (all kinds)
    • Tempeh (p)
    • Tofu (p)

Vegan Keto Pantry Staples

• • • Almond flour
    • Artichoke hearts
    • Baking powder
    • Baking soda
    • Coconut flour
    • Coconut milk (canned, full fat)
    • Cocoa or cacao powder
    • Dark chocolate (85% and up)
    • Glucomannan powder
    • Hearts of palm
    • Jackfruit (green, canned in brine)
    • Psyllium Husk
    • Nutritional yeast
    • Vanilla extract (most brands OK, but check for sugar)

Other Vegan Keto Meal Staples

• • • Herbs and spices
    • Edamame
    • Kelp noodles
    • Kelp flakes
    • Lupini beans*(p)
    • Shirataki noodles
    • Nori sheets
    • Roasted seaweed

Foods You CAN’T EAT On A Vegan Keto Diet

• • • Meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs, other animal products
    • Gelatin
    • Sugar (refined, cane, honey, corn syrup, and all other forms)
    • Grains (wheat, pasta, rice)Legumes (beans)
    • Starchy vegetables (yams, potatoes)
    • High-carb nuts (chestnuts, cashews, pistachios)
    • Partially-hydrogenated oils (trans fats)
    • Refined vegetable oils**

**Even though they’re not derived from animals and are high in fat, oils such as canola, corn, rapeseed, and margarine are highly processed and have a poor ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids. They promote inflammation in the body. Because they have low smoke points, these oils are also terrible choices for cooking. High heat will turn the fats in the oil rancid, and make it even more unhealthy, causing damage to your heart, neurological problems, and other health woes. Always cook with saturated fats, such as those found in coconut and red palm oil.

How Do I Limit Carbs on a Ketogenic Vegan Diet?

In our sandwich-with-a-side-of-bread culture, cutting carbs down to the wire trips many people up. “Exact numbers vary person to person, but in general, strict keto dieters need to consume less than 50 grams of carbs a day,” says exercise physiologist Michael T. Nelson, Ph.D. (miketnelson.com). “Some people need to go as low as 30 grams.” The Mod Keto approach allows two to three times as many, but it’s still very low-carb compared to the diet of the average American. (For reference, one banana, one apple, or a single slice of bread would put you over your daily carb allowance on a strict keto diet.)

Cutting out grains, rice, bread, and pasta will reduce your carb intake substantially, but you’ll also have to cut way back on nearly all fruits (exceptions are in the food list above, though even those should be eaten sparingly). Starchy vegetables like potatoes and yams are out, too. And the sugary dressings and sauces you may be so accustomed to that you don’t even question them anymore… well, start questioning them.

If you’re longing for carbs so badly that you feel your resolve to stay on the diet is breaking, it’s possible to trick your brain that you’re eating them by making approved foods look more like your starchy favorites. Cauliflower can be grated into “rice,” or boiled and mashed like potatoes. You can slice zucchini into noodles to (sort of) replicate pasta. See “Vegan Substitutions for the Keto Diet” below.
But by and large, you’ll simply have to develop a taste for fattier foods and rely on them to supply energy in place of carbs. Avocados, coconut oil, and nuts are all filling, flavorful options that can also power your workouts.

And speaking of working out, if you’re a gym rat or avid runner, prepare for your workouts to suck for a while until your body fully adapts to the diet. If you’re cutting out carbs for the first time, your body will need two weeks or more (and sometimes months) to fully support the demands of exercise with ketones. And if you’ve been relying on animal products, you may find it difficult to recover without the full array of amino acids that every serving of animal protein provides. You’ve chosen a hard road to travel, nutritionally, but don’t lose heart. Time and persistence will force your body to accommodate just about any regimen you subject it to, and there are plenty of people whose performance has thrived on unconventional diets.

A 2012 study found that gymnasts on a strict ketogenic diet for only 30 days lost weight without losing strength. The researchers concluded that keto eating may actually prove advantageous to athletes in weight-class sports since it could allow them to keep their strength up when competing at lighter body weights.

How Do I Get Enough Protein on the Ketogenic Vegan Diet?

For anyone following any vegan diet, and athletes especially, the question always comes up: “How do you get enough protein?” Nelson recommends about 0.7g of protein per pound of your goal body weight as a baseline daily intake for active people—and most nutritionists recommend up to one gram per pound if you’re weight training. (Goal body weight means the amount you want to weigh—not the number that currently comes up on the scale. So, if you weigh 205 pounds but remember looking and feeling your best when you weighed 175, eat 0.7g of protein x 175, or about 120 grams daily.)

Your main challenge will be to find plant-based protein sources to hit that number that isn’t also high in carbs.

To get an idea of what that entails, consider that an average-sized person who eats about 2,000 calories a day will need 100–200g protein daily (on the lower end for strict keto dieters, and on the higher side for those going the Mod Keto route). A three-quarter cup serving of sunflower seeds nets you 25–30g protein, but also costs you 10g of carbs. Almonds have a similar protein-to-carb ratio at 30g to 15g per cup. The key is to accumulate enough protein from vegan sources without letting your carbs creep up too high.

Your best bet for low-carb vegan protein may be hemp seeds, which provides 30g protein and 8g fiber (NOT counted as carbs) in a mere half cup. Seitan, which is made from wheat, is another good choice and offers about 18g protein and 2g carbs every three ounces. Tofu and tempeh rank high as well (tofu has an 8:1 ratio of protein to carbs; tempeh is about 6:1).

If you’re willing to go the supplement route, hemp and other vegan-sourced protein powders such as rice and pea, which have about a 5:1 protein-to-carb ratio, are the best choices and may be indispensable for athletes and workout fiends.

If you were doing a more conventional ketogenic diet previously and relying on animal foods, you may have only counted the protein in those foods toward your allotment for the day because they are complete sources. In other words, the protein in animal products contains all the essential amino acids that your body needs from food and in substantial amounts. This is a rare find in plant foods, and the reason that bodybuilders have historically kept track of the protein they eat from chicken, beef, and fish, but don’t consider the amount they take in from vegetables, grains, and nuts. The thing is, though, while they may be less bioavailable than animal foods, plant proteins are still usable by your body and still count toward your total—and if you’re going to forgo animal products entirely, you’ll need to get them in to support muscle, performance, and general health. Otherwise, you’ll be protein deficient.

Vegans have long known that they can’t get all the amino acids they need from one source of plant protein, so they make an effort to eat a diverse selection of them and often combine foods in the same meal to get a complimentary assortment of aminos. You don’t need to do this at every meal—your body can hold on to the aminos from one food a few hours until you eat another food with aminos that complement them and form a complete protein. But don’t get in the habit of basing your meals around only tofu or only hemp. Eat as broad a menu as you can to ensure the richest nutritional intake you can. (See more reasons to limit tofu under the vegan substitutes list below.)

