WELCOME TO THE JUST EAT REAL FOOD GUIDE (JERF)

My name is Ash and I am a holistic performance/strength and conditioning coach here in Bayside

Melbourne. When I started thinking about putting this guide together almost 1 year ago I had a

good idea of what I wanted to go in it. Since then it has evolved tremendously thanks to the help of

many wellness experts, nutritionists, naturopath’s and chiropractors to become what I believe is

now a comprehensive elite guide to optimising your nutrition and wellness.

As a disclaimer I need to tell you that I am not a nutritionist or a naturopath and I am not qualified to

be telling you what specific foods you should be eating. In this guide I will simply be sharing with

you my opinions in regard to certain foods and helping you breakthrough some of the barriers that

may be holding you back from making better choices when it comes to fuelling your body.

For me personally it wasn’t until I moved out of home at 21 that I began paying attention to what

food I was eating and the affect it was having on my body. Food was never really something I was

interested in learning about, it was simply something that I consumed on a daily basis.

I knew food had energy and I knew I needed it and I needed a lot. In fact due to poor food choices I

was searching for energy all the time and I was tired a lot and struggled to concentrate and absorb

new information.

For those who know me now they might find this hard to believe but before I was 21 I lived a fairly

unhealthy lifestyle. I worked at McDonalds for 3 years when I was 15. A typical 4 hour closing shift

would normally include 3 large cokes and some left over burgers and chicken nuggets. I regularly

consumed ice cream after school, cakes, biscuits and sweet yoghurts. For breakfast I had weet-bix

and nutri-grain, quite often with sugar sprinkled on top. 2 minute noodles or white bread

sandwiches for lunch and for snacks it was potato chips and muesli bars.

I was living on a sugar high during the week and then sometimes drinking alcohol on the weekends,

not often but every now and then having a few too many.

I wondered why I was feeling tired all the time. I was working hard at school, balancing a part-time

job and keeping active with my sport through football umpiring.

I saw doctors as mum began to worry about my energy levels and they told me I had glandular

fever.

I lived like this for years not really knowing why I felt like I did and not ever accepting responsibility

for my own health. I guess it was easier to offload that onto my parents as they looked after

everything else. I think as adults we tend to do a similar thing in not taking responsibility and shift

blame onto others, usually our boss, our circumstances or our personal trainer.

I mean it’s easier not to take responsibility right?

An amazing thing happened though when I moved out of home and began doing my own shopping.

I started looking at foods as an investment and started to choose foods that gave me a greater

return. I knew that I wasn’t getting much from the processed cereals, breads, ice-creams, biscuits

etc. so I cut them out and started buying lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.

The impact it had on me both physically and mentally was so profound that I wanted to take it

further. I felt the best I ever had just from including more real foods into my diet. This is where my

journey started.

I won’t go into too much detail but I want you to know that since that time I have come full circle

with my relationship with food. It hasn’t all been good and it hasn’t all been bad.

Food has certainly helped me get more out of myself both physically and mentally and most

certainly prevented me from getting sick numerous times. But it has also led me on an obsessive

and self-destructive path. Something that my extreme personality, perfectionism and OCD nature

got me into trouble with.

So if you are to take one thing from this guide I want it to be this.

Food is definitely not the be all and end all. It is a means to an ends and from what I have learnt if

you focus on it too much whilst neglecting other important factors of your health then you will

develop an unhealthy relationship with food.

When it comes to food I believe for most people we need to have a relaxed approach but live by a

few of really simple principles for the greatest health outcome.

1. We should always enjoy the foods that we eat and eat them with people that we enjoy spending

time with.

2. We should always eat foods as close to their natural state as possible (the JERF principle), foods

such as fresh fruits and vegetables, grass-fed and free range meats, good fats and gluten-free

grains.

3. We should live by an 80/20 rule where by 80% of the time we are choosing the freshest and best

foods possible whilst not being too distraught if the remaining 20% comes from less nutritionally

dense sources.

This last one can be flexible to suit your lifestyle depending on how highly you value your health. It

is important to remember that not everyone does value their health equally and that it is their

choice as to the level they want to operate.

I have never been one to push things on anyone and that is certainly not what this guide is about. It

is up to you which advice you take on and up to you to decide how it works for you.

