Convert Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 Meals
Meal Planning Worksheet (online at www.alwayshungrybook.com)
Shopping List Templates (online)
Weekly Prep Worksheet (online)
By now, you’ve been on the program for anywhere from one or two months to six months or more. Your weight has decreased to a new, lower set point. Perhaps you’ve experienced other benefits, like more energy and lower heart disease risk factors. And if you accomplished this without hunger and troublesome food cravings, congratulations—you’ve mastered the Always Hungry Solution! Now, the key is to tailor the program to your body’s specific needs and your personal preferences, allowing you to maintain all these benefits easily… and for good. And that’s the purpose of Phase 3.
In Phase 3, you’ll mindfully reintroduce some of the more processed carbohydrates—breads and other refined grains, white potato products, and sweets—as mini experiments, to see how your body responds. After a few months of optimal eating, improved sleep, stress reduction, and regular physical activities, some people can begin again with a clean slate and tolerate moderate amounts of these foods. If you’re one of them, why not enjoy a fresh-baked pastry when visiting Paris, some fettuccine in Little Italy, or the occasional slice of ice cream cake at a party? Others may find that any amount of processed carbohydrates triggers cravings or other symptoms, setting the stage for weight regain. For them, the rewards of good health will more than make up for any momentary pleasures missed.
But regardless of which category you’re in now, your body may change over time—toward greater flexibility with continuing improvements in metabolism the longer you stay on the program; or in the opposite direction at times of stress. During Phases 1 and 2, you’ve reconnected with your body and its weight control signals of hunger and satiety. Don’t tune out now! Compare your eating and lifestyle habits with your physical symptoms and body weight regularly, so that you can adjust the program to your needs in the months and years ahead. The Daily Tracker and Monthly Progress Chart are designed to help you do this.
The ratios of protein to fat to carbohydrate in Phase 3 are individualized and will vary between people, but typically 20 percent of your calories will come from protein, 40 percent from fat, and 40 percent from carbohydrate, as shown in the figure on here. (Total protein intake doesn’t actually change from Phase 2, but the percentage decreases slightly as the amount of other food you eat increases.) These proportions resemble those of the U.S. diet in the mid-twentieth century, before the low-fat craze, and typical Mediterranean diets consumed today. With approximately equal contributions from fat and carbohydrate, you won’t have to restrict any major nutrient and can enjoy freedom in food choices. As with the other phases of the program, let your hunger be your guide. Eat until you feel pleasantly satisfied but not uncomfortably full, and maintain your focus on food quality.
The goal of Phase 3 is to create a personalized prescription for long-term success, not only for diet, but also for movement, sleep, and stress relief—the other key components of healthy living. To accomplish this, consider which practices will be most enjoyable, practical, and rewarding for you—and integrate them deeply into your life.
If you’ve enjoyed the evening passeggiata, make it a permanent practice. Perhaps the habit will catch on, and entire communities will turn off the TV to head outdoors after dinner for a chance to move, relax, and socialize together. What about your moderate to vigorous physical activities three to four times a week? Have you found options that you enjoy and can continue indefinitely? Consider connecting with friends around these activities for group support—commuting together to a regular dance class or meeting at a designated time each week to shoot hoops. Have you lost weight, become fitter, and gained physical confidence? If so, activities that might have seemed intimidating before, like roller skating or rock climbing, may now be within your easy reach! And look for opportunities to add movement throughout your day: Walk rather than drive when feasible; take the stairs rather than the elevator; stand while talking on the phone; or hold a walking business meeting if the weather permits.
Increased movement and stress reduction will help you fall asleep more easily in the evening. Try setting bedtime half an hour earlier. Do you wake up feeling more rested and need less caffeine to get through the day? Continue to refine your pre-sleep routine and protect your sleep sanctuary.
If you’ve found benefits from the two brief stress-relief sessions in Phase 2, consider expanding the total time to 20 to 30 minutes a day. But keep in mind that maintaining a daily practice, not achieving a time target, is most important here. In what other ways can you protect yourself from the toll of modern life on your nervous system? For many people, there is no substitute for regular time in nature—be it a stroll in the park, a swim in the ocean, or a hike in the mountains.