Vegan Substitutes for the Keto Diet

If you’re already a keto eater used to animal products, the list below will give you ideas on how to switch to zero-cruelty food options while keeping carbs low. (Likewise, it will help vegans find lower-carb alternatives to their starchy or sugary favorites.) As always, be extra sure you’re staying faithful to the diet by checking labels for the presence of added sugar, carbs, and hydrogenated oils (harmful, processed fats that have no place in any healthy diet).

Replace the foods you’re currently eating in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand one.

Dairy foods

Grains and starches

Snacks

Desserts

Processed soy-based meat substitutes (such as Boca Burgers) and protein powders are major go-to’s for people transitioning to vegan diets, but they come with a catch. A 2016 position paper published by Virginia State University explains that soy contains isoflavones, a kind of plant estrogen that can act like the female hormone in humans. While typical serving sizes (one to three of soy foods, or less than 25g of soy protein from non-concentrated sources like tofu) have not been shown to be problematic, amounts more than that (totaling around 100mg isoflavones or greater daily) could negatively impact testosterone. To our thinking, why take the risk? It may be best for a keto dieter to get the majority of his/her protein from nuts, seeds, vegetables, and supplements and less from soy products, apart from the occasional slice of tofu.

Dominic D’Agostino, Ph.D., one of the world’s foremost ketogenic diet researchers and founder of ketonutrition.org, agrees. “I generally avoid soy isolate and soy milk,” he says. “But I don’t think this is a major concern unless you are consuming large amounts of soy.” Note that fermented soy products—such as soy sauce and tempeh—don’t pose the same risk, and can, therefore, be eaten more liberally.

Vegan Keto Diet Sample Meal Plan

The following menu, courtesy of Dr. Nelson, will give you an idea of how a day of eating on a vegan keto diet could look (with a Mod Keto carb allowance). One thing’s for sure: you can eat a high volume of food without having to worry about taking in too many calories, so you’re unlikely to gain weight by accident with this style of eating. It’s easy to stay satiated due to the fat content and the abundance of fresh vegetables makes this diet rich in phytonutrients and fiber. On the downside, it’s very tough to get enough protein in. As you can see, aiming for the bare minimum amount—20% of calories—almost certainly requires supplementation.

Breakfast

Smoothie made with:
Rice protein powder (30g protein)
½ cup mixed berries
1 tbsp MCT oil***
1 ½ tbsp almond butter
1 cup chaga tea

Lunch

3 servings tofu (300g)
2 cups asparagus, baked
2 tbsp MCT oil, as dressing

Snack

Salad with:
1 green bell pepper
2 cups cremini mushrooms
4 oz chopped onion
1 serving tempeh (100g)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 oz vegan teriyaki sauce

Dinner

Salad with:
2 cups spinach
4 oz cucumber
4 oz tomato
1 cup red cabbage, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup walnuts

Totals: 1,728 calories, 86g protein, 78g carbs, and 125g fat

***Whether you go full or Mod Keto, supplementing with MCT oil can help support ketosis by providing a quick-burning fat for fuel, says D’Agostino. Other helpful strategies for making a keto diet more user-friendly, he says, include “eating in a time-restricted window [such as 16 hours of fasting followed by an eight-hour period in which you get all your food in], and breaking the fast with a ketone supplement. You can have a whole-food vegan keto meal a few hours later.”

While it hasn’t been formally studied, “it is generally observed that, if you are keto-adapted,” says D’Agostino, “it is easy to fast for prolonged periods of time. This has practical benefits for occupations where stopping to eat would be an inconvenience—such as for military personnel—and jobs where you do not want to lose the flow of productivity.” If you do get hungry during a fast, D’Agostino recommends taking a supplement that provides ketones (known as exogenous ketones), which will help sustain ketosis and energy. “I typically take a ketone supplement late afternoon and follow up with a whole-food meal in the evening,” he says.

Common Vegan Keto Deficiencies (And How to Fix Them)

OK, you’ve banished nearly all carbs from your diet, kicked out the animal products, found a way to get all your protein in, and have fallen in love with avocados. You’ve pulled off the triple-Axel of diets… or have you?

In your admirable pursuit of both personal and planetary health, there’s still a good chance you may become deficient in one or more key nutrients essential for long-term health. These nutrients include:

Vitamin B12 (aka cobalamin)

It’s essential for your skin, eyes, hair, and nervous system, Metabolically, it helps you digest protein, fats, and carbs. Unfortunately, B12 is hard to come by in plant foods. Some decent vegan, lower-carb food sources include nutritional yeast, fortified almond milk (which only has 1g carbs/serving) and nori (purple seaweed, 0.5g carbs)
Still, most plant foods that offer B12 pack a lot of carbs at the same time (you’ll blow through 5g carbs getting your B12 RDA in nutritional yeast), so Nelson suggests getting the vitamin via a vegan supplement. Look for one that provides 6–10mcg of methylcobalamin (a form of B12), as opposed to cyanocobalamin, which is absorbed more readily

DHA and EPA

These omega-3 fats provide building blocks for cellular structures throughout the body and aid in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Fish oil is the most common source of DHA and EPA, but a good vegan source—and one that, arguably, offers a better concentration of DHA—is algae (which is where those oily fish get their omega-3s from anyway). By supplementing with algae oil, you’re effectively cutting out the middle-fish. Aim for about 300mg/day.

Iron

This mineral is the key ingredient in hemoglobin, which transports oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. When levels get low, hemoglobin drops, and energy and vitality take a nosedive. Hair and nails get brittle and weak. If you’ve ever met a vegetarian who looks pale and routinely complains of exhaustion, low iron is often the reason.
Vegetable-sourced iron, known as non-heme iron, is harder to absorb than heme iron, which is found in animal products. This is why iron levels can plummet even when a plant-based dieter eats iron-rich foods like Swiss chard, nuts, and seeds. It’s wise, then, for vegan keto eaters to add a vegan-based iron supplement to their diets. This goes double for women, who lose some iron every month through menstruation. For women 19–50, 18mg of iron per day is recommended.

Vegan Keto Diet Recipes

Being a vegan keto dieter doesn’t have to limit you to salads and smoothies. It is possible to enjoy more gourmet fare by getting a little creative with how you prepare food. Liz MacDowell, a holistic nutrition consultant, and longtime keto dieter herself, offers up the following recipes, also available on her site meatfreeketo.com.

Vegan Chili “Fish” Tacos With Hempseed Sour Cream

For the “fish”:

1 can hearts of palm, drained, rinsed, and chopped
2 tbsp tamari, soy sauce, or liquid aminos
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp Sriracha or chili paste
1 tbsp sesame oil

For the hempseed sour cream:

1 cup hulled hempseeds
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup water
pinch of salt

Fixings

Romaine lettuce boats for taco shells
About a ¼ cup shredded purple cabbage
1 scallion, chopped
kelp flakes to taste (optional)
juice of 1 lime

Directions

1. Add all hempseed sour cream ingredients to a blender and process until smooth. Add water if you want a smoother, creamier texture. Set aside.
2. Place a saucepan over low heat and pour in the sesame oil. Add the hearts of palm mixture from step 1 and sauté until everything is warm and the excess liquid is absorbed (about 5 minutes).
3. Let the hearts cool a bit and then assemble tacos by layering the hearts in the lettuce boats first, then the cabbage, sour cream, and scallions. Sprinkle kelp flakes on top (if desired) and finish with lime juice.

