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Its funny that you are reading Michael Pollan’s book, because at school Im taking Nutrition 100 and my teacher was just talking about him. But she DOES NOT like him, at all. I mean he makes great points and all and I agree with him, but she said he has no background in this area. He is just a journalist apparently. Not that I’m downing on your blog or anything, because I LOVE you guys. But I guess we just have to be careful of what anybody says really

I would suggest checking out The Food Revolution by John Robbins. It’s based on the same stuff – how much crap is in the western diet and what it’s doing to us, and how making a change will save your life.

Academics tend to dislike people who are outside of their club – especially if they become popular with the masses. I think it’s important to be open to all sorts of different opinions and then sort out what works for you.

What seems to work for me is when I only eat pure food. By that I mean, fruit, pulses, vegetables, tubers (things like sweet potatoes, butternut squash, etc. If I eat cakes I make them myself and only use flour with very little or no gluten in at all. Such as spelt, lentil, rice or cassava flours. Like Zuzana I also have a sweet tooth. When I eat like this, I use weight. When I stray from this, the weight piles back on. So I agree with Frederick. Less processed food makes me healthy and I feel and look better.

Have you watched the movie Food Inc.?

Wonderful article. I have yet to read any of Michael Pollan’s books, but as soon as I have the money, I am on it!

One quick question:
Can I drink wine while on this thirty day challenge? (obviously in moderation, if so) :)

yea i will agree with you there. i just thought it was kind of funny on how much she hated him

we drink a very light white wine spritzer with dinner sometimes: 2-3 fingers worth of a nice white wine topped up with a lot of water.

yes we loved it :)

I think you must consider greed and acceptable loses for profit in the choice that we make to support all the factors in a western diet. Some people are so cauth up in every day life to care. And chopping down humanity into $$$$$$ signs is definitely part of the problem the fact that silicone leaches in to your food from food containers and that plastic off gasses. On the lighter side I feel it could be chalked up to learning we have to get the food to live right we may just need to learn to do it better but it will always need to be. How can we do this hope and pray? Cool Thanks. I do have a ? What do you think about green tea maybe you could talk about it or let me know?

It’s also incredibly important to ease off of added salt!
I’m on day 21 of no added sugar and salt self challenge. (I’m pushing for 60 days). It is really amazing to see taste buds replenish after eating healthful non-processed food!

The influence of convenient processed food is horrifying.
It is important to remind myself that no amount of physical exercise will fix the downfalls of a westernized diet. WSe all really do vote at the supermarket…

Also, sincere thanks for you both working hard on all of these videos and public outreach! You should be very proud. :)

I am an american 24 year old female and I have been living in Brazil south america for about two years now. I live in the central area where its the “country” part of Brazil. Its where the cattle and lots of crops are. So, This is what I have been eating for the last two years. Living here has made me realize that in the US we eat so bad. When I first came here, I wasn’t fat at all. I just had those saddle bags and love handles. There gone. The traditional rice and bean ritual gets old though(they have it everyday). What I have stuck too most of the time for lunch is a plate full of lettuce with some warm creamy beans on top. I will also add some steamed vegies and small helpings of whatever else we got cooked like a spoon full of cream potatoes. I don’t eat alot at lunch time. I try to eat every 3 or 4 hours. I pretty much snack on whatever except for the lunch because lunch is big here. I eat fresh fruits and bread. Nothing I eat is from a can or packaged in any way. Its all from my mother in laws parents farm. We actually go pick the fresh fruits and vegies. My skin and my low blood sugar problem that I had in the US is gone.

If you need a little “shock effect” to impress upon yourself the horrors and grotesqueness of the Western diet, not to mention the casual cruelty endemic to our culture, treat yourself to the following: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthlings_(documentary). I think most people will come away from it feeling there must be a better way.

Nicole, you can search online for articles by M. Pollan as well as check with the library if funds are tight.

I blogged about my favorite quotes from his book, In Defense Of Food… http://theflowonthreelakes.blogspot.com/2010/01/in-defense-of-food.html.

Frederick’s trick for enjoying wine is a good one. Another is to drink it while you are having your protein and complex carbs rather than at the beginning of the meal with your appetizer or salad.

Alcohol absorbs into your blood stream from your stomach. I think of it as similar to injecting a drug, in this case, it’s sugar! Studies show that when alcohol is consumed AFTER a balanced meal, absorption is 3 x slower than on an empty stomach.

