Phil Brewer's Blog

Much of the information here comes from an understanding of dietary principles, not readily adopted by many health professionals. It is my hope and intention to simplify what I gleaned from reading primarily Wheat Belly, by Dr Jim Davis, and It Starts With Food, by S Hartwig. I am also very much in debt to my good friend and health mentor, Dr Dale Lotter, for his suggestions.

Several important considerations:

• 1)  Follow the program precisely.

• 2)  If you slip up or break the routine at any point, for any reason on any item that is on the prohibited list, you must begin the “30” day program again.  (I is my belief that you will feel so much better that you will never completely leave the program.  So don’t worry, just reacquire the target you have in mind and begin again.)

• 3)  The program I am outlining is to keep things very very simple. So, there are no big plans to follow. Just things to avoid completely, and then items to eat.

• 4)  Before starting, weigh yourself, measure your size, i.e., waist, neck, chest, buttocks. Also, take your blood pressure. Do not measure or weigh again for the length of the program. Since you are most likely going to loose weight and size, it is not material. And, if you lack discipline, you might think that the program is not working if you hop on scales and don’t believe the results. You will become healthier. Read the 2 books above to see how and why.

• 5)  The program below is much easier if you take control of your food. Don’t eat out, and be sure to read all labels for prohibited items. Easier still, only eat fresh, unprocessed, un packaged.

• 6)  Since I am not a doctor, you need to decide on your own, or with consultation with your doctor, which medicines you have been prescribed, that you must continue. I strenuously avoid any medicines of any kind. I also do not believe in the efficacy of many standard tests, like cholesterol levels, etc. If you are diabetic or pre diabetic, you should also continue to monitor your sugar levels.

Ok, enough of the important considerations. Here is a list of items to avoid.

• 1)  Wheat (all wheat, forever. You are finished eating bread and pasta made from wheat. Never, ever again.) You also need to check all labels for wheat that is insidiously added to most every thing in a package. Also, in most situations, if something is fried, you have to ascertain with the preparer that there is absolutely no wheat or other form of breading present.
• 2)  Corn
• 3)  Grains, including soy.
• 4)  Rice
• 5)  Cereal – obviously, no wheat or corn, also, no oats, barley, rye, etc. I make this a separate list from grains above, because many people eat these items for breakfast and don’t think about them as being grains.
• 6)  Beans (legumes). This includes garbanzo, kidney, lentils, split peas…. Well, you get the idea.
• 7)  Peanuts and peanut butter
• 8)  Dairy – milk, yogurt, butter (unless clarified), cheese
• 9)  Vegetable or nut oils (Only use olive oil or ghee – see below)
• 10)  Potatoes
• 11)  Sugars or sweeteners. If you absolutely have to have a sweetener, try stevia. But, better yet, avoid sweeteners. This includes honey, syrup, sorghum, etc.
• 12) Alcohol, especially beer. All canned beverages. Soda’s, boxed or canned juice.

Here is what you can eat. Basically, don’t go hungry. Eat what you need off this list to keep this from happening. I found, for me, that my appetite plummeted after I quit eating wheat and sugars.

• 1)  Vegetables, except those listed above – corn and potatoes. Best veggies are green. Spinach, lettuce, Arugula (gerger), parsley. Squash and eggplant. Celery and cucumbers are excellent snacks with virtually zero calories. Other root veggies, i.e. Carrots, beets, onions, garlic, etc. All can be either used cooked, juiced or raw.
• 2)  Olives – green or black. Fresh is best.
• 3)  Meat – chicken, beef, poultry, goat, sheep, camel, etc. Some salt is ok, but not necessary.
• 4)  Fish and seafood.
• 5)  Use olive oil and/or lemon for salads. You may also use olive oil to cook. Best item to cook with is butter ghee. (Do not use the vegetable kind)
• 6)  Salt is important. Acquire salt that is organic sea salt. Use it as needed/sparingly. Season your foods liberally with spices and herbs.
• 7)  Find a good pure, natural multi vitamin that is gluten free.

The following items should be only consumed in very small quantities, not necessarily daily. They will trigger appetite and increase blood sugar levels, so will also spike insulin.

• 1)  Fruits (never canned, prepared or processed) Add tomatoes to this list.
• 2)  Juices – fresh is best.
• 3)  Raw nuts (not peanuts). Avoid processed, canned, roasted salted.

Drinks:

• 1)  Water, pure, filtered.
• 2)  Tea, unsweetened. Green, herbal and hibiscus are best. Black is ok in the morning.
• 3)  Coffee

After you have achieved your results, add on the following only as necessary, occasionally and one time at a time. Wait for 3 days before adding anything else so you can verify that these items aren’t causing you distress. Most of these items should still only be eaten very modestly, if at all.

• 1)  Nuts – raw. As a snack, without salt, these are great and do not cause you to overeat. If you eat them with salt or roasted, you will eat too many. Only a small handful.
• 2)  Rice. Only eat organic brown.
• 3)  Dairy items include cheese and yogurt. Do not reintroduce milk of any kind.
• 4)  Bread made from almond flour and flax seed flour. (Easy to make yourself. Acquire raw almonds or flax, put them in your coffee grinder or blender. When they are the consistency of flour, they are perfect. You do not need to sift, etc.)
• 5)  Potatoes, sweet potatoes.
• 6)  Beans and lentils. Use them from dry, never canned. Again, one at a time until you see if they cause you duress. Do not make a habit of eating them.
• 7)  As a rare treat, fresh organic popcorn popped in an air popper or pan using ghee.
• 8)  Wine and/or alcohol. Never, ever beer or so called near beer.  They are full of wheat, sugar and carbs. The problem with alcohol is you begin to loose the ability to say no to things that are really still very bad for you.  Go to this list for a good summary of gluten and grain alcohol’s and beers. Forkoffgluten
• 9)  Popsicles are a great treat and dessert. Use the recipes in my free Ebook included with the purchase of a Popze IcePopIt Frozen Dessert Treat Maker.

Parting remarks and comments. It took you a lifetime of bad habits to get the health you have, or do not have. If you follow the above program, you can expect a major weight loss, size reduction and a reduction of a huge host of other ailments and problems. Since this is counter to almost everything in mainstream (Western) medicine, you may have some adversarial situations. (I simply tell people I am allergic to many foods, which, we as humans are. Keeps me from having to explain or hurt someones feelings if they fixed you a chocolate cake or something). Try and just keep what you are doing to yourself. Involve only those who must either shop or prepare for you. It is easier for most of us just do that ourselves. This is one of the reasons I wrote the book, “Fighter Pilot in the Kitchen, A Cookbook for Every Man.”

I definitely recommend exercise. But, if you are out of shape and not used to it, take your time and go for a nice 20 minute stroll around the neighborhood. If that is a stretch to start, work up to it. Later, you can get more aggressive. I now work out 5+ times per week, either riding a bike, playing racquetball and some very light weight routines. Most importantly is to stretch and try to get at least 20 minutes. This exercise is for the good of your heart, etc, but does not radically alter the health and weight loss results for most.

My results:

Weight loss @ 30 pounds or 14 kilos
Waist and chest loss @ 3-4 inches
Neck size lost @1-2 inches
Blood Pressure 120/68 down from 160+/110
I also do not experience lethargy in the afternoon, sleepiness, etc. I also feel much more positive, almost never depressed and have a very positive and healthy outlook on my future.