Proportionally the diet conforms to Sabbagh’s Golden Ratio for professional quality meal planning: Protein (50%), healthy fats (30%) and carbs (20%). Clients see major benefits in healthy meal plans which conform to these ratios. Even greater benefits can arise following consultation with our doctors, which are intended to lead to individualised diet regimes. These regimes are underpinned by the concept of carb-cycling, a method which varies according to individual needs.
This bespoke aspect of meal planning is just one of the ways in which our healthy meal plans distinguish themselves from a variety of diets which have come and gone over the last 5-10 years: No carb diets, mediterranean diets, liquid diets, hcg diets, high protein diets and the Atkins diet are good examples.
Our low calorie meals are designed to contain carbs with low glycemic indexes. These foods do not cause significant rises in insulin, facilitating the depletion of fat storage sites.
The idea is to:
- Maintain protein measures at 6 ounces
- Keep sides between one and one and a half cups
- Hold carb intake to one meal a day — at approximately 30 mg
- Add balanced amounts of protein and fat.
These basic meal planning rules provide those who want to lose weight with approximately 50-75 grams per day, with the suggested snacks. Since proteins and sides are pre-measured, this reinforces portion control, rendering calorie counting unnecessary. In fact, calorie count is avoided by default. In any case the dishes in our meal plans will not have too many calories because they are size-controlled and have no superfluous carbohydrates.
A word on meal planning and wheat. In recent years wheat has undergone such extensive genetic modification that I excluded it from the EatWeighBetter regime altogether because of possible links to intestinal symptoms, including fatigue, low energy and body aches.
50-75 grams of carbs a day provides most people with sufficient energy. Essentially, every planned meal is higher in protein and good fats, lower in carbohydrates. Meals with sides of carbohydrates or breakfast meals with carbohydrates are intended to be the only meal of the day with carbs. Or portions provide roughly 30 grams of carbs, leaving a 20-30 gram room for error to account for hidden-carbs added by the client.
Check my recent blogs for related meal planning and meal prep recipe topics. Find out more of the scientific trials supporting low-carb diets.