Now unfortunately no matter what I tell you in this guide you will still have to go on your own

journey with food and work hard to build a good relationship with it. It won’t be all smooth sailing so

don’t expect it to be easy or just happen. But over time you will build in good habit after good habit

that will set you up for a bright future.

Once you begin this journey you will start a lifelong campaign dedicated to helping you be the

healthiest version of you. For yourself and for those you care about. You will lead by example and

you will make the effort again and again even when you get knocked down. Because it means a

great deal to you and it is not something you are prepared to give up on.

One thing I do recommend is networking and surrounding yourself with other like-minded

individuals who are on the same journey. There are many ways that you can do this but by far the

best way in my opinion is to become part of one of our Holistic Strength and Conditioning

programs. We have affordable membership options for every individual and by simply having that

accountability to a coach and being surrounded by other like-minded people you will severely fast

track your health and fitness goals.

So now let’s talk a bit more about what real foods are.

FOODS YOU SHOULD BE EATING

When it comes to choosing which foods are right for you must always listen to your body. There is

no one size fits all, same goes for exercise. It must always be individualised to suit you. We all have

different genetic profiles, different schedules we follow and different lifestyles. So what works for

me may not work for you.

I am not a fan of diets or dieting. Any time that we deliberately restrict our bodies from certain

foods we automatically set ourselves up for failure. Have you ever tried to not think about

something? But then you end up thinking about it more? Well if you try to cut something out of your

diet, say carbs or sugar then quite often we see people refrain for a small period but then rebound

and subsequently eat more of that food group than they previously did before. This is not a habit

that you want to create.

We are a society driven by extremes, which is why diet’s become popular. Low carb diets may see

results such as 4kg lost in 4 weeks. Well yeah, anyone can do that short term. It takes a much more

balanced approach to keeping that weight off long term without putting it back on. So you have to

be patient. Rome was not built in a day and if you are carrying some excess weight then it probably

took more than 4 weeks to put that on. So it may take time for it to come off.

Will it be worth it? Definitely Yes! Will it take time? Most likely Yes!

So forget about dieting and start creating a customized diet/menu specific to you. The only way to

do this is by trial and error and self-analysis. Ask yourself questions such as:

Does eating lots of dairy agree with you or are you running to the bathroom every 5 minutes?

Do you feel sleepy after eating a meal high in carbohydrates?

Do you struggle to concentrate if you don’t regularly drink water?

Does beer make your stomach get all tied up?

Does eating sugary foods make you crash an hour later?

These are the questions we all need to ask ourselves regularly and make adjustments as needed. If

the food you are putting into your body is not agreeing with you or sending you a message then

change it. Try cutting out dairy, gluten or processed foods and see how you respond. Try eating

more fruit, more vegetables, getting meals/groceries delivered or cooking in a new way.

You have to find the system and the foods that work for you.

And if you need help then hire a Naturopath or a nutritionist, an expert who can help you get there

faster. You can do it on your own but it is always better to have an expert on your team.

And there are no excuses because there is plenty of free information out there online. Sure you have

to filter all the crap and be very careful who you get advice from but there are lots of wellness

experts who put their information out there for free through podcasts, blogs, etc.

So again there are no excuses!

If you would like more info on who I recommend in the way of naturopaths, nutritionists and

wellness experts then please get in contact with me.

I do believe having a great team of support is critical to helping you achieve your goals.

Summary of above

Start self-analysing and getting to know which foods agree with you and which one’s don’t.

Eliminate the bad and increase the good. Pay attention to how you feel and make good choices,

always remembering your purpose or “your why”. Look online for information; if you need help I can

guide you in the right direction. And if you really want to step it up get a team of experts around you

who can help you get there quicker.

GUIDELINES OF EATING WELL

Just Eat Real food (JERF)

The essence of eating well comes back to one principle. Just Eat Real Food or JERF. For such a

simple concept people do still get confused by the idea. Essentially it means eating foods in their

most natural state possible before they become processed or cooked in a way that destroys the

nutrient content.

Always opt for fresh

Always ensure that the foods that you choose are as fresh as possible – preferably not tinned or

frozen, to enhance the natural innate intelligence in the foods your body will be absorbing.