Servings: 2, Calories per serving: 215, Protein per serving: 11g, Carbs per serving: 4g, Fat per serving: 16g

Vegan Keto Protein Brownies

Ingredients

1 ½ cups warm water
½ cup peanut butter
¼ cup sugar substitute
2 scoops plant-based protein powder
¼ cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp coconut flour
2 tsp baking powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. In a bowl, combine the water, peanut butter, and sugar substitute.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together protein powder, cocoa, coconut flour, and baking powder.
3. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ones. A thick batter with a frosting-like texture will form.
4. Scoop the batter into the pan, smooth the surface, and bake 40–45 minutes (check that it’s done by inserting a knife; it should come out clean). Let cool before serving.

Servings: 8 brownies, Calories per serving: 157, Protein per serving: 12.5g, Carbs per serving: 4.2g, Fat per serving: 9g

Low-Carb Sandwich Bread (Soy-, Grain-, and Gluten-Free)

If going keto has you missing bread, this substitute offers much of the flavor and texture of real dough without the carbs or gluten.

Ingredients

½ cup psyllium husks
3 tbsp ground flax seed
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt (add up to 1 tsp if using unsalted peanut butter)
1 cup water
½ cup peanut butter (almond and sunflower seed butter work too)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add psyllium, ground flax seed, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined.
2. Add water to the mixture and continue whisking until all the water has been absorbed. Mix in peanut butter until the mixture forms a uniform dough.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop mounds of the dough onto the paper and flatten them into discs that are about a quarter-inch thick. Bake 60 minutes.

Servings: 4 rolls, Calories per serving: 252, Protein per serving: 9g, Carbs per serving: 4g, Fat per serving: 12.5g

Want even more recipe options? Pick up The Ketogenic Cookbook by Jimmy Moore. It’s the most comprehensive collection of tasty keto-friendly eats we’ve come across yet.

The post The Complete Vegan Keto Diet and Food List appeared first on Onnit Academy.

The first thing you need to know is it’s both normal and okay to feel your resolve starting to wane. Don’t beat yourself up about it, and certainly don’t panic if you’ve already fallen off the bandwagon. Sometimes the trick to making a resolution stick is to stop chasing your original resolution, and instead reframe it in a more positive, motivating way.

The year has barely started – there’s certainly no reason to give up now!

Old Resolution: Lose Weight

If weight loss is your goal, you’re certainly not alone – losing weight tops the list of New Year’s resolutions every single year. However, there are a few problems with basing your resolution on weight.

Weight actually isn’t a helpful measurement – it provides almost zero information on your body’s internal makeup and how healthy or unhealthy you are. Plus, quick weight loss can be achieved through unhealthy means – fad diets, extreme workouts and eating disorders – while pursuing weight loss healthfully can actually be disheartening. It takes time to lose weight and you may even see increases on the scale as your body composition changes and you gain muscle.

New Resolution: Improve Body Composition

When you think about it, your goal isn’t actually to lose weight (although that may end up being a natural byproduct of your efforts). Rather, your goal is to improve your body composition – lean out, look svelte, see muscle definition and look damn sexy in clothing (or out of them), amiright?

Improved body composition – gaining muscle and losing fat through progressive training and a healthy diet – isn’t always seen on the scale. There’s a process to it, and it’s a process that, given time, works well, but it doesn’t always result in a steady reduction in weight.

Instead of allowing yourself to be emotionally controlled by the results on the scale, take a different approach. Get your body fat tested by a trained professional, then track your body’s changes with a weekly photo, tape measurements and clothing-check. Even if the scale doesn’t budge, you’ll be able to start assessing changes in your appearance by how you look in photos, how your measurements change and how your clothing fits. After tracking your progress for three months, have your body fat re-tested and see how far you’ve come.

Old Resolution: Follow a Diet Plan

If you show me a diet plan, I’ll show you a trail of disappointed souls who just couldn’t stick to the plan. Even the best diets set most people up for failure – they’re too restrictive, too hard to monitor or simply aren’t designed for real-world eating. If you’re already regretting your decision to try the Whole30-Paleo-Mediterranean-Gluten-Free-Fill-In-The-Blank diet this year, go ahead and give yourself a break.

New Resolution: Add Veggies

Rather than subscribe to a specific diet, resolve to eat veggies with every meal. There’s not a trainer, dietician or doctor in the world who would argue against a higher consumption of produce, and studies prove that increased veggie and fruit intake is correlated with increased weight and fat loss, especially when total calorie intake is managed.

Believe it or not, it doesn’t have to be hard – try sweet potato protein pancakes for breakfast, pack a spinach and strawberry mason jar salad for lunch and give this balsamic chicken and veggies recipe a try for dinner. Eating healthfully doesn’t have to be a flavorless, joyless undertaking, and it’s a whole lot easier to follow through on “eat a veggie with every meal” than “cut everything I love to eat out of my diet indefinitely.”

Old Resolution: Exercise More

The mind is a powerful thing, and because exercise is often associated with feelings of pain, failure and embarrassment, resolving to “exercise more,” is a bit like placing your brain under attack. You may know exercise is good for you, but no matter how much you tell yourself you should do it, you just can’t seem to mentally overcome the negative associations you’ve developed over time.

New Resolution: Participate in an Active Event

Rather than simply say, “I want to work out this year,” give yourself a greater goal – something you’ll actually look forward to and develop excitement about – and sign up to participate in an active event.

This doesn’t have to be a major competition (unless you want it to be, of course). A 5k walk that supports your favorite charity, an in-house pushup contest at your local gym, a spartan race with a group of friends, or a weekend yoga retreat are all great options. When you sign up for an event – again, one you’re actually excited about – you’ll be more likely to associate training with something positive, even if it’s still a challenge.

Setting SMART Goals

In addition to reframing your resolutions to make them more positive, it’s important to understand how setting SMART goals – goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-constrained – can help you conquer your resolutions. It’s not just about saying, “I want to improve my body composition,” because that alone isn’t a specific, measurable or time-constrained goal – how or when will you know if you succeed?

Rather, you should say something like, “I want to improve my body composition and reduce my body fat by 2% in three months.” This type of SMART goal can be managed and measured, so you’ll know if you’re on track or if you should re-assess.

Own Your Choices

As I mentioned, the brain’s a powerful thing, so it’s important to think and talk about your resolutions in a way that encourages personal choice and ownership, For instance, when you say, “I can’t eat donuts, I’m on a plan that doesn’t allow them,” you’re giving away your power. You’re being a victim of your diet, faulting it for denying you access to various foods.