Bottom line, with all of us looking to reduce body fat anything we can do to slow down insulin response to the sweet foods we eat and drink, the better. High levels of insulin can create inflammation, which signals cortisol production and the storage of belly fat and fluid retention.

These are just a few things I’m considering with regards to my wine habits.

I resent the fact that they call this processed food, or imitation food diet, the western diet I happen to live in California and I eat real food. I think the problem in america is lack of knowledge. People really arent aware of what they are putting in their mouths. I can say as a child I was raised on chicken nuggets and I loved them but once both my parents and i found out that what they were we never went back. Food is such a huge industry companies have too much to lose if everyone ate well. God i wish everyone in the US did we would no longer have a healthcare problem :). I can say that there is a strong movement w/clean eating lately that hopefully things can change, but you do have to want to first. I saw suppersize me, i read fast food nation, and i’ve done my own share of reading. If there were more advertising for health than fast food adds then maybe more people would take the time to think about what they eat. How about we call it the fast food diet….

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I am a mother of 3 and my husband and I have just established our own farm. We try to grow all of the the food we eat and buy as little from the market as we can. We raise our own Turkeys for meat, Chickens for eggs and meat, Pigs and beef that we graze. We have a 5,000 square foot garden that we can and freeze from. We try to use home made everythig, bread, laundry soap, and cloth diapers. All of this take extra time and energy but the payoff is WELL worth it. The kids will grow up knowing where there food should come from and how it should look and taste. ther is no comparison to store bought.

Don’t forget

#3: Food is a lot easier to do, and is a lot less effective, than exercise.

Brenden Brazier Thrive book got me to thinking about diet and the stress of eating and digestion. He is a vegetarian triathlete who has clearly debunked the idea that you need animal protein for fitness performance.

He refers to the seminal book, The China Study, which claims that 30+ years of research support the conclusion that all diseases of affluent society are linked to eating too much animal protein. If that doesn’t make one consider changing one’s diet to mostly vegetarian, then there seems little reason to exercise so hard.

This is my first post: LOVE your site! This is week one of doing the workouts. I hurt like hell but energy-wise, feel great! Please keep up the inspiration!

Second, there is much evidence to show that western diets are linked with western-type diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer. We are seeing this in Asia for example, where traditional vegetable-rich diets are changing towards more meat, dairy and processed foods (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6284830.stm).

Here in the Netherlands, I see a lot more people relying on ready made meals (ick) but there are still die hards like myself that cook everything from scratch. Being a vegetarian, it isn’t hard to meet my daily quota of fruit & veg. :-)

Best wishes for good health for everyone!

I also think that you dont’ have to be a nutritionist to work out the common sense approach to eating! if its not food and you dont’ recognise the ingredients, then dont eat it!

Some also not so “light” reading:
Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes
The Protein Plan by Drs Michael and Mary Eades
The Hundred Year Lie by Randall Fitzgerald

These are really great reads as well, if you are interested in how Western Diet and Standard American Diets are destroying our health and forcing us to rely on medicine to boost the Pharmaceutical industry’s power over us.

Me too. Sadly, i had to see this movie to definitely and permanently quit buying from companies like these ones the movie is about, because all of them – and they are a lot!- are the same thing. Their only interest is the money. It cant be any other priority for this big companies, otherwise they would be bunkrupt. Its simple. Instead, me and my husband prefer always to buy in small stores.. like in the old movies ; ) where this people themselves grow their products or make them helthly and in the appropiate enviroment for it. NATURAL! Since i changed the places i eat or buy food.. and so the food itself, believe me.. I have never felt better with my body, myself.. and so, now i look better than ever before!

Guys, thumbs up for you. I follow you everyday and im glad i found you someday somewhere.. what you do here is great and we all thank you for giving us the oportunity to walk on with you in the path of HELATHY LIFE!

We have a large Arabic community where I live. They follow strict halal diets which is healthier than western diets. Guess where I shop? In the Arabic community. I haven’t been in a supermarket in I don’t know how long. Fresh fish, Amish poultry and eggs, beef, lamb (I mean out of this world good lamb), nuts, whole grains, dates (YUM), labneh and all kinds of really good foods.