Cooking vegetables

Whenever we cook food, we reduce its natural goodness and nourishment. The longer it is exposed

to high temperatures, the less Naturally Intelligent it becomes. Aim to cook your vegetables so that

if you dropped a piece on the floor it would bounce and roll away, not splat.

Also do not cook or re-heat food in the microwave. Instead use a stove top, grill or oven to re-heat.

Cooking Proteins

Similar to vegetables we do not want to over-cook our proteins. When preparing eggs in particular,

you will enhance the protein available in an egg if it is poached or soft boiled – that is to say the egg

white should be well cooked whilst the yolk left runny.

Fish such as salmon and tuna steaks should be lightly steamed and still slightly pink on the inside.

Red meat should be cooked at low temperatures (below 180 degrees if possible); cooking steak in a

small amount of water in the pan is preferable to using olive or other oils. Bacon can be done the

same way. The oils/juices that come from the meat itself should be enough to grease the pan.

Chicken is also better steamed versus pan fried.

Unlike vegetables, if you dropped your meat on the floor it should splat and not bounce. You want it

to be thick and juicy!

Accurate portions

Portion size is something that has gotten way out of hand and is a big contributor to increasing

waist lines and the storing of excess fat. So don’t dig your grave with your knife and fork.

Eat less but eat higher quality!

By eating more foods that are high in natural intelligence (JERF Principle) your body will begin to

tell you when you are full and need to stop eating.

Listen to it!

Drinking enough Water

When approx. 60% of the human body is made up of water, ensuring your cells stay well hydrated is

a non-negotiable for optimal health.

Aim to be drinking between 2-3 Litres of purified clean water, preferably alkaline per day depending

on the level of exercise that you do. If you are doing more than 1 hour of high intensity exercise per

day then you should be drinking slightly more.

Tap water is low in quality and high in fluoride which can wreak havoc on your gut health. So best to

buy filtered water or invest in a good water filter that extracts the fluoride.

Water on it’s on though is not always enough to stay hydrated and quite often when people focus

on drinking too much water(normally as a way to distract themselves from eating) they can overdo

it. Electrolytes are essential and you should be getting these from a variety of fresh fruits and

vegetables.

Try adding some lemon and pink Himalayan salt to your water in the morning for extra hydration

plus a detoxification effect on the body.

Avoid drinking for the sake of drinking or because you think you have to. Become more intuitive and

listen to your body. It will tell you when it’s thirsty and that is when you should be drinking water.

Not forcing it down for the sake of it.

They key is still to be prepared and carry water with you so you never have to go without for too

long. Investing in a good drink bottle that is easy to clean and is durable is well worth it. Try to go for

BPA free, keep it out of the direct sunlight if possible and refill with filtered mineral water.

Scheduling

Flexibility and being able to adapt to different circumstances is simply critical to being able to

balance a healthy diet and organise your life in general. We all have busy schedules and are time

poor. If you find that you don’t have time to prepare healthy meals each week for you and your

family, you either need to schedule better or outsource it elsewhere. At the end of the day if this is

you then the facts are that you just don’t see eating well as your biggest priority so you need to

make it one.

Everyone will have a different schedule and through trial and error you will need to find out how you

work in your healthy lifestyle to ensure you get the most out of each day. For me this took many

years and is something that I continue to improve on a weekly basis. Sure sometimes there are

weeks when we feel like we go backwards but if we keep focusing on creating small habits that

continue to simplify our lives and improve our health and wellbeing then over time you will

drastically change the way you feel, look and move.

You just have to be really patient, ride the ups and downs and never give up.

Begin scheduling or writing down how you plan to structure your day and week. Do this on a Sunday

and include a small amount of time for meal prep and time also to sit down and enjoy those meals in

a way that works for you.

Protein, Fats, Carbohydrates

The breakdown of proteins, carbs and fats should be individualised and you will need to self-analyse

to figure out what the best ratio is for you. The following is a guide only and should be used as a

starting point or base line.

As we have mentioned earlier the food that goes on your plate should be real food or food that is

closest to its natural state as possible.

Carbs

Start with 30-40% with each meal.