Rewrite Your If-Then Plans. Perhaps you’ve successfully used your if-then strategies to deal with recurring obstacles. Or maybe you’ve never gotten into the habit of using them. Either way, consider rewriting your if-then plans as you continue into Phase 3. Obstacles that seemed daunting in Phase 1 may no longer present problems, whereas new ones may emerge. Many of us are used to staying on a “diet” for a specified period of time. But what happens when we try to make the changes permanent? Your if-then plans will help you stay (and get back) on track for the long journey.
Reimagine a Bigger Why. Perhaps your Big Why—the defining reason you started the Always Hungry Solution—remains unchanged: to avoid getting diabetes or to feel as good as possible day after day. But if your Big Why involved something more short term, such as getting in shape for summer, maybe you’ve already achieved your goal. If so, it’s time for a new one. What specific vision will help you align your daily behaviors with your highest aspirations in life? Take this opportunity to reflect on the big picture of your life (refer to here for guidance).
Phase 3 does not have a specific meal plan, but is instead built upon Phase 2. Use the charts, tips, and meal suggestions that follow, the recipes in chapter 9, and the meal planning worksheets online at www.alwayshungrybook.com for guidance.
After several months of conscientious eating, you can now begin to reintroduce some processed carbohydrates into your diet (see Program Foods Phase-by-Phase, here). Have a piece of bread with an omelet at breakfast, a tortilla with a Mexican dish at lunch, pasta for dinner, or a sweet dessert. Start with just one such food a few times a week, and increase slowly as tolerated. (Even with foods made with milled flour, whole-grain products are preferable, but not mandatory.)
As you make these changes to your diet, pay special attention to your hunger level, food cravings, energy level, mood, general sense of well-being, weight, and waist circumference (as recorded in the Daily Tracker and Monthly Progress Chart). If you begin to experience setbacks, dial back the processed carbohydrates and/or refocus on your life supports related to movement, sleep, and stress reduction. You can return to Phase 2 anytime, or even Phase 1 to clean the slate again.
Many people find they don’t do well with too many processed carbohydrates, but even if you don’t experience obvious negative effects, I recommend limiting yourself to two modest portions of processed carbohydrates per day as a general rule. Highly processed carbohydrates are among the lowest-quality components of the food supply, accounting for the majority of diet-related disease in the United States today—they’re highly concentrated in calories but devoid of real nutrition. One size definitively doesn’t fit all. With a developing awareness of your body’s biological signals and needs, you’ll be well equipped to find the right balance for you. And if you’re among the sizable group of people who can’t tolerate much processed carbohydrate, simply making the decision that “these foods don’t work for me” can be liberating, especially since you know how satisfying a higher-fat, whole foods diet can be without them!
With just a few simple modifications, you can adapt familiar favorites to Phase 3 meals. Here are a few examples to get you started. Remember, including more processed carbohydrates in Phase 3 is entirely optional. Have them in moderation, only if your body can handle them. If not, stick with the Phase 2 eating plan.
