Eat Liberally

You can enjoy as much of these foods as you like. Remember we are not counting calories or fasting or anything like that!

Meat and Poultry: beef, lamb, chicken, duck, pork, wild game, venison, etc. When you can, use free-range chicken and grass-fed beef but don’t get wrapped up in it if it’s not feasible. Don’t be afraid to eat all parts of the meat. Don’t limit yourself to boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Fish: All fish is good but especially fatty fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel, and anchovies. Wild is preferable.

Eggs: These are perfect and portable (when boiled, that is)! Eat the whole egg… if we weren’t meant to eat yolks, chickens would have egg separators. If it’s affordable for you, buy free-range but again, don’t get wrapped up in this detail.

Starchy Tubers: Yams, sweet potatoes, plantains, yucca… for now, white potatoes are not as good a choice as the others.

Non-starchy Vegetables: cooked or raw, doesn’t matter. This is really everything: artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chiles, cucumbers, eggplant, onion, any greens and lettuces, leeks, mushrooms, okra, squashes, tomatoes, etc. (green beans, sugar snap peas, and all beans/lentils/peas do not fall into this category)

Traditional Fats: Use leftover fats from cooking (beef tallow, chicken fat, bacon grease), Coconut oil, and olive oil. Also butter, but on this one splurge for the organic/grass-fed stuff.
Olives, Avocados, Coconut (unsweetened), Coconut Milk

Sea Salt and spices

Eat in Moderation

You can eat these foods, but not big portions and not multiple times a day. Pretty much once a day, reasonable portion is good here.

Processed Meats: Sausage, uncured bacon, jerky, salami, turkey or ham… here’s the thing, though, CHECK THE INGREDIENT LIST. You want them to just be meat, no added fillers and sugars and junk.

Whole Fruit: Let me say first, there is NOTHING wrong with fruit. Nothing. We say moderation simply because fruit does elevate the blood sugar and we want to try to keep the blood sugar even and consistent. Dried fruit is not optimal but fine in a pinch. Stick to a variety of fruits in their natural state.

Nuts and Seeds: sunflower seeds, almonds, brazil nuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, cashews, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds. Peanuts are legumes and should be eaten very sparingly. Try to keep to one handful a day.

Coffee: All tea and coffee are permitted. Try to limit the caffeinated (coffee and black tea) to 1-2 cups and before noon. Any later interrupts sleep no matter how well you think you handle caffeine. If you struggle with depression, mood swings, insomnia, anxiety, or hypoglycemia you will greatly benefit from eliminating coffee and caffeine in general.

Dark Chocolate: 70% cacao or higher and in small amounts. Read labels and try to purchase the one with the least ingredients. If you are sensitive to caffeine, keep this earlier in the day.

Vinegar: apple cider, balsamic, red wine, etc. apple cider vinegar has some especially beneficial properties. Try making your own salad dressing.

Full Fat Dairy: Really, once a day or less here. It must be full fat. If we were intended to eat reduced fat, cows would come with cream separators! This is a place to eat grass-fed and organic, as well. Grass-fed/organic dairy provides healthy omega 3’s not found in other dairy. If dairy is easy for you to eliminate, we recommend doing so.

Eat Sparingly or avoid completely

For best results, avoid these foods altogether. If you do eat them, no more than once or twice a week.

Grains: This means oats, rice, bulgur, wheat, quinoa, pasta, bread. If you want to have some grains, go with quinoa or rice. Avoiding wheat, bread and pasta is highly recommended.

Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners: We are trying to get blood sugar under control and both of these wreak havoc on the body. If you need to sweeten something, try pure maple syrup, honey, palm sugar, or fruit/fruit juice. But limit it!

Beans and Legumes: peas, beans, peanuts

Alcohol: Relax. It’s just for now, for this month. Limit the alcohol to 1-2 times per week or for best results altogether.

This list is not a complete list but should give you a great guide to work from. Build meals around the foods in green with a spattering of foods in orange.

For more information check out Haka Fitness Nutrition 101 on Facebook

Becca Wroten’s personal journey in life has been greatly linked to sports and fitness from a young age. As an adult, she realizes the greatest things in life come from hard work, perseverance, and courage. It is this belief in the tenacious spirit and a love for movement that drives her program design and the design of Haka Fitness.