The Slow Oxidizer Diet

Overview

If you are a slow oxidizer, like 80% of adults tested, this diet plan is for you. You will do best eating a huge base of cooked vegetables for remineralization, a moderate amount of animal protein daily, a small amount of complex carbohydrates, and fat mostly from your protein sources. This diet will improve your digestion by using simple food combinations and by eliminating nearly all of the 3,000 chemicals currently permitted in food by the FDA today. 

Slow oxidizers have underactive adrenal and thyroid glands and are not able to obtain the energy they need from their food, often leaving them feeling cold and tired. By emphasizing proteins and healthful complex carbohydrates, this diet helps to provide consistent energy and speed up the oxidation rate to a more balanced state. A diet high in fat, although helpful for quick weight loss (when combined with a very low carbohydrate diet), will slow the oxidation rate further. Your weight will most likely balance naturally as your hormones and body system begin to function properly and your diet transitions to whole foods. If you have specific concerns about weight loss or other dietary concerns not mentioned here, we will address these during your consultation.

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The Diet

overview

• Fill your plate with 50-75% cooked vegetables by volume. Aim to have several different vegetables totaling about 2-3 cups at least twice a day (5-7 cups total daily). This is essential to renourish bodies, even when one is overweight. Salads and some raw vegetables are OK but don’t really count towards the vegetable volume as they are not as fully digested as cooked vegetables.

• In addition to your vegetables, eat either ONE protein or ONE gluten-free grain. A serving of protein is about 4 ounces and grain is about ½ cup. You will need more or less depending on your size and activity level. Try not to combine protein and grain within a meal and do not eat more than one protein or more than one grain per meal. Examples following are incorrect combinations: meat and eggs, rice and corn tortillas, rice and meat, eggs and toast 

• It’s simple to think of meals in two parts: 1. Vegetables, 2. Protein OR Grain

  • Yogurt + Vegetables

  • Eggs + Vegetables

  • Oatmeal (may be sweetened with stevia if desired) + Vegetables

  • Chicken/Beef/Lamb/Turkey/Sardines + Vegetables

  • Nut Butter + Gluten Free Crackers + Vegetables

EXTRA TIPS

• Do not drink liquids with your meals, except that which is needed to take your supplements. You can drink up to 10 minutes before eating or one hour after eating. Too much liquid is hard on your digestion.

• Eat at least three meals per day. Do not skip meals, but also do not snack all day. Limiting your food intake will not give you enough nutrients to remineralize your body. If you are concerned about your weight, you should still eat three full meals each day. You do not have to go hungry to lose weight if you are sticking to this eating plan. The biggest factor in weight loss is limiting sugar and grain intake.

• Rotate your foods and brands of water. Do not eat the same 3 vegetables everyday or always buy the same water. Rotating how you cook your food will also help you obtain a wide variety of nutrients.

• Try to eat fresh, organically grown food as much as possible. For meat, seek out humanely raised animals - organic pasture-raised chicken and turkey, grass-fed beef, pasture raised chickens for eggs. Nearly all lamb sold in the U.S. is “grass-fed” as lamb does not do well in CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations).

• Eat whole, natural foods only. Get in the habit of reading all the labels. You will be surprised what is in your food! No protein powders (unless we discuss it), no green drinks, no juice other than carrot juice, no egg whites only, no egg beaters (eat the whole egg), and no food bars, except clean protein bars with less than 5g sugar per bar (Some flavors of Quest, Epic and others are OK. You will always need to read the labels), and no chemical additives (coloring, preservatives, stabilizers, processed ingredients).

Diet Details

VEGETABLES (70% BY VOLUME)

• Eat 5-7 cups of cooked vegetables per day. The vegetables should be cooked until soft. Do not use a microwave oven to cook your vegetables. Preferably pressure cook, steam or stir-fry your food. You can roast your food on occasion, but please not everyday as the prolonged high heat does damage some of the nutrients.

• Have 8-10+ different vegetables throughout the week. Each vegetable provides different nutrients. Eating a variety is the easiest way to renourish your body and protect against metals and unavoidable environmental toxins.