You should be aiming to get most of your carbs from a fresh source of fruit and vegetables. Avoid

foods such as bread, pasta, pastries and floury foods which tend to be highly processed and made

with genetically modified wheat containing high levels of gluten. These should be avoided for the

most part (80/20 rule).

We recommend cutting these out as much as possible. Gluten won’t kill you but it may make you

feel sleepy, tied up in your stomach, bloated or sluggish. Regular overconsumption may also throw

out the balance of good bacteria in your gut and could lead to a compromised immune system.

Depending on your blood line you may tolerate gluten differently to others (eg. you can probably

handle it better if you’re Italian). However we need to keep in mind that wheat grown in Australia is

highly genetically modified and contains higher levels of gluten than the wheat you would find in

Italy.

In my house we include gluten very rarely. On the occasions that we do we will always go for Artisan

style bread that is made with stone ground wheat rather than the genetically modified and home-

made fresh pasta picked up at the local markets. I find these easier to digest and more delicious.

So aim to cut these out as much as you can and increase your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables,

particularly green cruciferous vegetables in order to get adequate intake of carbohydrates.

You can also include non-glutinous grains such as buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa and rice. These can

all be found in forage cereals which is a brand of cereal that I highly recommend. By consuming this

either in the morning or as an afternoon snack you can get a great source of carbohydrates that will

not have a negative effect on your health and give you sustainable energy throughout the day.

Fats

Aim for between 30-50% with each meal.

For a long time fat was seen as the enemy and something that needed to be eliminated to avoid

heart and other diseases. We now know that this is far from the truth and while some fats such as

trans fats and fats from grain fed animals should be avoided we know that if we want to be burning

fat as a major fuel source we need to increase our intake of good fats.

So what are good fats? These include raw nuts and seeds, avocado’s, wild caught fresh fish, olive

oils, coconut oils, pasture raised eggs, grass fed meats, green cruciferous vegetables etc. These are

the fats that we should be aiming to consume with each meal or using as snacks.

These good fats are very temperature sensitive so you need to be careful when heating/cooking

them. For fish such as salmon or tuna you should be lightly steaming so there is still a touch of pink

on the inside. And if cooking in the oven no more than 180 degrees as a general rule but still avoid

cooking all the way through.

Nuts should be eaten raw and olive oil and coconut oil are also best raw, if you are going to cook

with them use the oven and keep below 180 degrees for olive oil and 170 degrees for coconut oil.

Avoid pan frying on high heats as these oils quickly go rancid at these high heats and is the worst

thing you could do with these oils.

Pour olive oil, together with lemon if you like over salads as a dressing or if you are going to treat

yourself with some Artisan bread try dipping in raw olive oil together with balsamic vinegar. This is

one of my favourite every now and then things.

Choose cold pressed oils and extra virgin for the best quality.

Protein

Adequate protein will be important to help keep you strong and constantly rebuilding particularly if

you are partaking in strenuous exercise. This can come from plant based or vegetable sources such

as broccoli, Brussel sprouts, silverbeet, spinach etc. or from dairy sources such as greek yoghurt and

A2 milk. A2 is generally a better option than regular full cream milk as it is made from the jersey

cow rather than grain fed cows which have lower nutritional value. A2 has a nice rich flavour and is

perfect for cereals and muesli’s. And of course your protein can come from animal sources. Ideally

grass fed animals. This could be grass fed beef, free range chicken, pasture raised/free range eggs

and wild caught fish.

You won’t need to overdo the protein. Most people consume far too much especially if trying to lose

weight or put on muscle size. There just isn’t the need.

1. It’s expensive

2. It’s not necessary

Around 15-30% of your plate should be protein. You can adjust this to suit your needs. This equates

to a small piece of steak/fish/chicken with dinner and lunch. And 1 or 2 eggs or a serve of yoghurt/A2

milk with breakfast. The rest of your protein will come from plant based sources which most people

forget about. However these are probably the best source of protein you can get.

The following diagram courtesy of Precision Nutrition is an excellent guide to help you visualise

what your plate should look like.