I have relatives and friends who appear to be getting early onset Alzheimers and chronic forgetfulness. I have friends who continually need to go in for this surgery or that surgery. I sometimes find it frustrating when talking with them because they are so forgetful and slow due to premature aging both mentally and physically.
I don’t have the same problems as the do because they eat the big-agra garbage from the grocery stores. The food supply has gotten downright dangerous and people have no idea what is going on with the stuff they put in their mouths that is supposed to sustain them.

Then on top of all of that, the soil is so depleted of nutrients that I question how they can continue to keep the nutritional values the same as they were years ago. People don’t realize that much of our fruits and veggies AREN’T EVEN GROWN IN SOIL ANYMORE! This is an outrage.

However, I will never give up chocolate = ) Only high quality chocolate, that is = ) None of that Hershey’s death sludge for me.

You also have to look up and watch “The World According to Monsanto” also. Here is part one.
http://www.livevideo.com/video/embedLink/1C4FB64D50354B9A856504954B453CC9/580798/the-world-according-to-monsant.aspx

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I always find its best to listen to your body. WHen I eat heavier foods like potatoes, bread I feel very tired and slugish. As a result I do this very rarely, and when I do it’s a treat. I mostly stick to fresh fruits and veggies and lean protein. I find I have more energy, better complexin and I sleep a million times better. It’s not rockt science- what you put in your body is what you put out. Everyone is different and I dont think there is one method that can accomodate everyone- but I agree with Frederick. If you stick to what comes organically you are giving your body what it needs. If you look back throughout history do you really think they ate take out 3 meals a day. Not at all- most meals were cooked AT HOME and came from what was cultivated from their own land. THere is a reason our grandparents lived to be in their 80s & 90s.

As always, Love the workouts- I am still sore from my workout 3 days ago!
Thank you for continuing to be creative and encouraging.

Jenn
ps. your challenge is on! No treats for 30 days :)

Hi,
I have been living in Canada for 3 years now and I eat as healthy as possible, but for some reason everytime I go back home (South America) my belly fat just desapears without any effort, I think it is about the food I eat but if in Canada I also eat healthy what is the difference?? there must be something extra that I am not aware of that fruits and vegetables are grown with, other ways how is it possible that I am always bigger in Canada and always get thiner back at home if I eat the same and I have always been active here and there?

Hi,

would you consider this a traditional diet like Pollan describes? I believe a traditional diet has very limited meat sources and many plant sources for nutrients and more importantly insoluble fiber. Plants offer protien, carbohydrate, cholesterol, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Meat offers protien and cholesterol.

The western diet is the disease of the west. This lifestyle creates disease. Eating while stressed coupled with eating high protien high fat processed foods promotes disease. Food becomes your body and mind. we eat to sustain living.

Before farming the most abundant food source is plant based.

i have a question, for the past 2months i’ve been consistently going to the gym 6 days a week (burning a minimum of 550 calories per workout) with only a few exceptions and i have been monitoring my diet to stick with fat free or low-in fat foods as well as low in sugar. so far i have barely lost weight, may you tell me why?

Hey,

wow eye opening isn’t it, well what I do when I go grocery shopping is:
1.never go shopping hungry first off.
2. Stay on the outer parts of the gocery store, everything in the middle is usually processed while everything on the outside is your real foods.

p.s-I live in canada so it may be different in other parts of the world.

“The China Study” Should be the food bible for all of mankind. I have read hundreds of books on nutrition but this one is the best.

Erin you hit it right on the head….my best friend says the same thing and it’s true….when we buy any item at the supermarket we are telling the store owners that this is the product we want and they should always have it!!! The simplest way to bring about a large change….each person do “one small thing”….buy organic, unprocessed food or use the reusable cloth bags…if enough people do this, the store will notice the trend and in an effort to keep their customers they will make changes to what is on the shelves….the “western” style food is there because it sells…if it didn’t…it wouldn’t be there.

agreed! what we choose to eat and how much we choose to eat is the single most important factor in determining health. <3

After reading “In Defense of Food”, I can understand why your teacher does not like Mr. Pollan Nina. He makes some very rational statements about the current state of nutrition science and the holes in their methodologies.

thank you some much for these important tips!!!

