Nutritional Anthropology

The Bond Effect
The science and art of living the way nature intended

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DEADLY HARVEST
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Chapter 7
Eating the “Savanna Model” Way

Our Pleistocene ancestors were not following any feeding strategies—they just followed their instincts. Their eating patterns would have changed from day to day according to the hazards of foraging. From season to season, they would have changed according to the availability of flora and fauna in the environment. Even so, the possible variations would have fallen within fairly strict limits.

Today, “what is there” is mostly artificial. The artful food manufacturers are masters at giving us taste without food value at all, and our instincts are readily duped by the divorce of taste from nutritional quality. The fluctuations of “what is there” fall within much wider limits. There is virtually no external discipline of what, and how much, we eat. So, we are obliged to adopt eating strategies.

Here, we look at ways for realizing the Savanna Model pattern. The objective is to give an example of the thought processes, the questioning, and the discipline that it is necessary to adopt it. Do not get fixated on the patterns described here. Within the boundaries of the Owner’s Manual, there is a wide variety of ways you can organize your eating day. Use the examples given here to limber up the brain and begin working in a new paradigm. This is one aspect of the “Bond Effect”, the art of putting the Savanna Model into practice.

We favor eating at home whenever possible, because you have the most control over your food supply. Nevertheless, there will be times when you are obliged to eat away from home—in restaurants or at the homes of friends and family. Try to rid yourself of notions about which foods are to be eaten at which meals: for example, eggs are often thought of as being purely a breakfast food. In fact, you can eat them at any meal. The same goes for just about every dish: they can be eaten at any time of day. The following strategies are to help you make these changes to your way of eating. Refer back to the Owner’s Manual in chapter 6 for specific information on food groups.

EATING AT HOME
Morning
Our Pleistocene ancestors would rouse themselves with the sunrise and gradually get organized for the day. By mid-morning, the first groups, having set off

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on foraging expeditions, would start to feed on what they found. We should be doing the same: not rush into eating a heavy, early breakfast. Don’t worry about hunger cravings—there won’t be any unless your blood sugar is out of control (in which case you need to be particularly careful to follow these recommendations). Suppress any prejudices you may have about the desirability of eating a “hearty” breakfast. Commercial interests, perhaps more than for any other meal, have manipulated our ideas of breakfast. Just in the last 50 years, public relations consultants have manipulated the American public into accepting corn flakes and bacon as breakfast foods.

A common reaction when people hear about the Bond Effect for the first time is: “What on Earth can we now have for breakfast?” In fact, there are many options, many of them being simply a return to what our grandparents ate as children.

Breakfast Ideas
Strategy A—Eat Conforming Fruit (Food Group 4, “Green”). A good time to eat fruit is a short time after waking up in the morning. Your stomach is empty (or should be). You can then eat small portions of conforming fruit all through the morning until lunch time. You will feel a little empty as the morning progresses, so you can then eat another portion of fruit. Eat until the feeling of emptiness is gone. You may have eaten a little or a lot, but it doesn’t matter because nobody is counting. Remember that an important part of feeling satisfied has to do with putting our eating apparatus to work. That is, feeling the fruit on the lips and teeth; tearing a bite out, chomping it, grinding it in our mouths, and feeling the sensation against our tongues, gums, and mouth linings.

Strategy B—Eat Conforming Vegetables (Food Group 3, “Green”). An alternative that is practiced in many parts of the world is to start the day with a vegetable stir-fry. This is what many societies in Asia do. Just take a bag of frozen, mixed vegetables and cook it in a saucepan using the “oil and water” method. Don’t forget, you are using large quantities—at least 12 ounces per person. If you like, you can add a few shrimp, for example.   

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Strategy C—Eggs Any Style. Omega-3-rich, free-range eggs any style are fine to start the day. Make a hearty vegetable-filled omelet or grill some tomatoes and mushrooms with eggs any style. Don’t forget that plant food should form the major part of the meal, and no backsliding—definitely no bread.

Strategy D—Salad. The idea of eating salad for breakfast does indeed run counter to our Western cultural programming, but it is something that many societies do, notably in Africa. A copious mixed salad with some avocado, tuna flakes, or shrimp makes a great start to the day. Again, make it a large portion— at least 1 pound per person. It is not really so much: one large tomato, one cucumber, some onion, and some lettuce leaves make 9 ounces of plant food. Round it off with 3 ounces of canned tuna and you have a hearty breakfast.