Aim to eat meals slowly and stop when you are 80% full

Focus on eating real foods as close to their natural state as possible

Avoid processed, sugary foods and foods that have been genetically modified(eg. gluten)

Choose local and seasonal fruits and vegetables when appropriate

Avoid overcooking foods or cooking at high temperatures

Schedule time for meal prep/grocery shopping and eating meals. If you don’t have time

outsource.

Always keep your purpose in mind and remember your WHY

Drink water when you are thirsty and don’t overdo it. Always carry water with you.

Take responsibility for yourself and those that rely on/look up to you.

Make your health a priority.

Follow these basic guidelines and you will be well on your way to long term sustainable change and

a life full of energy, vitality, health and more.

You are worth it!

STRESS ASSOCIATED WITH FOOD AND EATING WELL

Now it is normal to feel a little overwhelmed when it comes to new information and the thought of

evoking large changes to your diet and lifestyle. I hope that I have simplified this enough for most of

you to understand the basics of what I feel you need to do to start making better food choices.

Just always remember that this is not an overnight fix and we are very focused on long term success

over short term temporary gains. So always keep things in perspective.

Keep in mind that you are human, the circumstances will never be perfect and they don’t need to

be. Start roughing it. Just get out there and try something small. Start drinking more water, fill half

your dinner plate with vegetables, dress your salad with olive oil. The small things done consistently

will add to those big changes over time.

Counting Calories

I strongly advise against counting calories for everyone that is reading this. Becoming overly

obsessed with a perfectionist type attitude to your eating will set you up for failure. The issue with

calories is that it’s too hard to estimate anyway and it makes it hard for us to listen to our bodies.

Any estimate of calories that you see on a packet of food will be within a range of plus or minus

25%. These are the guidelines that food companies must stick to. The reason being that it can be

very difficult to estimate calories in certain foods which are normally mass produced. Factors such

as the quality of the soil the product was grown in, how long it was stored for, the temperature it

was heated at, the amount of sunlight it got can mean that if you pick up two of the same products

on the supermarket shelf they may have different levels of energy within each packet.

So you never really know what you’re getting. At best it is an estimate within a range of plus or

minus 25%. So don’t bother. Just trust me on this. I’ve been there. I’ve been strict and stuck to

calories and macros, spent hours trying to work out the right ratios only to end up doing my head in

and falling further behind my health and wellness goals. I had a lot of setbacks when I went through

this stage.

Never lose sight of the big picture (Your why!)

For most of you that will be being the best mum or dad, giving your best when you are at work,

studying hard or just making sure you are on the right path to where you want to get to in life. This

is where your focus must lie.

Exercise

How can exercise help you to eat better?

When it comes to exercise we know that it’s important for longevity, for moving well, for preventing

injuries, for being strong and feeling awesome. Getting yourself into a good exercise routine is one

of the best things that you can do for your health.

I want you to think about exercise as being a keystone habit that will flow over into other areas of

your life. The more you start exercising the more you will begin thinking about your recovery and

what foods you can start eating to help you adapt faster to the training stimulus.

Training doesn’t have to be in a gym, obviously I am biased and will say that my Strength and

Conditioning Program is world class and by far the best, most affordable, most fun, science based

program that exists in Melbourne. But your routine might be at home or you might be really active

throughout the day. Whatever suits your needs?

In fact I set loads of people up with at home workouts that they thoroughly enjoy and get great

results from.

Whatever you end up doing the more you start to feel your muscles and feel alive the more you will

want to take better care of yourself.

Think of the ripple effect of a rock that is thrown into a perfectly still lake. That one rock will ripple

throughout the lake and that’s what exercise can do for your motivation to make better food

choices. So use it powerfully. If you’re not currently exercising and feel that you should be then get

involved in something and discover for yourself the power that it can have on all areas of your life.

Not just nutrition.

Exercise will help release endorphins throughout your body to make you feel good, it can help you

deal with the stresses of everyday life and become more resilient to all of the challenges that life will

throw at you.

I am a big advocate of this and have seen the benefits myself. This was enough for me to start my

own business to teach and educate people on the importance of moving well, staying strong and

getting fit.

Supplements

Supplements have their place although I am not huge on taking supplements. If you are going to

take any I would highly recommend seeing a good naturopath to help make that decision and

ensure you go for high quality supplements over the one’s that you generally see at the chemist.

