The Healthy Lifestyle “Getting Started” Guide

The YES Healthy Lifestyle will help you stay lean, energized, and healthy for life. Don’t be fooled by those telling you that we are all overeating because we have food everywhere. When eating properly, we don’t have the urge to overeat because we’re not hungry. It’s that simple. Natural hunger fulfillment, as opposed to appetite suppression, is the solution to becoming lean for life. The YES™ Healthy Lifestyle Plan is based on the study of reliable sources such as medical journals, medical and science textbooks, real-life results and unbiased studies.

(YES does not provide medical advice. For guidance concerning any medical condition, please consult your health care provider. This article is for information purposes only. The statements in this article have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug administration. The information in this article is not intended to treat, prevent or cure any disease.)

What your body does with the foods you eat
There are 3 food categories: protein, fat and carbohydrate. Let’s start by looking at what your body does with carbohydrates.

Your digestive system breaks ALL carbs down into glucose (sugar). Most people eat 20 times the amount of sugar per meal than their body is meant to handle. This can cause health problems and weight gain. Carbohydrate foods are:

• Sweets
• Breads
• Pasta
• Rice
• Starchy vegetables
• Fruits

Once broken down, the sugar is sent to the liver for processing, but too many carbs exceeds the liver’s capacity to handle the overload. Your body keeps approximately 1 teaspoon of sugar in your bloodstream.¹ When too much sugar is ingested and not used immediately for energy, insulin is released by the pancreas to store the remaining sugar as excess body fat. This protects you from high blood sugar levels.

Insulin also prevents your body from burning the fat you’ve already stored. The pancreas is only meant to secrete insulin no more than 2 times daily, so eating carbohydrates more than twice a day puts even more strain on this delicate organ.

Carbohydrates halt fat burning in 2 ways:²

1) Using carbs for energy prevents you from using stored body fat. Your body chooses the carbs first, leaving excess body fat stored right where it is.
2) The majority of the carbs you eat get stored as excess body fat. While carbs are being stored, no body fat can get burned. So too many carbs means weight loss comes to a dead stop. Fat stores increase faster than they can be burned for energy.

So, what about the calorie theory?³ In a study conducted by Harvard University, some participants ate lots of carbs (low-calorie), while others ate lots of animal-based protein (low-carb). Although the protein eaters ate twice as many calories as the low-calorie group, they didn’t gain any weight, whereas the low-cal/high-carb eaters all gained weight. It’s not the amount of calories eaten, but the content of the calories. Sugar calories equals fat storage!

Carbohydrate is just a fancy name for sugar! A high-carbohydrate diet can contribute to:

• Constant hunger
• Allergy symptoms
• Perpetual weight gain
• Susceptibility to colds
• Exhaustion & fatigue
• Hormone imbalance
• Mental fogginess
• Heartburn/acid reflux

And sugar feeds bacteria and most viruses, too. Your brain gets alerted that there’s too much of a sugar overload on your delicate pancreas. Something must be done to stop the constant bombardment of sugar in your system and ensure your body gets the nutrients it requires! But what can you do differently when you’ve followed popular low-fat/low-calorie diets?

The Food Value Chart
The chart below illustrates the “value” of foods based on the science of your body. As you can see, natural foods are vital, while carbs (sugar) and trans fats should be avoided.

One large baked potato (no skin) converts to 7 teaspoons of sugar. Once processed by your body, all carbs become the same thing, sugar! When storing body fat, your body won’t distinguish between a complex or a simple sugar. One candy bar converts to the same amount of sugar as the baked potato.

The Faulty Food Guide Pyramid
The left pyramid is based on standard FDA recommendations (considering all varieties of the pyramids they now offer). The right pyramid is based on the science of how your body works. Take a look at the serving sizes for the FDA’s faulty food pyramid! Is it any wonder we’re facing an epidemic of obesity and illness is rampant? Not only are we told to eat massive amounts of food all day long, but the food that is most highly recommended is nearly all sugar, with little to no nutritional value. The FDA pyramid lacks vital nutrients and results in people who are tired, overweight and hungry.

The corrected food pyramid on the right has been flipped upside down. It demonstrates the highest level of appetite fulfillment, reasonable serving sizes and excellent nutrition. The results: thin, energized and satisfied people.

 

*Be sure to get the first-class protein you need every day.
**Vegetable serving size equals up to 1 cup. Vegetables and fruits that are higher in sugar should be eaten in smaller portions. Example: 1/2 a banana = 1 serving.
***Bread serving size equals 1 slice. With other starchy foods, serving size equals 1 oz.
Note: We’ve developed a much better way to measure the nutritional values of foods. Please see our Food Utilization Factor Chart in this article.