Instead, if you reframe the statement and say, “I’m choosing not to eat donuts right now,” you’re taking personal ownership and responsibility for the decision. It’s easier to stick to decisions and choices you take ownership of, than those you feel are being forced upon you from an outside source.

Need a few more examples? Try these mental switches:

Instead of saying “I have to go to the gym after work,” try, “I scheduled my gym session for after work,” or the even more positive, “I get to work out tonight.”

Instead of saying, “My doctor says I need to lose weight and he gave me this plan I’m on,” try, “After talking to my doctor, I realize I’m not at a healthy weight. With his guidance, I chose this plan I’m following.”

Instead of saying, “I can’t meet you for dinner – my trainer says I should work out,” try “I want to stick to my new exercise plan – can we meet later or choose another night?”

Try these tips and actually achieve your goals this year!

The post Revamp Your New Year’s Resolutions for Staying Power & Success appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Why then does Johnson, 32, get so little recognition? For one thing, he’s not as physically impressive as a Brock Lesnar or Tyron Woodley, and he’s not as outspoken or outrageous as Conor McGregor or Jon Jones—but he’s OK with that. The flyweight king is now fighting in Asia for the up-and-coming ONE Championship, where he hopes to dominate the flyweight grand prix (he’s already beaten Yuya Wakamatsu in the quarterfinals), and wind down his career with some of his most exciting performances yet.

We spoke to Mighty Mouse about the legacy he hopes to leave in MMA, his training and diet, and his first foray into martial arts—playing the Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat video games.

Onnit: You’ve said that you’re even more passionate about video games than you are fighting, and you’ve been playing for cash via Twitch, a live streaming service. How did you get into gaming?

Mighty Mouse: I come from a very poor background, so gaming was a very cheap form of entertainment. You could buy a used game like Mortal Kombat cheap, and I’d sit there for two hours playing it. I used to play with my mom. We’d play Super Contra for Nintendo together and beat it over and over. I just stuck to it, and now, through Twitch, I’ve got a way to monetize it. Gaming will always be a part of my life—longer than mixed martial arts will be.

Are there any games that frustrated you as a kid that you’ve been able to beat as an adult? Some of our staff recently beat Tyson in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out, and it was a long time coming.

I just beat Ninja Gaiden II for NES, which I could never beat as a kid because it was hard as hell. It took a long damn time. And I didn’t even beat it legit! The way it works is if you lose to the last boss, you have to go three stages back and work your way up again. So I would save the game when I got up to the boss, anticipating that I would die, then die, and reload the game. It took a long time. A long time.

Yeah, too bad you couldn’t save the game back in 1990. Are there any characters you really like to as play as in games? Say, in Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat?

Back in the day, I liked to play as Ryu and Ken in Street Fighter. I played as T.J. Combo in Killer Instinct, and I liked Sub Zero in Mortal Kombat. Nowadays, I like Nash in Street Fighter because he’s good about getting in and out, closing the distance, and throwing projectiles. I kind of hope that’s what I’m like as a real fighter [laughs].

Speaking of real fighting, you’re widely regarded as one of the best MMA fighters of all time, but you’re not as well known as other stars. Why?

I think I’m just a plain-Jane kind of guy. I go home to my wife at night. I drop my kids off at school. I’m not on social media blasting people and saying derogatory things. And that’s fine with me. I’d rather have the respect of true mixed martial arts fans who love the sport than have to go out and cause chaos to get recognition.

You’re the first fighter the UFC has traded. Do you think that set a precedent?

I don’t think so. I think most fighters believe that where they’re at is the best place for them. Everybody’s journey is different. For me, I feel like I accomplished everything I could in the UFC and in North America. Now I have an audience that appreciates the smaller weight classes and a guy like me who lives by a code.

Why do you think the ONE Championship fans respond so well to you?

The average height of a male in North America is bigger than I am. I’m 5’3”, so I’m not for everyone. The Asians are generally shorter, so they relate to a guy my size better. And they have a long history of martial arts. It’s embedded in their culture like football and basketball are here, so there’s a bigger fan base in general.

They cheer for me loud over there and they’re not known for loud cheering. In my first fight there, I fought Yuya Wakamatsu in Japan. He’s Japanese, but the people cheered for both of us.

A lot of people seem to think that the weigh-in process ONE uses is fairer to the fighters.

When I fought in North America, I’d walk around at 142 pounds, and I’d cut down to 125 for the fight. Then I’d rehydrate and go into the Octagon at about 140. That’s very unhealthy, to lose that much weight in a short time and then blow back up. At ONE, the flyweight division is 135 pounds, so I only have to diet down about five pounds. And yes, the weigh-ins are more honest.

They do two weigh-ins, 24 hours apart. You can cut down, but they check your hydration. If you miss the hydration check because you’re dehydrated but you still make weight, it doesn’t matter. You have to do it all over again. You have to be hydrated AND make weight. And you have to do this twice. I don’t go into fights thirsty or hungry anymore, or needing sodium. Everybody fights closer to their walk-around weight. I don’t have to worry about going into the ring against a monster.

Joe Rogan once said that you fight “correctly.” You always move forward but you don’t get hit. Is that a teachable style?

It is. [AMC Kickboxing & Pankration founder and head trainer] Matt Hume taught me that. But you really have to teach yourself. That’s how Matt learned how to fight. He took things he liked from different fighters and he would make them his own. That’s what I’ve done in my career. And you have to fight smart.

I got into a brawl one time in the ring and Matt said to me afterward, “What the fuck was that?” I said I wanted to bang. It was the first time I had ever fought someone who was 5’3”, like me, so why not? He said, “That’s the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard in my life. Why do that? Why give the person the opportunity to hit you and knock you out? You might get hit and not think you’re knocked out, but your body will shut down on you.” He told me my greatest attribute is being able to flow between different martial arts disciplines without being hit—so let’s use that and have a long career.

I’ve stuck to that since and I’ve been successful.

You were flyweight champion for six years. Is it a relief not having to defend that title anymore?

It is and it isn’t. I feel the same way now as when I was the champ. It’s a relief to not be champ but, at the same time, I feel pressure because I’m in a new organization and, with all the things I’ve accomplished, they expect me to keep on doing that stuff.

I hope I’ll have my best run yet at ONE. But I was champ for six years and I’m more about having a good time now. I want to enjoy my last few years of fighting. I think I’ll be out of the sport within five years. Georges St-Pierre is an inspiration to me, and he got out when he needed to. He was smart enough to leave before opponents started to build a legacy off of him. Everybody wanted to be the guy who could say, “I beat GSP.” I don’t want to be marked like that. He was welterweight champ and middleweight champ and then said, “What else do I need?” I hope I’m disciplined enough to do that when the time comes, and then pursue other ventures.

