Not sure how to get started on a nutrition plan? Are strict diets and weighing food something you’re simply not ready for, yet you still want to get healthier? The road to better nutrition and health does not need to be complicated. Its as simple as eating clean and controlling your portions! I built this easy to follow plan with the focus of our first responders and military in mind. Learning to eat low carb and high healthy fats is essential for optimal hormone balance and improving insulin metabolism. Cutting out processed foods and simple sugars is a great place to start. If its not on the plan you simply avoid eating or drink it. Allow yourself one cheat meal a week where you can enjoy food and drinks with friends and family and back on track. You will find yourself well on your way towards your goal of better health while increasing energy and quality of sleep.

Veggies: (unlimited)

All vegetables are unlimited on this plan. You may have as much as you want. Be careful of dipping! Stay away from the salad dressing bottles and creamy dips they are loaded with calories, so use your single packets suggested below for portion control!

Fresh and organic is best (wash your fruits and veggies!), but you can buy frozen vegetable medley’s and stock up on them in the freezer section. Get some diversity and keep it fun with Asian, Tex-Mex, etc. and any other culinary creation to change things up. Look for the G. Hughes Smokehouse sugar free sauces you can add to meals for different low-calorie flavoring. They are on Amazon and taste amazing.

Example:

4 oz. grilled chicken, Birds Eye Asian Vegetable Medley, ½ cup Uncle Bens Jasmine rice, G. Hughes Sugar Free Teriyaki Sauce

Pack a Snack:

Get large Ziploc bags bell pepper, cucumber, celery, or carrots and cut them up for portion-controlled dipping. It’s the perfect Go To snack in the frig at home or work with single packets suggested for dipping. If you are still hungry include a hand full of walnuts or almonds.

Fruit: (3 servings a day) Get frozen fruit bags for making smoothies. Use Truvia or Stevia for sweetener and stay away from artificial sweeteners like Splenda, which creates leaky gut syndrome.

Berries  (best low calorie and antioxidant fruits)

Banana (add 30-60 minutes before hard workout, run, or bike)

Pineapple, Apple, grapes, melons (add 20 minutes after a workout and replenish glycogen while repairing muscle)

Oranges (immune defense)        

Passion fruit & kiwi (great before bed loaded with Serotonin, Vitamin C, and dietary fiber)   

Cherries (reduce inflammation & joint pain while low in glycemic index to enjoy at night)

Dairy: (2 serving a day)

almond or cashew milk, Oikos Triple Zero yogurt, cheese sticks 2% milk, non- fat or low-fat cottage cheese, Kefir Yogurt (awesome probiotic)

Grain/Carbs: (3 servings a day) Cut these serving in half on your night shift

Ezekiel Bread

Dave’s Killer Bread

Gluten Free, Whole Wheat, or Spinach Wrap      

100 calorie English muffin           

Bear Naked Granola       

Oatmeal (reduce bloat and GI inflammation or sensitivities with gluten free)       

Quinoa, White, or Brown rice (Uncle Bens Microwavable packets or Minute individual bowls are perfect)

Sweet, Red, Yellow, or White potato (Use cinnamon & Truvia w/ sweet potato & butter popcorn seasonings on red yellow and white its delicious)   

Protein: (4 servings a day) Not sure how many grams protein you need? Multiply your weight in pounds by 0.36 and you will have your grams. Contact me and I’ll help you fine tune and personalize your plan to match your goals.

chicken, shrimp, white fish, turkey  

salmon (excellent source of healthy fat and “brain food” but limit to once a day)

Top sirloin fat trimmed (limit once day)

Turkey bacon

ISO, Casein, or 50/50 protein powder(Hit me up for suggestions based on current goals)

Egg whites (Try www.muscleegg.com for great easy way to add protein with amazing flavor. I love cake batter, pumpkin spice, and fruity cereal)              

Beans & Lentils (Load up on those healthy cooked beans, but not if you’re on a group assignment!)            

 Healthy Fats & Snack packets: (4 servings a day) If you are on night shift increase healthy fat portions and reduce your carbs. Keeping healthy fats high is important for hormone balance & insulin metabolism while supporting cognitive function.

Pure olive oil, sunflower oil, macadamia nut oil, flax seed oil, coconut oil (pour a tbsp over your meal!)

Avocado or Guacamole, Get single packets like Wholly

Almond butter or Natural peanut butter, Jif Natural Peanut Butter To-Go packet great snack with celery and carrots

Sabra Hummus single to go packets (great on veggies or pretzel chips)

Hidden Valley Ranch or similar single packets

Almonds, Walnuts, and Pumpkin Seeds, sunflower seeds              

Sweet Tooth: (1 serving a day)

1-2 tbsp. Nestle mini dark chocolate chips (add with diced fruit or yogurt w/nuts for snack)

Single Rice Krispy Treat or 1 bite size candy bar (Snickers & Rice Krispy Treats are a great go-to after a really hard workout but stop at 1!)

Sugar Free Jell-O or Pudding

Water:

Be sure you are getting approximately .5 to 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight daily depending on activity and environment. You can add lemon to keep your PH levels high as this improves metabolic acidosis and the extra oxygen decreases the buildup of lactic acid in the muscle. You can also use Core, Essentia, or Smart Water.

Limit soda to 1 or 2 diet soda’s a day (Do your best to reduce this down to 0 as they attack gut health.)

Super Coffee, Super Creamer, Laird Superfood Creamer are great options for coffee lovers available on Amazon. (Try to limit 6 to 8 oz. daily. Caffeine triggers fright flight response in the body which we want to reduce.)

Crystal Light packets

Flavored Seltzer water

 Suggested Supplements:

Keep it simple!!!! Stay consistent!!!!! Always consult with a physician or pharmacist before starting a supplement regimen.

Pro/prebiotic Align stress defense is a great idea or Bio Complete 3, Multi Vitamin, D3 recommend high dose of 5,000 IU’s daily, Omega 3 with EPA/DHA, Magnesium w/ Zinc, Ashwagandha

If you are struggling with insulin resistance (pre diabetic, high cholesterol, high blood pressure) please consider Berberine. Taking 2,000 mg berberine daily split up with carb meals with a balanced nutrition plan and exercise can be a life saver!

 FREE FOODS: (If you are starving need to snack just choose from this list)

Watermelon, celery, carrots, cucumber, dill pickles, sauerkraut, sugar free Jell-O packet, 1 apple, green beans, sugar snap peas, 2 clementine

You may add 1 single snack pack per day of one of the following: Jif Natural Peanut Butter, Sabra Hummus, or Hidden Valley Ranch

Have your meals ready to grab and go! “By failing to plan, you are preparing to fail.”  Make grocery shopping and meal prepping a priority in your off time and before you start a new shift. If you need help or have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me via anyone of my below contact sources:

M/Cpl. Kelly A. Richards

ISSA Certified Nutritionist & Personal Trainer

NCPD Wellness Committee Nutrition & Fitness

FBI Officer Resiliency Instructor

Cell: (302) 559-0213

Work: (302) 395-8080

Email: Kelly.richards@newcastlede.gov