The difference in the quality will be whether your body actually absorbs those nutrients. If your pee

is yellow after you’re taking them then you know that they are just going to waste.

Be smart with your investment and save money down the track. The better supplements can be

more expensive but are well worth it. Metagenics is the only brand that I trust and can only be given

out by a qualified practitioner.

Supplements that may be beneficial and these are the ones that I take:

Magnesium powder

EPA/DHA Fish oil capsules

Probiotic

Grass Fed Whey Protein or Pea Protein

A good multivitamin can also be a good all-rounder if you feel like you may benefit but again talk to

a practitioner. Focus on getting most of your nutrients from the foods that you eat but know that

there are many uncontrollable factors such as the quality of the nutrients in the soil that the food is

grown in which may mean that even your fruits and vegetables are lacking some vitamins and

minerals. This is where supplementation can be beneficial.

Alcohol

If you are serious about your long term health, wellness and being the best version of you then

alcohol will not have a large place in your life. Being awesome means you are awesome all the time.

Not just after you’ve had a few drinks. Start to cut back slowly if you feel you may be overdoing it.

Alcohol in moderation will not kill you and having a beer or wine every now and then when you

catch up with a friend can help take the edge off, relax and unwind after a stressful day or week. I

don’t have an issue with this and on occasion I will enjoy a nice corona with a slice of lime but they

are few and far between. Maybe once every 4-6 weeks I would see myself doing this.

You can tailor this to suit your goals and lifestyle. Keeping up with others who may be in your circle

of friends may be the easy option to fit in and not stand out but be your own person and have

enough respect for yourself to make your own decisions based on what’s important to you. If your

friends don’t understand that then it’s time to find new ones.

Caffeine

This is another stimulant that is quite often overdone unnecessarily. As you begin to improve your

diet and include foods with more energy and intelligence you will find you don’t rely on stimulants

such as coffee to pick you up in the morning. Having a coffee each day may simply be a habit you

created because you thought you needed that pick me up at the time and you just kept doing it. So

break that habit. Start to cut down gradually. There may be some withdrawals early on as you flush

those stimulants out of your system but this won’t last long. Enjoy a coffee every now and then

when you feel like one but try not to make it a daily habit or at least cycle it so you have a week off

every now and then. You don’t want to become reliant upon that hit in the morning.

Also try to avoid having coffee as soon as you wake up. When we wake we want to stay in our para-

sympathetic nervous system for as long as possible. This is your state of calm or zen. Throughout

the day you will encounter stressful events that will push you into fight or flight, this may be an

exercise class or a business meeting or a deadline. This can help us be productive during these times

but we don’t want to be in that state all the time and we don’t want to wake up like that. So wait

one or two hours if you can. You should also avoid having coffee straight after a meal as this will

shunt energy away from your digestive system and make it harder for your body to break down that

food. Wait at least one hour after food.

If you do need your caffeine fix then have your coffee black or with a small amount of A2 milk.

Under no circumstances should you use refined sugar or artificial sweeteners.

Salt

The body will retain fluid in the presence of excess salt and too much salt has been associated with

cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, excessive fluid within the body is not associated to a healthy

body composition and looking and feeling great. You may use high quality salt such as Pink

Himalayan Rock Salt or even Sea Salt. However it is in your best interests to reduce salt intake and

use more herbs to flavour your food instead.

Coconut Oil

The old Coconut craze is alive and well. You can buy coconut everything these days. Be aware

though that if your ancestors did not grow up in an environment that had fresh coconuts available

(Scotland for example) then you will most likely not tolerate this well if included regularly in your

diet and you may get itchy eye lids or other symptoms.

The other thing with coconut oil that has had everyone fooled is the belief that coconut oil has a

high smoke point. It does not. In fact it burns and goes rancid a lot quicker than olive oil at only 160

degrees. You are much better cooking with olive oil or macadamia oil however it is still

recommended to keep under 180 degrees.