GSP said if you were in the same weight class, he thinks you’d beat the shit out of him.

I would beat the shit out of him! [Laughs] I think what made him successful has made me successful as well. I think if we fought it would be an amazing fight between two great martial artists, but it won’t happen in this life.

Right now, I’m looking for exciting fights and I’m excited about competing abroad. My next fight is in a ring as part of the ONE grand prix, so I have to train inside a ring instead of a cage. All the best guys ever—Anderson Silva, Fedor Emelianenko, Rampage, Cro Cop—they all competed in a ring and in the cage at some point in their careers. Most of them started in a ring in Pride [Fighting Championships], and I’m doing the opposite.

You’ve said that you feel ONE allows you to be yourself. Can you explain?

If someone were to come into Onnit and throw a dolly through a window, Aubrey [Marcus, Onnit founder] would tell the guy, “You’re fucking fired! You hurt our employees? You’re done.” But if Aubrey used that as a commercial to showcase [the pre-workout supplement] Total Strength and Performance—as in, “Look how strong it made this guy; he can throw a dolly through a window!”—that wouldn’t sit well with me.

When Conor [McGregor, former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion] did that, and he hurt UFC employees, the UFC used that footage to sell that fight between him and Khabib [Nurmagomedov, UFC lightweight champion]… I get it. You’re trying to make money. But at the same time, I watched that unfold and I was like, “I’m over it.” I want to fight somewhere where they’re not going to use negativity to build a fight. ONE doesn’t take fighters with criminal records.

Chatri [Sityodtong, founder and CEO of ONE Championship] is more focused on selling stories. He likes getting the hometown hero from a city or country and promoting that about him. The Asian fans love a humble guy who came from nothing and made something of himself. That suits my morals more. I go to work and I take care of my family.

What can you tell us about your nutrition regimen?

I use MCT oil a lot. I put it into my yogurt, and I’ll make a concoction of coconut water and Mineral Electrolytes, like a Gatorade thing, and add MCT oil to that. I’m really conscious of hydration, because I train so much and I don’t want to cramp or tear a muscle because I’m dehydrated. Breakfast might be eggs and oatmeal, and I’ll take krill oil with that, and spirulina. I take Total Strength and Performance before workouts. When I get home, I take the Key Minerals. The magnesium helps me relax at night.

I think MMA fighters should take supplements because our bodies are burning through nutrients all day long—magnesium, zinc, sodium. So by the time you get home at night, you need to replenish yourself. Some people are scared to take supplements, and I was one of those people. When I first met Aubrey, he offered to send me some supplements and I said, “No, man, I’m caveman style. All I need is beer, sex, and sleep, and I’m good to go.” But then, as I got older, I noticed that my body doesn’t recover the way it used to. I started taking creatine and I added the other stuff later.

How about your strength and conditioning?

Going into any fight, I’ll typically spend the first two weeks of camp getting in shape, getting my heart rate up to 150–175 [beats per minute]. The next two weeks we work on power and explosion. Then it’s two weeks of heart rate variability training, where I’ll do something as hard as I can, let my heart rate come down to 120, and then go again. I’ll do circuit training with exercises like jump squats, sprints, pushups on a med ball, pullups, and wall climbs. Do all that to jack my heart rate up, and then rest down until my heart is at 120 beats again.

See Johnson face Tatsumitsu Wada at ONE Championship’s Dawn of Heroes event, Friday, August 2, at 7:00 a.m. EST, on Pay-Per-View. Follow him on Twitter, @MightyMouse.

The post Q&A With “Mighty Mouse” Demetrious Johnson appeared first on Onnit Academy.

It takes serious superhuman willpower to avoid caving during Girl Scout Cookie season. You’ve seen them on the local news. You’re very much aware that it’s that time of the year.

And although you have mentally prepared yourself to just say, “No”, you get lost in the moment as soon as you hear that high-pitched voice asking, “Do you want to buy some cookies?”

Immediately your self control flies out the window and all you can think of is why buying one box – just one – is a great idea:

1. It’s for a good cause.
2. It’s a seasonal item only available eight weeks each year!
3. Those little girls are damn good sales people.

So naturally, it seems like a brilliant idea – especially when you’re leaving the grocery store exhausted and starving after a long day at work and those cute little faces easily twist your arm. Strategy.

Everything is fun and games until you accidentally read the side of one of those bright-colored boxes. Take one second to scan the ingredient label, and you will soon realize that it’s not just an innocent coconut-caramel-chocolate delight.

In reality, it’s a potent combination of sugar, chemicals and strategically hidden trans fat.

Sure, one cookie won’t kill you. But it’s definitely not going to help you. Three Samoas cookies pack 15 grams of sugar, which happens to be the first ingredient. With little to no nutritional benefit, processed sugar is arguably your worst enemy.

It increases your body’s insulin resistance, the prevalence of childhood obesity and the risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes, to name a few. More evidence is pointing to sugar consumption as one of the main culprits of adverse health conditions.

But let’s not focus on the negative. Life is meant to be enjoyed (delicious food and chocolate included). So we set out to transform that mouth-watering chocolatey-coconut goodness into a nutrient-dense, protein-packed smoothie bowl that will be sure to curb those sweet-tooth cravings with our Samoa Smoothie Bowl.

The Samoa Smoothie Bowl is packed full of a variety of superfoods, so before we get into the recipe let’s look at a few of the ingredients that pack a powerful punch.

Hemp Protein

Hemp is often a staple in the vegan diet because it’s one of the few plant sources of a complete protein; it contains all nine essential amino acids – the building blocks of protein – that the body cannot produce on its own.

Naturally gluten free and lactose free, hemp protein is one of the best supplement choices for strict diets.

It also does not contain any oligosaccharide or trypsin inhibitors, both of which can affect ease of digestion. It’s safe to say, hemp protein will have you waving goodbye to belly bloat and other gnarly smelly odors post-consumption.

Plus, the water-insoluble fiber content promotes healthy and regular bowel movements. So, it’s a win-win.

Although it’s not as protein dense as alternatives like soy and whey, hemp is more readily digested and absorbed by the body because it is predominantly composed of globulin edestrin, which is similar to one that is found in human blood.

Need more convincing? An alkaline-forming food, hemp promotes a balanced pH, it’s grown naturally and sustainably without the need of pesticides or herbicides and it’s an excellent source of omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Chia Seeds

A 90’s infomercial turned nutrient powerhouse, the chia seed has come a long way since growing plant afros on clay animal figurines. It has been dubbed a “superfood,” weight loss supplement and beneficial treatment for gastrointestinal disorders.

Despite its recent popularity in the media, chia seeds have been prized for thousands of years dating back to the Mayan and Aztec empires. “Chia” is the Mayan word for strength. And it’s clear why. The health benefits are innumerable.