Ok so of course some things are just bad for you and that’s the bottom line, that we know, but the ‘western’ diet as it’s been called is not totally the problem, it’s the western habits of the western diet; in any country if you fry and eat two plate fulls of Anything, well then it’s probably not good. Water can be bad in intoxicating amounts-I see with my patients it being more in the amount of something, not just the something.

i think western diet DOES come hand in hand with a western lifestyle. as u said, there is little to no physical labor, people eat in the car, in front of the tv, when they’re bored, etc. plus, there is hardly any way to socialize without food–specifically, junk food. i mean, really…there is no way to celebrate or sorrow or just hang out without food and in many occassions, it’s almost rude to not have food. i grew up in south asia and i see a lot of difference in the lifestyle there and here in the US. it’s not just food, it’s all the sedentary life style. everyone is focuses on their careers, their families, their house, bills, etc…anything BUT their health–until the doc tells them that they have this or that disease or are on the borderline of getting them.

but another bigger problem is that the rest of the world seems to be adapting the more “convinient” western lifestyle, thinking that it is somehow better than their traditional lifestyle

What you mention is so interesting because it’s pretty much dead on target with the cortisol. Adrenalin/epinephrine and cortisol are the hormones that help regulate insulin levels after sugar consumption. I have a type of hypoglycemia where after eating sweets I get too much insulin flow. It drives people crazy but if I were to eat LOTS of sugar foods I will lose weight to the extent I look like I’m starving myself.

I was very sick a few years ago and I would eat 3 full meals plus, oh on average 3-4 bags up to even 5-6 batches of fresh baked cookies each day. We call it my cookie monster stage, I was seriously addicted to sugar. I was also seriously ill at the time and was so skinny it was scary. (I don’t and would never do this again…just want to clarify)

So I guess the point is that when you eat something with sugars in it then your pancreas kicks out your body’s natural insulin to “use” the sugar. No problem right? Well the problem is when your eating too much or you eat things like white breads/flour/pasta, cakes, cookies, chocolates, etc. etc. etc.. Your pancreas gets too excited and kicks out too much insuline. When this happens your body will feel like mine does because of my hypoglycemia (not good). However, your bodies are very very smart…they kick out the two hormones they use to regulate blood sugar/insulin…Adrenalin/epinephrine and cortisol then Voila’ your cured!! Except….the left over hormones (esp cortisol) like Carolyn says causes lots of bad things to happen like weight gain, chubby tummies, and feelings of being tired and on and on the dreaded symptoms go.

So, next time you eat to much food, or devour a sweetie then feel tired afterward, just remember….you’ve just released a naughty little hormone in your body thats going to work against your good efforts to get that 6-pack and energetic lifestyle you desire and deserve. *wink*

To add an even deeper thought into the mix try understanding the need for having cooked food.

Is it necessary to cook your foods ?, can you live a quality life on a low fat fresh uncooked fruit and vegetables diet, there are plenty of people who would say yes to that.

Along with regular exercise, good water, and good social contact The sadness of an obese western culture would disappear.

There is more to it than just diet. We shouldn’t forget to chew our food well. Chowing food well not only helps with digestion but also to help absorb the nutrients.

We can slow down aging and prevent disease by eating raw foods not cooked or steamed. The enzymes and nutrients are still intact.

Let’s not forget that modern society has to deal with more stress. Prayer or meditation can ward off stress and diseases.

I used to be a big meat eater. I used to consume at least 1 lb of meat a day now I eat once a week.

Hi!

I would like to share a story, I am from Colombia, South America. Around two years ago, i used to live with my parents in the coast, so I ate a very good diet:

* Breakfast: eggs and whole bread with lettuce, tomatoes and onion with milk or tea

* Lunch: Fish with whole rice and salad, or fish with beans and salad. Sometimes, chicken. Rarely, red meat.

* Dinner: Big bowl of salad with tuna and whole bread.

I drank a milkshake made of low-fat milk with cocoa as a snack, and used to jog for 30 minutes and made abs and sit-ups for 20 minutes, 4-6 times a week. I was in a very good shape (i’m 1.78m height, and weighted 65 kilos). I seldomly ate pizza and a beer or ice cream, like twice a month, just when hanging out with my friends.

Then i started consuming brownies and stuff more frequently, and gained about 3 kilos (about 7 pounds). Since i was still on my healthy weight and i’m tall, i did not realized the changes.

