The UltraMind Solution (95 page)

Now you know what
not
to eat and what foods you are going to avoid for the six-week program. The next step is to understand what you
are
going to eat and how you are going to eat it.

In the sections that follow I have outlined the basic principles of what to eat on the six-week program. These are important eating guidelines you will want to integrate for a lifetime if you are going to achieve UltraWellness. As long as you follow these guidelines, you will work through the six weeks without a problem.

Keep in mind these are just the principles. I have developed a full six-week eating plan complete with lists of foods you can include on the program, tips on how to cook, shopping lists, and a set of delicious recipes in
The UltraMind Solution Companion Guide
. If you want to make your experience on the program even easier, go to
www.ultramind.com
/guide and download the guide for the complete eating plan.

If food is information and your brain runs on the right information, then clearly just getting enough calories in a day is not enough. The quality of those calories will determine the quality of your mind.

Remember your health is also connected to the health of the planet. You can reduce the “carbon footprint” of your diet and transform your health at the same time. What you put on your fork has broad impact not only on your health but on agriculture, energy consumption, the environment, politics, and the economy.

Here are the principles of choosing quality food. They are in order of importance:

Real
—Choose real, whole, unprocessed fresh foods in as close to their natural state as possible—fresh vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, lean animal protein such as small fish, chicken, and eggs.

Clean
—Choose grass-fed,
^*
antibiotic-, hormone-, and pesticide-free animal products.

Organic
—Choose organic fruits and vegetables to reduce the toxic effects of pesticides on your brain, and also your thyroid and your sex hormones, which are very sensitive to the effects of low-level toxins.

Local
—Eat local foods that are in season. Frequent your local farmers’ market or consider joining your local community-supported agriculture projects. Learn more at
www.localharvest.org/csa
.

These are the principles I used when I designed the six-week eating plan in
The UltraMind Solution Companion Guide.
Go to
www.ultramind.com
/ guide to download the free guide.

Controlling insulin and balancing your blood sugar are critical for balancing your mood, focusing, having energy, and preventing all the age-related brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

It is not very hard. Besides avoiding flour and sugar products, eating smaller, more frequent meals keeps your blood sugar even and prevents swings in energy, mood, and appetite. Not only will your anxiety and depression improve, but you will also automatically lose weight.

Meal Timing

For breakfast every day eat protein such as whole omega-3 eggs, soy or rice protein shakes, and nut butters. (See
www.ultramind.com/guide
for recipe ideas.) Beside controlling your appetite and helping you lose weight, protein in the morning provides the amino acids necessary to produce all the neurotransmitters needed for optimal brain function.

Eat something every four hours to keep your insulin and glucose levels normal.

Eat a small protein snack in the morning and afternoon such as a handful of almonds.

When possible, avoid eating during the two to three hours before you go to bed. If you have a snack earlier in the day, you won’t be as hungry and eat as much later in the day.

The daily eating plan and checklists in chapter 19 that lay out the six-week program follow this schedule step-by-step. As long as you follow that plan, you will be eating your meals when you should for optimal brain and body health.

Composing the perfect meal is essential. To do that, just choose something from each of the whole-food categories below—carbohydrates, fats, and protein.

Or you can go to www.ultramind.com/guide and download
The UltraMind Solution Companion Guide
for a complete six-week eating plan, including recipes that are composed based on the standards outlined below.

Becoming a Fat Head

Omega-3 fats are the most important building blocks for a healthy brain and cells. It can take a year to rebuild and remake all your cells and tissues with the right fats.

Cold-water fish such as wild salmon, sardines, herring, small halibut, and sable (black cod) contain an abundance of beneficial omega-3 essential fatty acids that reduce inflammation. A great source of smaller, wild Alaskan salmon, sable, and halibut (all high in omega-3 fats and low in toxins) is available from
www.vitalchoice.com
.