This high-fiber food slows down digestion allowing your body to absorb more nutrients and helps maintain balanced blood sugar levels, which is particularly beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes. Containing more omega-3 than salmon, sardines and flaxseed, chia has been shown to decrease low-density lipoprotein (LDL a.k.a. the bad) cholesterol levels, blood pressure and improve metabolic functions.

One of the most unique attributes of this tiny black seed is its ability to form a gelatinous substance called hydrophilic colloid when it comes in contact with liquid, which helps maintain the integrity and health of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

Chia seeds can absorb more than 12 times their weight in water. This helps keep your cells hydrated, maintain electrolyte balance and makes you feel full by literally expanding in your stomach. However, take note: do not consume too much in one sitting.

The ensuing stomach ache is not worth it, peeps. Just take my word for it.

Cacao

Commonly confused with cocoa, cacao is the less-processed version with a slightly different spelling.

Cacao, in its unprocessed state, contains more than 300 phytochemicals, and has some incredible health benefits. Most notably, it is one of the richest dietary sources of phenolic antioxidants and magnesium.

Research has shown that cacao can reduce the risk of diabetes by increasing insulin resistance, protect nerves from injury and inflammation, protect the skin from oxidative damage from UV radiation and has shown positive effects on satiety, cognitive function and mood.

Chill, bro. Before you go reaching for that Snicker’s bar, it’s important to know most processed chocolate candy bars contain only 10 percent or less cacao because of the added sugar, milk solids and additives.

The amount and integrity of the phytochemicals greatly decrease during manufacturing, exposure to oxygen and alkalinization. At the mainstream candy bar level, the health risks, like weight gain and blood sugar spikes, outweigh the intrinsic benefits of cacao.

Our advice: Reach for chocolate that is at least 65% cacao or higher when those cravings kick in. Or better yet, throw 100% cacao powder or nibs and add fruit or a natural sweetener like stevia in your next sweet treat to turn down the bitterness and reap the most nutritional benefits.

Coconut

Coconut is one of the most versatile fruits with incredible nutritional benefits. Anything that you can use for cooking, eating and beautifying is OK in my book.

Walk through the the supermarket and you’ll see coconut derivatives everywhere: coconut oil, coconut sugar, coconut butter, coconut milk, coconut flour, coconut water, coconut creamer, coconut-based shampoo; the list goes on.

Coconut water is a great option for a natural, dye-free sports drink as it contains more minerals and electrolytes than mainstream brands. Just one cup of coconut water delivers 10 percent of your daily recommendation for potassium.

For optimal post-workout hydration, add Himalayan salt to your not-from-concentrate coconut water.

Research has shown that sodium-enriched fresh young coconut water is as effective as commercial sports drinks for rehydration post-exercise with reportings of less upset stomach and greater quantity consumed.

Best part: There’s no extreme sugar spike and subsequent crash. Coconut milk and creamer are also great alternatives for coffee, smoothies and protein shakes for those who are lactose intolerant, vegan or Paleo.

In terms of food, coconut flakes, meat, butter, oil and flour are all fantastic for adding flavor, fiber and texture to meals and snacks.

Naturally gluten free, coconut-food derivatives offer nutrient-rich thickening agents and can withstand medium-heat temperatures.

The oil in coconuts contains Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCTs), which are utilized by the body for quick energy production, are rapidly metabolized and help stabilize blood sugar levels.

We recommend using an unrefined, cold-pressed coconut oil for cooking. Lather a little in your hair and skin while you’re at it and supplement with MCT oil in your next protein shake for improved cognitive function.

Despite the favorable research, this subtly sweet fruit has caused its fair share of debate among health experts.

Sure, it’s a naturally high-fat food with 87-percent saturated fat, but coconut consumption has been shown to increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL a.k.a. the good) cholesterol levels, which is ideal.

Some experts have cautioned people with hypertension and cardiovascular issues to limit coconut intake, but other that, definitely go for it. Your hair, skin, body and brain will thank you for it.

Himalayan Salt

Naturally acquired pink Himalayan salt is packed with 84 essential trace minerals and electrolytes and plays a valuable role in the regulation of multiple bodily processes.

Himalayan salt is made of the same components as table salt, but since the crystal structure is larger than refined salt, it has LESS sodium per 1/4 t. serving.

Pink Himalayan Salt does not have that harsh, stinging bite which allows you to utilize it much more effectively as both a spice and to supplement food.

There is perhaps no simpler way to get the 84 trace minerals valuable to the body that mother nature has produced than to include real pink himalayan salt in your diet.

Recipe

● Yields: 1 bowl
● Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients for Bowl

● 3 dried pitted dates
● 1 packet (2 oz.) 100% fresh young coconut (frozen)
● 6 oz. unsweetened coconut milk*
● 2 scoops (26g) ONNIT PowerFOOD Active
● ½ tbsp. ONNIT coconut oil
● 3 tbsp. toasted coconut flakes
● 1 tbsp. cacao nibs
● 1 tbsp. oats
● 1 tbsp. chia seeds
● 1 frozen banana
● 1 pinch of ONNIT Himalayan salt
● 7-8 ice cubes

Ingredients for Toppings

● 1 tbsp. toasted coconut
● 1 tbsp. cacao nibs
● 1 tbsp. oats
● 1 tbsp. chia seeds
*any unsweetened non-dairy milk works fine.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place 4 tbsp. of coconut flakes on a baking sheet and bake for three to four minutes until the edges are light brown. Set aside 3 tbsp. for the bowl and 1 tbsp. for the topping.

2. Add all ingredients for the bowl into a blender. Pulse for approximately 90 seconds until thick and creamy. You may have to spoon the sides in between pulsing.

3. Finish with toasted coconut flakes and desired toppings. Enjoy 🙂

The post Samoa Smoothie Bowl Recipe appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Were my parents the only ones who valued breakfast? Of course not!

When you wake, your body is in a fasted state. Assuming that your goal is to reduce fat, eating breakfast early morning theoretically stops fat loss or “breaks-your-fast” at breakfast, so should you skip breakfast for faster fat loss?

In fact, breakfast is such an important part of everyone’s life that we make it a priority to eat first thing in the morning. We subconsciously hurry to eat breakfast before going to work, school, exercise at the gym or go off into the day.

Why?

Well, somewhere down the road we were taught to believe that breakfast is the “most important meal of day” and skipping it would crash your metabolism, drop your blood sugar to unhealthy levels, and that your body would cannibalize itself, go into starvation mode, and affect your thyroid health. YIKES!

Is this true? Will skipping breakfast slow you down, decrease energy, and work production? Absolutely not!

The Truth About Eating Breakfast

The truth is, you don’t have to eat immediately upon wakening. Actually, it is best that you don’t eat right away.

Here’s why.

From a health and fitness perspective, we can all agree that we have a fat crisis, right? There are just way too many people carrying extra fat around. Now there are many contributing factors to this, but eating breakfast (first thing in the morning) is surely one of them.