Protein and Natural Fats: The Body Re-Builders
First-class protein (animal based, like meats and cottage cheese) and natural fats like eggs, nuts, cheese and cream, are the most important, nutritionally dense foods you can eat. Your body requires daily re-building materials in order to prevent muscle and body structure from weakening and breaking down and to keep your immune system working as efficiently as it should.⁴

Animal-based protein should be the foundation of your meals. We are not saying don’t eat vegetables and fruits. By all means give yourself variety. Some carbohydrate foods are not as high in sugar as others. So enjoy:

• Green leafy veggies
• Avocado
• Mushrooms
• Spinach
• Asparagus
• Melons
• Berries
• Celery
• Half a portion of higher-carb fruits like apples and bananas or half portions of starchy foods like potato or rice. (Check our Carbohydrate Guide below for more options.)

Basic Carbohydrate Guide

First-class protein is needed for:
• Muscle structure
• Balanced blood pH
• Enzyme production
• Hemoglobin in the blood
• Antibodies in the bloodstream

First-class fat is needed for:
• Oxygen transfer
• Cellular structure
• Hormone production
• Collagen in the skin

Important Note: Non-animal-based protein such as rice, beans and soy, is not usable by your body to the extent needed to maintain good health (you only use about 1/4 of what you eat). If you’re vegetarian, be sure to get sufficient eggs, cheese, butter and even fish in your diet. Otherwise, your body won’t have the materials it needs to rebuild itself efficiently. Long-term health problems can result from a lack of these vital nutrients.⁵

Herbivore Vs. Carnivore: Digestive Comparison Chart
We are often told that the digestive system of humans is more like a sheep or a cow (vegetarian) than a wolf. This is completely incorrect and not based on the science of human physiology. Our digestive system is almost identical to that of a wolf, as you see in the chart below. We are NOT designed to be eating multiple meals throughout the day like a cow, with 4 stomachs, or a sheep.⁶

The Food Utilization Factor
When we initially researched to create this chart, we could find absolutely NOTHING giving the amount of fat stored when eating carbohydrates. We were shocked! Surely others had already researched the amount of fat stored when eating a slice of bread or drinking a glass of juice. Instead we found a lot of misinformation. Here are the facts.

The Food Utilization Chart:
Replacement for the Erroneous “Calorie Theory” & Faulty Food Pyramid

Food Utilization Chart Details Explained

Food Fueling Its Own Digestion: Some foods require a lot of their own energy to fuel their own digestion. First-class protein uses 60-70% of itself to “fuel” its digestion. Fats use about 40% and carbohydrates, typically just 15% to no more than 30%. This leaves less of the food available for body structure or fat storage. This is precisely why it is vital to get sufficient animal-based protein in your diet—at least 60% of it “vaporizes away” to fuel its digestion.
Food Used in Body Structure: This is where our bodies get what they need to remain healthy. You cannot maintain the integrity of a building without the proper materials for regular maintenance. This is precisely why, as you can see on the chart, animal-based protein and fat is so vital for cellular health, tissues and organs and should be the foundation of every meal. It’s the carbohydrates that are virtually nonexistent in your body’s structure. Without essential nutrients from fats and proteins, your body cannot maintain good health.
Food Stored as Body Fat if Not Burned Immediately for Energy: When your body uses food for energy, it won’t burn its own body fat. If you want to lose excess fat, you should minimize foods with a high fat storage rating.

Note: The percentages in the chart are “net”—after digestion. For example, virtually all of what is left of the carbohydrate after digesting goes to body fat. Percentages are estimates based on generalized comparisons of different food groups.

• Lots of soy is never recommended. Never use soy as a meat replacement. Small amounts of soy, like soy sauce, are fine as condiments.
• “Protein” bars are not recommended. Soy protein isolates and hydrolyzed proteins are awful for humans.
• Never use liquid meal-replacement diet drinks. These are typically loaded with carbohydrates and adulterated fats, and are highly processed. They should not even be considered “food.”

At most, 3 pounds (about 1,300 grams) of carbohydrates are required to gain 1 pound of body fat (about 450 grams). One-third goes directly to stored body fat.

Let’s see if it makes sense. If you gained 10 pounds in a year, which the average American has been gaining, then 10 lbs./52 weeks=.2 lb./week means you eat a little over 1/2 pound of carbohydrates a week. A slice of bread contains about 10 grams of carbohydrates, so the loaf is about 240 grams. Eating a loaf of bread a week makes you fatter by 10 pounds a year! Add a few desserts and sodas, and you double it to 20 pounds fatter each year! This is precisely why when following a high-carbohydrate diet, everyone keeps telling you to exercise more and more. The science clearly shows that overweight and obesity can be caused strictly by excess carbohydrate consumption.