PHASE 1 MEAL
Omelet
2 eggs
1 egg white
Olive oil, 2 teaspoons
Spinach
Cheese, 3 tablespoons
Berries, 1 cup
Greek yogurt, ½ cup
PHASE 2 VARIATION
Same as Phase 1, except:
Omit the egg white
Decrease olive oil to 1 teaspoon
Include tomato with spinach
Decrease cheese to 2 tablespoons
Add ¼ cup cooked quinoa
Add 1 teaspoon honey to berries and yogurt
PHASE 3 VARIATION
Same as Phase 2 except:
Serve with 1 slice of bread instead of quinoa
PHASE 1 MEAL
Black Bean Tofu Hash
Black Bean Tofu Hash (here)
Top with:
Cheddar cheese, 2 tablespoons
Sour cream, 1 to 2 tablespoons
Avocado, ½ sliced
PHASE 2 VARIATION
Same as Phase 1, except:
Mix ⅓ cup brown rice into Black Bean Tofu Hash
Top with:
Cheddar cheese, 2 tablespoons
Sour cream, 1 tablespoon
Avocado, ¼ sliced
PHASE 3 VARIATION
Same as Phase 2 except:
Wrap Black Bean Tofu Hash in 1 wheat or 2 corn tortillas and omit brown rice
Smoked Salmon
PHASE 1 MEAL
Smoked salmon, 3 ounces
Cheese, 1 ounce
Tomato, 1 medium, sliced
Cucumber, 1 small, sliced
Top with: Creamy Dill Sauce (here), 3½ tablespoons
Blueberries, 1 cup
PHASE 2 VARIATION
Same as Phase 1 except:
Decrease Creamy Dill Sauce to 2 tablespoons
Decrease blueberries to ½ cup Serve with:
Steel-cut oats, ½ cup cooked
PHASE 3 VARIATION
Same as Phase 2 except:
Make open-faced salmon sandwiches with 2 slices bread (Mestemacher pumpernickel especially recommended for this meal)
Omit oats
LUNCH
PHASE 1 MEAL
Taco Salad
Mexican Shredded Chicken (here)
Mix with salad (chopped lettuce, tomato, carrots, etc.) Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing (here)
PHASE 2 VARIATION
Same as Phase 1 except:
Reduce Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing by ⅓
Add whole corn kernels, ½ cup
PHASE 3 VARIATION
Same as Phase 2 except:
Use shredded vegetables (e.g., cabbage) instead of salad
Wrap in 1 or 2 corn tortillas instead of adding corn
Top each wrap with dressing
PHASE 1 MEAL
Steak Salad
Steak Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing (here)
Tangerine, 1
PHASE 2 VARIATION
Same as Phase 1 except:
Reduce Blue Cheese Dressing by ⅓
Serve with Roasted Sweet Potatoes (here), fries variation
PHASE 3 VARIATION
Same as Phase 2 except:
Add 1 cup croutons to salad and omit fries
PHASE 1 MEAL
Curry
Coconut Curry Shrimp (here)
Serve over a bed of spinach
PHASE 2 VARIATION
Same as Phase 1 except:
Serve over brown rice instead of spinach
PHASE 3 VARIATION
Same as Phase 2 except:
Serve over brown or white rice
PHASE 1 MEAL
Roasted Chicken
Creamy Cauliflower Soup (here)
Herb-Roasted Chicken Thighs (here)
Broccoli, 1 cup
Carrot, small, ½
Serve vegetables with Lemon Olive Oil Dressing (here), 1 tablespoon
PHASE 2 VARIATION
Same as Phase 1 except:
Substitute a squeeze of lemon for Lemon Olive Oil Dressing
Add small baked sweet potato
PHASE 3 VARIATION
Same as Phase 2 except:
Add small baked potato of any kind
PHASE 1 MEAL
Thai Peanut Tempeh
Thai Peanut Tempeh (here)
Sliced raw vegetables (cucumbers, carrot, red bell pepper) with a squeeze of lemon
PHASE 2 VARIATION
Same as Phase 1 except:
Reduce portion of Thai Peanut Tempeh by ¼
Serve over a bed of brown rice (½ cup)
PHASE 3 VARIATION
Same as Phase 2 except:
Serve Thai Peanut Tempeh over a bed of Asian noodles (½ cup)
DESSERT
PHASE 1 MEAL
Berries and Cream
Berries, 1 cup
Heavy cream, 2 tablespoons
PHASE 2 VARIATION
Same as Phase 1 except:
Add optional drizzle of honey
PHASE 3 VARIATION
Same as Phase 2 except:
Top with Homemade Granola (here) instead of honey
Phase 3 is for life. You’ll need inspiration and new ideas to keep things fresh. Experimentation is the name of the game. Check out www.alwayshungrybook.com for updated recipes. If you have one you love, please consider submitting it to mail@alwayshungrybook.com.