Think of the word “breakfast.” It really translates to “break-the-fast.” In this case, the “fast” is when you are asleep (or were asleep) and no external calories were present in the blood during that time other than a little glucose (from liver glycogen) and triglyceride (from stored body fat) being used. This little fuel was used to keep you alive: breathing, dreaming, heart pumping, etc.

Where does eating breakfast fit into all of this?

Again, when you wake, your body is in (or should be) in a fasted state. Assuming that your goal is to reduce fat, eating breakfast early morning theoretically stops fat loss or “breaks-your-fast” at breakfast.

A quick note, in the absence of calories over a prolonged period of time or in this particular case, sleeping “hormone sensitive lipase” is metabolizing fat. And a lot of it! This is where the majority of true fat loss occurs when no food or calories are present in the blood stream.

Let me give you an example. Say Johnny slept for eight hours. He went to bed at 10pm and woke up at 6am. That’s 8 hours of sleep and true fat burning. Upon waking, John has 2 options. (1) He can head over to the fridge and “break-his-fast” with oatmeal and a glass of milk or (2) He can wait a while, 4-6 hours later and extend this fat state.

Now, assuming that John wants to lose some fat, which option do you think makes the most sense using this “context?” That’s right, option 2!

Wait, Should Everyone Skip Breakfast?

For the record, I am not suggesting that skipping breakfast is the “ONLY WAY” to lose fat because obviously there are other diets/strategies to nutrition that has proven to give people results, but I am simply introducing another perspective.

And I would argue that skipping breakfast makes a little more sense metabolically. But wait! I know what you are thinking, is this strategy only beneficial for losing fat? Not at all. In fact there are many additional health benefits.

Additional health benefits:

1. You give your stomach and pancreas a break from constantly secreting digestive juices (Hydrochloric acid and bicarbonate). Both aid in killing bacteria, mashing food particles, and neutralizing gut pH. The result is a healthier flow of juices and movement of food from point A to B.

2. You also give your pancreas an opportunity to recharge from secreting digestive enzymes and hormones. This rest aids in optimal enzyme secretion, food break down, and improved blood sugar regulation.

3. Skipping breakfast can also aid in “re-sensitizing” cells in utilizing glucose. In other words, your cells become more efficient at using glucose (carbs, sugar) and converting it into potential energy.

4. Lastly, skipping breakfast improves hunger control. Most people eat immediately once they hear/feel their stomach growling. Skipping breakfast will help control/reduce your hunger. Thus you only eat when your body is truly craving nutrition.

So, Should I Skip Breakfast For Faster Fat Loss?

If you still aren’t convinced with skipping or pushing breakfast back, then I recommend you try it for yourself and see what happens.

Remember, your body has plenty of stored liver glycogen, roughly 75-100 grams or 300-400 calories worth of stored glucose (energy) if you truly need it. Not to mention you have plenty of additional fat that you will be burning regardless of your body composition, lean or fat. So don’t panic, if you decide to skip breakfast, you have plenty of fuel reserves to cover you.

Again, don’t think that you should never eat breakfast again, but rather use this as a strategy to help burn more fat. Like I mentioned earlier, most people these days are carrying extra fat and eating breakfast isn’t helping them lose it – especially if that breakfast involves traditional sugary breakfast foods. Skipping breakfast can help. You can skip breakfast twice a week, 3 times, or 5 days a week (5 days a week is my goal). It keeps me in control, healthy, and fat off my body.

So slow down, holster your fork and burn some fat!

The post Should You Skip Breakfast For Faster Fat Loss? appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Here’s one of the nicer comments people left:

“The “author” of this article is so fucking uneducated it’s ridiculous. If you knew anything about god damn nutrition and the human body you would know that eating a proper breakfast allows you to function like a normal human being, even if you wake up super early in the morning.

For fucks[sic] sake, stop writing articles that solely satisfy your own opinion on what you should do first thing in the morning. I myself am living proof that eating breakfast is a valuable and practical thing to do.”

Two days after publishing the article, over 5,000 people had shared it, and the consensus was that skipping breakfast was a bad idea and, more importantly, that the author (me) was a fucking idiot.

Let’s address the first part of this conversation.

What Does the Research Say About Skipping Breakfast or, at The Very Least, Eating Your First Meal Later in the Day?

There’s been a boatload of studies published on both sides of the fence; people can experience significant weight loss whether they choose to skip breakfast entirely or if they’re an avid breakfast eater. My buddy, John Berardi, points this out in a recent article.

He highlights three studies that show if you’re looking to lose weight, it’s best to eat your largest meal for breakfast, two studies that say you should eat your largest meal for dinner, and two other studies that show no significant difference between eating your largest meal earlier in the day vs. later in day.

Overall, if we’re looking at the massive body of observational research that exists, it seems that only one clear conclusion can be made: malnourished children should not skip breakfast. And that’s it.

So, You Can Stop Stressing About the Most Important Meal of the Day.

The US government and mainstream media have created strong cognitive biases surrounding the importance of breakfast. Over the past 20 years, how many commercials have you heard that called it The Most Important Meal of the Day?

A lot. A lot of commercials with really happy people who are surrounded by cute, animated animals as they eat breakfast and expound upon its virtues.

Breakfast became my favorite meal of the day when I was younger – solely because I got a toy in my breakfast cereal.

Beyond mainstream media, we’ve had the government telling us that we’re at risk of heart disease and excess weight gain if we skip breakfast, but have no fear. The US Government released a brand new set of dietary guidelines that stated that skipping breakfast is no longer considered a health hazard.

It’s a lot of flip-flopping, but they finally got it right, so you can let it go. Let go of the belief that skipping breakfast is a threat to your core identity, because not only is skipping breakfast not going to have any adverse health effects, there are a slew of reasons why you should skip it – starting with convenience.

Note: I’m omitting the most significant reason in my opinion, which is the potential to help you burn a lot more fat (with a lot less effort) by allowing you to extend your fasting window.

As I mentioned above, there is research on both sides of the conversation, but just know that you will in no way start gaining weight due to your decision to start skipping breakfast.

1. Convenience

More meals equate to more time spent preparing to eat, as well as eating. I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of stuff I want to learn and accomplish in life, so if I can save time every day skipping the entire breakfast routine AND see an increase in fat loss, I’m going to do it.

2. A Happier Brain

It’s something young people don’t think about often, but there’s a lot of research pointing to fasting as one of the best things you can do to avoid Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

Beyond the benefits in the future, fasting’s been shown to have cognitive benefits that can help you think more clearly. This may sound counterintuitive if you’ve been eating breakfast for years, but after a few weeks of skipping it, you’ll notice an increased sense of clarity and focus when you’re in your fasted state.

3. Increased Productivity

The key to my creative space is a fasted morning and a double Americano. Talk about a flow state. Without having to worry about where your first meal’s coming from each morning, you get to jump into accomplishing things on your to-do list without interruption.