• Cook at least once per day. Leftovers are fine for a day or two at most as long as they are reheated. To reduce bacteria and histamine growth, older leftovers should be discarded.

• Salads do not count towards your vegetables as our bodies do not absorb nutrients as well from raw food. Additionally, they can be unclean because they are not cooked. Some raw vegetables are good for your body, however. Small salads or raw vegetable snacks are beneficial.

The best vegetables to eat cooked only:

Arugula

Bamboo Shoots

Beet Greens

Bok Choy

Broccoli

Broccolini

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage (All Kinds) Cauliflower (white, orange and purple and their leaves)

Chives

Collard Greens

Daikon Radishes

Garden Cress

Green Beans

The best vegetables to eat raw or cooked:

Artichokes

Asparagus

Basil

Beets

Carrot Greens

Carrots

Celery

Celery Root

Chicory

Cilantro

Cucumber

Dandelion Greens

Endive

Escarole

Fennel

Garlic

Ginger

Hearts of Palm

Jicama

Kimchi (raw)

Vegetables to eat in moderation (1-2 times per week):

Cassava

Peas

Pumpkin

Squash

Vegetables to avoid:

Spicy Peppers

Eggplant

White/red potatoes

Proteins (20-25% by volume)

• Eat protein three times per day. Have animal protein twice per day and plant-based protein once per day. A serving of animal protein is 4-5 ounces, or roughly the size of the palm of your hand.

• Eat red meat 2-3 times per week. Red meat is essential for balancing zinc and copper in the body, providing "brain fats" like omega-3s (much higher in grass-fed meats), and providing essential nutrients necessary for detoxification (including carnitine, taurine, Vitamin A, and ALA). You can overdo a good thing, though. Stick to 2-3 servings per week and you will get all the benefits of red meat without slowing down your digestion or clogging your liver with too much.

• Eat meat fresh, not frozen as much as possible. Organic, free-range, pasture-raised, and/or grass-fed is best. Michael Pollan says, “You are what you eat eats too.” Properly nourished and cared for animals provide significantly more healthful meat.

• Limit all dairy to a total of 4 oz per day. Many people are intolerant and much dairy is high in sugar.

The best proteins:

Red Meat (Lamb, Grass-fed beef, Venison, Bison/Buffalo, Elk)

Dark Meat Chicken

Dark Meat Turkey

Duck

Natural Game Fowl

*2-3 per serving. Always eat with runny yolks.

**3-4 cans weekly. Skinless and boneless have less mercury.

***Organic and not raw. 2-3 tablespoons per serving a few times a week. Almond butter is best, peanut butter is worst and best avoided. Rotate the kinds of nut butter to avoid developing an intolerance and to balance minerals.

Proteins best eaten in moderation (dairy may be from goat, sheep or cow):

White Meat Chicken

White Meat Turkey

Raw Cheese

Full Fat Yogurt

Kefir

Turkey Bacon/Sausage (sugar free)

Chicken Sausage (read labels)

*Unsweetened, organic beans and legumes only (not baked beans which always have sugar). Lentils are best and may be eaten a few times a week.

Proteins to avoid:

Fish, except sardines (high in mercury)

Other Seafood and Shellfish (even more contaminated than fish)

Processed Meats (even all natural)

Quiche, omelets, hard boiled eggs, and any hard-yolked egg

Starches, Grains and Complex Carbohydrates (10% by volume)

• Slow oxidizers need a fairly low carbohydrate diet, but not as low as the diet of fast oxidizers.

• Have fewer carbohydrates if you do not tolerate them well. Most people will benefit from a month off grains at the beginning of their program to reset their gut. This is especially helpful for people with candida, SIBO, and gluten intolerance.

• Always cook your grains. This means no granola, trail mix, or muesli.

• Berries or other low sugar fruits are OK on occasion (1-2 times a week at most) for slow oxidizers as a treat. Always eat fruit alone (see below for more on fruit).