I slowly began to add more and more processed food to my diet, but since i was exercising and having the most important meals so balanced as my mother cooked them :P, i did not realized what a bad habit i was having.

I moved to another city in order to persue my masters, a cold city where fish is not as cheap as it is in the coast. Moving out really had a bad effect on my fitness:
- Cold weather and the lack of oxygen on the city made me lazy about jogging, so i stopped exercising (the city is on top of a mountain).
- I had to eat out, so i stopped having healthy lunches and started eating burgers or pizza on an everyday basis.
- I started eating more greasy foods for breakfast and dinner.
- I continued with the unhealthy snacks -chocolate, brownies, greasy cakes and so on-.

As a consecuence, i gained 19 kilos (around 40 pounds). I did not realize the MAJOR effect habits and nutrition have on your body, and blamed my thiroid glad for that. I was having a hard time on my digestion. I had some exams, the thiroid was endangered but was not the cause. So i went to the nutricionist, and she pointed all this things to me.

I went to the nutricionist on july/2009. Now, 7 months later, i lost 5 kilos (11 pounds) by joining a gym and returning to the diet i had back in my parents home, but adding some more healthy twists, like not eating that much rice on lunch, eating less eggs and trading them for cheese, and adding yogurt and chamomille infusions to every food to soothe my digestion.

Now, i left the gym and started doing home workouts and jogging outside, and found this blog really useful for that.

I’m telling you all this story to motivate you to change your ways of eating. The western diet DOES damage your health, at least your digestive health, the way your body stores and burns energy, and ultimately have an effect on your wheight. I mean, i gained a total of 40 pounds on a year and a half. If I kept on with that rythm, my joints and my heart would be endangered.

So, thank you for this wonderful blog, and for all people reading this, eating healthy and exercising is the way for a better health! also, chamomille infusions are great for your digestion, specially if you are lactose intolerant.

My wife and I cleaned up our eating several years ago, Hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrups and processed foods left our diets and replaced by organics. As a firefighter I felt it was part of my job to be in the best shape I could; working out and eating right was key to staying healthy, Thought it wasn’t soon enough as I was diagnosed with AML (Luikemia) that has devistated my life. After a BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) I’m finding it hard to get motivated to get back to my working out and having GVHD (Graft Vs Host Disease) my gut doesnt take the fresh foods very well making it hard to stick to a good diet. Your workouts are tough but have helped me to get motivated because they require little equipment and can be done anywhere. Thanks for the insperation!

Thanks for sharing this Lia.

this all makes sense to me i eat paleo/primal diet, and live somewhat this lifestyle. lots of walking, lifting and playing outside.

I’m no expert but two things that work well for me (I lost 22lbs/10kg in 10 weeks):
1)give your body time to recover. I never do hard workout two days in a row, my week looks like “workout day, rest day, workout, rest, workout, rest, rest” at the most. on the rest days, if I have time, I do Yoga or stretching, nothing hard. this gives all systems, hormones etc time to recover. As it has been said so often, what burns fat is lean muscle. and lean muscle builds in the restoration phase, not during workout.
2) at least once a week, could be after 4, 5, 6 or 7 days, depending on your consitution, EAT MORE! If you always eat less than your body burns, your leptin hormone level will go down and the body starts to conserve energy and build up fat. If you eat 500-1000kcal more after a number of days, at least once a week, you can keep the overall intake low and still tell your body there is plenty of food, so the body keeps burning fat instead of storing it. It works best if the extra calories are healthy calories.
hope that helps.

oh, and eat the extra calories on a day with a hard workout, best before or after the workout

My pathology professor told us that with years she sees terrible atherosclerosis (well, in autopsy, of course) in younger people who have had low-cholesterol, low carbs diets (which media promotes heavily) and almost perfect blood-vessels in 90-years old people who have had traditional diets. She explained that atherosclerosis is actually caused by alteration of endogenous cholesterol metabolism and low-carbs for a long time can actually cause pancreas atrophy. So the moral here was (apart from moderation) that these promoted “diets” which exclude some chemical compounds are actually doing a lot of damage just like processed foods and unfortunately people buy that idea easily. In the long (or short) run the *Great Globalization of Diet* is going to bite us.

