The Palm Springs Plan™ is designed around foods that provide the most nutritional impact as well as cultural, psychological and soulful needs of the body for optimal health and vitality. Learn to create nutrient dense meals that are also completely delicious and satisfying in every way. You will see how quickly your body responds and rewards you so you can finally give up the fight and enjoy food and life in a way that you have dreamed of. The guidelines of The Palm Springs Plan™ reflect a modern-day delicious approach to eating clean, seasonal, local foods whenever possible.
Meats, Poultry and Fish
Ideally, you should consume your protein from clean, grass-fed/pastured or wild sources. For fish and seafood, always try to eat wild stocks and not farmed raised. Wild or grass-fed animals, are leaner and healthier than grain-fed, feedlot animals. Grass-fed meat and free-range poultry are superior in taste and Omega-3 health benefits. Try to choose the best that you can afford and have access to in your area. A number of grass-fed farmers are making their goods available online and ship overnight. While it may not be practical or possible to obtain wild game, grass-fed meat and wild seafood as a primary protein source in your diet, selecting them when possible will ensure higher clean protein levels and lower levels of unhealthy forms of fats. Lean protein is also more appetite-satisfying than unhealthy fats or carbohydrates and makes you feel full faster, promoting weight loss.
High Quality Fats
When you eliminate sugar from your eating, fats become your friend. As a new “clean food” eater you consume your fats in the form of wild fish, grass-fed meats, avocados, nuts, seeds and nut oils. Omega-3 essential fatty acids in fish oil, particularly cold water fish, such as salmon, mackerel and cod, provide a host of anti-inflammatory and other health benefits and is a key helper in reducing inflammation. Coconut oil is one of the healthiest cooking oils and a functional food as well since it provides many health benefits beyond its nutritional content. It’s known for being anti-bacterial and supports the natural chemical balance of the skin amongst a long list of its benefits.
Fruits and Vegetables
Unlimited fruits and non-starchy vegetables provide a wealth of phytonutrients in The Palm Springs Plan™. However, fresh fruit also contains a lot of sugar; dried and canned fruits contain even more. Avoid the highest sugar fruits, including bananas, apples and pineapples, at the beginning of the diet, or until you reach your individual goals for blood sugar and weight management. If you are insulin resistant or diabetic, consult your doctor before following any new adjustment to your diet. Vegetables, including leafy greens, peppers, squash, tomatoes and other non-starchy vegetables, provide vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber and flavor.
Foods to Avoid
Paleolithic people were hunters and gatherers and did not grow or consume starchy vegetables. As a result, potatoes, grains and beans should not appear on your Palm Springs plate. Additionally, the cultivation process, dictated by taste preferences over time, has selected foods with high starch and sugar content. The exclusion of grains makes The Palm Springs Plan™ gluten-free, a style of eating that is also becoming popular as understanding the health effects of gluten — a protein found in wheat, rye and barley — expands.
Regular table salt is also off the food list for The Palm Springs Plan™ but a fine replacement is any unrefined seal salt (i.e. Celtic Sea Salt) that has vital nutrients that the body requires. Finally, especially for the first month on this eating plan, you should avoid dairy in all its forms as many people do have a similar inflammatory reaction from the protein in dairy and cheese, as well as wheat, contain levels of opiates which is why people cling to “loving” these foods so passionately. After a period of at least 2 weeks of dairy elimination, you may want to try and add some dairy into your eating and see if your system is ok with the digestion and adjust accordingly. During our consultations, we will monitor the improvements to see how dairy interacts with your specific system.
In So Many Words…
Think…
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Think Clean eating
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Think Fresh quality
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Think Farmers Market even if you’re in Costco
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Think ‘what is the best quality I can afford’
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Think ‘YES, it’s possible to eat smart in a restaurant and/or traveling’
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Think good for the WHOLE family
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Make the BEST choice you can in any situation.
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Plan Ahead and Clean out the Pantry!
Eat…
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EAT Protein (beef, poultry, fish, seafood, lamb, pork, wild game)
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EAT Vegetables (no corn…more on THAT later)
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EAT Fruit (unless weight loss is a goal – then 1 serving/day)
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EAT Healthy Fats (extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocados)
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EAT Nuts (limit if weight loss is a goal – no peanuts, its a bean – all others ok)
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EAT Eggs (unless you have an autoimmune issue then see if you have improvement without them)
Avoid…
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AVOID GRAINS (no bread, cereals, pasta, rice, deep fried coatings etc)
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AVOID STARCHES (no potatoes, yams, beans etc),
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AVOID DAIRY (especially in beginning then selectively add back on an individual basis to see if it’s ok for your internal system)
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AVOID SOY (its not the same as it used to be…see CORN)
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AVOID REFINED SUGARS
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AVOID PROCESSED “ANYTHING” (I’m not comfortable calling it ‘food’)
If possible, buy…
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Grass-fed / pastured meat
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Nitrate-free bacon & sausages
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Wild caught seafood and fish
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Organic, fruits and veggies
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Raw nuts – not roasted
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Free-range, Omega-3 eggs
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Take an Omega-3 liquid supplement (i.e. Carlson or Nordic Naturals)