Also critical is that the nutritional value of foods has changed. Food processing removes or destroys many valuable nutrients. Many essential minerals have been depleted in the soil. Harmful pesticides, antibiotics, hormones and chemical fertilizers are in foods. Lifestyles have also changed. We eat more fast foods. Most foods are highly processed. Misinformation is prevalent, leading to harmful dietary habits. Finally, the environment has changed, with increased levels of toxins in our air, water and foods.

Meal Plan Guidelines
Breakfast
Eggs: scrambled, poached, fried, quiche, omelette, deviled
Real Cheese: cheddar, swiss, mozzarella, jack
Bacon or Sausage: Links, patties, or ham
Tea or Coffee: Black or with half-and-half or heavy cream
1 piece of real toast with real butter or cream cheese

Lunch
Meat: deli-style, chicken, turkey, beef, pork
Fish: tuna, salmon, sardines or shellfish (unbreaded)
Salad/vegetables: tossed salad, egg salad/green beans, squash, etc.
Full-fat dressing, mayonnaise, vinegar and oil
Fruit: berries, melons, half your portion of higher sugar fruits like apples or bananas

Dinner
Meat: chicken (unbreaded), turkey, beef, pork
Fish: tuna, salmon, sardines or shellfish (unbreaded)
Salad/vegetables: asparagus, cucumber, tomato, spinach, artichoke or tossed salad
Dessert: dark chocolate, low-carb pudding, homemade low-sugar ice cream

*Eating three meals per day is not necessary — two is enough.

Simple Food Tips
The goals are simple:
• Minimize carbohydrates; you don’t need to eliminate them.
• Minimize trans fats and hydrogenated oils (read the labels).
• Minimize highly processed food (boxed, prepackaged).
• Maximize natural delicious proteins and low-carb veggies (organic is best).
• Maximize healthy and appetite-fulfilling natural fats.
• Maximize essential nutrients—replacing what’s missing in modern foods.

Tip 1: Avoid eating carbs three hours or less before bed. Blood sugar levels will stay elevated all night, preventing you from burning fat overnight. Eating protein before bed is fine.

Tip 2: Don’t use olive oil or butter on high heat or for roasting or long cook times because heat will turn them into trans fats. Use coconut oil, peanut oil, or ghee (clarified butter) for these dishes or for deep frying. Add butter or olive oil afterwards for flavor.

Tip 3: It’s not necessary to eat three times a day. The meal plan above is an example only; you can choose two out of the three meals for each day listed above.

The Importance of EFAs and Minerals
Our cells need unaltered Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) every day. EFAs are “oxygen magnets,” meaning they help to oxygenate your cells. Cells with high oxygen content are far healthier and have a higher resistance to toxins and damage. Simply breathing oxygen isn’t enough to oxygenate cells. It takes EFAs to get the oxygen into your cell membranes.

A big deal is made of taking vitamins, but minerals don’t get the attention they deserve. While vitamins are still available to us in our foods, eight essential minerals are now missing (iron, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, chromium, and boron). Minerals are vitamin activators or co-enzymes. Working together, these nutrients help your bodily processes work up to 1,000,000 times more efficiently.

Plants may look the same, but they now have fewer minerals. Modern farming methods, over-farming the same land again and again, and the use of artificial fertilizers have stripped many of the essential minerals we need from the soil. Also, it’s important to realize that our bodies are designed to get nutrients from the animal that ate the plant. A human’s digestive system can’t break down plant fiber to get to the nutrients. Most Americans also have been “magnetizing out” critical minerals because of harmful phytates (fiber) from overdosing on carbs.

References and Endotes
1) Textbook of Medical Physiology, pg. 936, Arthur C. Guyton, John E. Hall, WB Saunders Co., January 15, 1996, ISBN: 0721659446.
2) Ibid.
3) Harvard Study: Harvard School of Public Health as reported in New England Journal of Medicine
4) Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price, McGraw Hill – NTC; 15th edition (June 2003) ISBN: 0879838167. (out of print)
5) Bowes & Church’s Food Values. Jean A. T., Ph.D. Pennington, Anna De Planter Bowes, Helen Nichols Church, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 17th edition (January 15, 1998), ISBN: 0397554354.
6) http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/carn_herb_comparison.html

Reprinted with permission from YES (Your Essential Supplements) Inc.