Who gains and who loses if you decide in America that you won’t eat the stuff they are selling? I’m an American and I’m changing my diet for the better. I have access like most people to the net and a great farmer’s market down the street. If you get sick in America guess what. Ain’t nobody going to help you. the system would let you die. I’ve started to prepare and cook my own meals and I’m eating loads of collard greens and red beets as well as other stuff. I want a healthy body.

I’m from the ‘western’ side of the world but I’ve been living in the ‘eastern’ part of the world for the last 16 years and I’m so glad to read your comments about the western diet… it’s true!

Boxed foods full of preservatives and meats grown with hormones the stuff’s poison!

Your entire site is inspiring and I’m way encouraged!

Scott

What about nuts? (ie. from the image associated with the article) There is amixture of nuts and some dried fruit. I buy a mix as well, unsalted, but am wondering how much I should be eating? I usually have about 1/3 cup of the mix a few hours before my workouts…suggestions?

Some say nuts are bad for you- so I’m curious to know your thoughts..

Let me know!
Jenn

I like to work out and think my diet is what prevents me forom achieving my goals but you guys really encourage me. cheers and keep it up :)

Hello, I just have to say that you couple, are awesome, and you give knowledge to people for living well, Thank you so much, an I hope continue doing your exercises.

Hello i have so many questions…
Where can i read a diet?
How do i know what to eat, when, where and if it is appropiate to my age? how much calories should i eat daily?

Another thing, i am pretty atletic and active; i play soccer and i swim and on weekends i always run and do something but i eat too much! my aps are pretty hard and kind of defined bur im still fat like i still have fatty in the sides in my but and i excercisee a lot and work it out but i think its nor working cause i eat too much i dont know..
i eat every two hours something little a snack or a fruit and in the morning chocolate sometimes

Michael Pollan may be a journalist instead of a nutritionalist, however, you shouldn’t have to have a degree in food in order to know what you’re eating. It’s never been that complicated in the past, and shouldn’t now. Pollan is trying to liberate us from a confusing and complex outlook we’ve given food that no other society in the past ever has. He’s an amazing man, and definately did his research. I agree with you, Zuzana. He’s great, brilliant, and makes good points based on real research.

This theory is all fine and dandy, but when it comes down to trying to change your way of eating it is not as easy. I did not grow up in the US and the traditional diet was what I grew up with – fresh veggies from the garden, milk we bought from the neighbor(who seemed to spend a lot of time taking his cows grazing), home grown wheat and home made bread! It was cheaper for my grandparents to spend the whole summer at my grandma’s village with her sisters and plant/grow stuff. The preservatives and canned foods were way too expensive for anyone to afford (grandma canned her own stuff and I don’t think she used MSG or high fructose corn syrup). But here it is so available and turned into the most affordable food source that it is mind blowing! In the area I live now it seems like it is almost impossible to find organic, and if you do, it is outrageously expensive!!! So it is a vicious cycle consisting of unavailability, high price and this amazing taste preservatives add to the food. Because lets face it, this industry would not be so successful if it did not design their “poison” to somewhat improve the taste of food! I just wonder if something is going to be done about it because the general public isn’t as concerned and the producers of this “food” aren’t going to give up their profits to make us healthier!

Jennifer- I think having 1/3 cup of this mix a few hours before a workout is perfect. Keep in mind raw nuts retain more nutrients than roasted. Keep to unsalted, at least most of the time.
Nuts are in fact very good for you. They are packed with unsaturated fats your body needs, especially if you are working out regularly. They also contain vital fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. A small handful gives you almost all the vitamin E you need a day.

As for dried fruit- they often contain sulphur dioxide to maintain colour. Go organic if possible, but try to have fresh fruit first- as the water-soluble vitamins remain intact, and fill you up better.
The thing to do is stick with whole foods as much as possible. When eating dried fruit I ask myself- could I eat this many dates/apples/figs in fresh form?

*Dried fruit/nut/seed mixes are excellent when you need small, energy-dense foods quickly- like when hiking or before intense exercise.

I agree with Loosing It. What you are effectively doing is creating havoc on your system, on a couple of fronts- not only are you over-exercising, but you aren’t taking in enough nourishment to sustain this activity. You should certainly add in some rest/light days, and make sure you are getting the correct amount of carbohydrate, fat and protein. Keep in mind exercise is a form of stress for the body. In the beginning, enthusiasm and adrenalin keep you going- this happened to me when I started out- I wanted to see how hard I could push myself. This is a ticking time-bomb: overtraining, burn-out and possibly chronic fatigue/related illnesses may result, as your immune system will be worn down.