Fermented Foods

These are a great addition to your diet and can include things like sauerkraut, kimchee and

kombucha just to name a few. Eating these foods and drinks will help to improve the balance of

good bacteria in your gut and build up your immune system. When over 80% of diseases begin in

the gut it is super important to keep this in check and keep the balance right. And there are plenty

of places selling these so they are easy to get your hands on. Simply add to salads/dinners or quench

your thirst with a kombucha 1-2 times per week.

Poo

Poo is a very good indicator of your current level of health. Your number 2’s may become different

as you begin implementing some of the ideas in this guide and this is normal. As a general rule you

should begin going twice daily and aim to be each time be pushing out a firm log that equals the

length from your wrist to your forearm each time.

Weighing yourself

Just don’t do it! It’s counterproductive and not a reliable measure of your current level of health.

Stay Away!

Trust me!

Cheat Meals

You may have heard this type of language used around body building circles. Personally I don’t like

the language associated with this connotation. I would never cheat on any relationship that I valued

so I don’t understand why food is different. Your diet doesn’t have to be perfect all the time and by

following the 80/20 rule you can certainly indulge in certain foods that you may enjoy but may not

be great for you at certain times.

This does not constitute cheating and you are certainly not doing anything that you need to feel

guilty about. So be careful how you use this type of language. Remember you are aiming to develop

a healthy relationship with food. This will not involve cheating and if it does you are doing it wrong.

Forage

This guide is brought to you by Forage Cereal which can be purchased through ashbedford.com and

picked up from the Brighton Baths Health Club or WSSC High Performance Centre, Moorabbin. For

all orders please email info@ashbedford.com. Forage can also be picked up from all good health

food stores.

Forage is the only cereal that has natural intelligence built into it through the power of real food. It

contains no gluten, no refined sugar; it’s unprocessed, organic and is a trusted cereal of a number of

the world’s healthiest people including myself. I eat forage every day, the range comes in a delicious

Paleo mix, Cereal blend, Porridge and Bircher muesli. They all taste fantastic when combined with

some good quality Greek yoghurt (I use 5am yoghurt) or a splash of A2 Milk with some berries/fruit.

If you are serious about losing body fat then we recommend trying it out for a month to see if it

works for you.

WHAT TO EXPECT

If you begin making small changes based on the information provided in this guide then you should

start to see and feel some immediate changes. These can be:

Increased energy and mental clarity

Now that your body is burning more fat as fuel, you will experience more energy and better sleep.

Your mental clarity will increase immediately due to the reduction of insulin secretion by the

pancreas, which is caused by a lighter load of sugars in the bloodstream. The increase in the amount

of omega 3 fats in your diet will speed up fat loss and enhance memory and mental clarity.

Sustained fat loss

As you become a fat burning machine you will over time continue to burn fat as your major fuel

source. So if you are carrying some extra weight then you will over time reduce that down to a

healthy/optimal level. You may encounter plateaus at some stage along the way, however these

shouldn’t last more than 1-2 weeks as long as you stick to building good habits and keep that

momentum going.

Reduced Hunger

As you begin eating more whole foods and foods as close to their natural state as possible you may

not be able to eat as much as you have done in the past. This will save you money on your grocery

bills and give your digestive system a well needed break. Remember to be in tune with your body

and eat when it tells you to. Accordingly stop when it tells you to stop. Put the fork down. Just

because your mum told you to finish what’s on your plate doesn’t mean have to continue to do this

as an adult.

Withdrawals

Over the years you will most certainly have become addicted to certain foods and as a result your

body may crave certain foods when you stop consuming them. When people stop caffeine and

sugar consumption for example, they may experience withdrawal. This is typical of detoxifying but

may also cause lethargy through the day, moodiness and heart palpitations. This process is

generally for the first 4-5 days so hang in there.

Final Summary

As we come to the end of the guide I hope that you have found this a useful resource and a simple

approach to making some positive changes to your health and lifestyle. In my opinion eating real

foods is a great way to go about living your life. Life is there to be enjoyed and food is a big part of

that enjoyment. So we should celebrate that and build a solid and healthy relationship with the food

that we eat on a daily basis.

If you have any more queries in regards to exercise, nutrition or wellness and the programs that we

offer then please feel free to contact me at the following. Thanks for reading!

Email: info@ashbedford.com

Website: http://ashbedford.com.au/

Where you can subscribe to my newsletter!

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