Grains to be eaten only occasionally, if at all:

Oats (gluten-free)

Amaranth

Millet 

*Only Basmati White Rice from Lundberg Farms due to arsenic in other brands/types. Always rinse rice until the water runs clear before cooking to reduce arsenic.

**Very occasionally only as most are made with rice and less than optimal ingredients. ALWAYS read the labels. “Gluten-free” does not mean healthy.

Grains to avoid:

Wheat

Kamut

Einkorn

Buckwheat

Rice cakes

Spelt

Fats (5% by volume)

• If you follow the recommendations about protein, you do not need extra fat as a slow oxidizer. Although eating more fat may help with weight loss, it will slow down your oxidation rate further. You may use a little fat for flavoring or when cooking as needed.

• Butter is better than ghee unless you are lactose intolerant. Kerrygold brand is excellent and widely available.

• Do not let oils smoke if heating. If the pan gets too hot and the oil smokes, wipe it out and start over as the oil has become rancid.

Good fats:

Seed and Nut Butters (Unsweetened, not raw)*

Organic, raw dairy (cream, butter, full-fat yogurt, cream cheese)

Olive oil (Light/Refined for cooking)

Olive Oil (Cold-pressed if not cooking)

Coconut Oil

*These also count as protein.

Occasional fats:

Safflower oil

Sesame oil

Fats to avoid:

Margarine

Shortening

Bacon

SPICES AND CONDIMENTS

Best spices:

Sea Salt  - Real Salt by Redmond and Hain are good brands. Use liberally on food.

Tarragon - Especially helpful if you are in a four lows pattern. Limit if breastfeeding.

Other good herbs:

Garlic

Ginger

Mustard - may be used in condiment form but be sure to read the label

Dill

Turmeric

Cilantro

Curry powder

Cumin

Spices and condiments to avoid:

Table Salt and Himalayan Salt (aluminum)

Black Pepper (nightshade and often rancid)

Paprika (nightshade)

Very hot spices, except cayenne pepper

Most Oriental herbs (contain toxic metals)

Steak Sauce

Sweet Pickles

*Unless sugar-free. Read ingredients or look for “Whole 30 Approved”.

FERMENTED FOODS

Allowed in moderation (look for ones without vinegar, as it is not used in proper fermentation):

Sauerkraut

Miso

Yogurt

Very occasionally, you may have:

Tofu

Tempeh

Avoid:

Kombucha tea - very powerful prebiotic and contains alcohol

Most other ferments

FOODS TO AVOID

• All pig products

• All soy products (except miso and a little tamari)

• All algae, including spirulina, and chlorella

• All meal replacements

• All hard cooked eggs

• All processed meats

• All organ meats

• American cheese or cheese food

• All fast food

• Most frozen prepared meals - read the labels

• All gluten-containing products

• Store-bought baked goods

• Sugars and anything with added sugars

• All artificial sweeteners

• Most fruit because it...

  • speeds up the oxidation rate further

  • is too high in sugar

  • contains fruit acids which upset digestion and damage teeth

  • favors the growth of candida albicans and other yeasts and fungi

  • is often sprayed with unhealthy pesticides, even organic

  • absorbs toxic potassium from N-P-K fertilizers, even organic

  • has an incorrect mineral balance for our bodies today

  • Berries or other low sugar fruits are OK on occasion (1-2 times a week at most) for slow oxidizers as a treat. Always eat fruit alone.

• All other simple carbohydrates
  Sugar

  Honey

  Maple syrup

  Agave syrup/nectar

  Fruit concentrate

  Dextrose

  Glucose

  Fructose

  Corn syrup

  Rice bran syrup

  Maltose chocolate

  Malt sweetener

• All alcoholic beverages, especially wine due to arsenic and lead content (even organic)

Eating Habits

• Eat slowly and chew thoroughly.

• Sit down while you eat.

• Rest a few minutes before your meals and at least 10 minutes after each meal.

• Do not eat while driving, when upset or in noisy places.

• Do not drink liquids with your meals, except that which is needed to take your supplements. You may drink up to 10 minutes before eating or one hour after eating. Too much liquid with your meals is hard on digestion.