Forget ‘fat free’ foods- what you need is normal quantities of whole (full-fat) foods. Low sugar is great- just cut down gradually so your system can adapt (going from a high to low-sugar diet wreaks havoc with your blood sugar/insulin). I’ve just started cutting down on my sugar and have noticed great improvement in my energy & moods. Stick to slow-release (low GI) foods that give you sustained energy, and if you’re crave sugar, eat fresh fruit.

Read as much as you can about nutrition for people who train hard, and remember post-workout nutrition is very important to get right. Good luck!

Hi Guys!
Just found your website…AWESOME!!!! I am considered a “hard gainer.” I’m 5’11″ and weigh 136. i lift weights to gain muscle. I try to consume as many calories “good calories” as I can during the day but fall very short. I’m noticing how you are eating and am curious to know how many grams of protein you eat a day. I’m wanting to cut out my rice and eat more vegetables but am afraid that this will hurt me in the long run. Any thoughts?

That is exactly why we should give him more credibility (Micheal Pollan). He has no motive behind him, he’s not telling you to go eat more dairy, wheat, meat etc. He’s saying eat real FOOD. No packaged goods, sauces and others things that are a product of modern industrialization/cultivation. He himself grows his own food and has built his house sustainably. He’s an example for the rest of us ;+)

Check out his book, In Defense of Food. Your teacher must have some very old school views if she doesn’t believe in his ideas. Atkins, South Beach etc are all ‘diets’ Micheal Pollan doesn’t talk diet, he talks FOOD.

Cheers

Ninu

I totally agree with you, Sarah.

Hi, I’m new to the site and love the videos, but I’m a bit overwhelmed by all the articles.

Is there an indexed listing of the food articles anywhere? I try to go back through the archives but the pages sometimes don’t load. I was just hoping to get an overview of your food approach, whereas the articles all seem to be for people who already know it.

Also are there pictures of the exercises in the videos anywhere so we can just look at those once you see the video?

Last but not least… is there a FAQ section? ;)

Thanks!

Sounds like heaven!

It’s true…nothing is healthy about western food. it’s a country that has been dealing with fast food issues for years. it’s apparent that its a busy society which makes it hard to prepare homemade healthy foods still prone people to diseases to eat out…

i think it’s all about:

#1 portions (small and frequent meals rather than huge meal and starve for the rest of the day…that’s bad for the body!)
#2 eat healthy foods (vegetables/fruits, grains,etc)

btw….keeping it consistent with a specific diet

Im from SIngapore and im really impressed by the amount od information I could get from here. Im so happy and amazed! Can I request for more receipes and advice on the kind of meals we could have for example on a weekly basis?Maybe Zuzana can reveal her own weekly diets to us?

You should check out the movie Fresh. Food Inc. was good, but Fresh leaves you feeling uplifted because it focuses more on the people who are doing the right thing, including Joel Salatin of Polyface farm, who was featured in Food Inc. I found myself smiling through more of it, while Food Inc. was a bit overwhelming.

I disagree, animal fat and meat are very important, and are good for us. However, the hydrogenated oils, fried foods, MSG, and Sugars are the cause of heart problems.

Wow, while i was reading this i googled Michael Pollan and i saw that he had a part in the movie food inc. That is really cool, i actually bought that movie about 3 months ago, it is very interesting. I know want to buy and read all of his books. Living in America (TX) there are so many people unhealthy and they don’t even care, when i would tell my friends about what really happens to the animals and what is in our food, they just said, “oh well, I love my food, i don’t care how they process it or whats in it, its good”. And it just astonished me how many people know and they don’t care.

hey Suzzana, Do you take any food supplements or general ones ?

I totally agree with you Sarah!

Hi Zusana,

I was wondering about the diet to gain weight.