The amount of protein you choose will not change. Have 4 to 6 ounces of protein per meal, including vegetarian options.
Continue to emphasize fats. Rich sauces and spreads, nuts and nut butters, seeds, avocado, and olive oil—these remain basic staples, making meals delicious, nutritious, and satisfying. The total amount you’ll use stays about the same as in Phase 2.
Enjoy the full range of nonstarchy vegetables and fruits. Aim to fill half of every meal with these health-promoting natural foods.
Continue to include ½ cup grains or starchy vegetables up to three times a day. Unlike in Phase 2, you can include white potatoes, white rice, rolled oats, breads and other flour products, popcorn, and the like as part of your total (see Program Foods Phase-by-Phase, here). Aim for the majority of the grains you eat to be either milled “whole-grain” (processed into flour but with the bran and germ present) or, even better, unmilled “whole-kernel” options.
Find your sweetener “sweet spot” (if desired). You can now have a small amount of white sugar, based on your individual tolerance, but aim to limit total added sweetener (including honey, maple syrup, and all other types—see here) to 6 teaspoons a day. Having spent several months on the program so far, it’s likely your taste threshold will have changed, so that you don’t need so much sugar to enjoy the experience of sweetness. With an ability to appreciate the taste of a perfectly ripe strawberry, you can have a small slice of cake at an office party without feeling out of control.
Choose intact whole-kernel options for most of your grains. Highly processed whole-grain products are preferable to refined grain products (from which the fiber and germ have been removed). This chart provides a few examples to illustrate differences among types of grain products.
MINIMALLY PROCESSED/WHOLE-KERNEL GRAINS
Recommended total grain intake: 0 to 3 servings/day
Phases 2 and 3*
0 to 3 servings/day
Wheat berries
Oats, whole groats or steel cut
Rice, brown
Buckwheat (kasha)
Millet
Quinoa
HIGHLY PROCESSED WHOLE GRAINS
Recommended total grain intake: 0 to 3 servings/day
Phase 3 Only
Up to 2 servings/day may be included as part of the daily total
Bread, whole grain**
Pasta or couscous, whole wheat
Crackers, whole grain
Tortilla, corn or whole wheat
Oats, rolled
HIGHLY PROCESSED REFINED GRAINS
Recommended total grain intake: 0 to 3 servings/day
Phase 3 Only
Up to 2 servings/day may be included as part of the daily total
Bread, white
Pasta or couscous, white
Rice, white
Crackers, white
Chips
* Phase 1 has no grains of any kind
** “Flourless,” sprouted, and “stone-ground” breads are less processed than conventional products made from finely milled flours and resemble whole-kernel grains in nutritional value. Food for Life Baking Company (Ezekiel bread) and Mestemacher offer such product lines.
Alcohol and caffeine. It’s OK to have up to 2 alcoholic drinks a day as tolerated. Enjoy coffee and tea according to your tolerance, but for many people, 2 to 3 caffeinated beverages a day is a reasonable limit. Higher amounts can produce insulin resistance—an underlying cause of weight-related complications (see here)—and have other negative effects.
Mindful eating. With highly processed carbohydrates, it’s easy to go from too hungry to too full too quickly. The transition from hunger to satiety occurs more slowly with whole, natural foods, leaving you more time to adjust the amount you eat for your body’s needs. You can make this adjustment most precisely by eating mindfully. As you sit down for a meal, turn off the TV and put away the newspaper. Relax and turn your focus to the food. If you’re with others, steer the conversation away from stressful topics. This isn’t the time to resolve a political debate or a personal misunderstanding. Eat slowly. Pay attention to your sensory experience of smells, tastes, textures, chewing, and swallowing. Every few minutes, consider how the food feels in your stomach, as your appetite becomes satisfied. Look for that moment when you’ve had just enough food, but not too much. The Japanese call this point hara hachi bu, which translates as “stomach 80 percent full.” Paradoxically, eating beyond this point lessens overall enjoyment of the meal, as discomfort displaces pleasant feelings. When you have had just enough food, savor a cup of tea or coffee, to help bring the meal to a satisfying close.
