West Mountain Way
Dietary Guide
You will never feel hungry or deprived when you eat the West Mountain Way. That’s our promise.
Printer-friendly PDF: color/black and white
You will never feel hungry or deprived when you eat the West Mountain Way. That’s our promise.
Printer-friendly PDF: color/black and white
Use this guide to plan the composition of your plate.
Asparagus (carbs) with butter (fats), mushrooms (carbs), and fish (lean protein)
Tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions (carbs), with beef (protein) and avocado (fat and carbs)
Choose your proteins first to have a better idea of how much fat you’ll need to add to the meal. For example, if you’re eating chicken (a lean meat), you’ll need to make sure to add more standalone fats like almonds.
Servings: 4–6 servings daily. 1 or 2 per meal.
1 serving=4–6 oz or 113–170 g
Protein Suggestions
• Chicken (with or without skin)
• Pork/ham
• Beef
• Turkey and other fowl
• Seafood (fish, shellfish, etc.)
Choose your fats second. Don’t avoid them! Fats are often part of the protein or added to the carbs, so adjust your other fat choices according to your protein and carbs.
Servings: 4–5 servings of fat per day. 1 or 2 per meal.
1 serving=1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp butter; ½ avocado;
as part of protein
Fat Suggestions
• Tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans; not peanuts)
• Seeds (sesame, sunflower, flax, hemp, chia)
• Seed and nut butters
• Fats & oils (olive, coconut, palm, cocoa, nut-oils; not canola, peanut, or corn oil)
• Avocados
• Olives
• Butter & ghee
• Dark chocolate
Choose your carbohydrates third. All fruits and vegetables are carbohydrates, but many people eat refined flour and sugar to reach the FDA’s recommended 60% per day! Instead, fill the remaining space on your plate with vegetables and avoid refined flour and sugar.**
Servings: Fill 50–75% of your plate with non-starchy vegetables.
**Limit fruits and starchy vegetables (sweet potatoes and winter squash) to ½–1 cup per day (berries are awesome). For the initial 30 days (or if you are part of the study), avoid all dairy products (except butter or non-dairy, unsweetened milks such as almond milk) and all grains—even whole grains.
Carbohydrate Suggestions
• Asparagus
• Avocados (also a fat!)
• Bell peppers
• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots (whole, not juiced)
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Green beans
• Greens (beet, mustard, turnip, others)
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Radishes
• Seaweed
• Snap peas, snow peas
• Spinach
• Summer squash
• Swiss chard
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini
Carbohydrates from nutrient-rich whole plant foods should make up most of your diet. Eat as much as you want of the non-starchy vegetables (50–75% of your plate). Eat up to ½–1 cup daily of starchy vegetables. Eat up to ½–1 cup daily of low-glycemic fruits. Berries are the best choice for the next 28 days.
Protein intake should be 0.45g–0.68g per pound of body weight each day. The more vigorous your exercise, the nearer you should be to the higher end of the range. Because protein fires up your metabolism, start your day with eggs and vegetables instead of fruits and breads or cereals. Your protein sources will often be a source of good fat. Proteins and fats combined will consume 25–50% of your plate by volume.
Fat has three essential roles. It 1.) provides the largest energy source of the body; 2.) enables the absorption of essential nutrients for use by the body; and 3.) helps to maintain core body temperature. Stop eating all foods that say low-fat or non-fat, because fat is actually very important to our diets. Fats and proteins combined will be 25–50% of your plate by volume.
Water intake is key! Be more conscious about water intake than ever before. 64 ounces of water each day is the minimum.
Salt may have to be added to your diet. When you eat the West Mountain Way, you will reduce sodium intake from processed foods. You may need to add one or two teaspoons of salt each day.
Breakfast: Include protein and vegetables for breakfast. Vegetable smoothies are also great for breakfast. Consider adding pure egg protein powder to your green smoothies to start your metabolism (no other ingredients, sweeteners, or flavoring).
Lunch: Have a vegetable-rich lunch with added protein like steak, hard-boiled eggs, or salmon (even wild caught canned salmon is acceptable here. Avoid canned tuna because of the risk of mercury content). Again, green smoothies are quick and easy to prepare.
Dinner: The meal planning guide will help you to plan and execute simple and healthy meals. First, choose your protein; Next, add additional fat if required (chicken and fish often don’t provide enough). Add two vegetables and maybe a salad. Consider slow-cooked turkey drumsticks, salmon or other fatty fish, roast beef, steak or hamburgers.
Useful Tools:
• Food Scale
• Blendtec or Vitamix blender
• Slow cooker
• Vegetable steamer
• Recipe Keeper
• MyFitnessPal App (keep in mind that this app doesn’t use the same macronutrient ratios as the West Mountain Way)
FOODS TO AVOID: In order to re-establish a high functioning metabolism, nourish your body with the macro and essential nutrients it needs for top performance. To restore a pattern of health, you must avoid the following foods for at least 28 days:
• All processed foods. Avoid anything that comes pre-packaged, breaded, mixed or prepared, ready-to-eat meals or warm-and-serve entrées. Don’t eat anything made in a factory.
• All grains. After 28 days you may add whole grain, brown or black rice, and quinoa
• All refined flours except coconut flour
• All dairy products except grass-fed butter and clarified butter or ghee
• All refined vegetable oils
• All beans
• All fruit juices and sodas, including “sugar free” drinks
• All sweeteners (natural and artificial)
• All alcohol