I am 150cm tall and weigh only 36 kg. I love food and eat a lot (back in high school I ate 7 times a day!) but hard to gain and very easy to lose weight. Snack for me means chicken curry and rice, not chocolate or cakes.

mom thought it’s just genetic that I dont get bigger (height wise and weight wise), but I dont think it’s true because mom is taller than me and a lot curvier than me when she was young. my brother is tall too but skinny, and my sister is 8 years younger than me but 5cm taller than me and weighs 4-5 kg more than me already! :(

I’ve once gained weight for 4kg for eating McDonalds almost everyday but I dont think it’s healthy. I am a meat person and have been eating a lot of meat and only a little vegie, but now I tied have 3 serves of fruits and 5 serves of vegie too a day.

Can you please suggest me a good diet habits and excercises to get bigger (height wise and weight wise)? Thank you.

Just wanted to say I recently found this site, and I love it! Look forward every day to the new posts. I am now incorporating some of the workouts in my current training to help reduce my bodyfat for a figure competition, as well as give me an interesting and challenging change to my workouts!

Thank you so much!

hey i just browsed your site and you guys r just get in your bodies and inspiration for me. I am 29 yrs., 5.6″1/2 inches tall and weight 76 kg. I have lot of free time but very mentally stressed routine life cos of which i cannot concentrate on exercising but now when i look at myself in mirror i am ashamed of my self and want to start with gradual routine so that i don’t withdraw from the routine. Could u help me! I am vegetarian and dont eat even eggs so help me with a meal plan too t know its too much to ask form person i dont know even, but i would really appreciate it and the day i get in good shape i will come and see u guys anywhere in the world just to show my appreciation thanks will eagerly await your reply.

I’m vegetarian too. I don’t like eggs or milk however, and rarely eat cheese, so I’m practically “vegan”. (Personally I don’t like to use words like vegetarian or vegan, cause it seems to put some people off. And it seems like my saying “I’m vegetarian” implies that they are something else, and that is simply not true. There’s a disconnect. Anywho. Guess that’s a little off topic.

Over the last few years, I’ve read quite a bit on diet etc. with exercise specifically in mind, and basically what I do now is just eat 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day.

I usually eat fruit, veggies, and some sort of protein every meal. It kinda feels like snacking all day, but you are never really really hungry.

I would suggest just going out and buying a bunch of fruit and veggies and protein source. For protein I usually eat these fake sausage thingies, tofu, tempeh etc. Also, make sure you get nuts for the fat content. It is good fat. I eat my veggies raw.

I used to count calories, but don’t anymore. I think if you just do the 6 meals, you will be able to feel how much food you need.

As far as exercises, you can always tone down some of the workouts on these videos if they are too much for you. You will be surprised how fast results come when you are eating healthy and workout hard.

Anyway, I this helped, even if it was just a little bit. I’ve just basically read as much as I can about nutrition/exercise, and experimented on myself over the last 4 or 5 years.

This may help:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.php?page=Vegetarians

This is a good read too, it’s why I go raw on veggies now:

http://www.amazon.com/Thrive-Nutrition-Optimal-Performance-Sports/dp/0738212547/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275719705&sr=8-1

Sorry for how long this post was. It’s my first post, and I just want to say a quick “Hello” and “Thanks!” to Fredrick and Zuzana. I seriously appreciate all the videos and information you guys post. I’ve actually been in a slump lately (i.e. being lazy) and your site is always an inspiration. I’m back on track, and revisiting your site helped me. Thanks for doing what you do! :)

Hi
Gee, I can remember the first workout I found on youtube.. I was browsing for exersices to tone the legs and the rear, and then I found booty bounce workout. I thought “Wow” when I saw Zuzana’s body, and gave the workout a try. I saw the link to your site and since then I’ve been trying the different workouts without equipment, and man they’re hard on you! :) What I really want to say is thank you for being great inspirations and helping me out! :) I’ve been doing your workouts for about a month now, and I feel great after every one!

Now my problem: Generally, I’m pretty happy with my figure. I do weigh more than most of my friends (I’m 18, 1.66 m and weigh around 65kg) but I do have more muscle then they do, and workout much more often. I go to soccer practice twice a week for 1.5 h, and every other evening I do about 45 min cardio and then one of Zuzana’s workouts or weght-lifting. My upper body I’m very satisfied with, what I sometimes have problems with are my hips, thighs and rear. I really have trouble finding fitting pants because I can’t get them past my thighs, and when I do they’re too tight around the rear. I’m really sick of this, but I can’t seem to do much about it! Do you have any tips to tone that area a bit more?

Greetings from Switzerland and thank you!
Lyn