The five-hour rule. One of the best ways to fine-tune your eating habits is to tune into your body in the five hours after any meal.
• Do you feel completely satisfied but not over-full after eating?
• Do you experience stable energy level and mood over the next few hours?
• Do you develop a healthy appetite (but not ravenous hunger) in time for the next meal, about five hours later?
If not, consider what and how much you ate at the last meal, and make adjustments. With practice, you’ll deeply associate eating right with feeling great—an invaluable skill in navigating our modern food environment. In time, you’ll become your own best guide.
In place of a meal plan, use the Meal Planning Template, Weekly Prep Template, and Weekly Shopping List Template (all three online) for support as you fine-tune and follow your diet. Here are a few meal suggestions to get you into the swing of Phase 3.
Heat one 8-inch sprouted or whole-grain tortilla in a cast-iron skillet. Transfer the warmed tortilla to a plate and top with with 1½ cups Black Bean Tofu Hash (here), 1 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese, 2 tablespoons guacamole, 1 tablespoon sour cream, 1 teaspoon salsa, or to taste. Fold one side of the tortilla over the filling by about an inch, then fold the other two sides together, overlapping over the middle, and roll into a burrito wrap. Serve as a quick, grab’n’go breakfast.
Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet. Whisk 2 eggs and 1 egg white together and add 1 cup baby spinach leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into the skillet. Top with 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese. Fold over and cook until done. Serve with 1 slice whole-grain bread and 1 tablespoon nut butter.
Top 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt with ¼ cup Homemade Granola (here) and 1 cup blueberries.
Whole-Grain Pancakes with Fruit Sauce and Whipped Cream Topping (here) and 2 slices turkey bacon.
Top a Chicken Quesadilla (here) (of six slices—serve two for breakfast or lunch, one for snack, and three for dinner) with 1 to 2 tablespoons guacamole, 1 tablespoon salsa, and 1 to 2 teaspoons sour cream. Serve with ¼ cup black beans.
Heat 2 or 3 small to medium corn tortillas in a cast-iron skillet. Fill them each with about 2 ounces cooked fish or chicken, some shredded vegetables like cabbage, carrots, and cilantro, and a dollop of Chipotle Mayonnaise (here). Fold in half and eat immediately. (Note: This is best assembled immediately prior to eating so the tortillas don’t get soggy.)
Top two slices of 100% whole wheat bread with sliced fresh basil (about 2 teaspoons), ¼ teaspoon dried basil, or a thin layer of basil pesto, a few slices of fresh tomato, 3 to 4 ounces mozzarella slices (total). Heat in a toaster oven or oven until the cheese has melted. Serve open-faced, with a green salad with chopped vegetables tossed with 1 tablespoon Mustard Vinaigrette (here) or another dressing of your choice.
Spoon 1 to 1½ cups Marinara Primavera (here) over ½ to 1 cup cooked whole wheat pasta. Top with grated Parmesan (about 1 teaspoon). Serve with 1 cup blanched green beans or another green vegetable.
Serve Herb-Roasted Chicken Thighs (here) with ½ cup cooked white or brown rice (see the Guide to Cooking Whole Grains, here) and steamed or blanched broccoli, snap peas, carrots, or other vegetables with a spritz of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Variation: Remove the chicken skin, stir the meat together with the broccoli, rice, and cheese, and bake into a broccoli rice casserole.
Top 1 cup fresh or cooked fruit with ¼ cup Homemade Granola (here) and 2 tablespoons heavy cream or canned coconut milk.
Enjoy Apple Crisp (here).
Though we’ve come to the end of the program, I hope you’ll find the Always Hungry Solution a good companion as you continue along your path to optimal health. And please join me in another journey—to make the world a healthier place for all of us. Having brought healing into our personal lives, let’s now work together so that this generation of children won’t face the prospect of having shorter, less healthful lives than their parents. I invite you to read the Epilogue (here) for a road map.