4. Who Wants to Live Forever?

There is a lot of research circulating around the idea that fasting during a portion of your day can lead to an increased lifespan.⁶ During periods of fasting, your body spends less energy digesting food and more energy repairing and regenerating new healthy cells.

5. For the Love of Money

This point really seems to piss people off for whatever reason, but it’s simple: buying one less meal a day means you’re spending less money.

6. The Truth About Hunger Pangs

Most people don’t really know what real hunger feels like. Instead of waiting until hunger starts to really set in, we’ve been systematically trained to eat in the morning because it’s just what you do.

This type of forced eating does jump start your metabolism, but it also jump starts your ghrelin production, meaning you’re going to feel much hungrier for the rest of the day. This puts you at risk of eating more and potentially overeating throughout the day.

Getting into a routine where you skip breakfast teaches your body to understand what it feels like when you’re actually hungry, and on top of that, it allows you to feast when you get hungry instead of having to control your portions.

When I’m hungry, I don’t want to graze, I want to feast. This allows for that. If you can relate to this, you’re going to love removing breakfast from your daily routine. Now that you’re ready to take the plunge, here are 7 strategies to help you get started.

How to Skip Breakfast

1. Grit Not Grits

This is a big one. Understand that unless you’re someone who never gets hungry early in the day, the first 3-6 weeks are going to suck. You’ll experience hunger pangs during this initial periods, and your main tool to get through it is going to be grit.

Consider it a personal challenge that you’re taking on. You’ll notice that as the weeks go by, your body will adapt and you’ll slowly begin to only experience hunger later in the day. Your Body is Incredibly Intelligent.

As long as you give it the time to adapt, you’ll easily reset your homeostatic rhythm (the body’s natural rhythm) to eating later in the day.

2. Black Coffee Helps

To get the benefits of skipping breakfast, you don’t need to skip out on your morning coffee. Coffee acts as an appetite suppressant and will make your morning a lot less difficult when you’re first getting started.

3. Stay Busy

Take this newfound chunk of time and put it to good use; completely immerse yourself in something. That immersion and potential flow you enter into is going to divert your attention away from any cravings you experience. This is more important than you may imagine. Don’t let yourself get bored. Stay engaged and use your mornings to complete your most energy-intensive tasks.

4. Hydrating Helps

A lot of what we perceive to be hunger can actually be attributed to dehydration. Use this window of time where you’re not eating to get uber hydrated for the day. I recommend drinking half your bodyweight in ounces of water each day (at minimum). Try to get in as much water as possible during the AM.

5. Accept That You’re Going to Be The Weird Friend

And so fucking what? You’re working towards becoming the best version of yourself. Skipping breakfast is a minor choice that doesn’t affect anyone else. If someone has a problem with it and continues to express it, then it’s due to a deeper insecurity on their end, not yours.

6. Let Yourself Off the Hook

From time to time, you might go out to brunch with friends, and you’re welcome to take a day every week or two to have breakfast and indulge your eggs benedict cravings. Diverging from the no breakfast club 10% of the time isn’t going to offset all the benefits you’re receiving from the others days of skipping breakfast.

7. Create Leverage

I can list all the benefits to why skipping breakfast is going to make your life better, but at the end of the day, whether or not you’re successful in the first few weeks will come down to willpower. Humans are ten times more likely to take action in order to avoid pain than to gain pleasure. It’s just how we’re hardwired.

Use this to your advantage; tell yourself that if you break your fast more than once a week, then something awful is going to happen. I use leverage for everything in my life when I want to create healthy habits and get rid of unhealthy ones.

I recommend you think of something that will motivate you substantially, be it an awful exercise or burning a stack of money, and use that as leverage to get yourself to follow through. Make yourself do 300 burpees or make a donation to a cause that you don’t support.

These strategies will see you through the first few weeks of not having breakfast. After that, you’re home free, my friend.

The post Why and How to Skip Breakfast and Get Ripped Doing It appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Strawberry Lemon Breakfast Cake Ingredients

• ½ cup coconut flour
• ¼ cup tapioca flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tbsp. melted coconut oil
• 2 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 6 large eggs
• ¼ cup raw honey
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup slice organic strawberries (plus more to place on top)

Strawberry Lemon Breakfast Cake Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*

1. Sift (sifting is important! Don’t skip!) Coconut flour, tapioca flour, and baking soda into a bowl.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs, then add coconut oil, lemon zest, and honey until combined.
3. Slowly add flour mixture to egg mixture, then add lemon juice and stir until well combined.
4. Gently fold in sliced strawberries and pour into pre-oiled baking dish.
5. Baked for 35-40 minutes (until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.)
6. Let the cake cool for 5-10 minutes (or eat piping hot like I do, just be careful not to burn your tongue!)

The post Strawberry Lemon Breakfast Cake Recipe appeared first on Onnit Academy.

The problem is that your “bedtime” comes and goes because you stayed up late to watch garbage week night programming.

The next day your alarm clock rings, and you immediately hit snooze, over and over, until the last possible minute.

Next thing you know, you are at the local fast food joint telling yourself, “I will start eating healthy tomorrow.”

If this is you, then look no further than these Egg & Bacon Breakfast Muffins!

These bacon-wrapped delights filled with nutrient-packed vegetables and scrambled eggs will start your day in the right direction.

The best part is you can cook once and have breakfast for the whole week!

Ingredients

• Bacon: not too thick, gluten-free, nitrate-free, antibiotic-free, and hormone-free
• Eggs: pasture-raised, organic, hormone, and antibiotic-free
• Broccoli
• Organic Tomatoes
• Onions
• Sea Salt
• Pepper
• Organic Coconut Oil

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350.
• Generously grease a muffin tin with coconut oil.
• Chop up the tomatoes, onion, and broccoli to place into your muffin.
• You will need one egg for every piece of bacon.
• Crack the eggs into a bowl, whisk the eggs to scrambled, add sea salt, pepper.
• For each piece of bacon, line a muffin hole with a piece of bacon (basically so the bacon is in a circle)
• Add the egg mixture to each bacon-lined hole, then add your chopped veggies/herbs to each bacon and egg-filled hole.
• Bake for 15-20 min or until both the egg and bacon are cooked.

The post Bacon & Egg Breakfast Muffins Recipe appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Ingredients:

• Small Banana, Peeled and Halved Lengthwise
• 1 Tbsp Onnit Walnut Almond Cashew Nut Butter
• 1/2 Cup Plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp Ezekial Flax Cereal
• Handful combination of strawberries, blueberries, and pineapple
• TSP Killer Bee Honey (optional)

Place banana halves in a shallow bowl, cut sides facing inward. spread raw nut butter evenly over open banana. Spoon yogurt in the middle and top with cereal and fruit. Drizzle some Killer Bee Raw Honey if you want to add a little more sweetness and texture.

This recipe altered to be Onnit approved from Prevention.com

The post Breakfast Banana Split appeared first on Onnit Academy.