Strategy E—Old-Fashioned Haddock Breakfast. This used to be a good stand-by in many parts of the English-speaking world. Many people are old enough to remember, perhaps, when their grandparents used to eat like this. They would lightly poach a piece of haddock (or kipper or any other appropriate fish) in simmering water for about 5 minutes. They would accompany it with lashings of sautéed onion, grilled tomatoes, and mushrooms.

Strategy F—The Savanna Model Continental Breakfast. In the companion food preparation book, Healthy Cooking for the Bond Effect, we present a number of recipes to make conforming dishes. They are all free of flour, dairy, butter, and sugar and are fully safe, even for diabetics. Some of these, such as chocolate brownies, orange cake, and Nicole’s apricot tart make excellent and tasty substitutes for croissants or Danish pastry.

Mid-Morning
Depending on how you started the day, you can snack on an avocado, a handful of raw unsalted nuts, or a big bowl of homemade vegetable soup. Select vegetables from Food Group 3 (Vegetables, Non-Starchy). Get used to making extra large quantities of everything and make sure that the fridge/freezer has a ready supply of easily accessed foods.

Lunch Time and Afternoon Tea
A suitable choice for lunch is a mixed salad, and an appropriate quantity might be 12 ounces. Weigh foods until you are used to estimating the quantities by eye—it’s larger than you are used to. Get in the habit of thinking that a salad is often in two parts: the salad vegetables, comprised uniquely of foods from Food Group 3 (Vegetables, Non-Starchy) and some additions of protein-rich foods from Food Group 6 (Meat, Poultry, Eggs, and Fish). You can add tuna or chicken breast, for example, to the salad or eat as a side dish. Use a homemade vinaigrette.

Preferably, eat the salad before the side dish, because your appetite will be more readily satisfied by the bulkiest part of the meal. Eating the low-density

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plant food takes time. This gives time for the complex signaling from stomach to brain to catch up and tell you to feel satisfied.

Through the afternoon, you may begin to feel hungry. Keep ready prepared in your fridge some raw broccoli, cauliflower, and baby carrots, and also have some containers of preservative-free dips such as guacamole. That’s all you’ll need—a raw vegetable dip. Get used to taking your fuel with you when you are away from home for several hours. Above all, overcome any inhibitions you may have about pulling it out and eating it when the occasion calls.

Dinner Time
Dinner involves the same decision-making process as at lunchtime. This time you decide to do some cooking. Maybe 12 ounces per person of stir-fried vegetables accompanied by two eggs, any style. Or a grilled trout with a head of steamed broccoli. It’s as easy as that. The stir-fry can be ready frozen; season with garlic, lemon juice, and herbs. Note that we are escaping the tyranny of the starter, main course, and dessert regimen. Instead, it’s just the one course. As ever, try to eat the vegetables before anything else. A glass of dry, red wine is okay too.

Bedtime (Supper)
For a snack before bedtime, if there has been a sufficient gap after the last meal, eat a low-glycemic fruit (as much as you like). If not, try 2 ounces of nuts. Avoid bad carbohydrates this late in the day—they provoke a hormonal reaction that disturbs sleep and interferes with the body’s nighttime repair processes. If you fancy it, have a mug of cocoa or 1 ounce of dark chocolate (at least 75% cocoa solids). 

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EATING AWAY FROM HOME It is one thing to be organized at home for eating in accordance with the Savanna Model, but it is quite another matter when away from home. However, by planning ahead, being assertive, and being prepared, it is quite possible to stay close to the ideal regimen. 

Restaurants
In reasonable quality restaurants, it is relatively simple to find items on the menu that can form the basis of a meal. “Form the basis” because there will still be clarifications and negotiations to be conducted with the waiter. You have to ask questions and request changes: “What exactly does the salad have in it? I

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don’t want any croutons, pasta, rice, or fruit.” So it goes, until you have selected the starter, main course, and dessert.

Pay close attention to the vegetables that accompany the main course and refuse potatoes, french fries, and rice, which the restaurant often offers as “vegetables.” If green beans, broccoli, spinach, or any other green vegetable is available, ask for double portions. You will firmly wave away the bread basket and leave on the plate any sweet corn that may have intruded in spite of the negotiations. Most of the desserts will be off limits. When you have finished such a meal, you can congratulate yourself—you have eaten healthily and within the margins of tolerance.
Eating in fast-food restaurants is just the same, only harder. Resign yourself to ordering the burger and throwing away the bun. Find a salad, if you can, but discard the packet of salad dressing (consider carrying a bottle of your own vinaigrette). Or eat the all-day breakfast: eggs with tomatoes and mushrooms are acceptable, but avoid the sausage, steak, hash-browns, toast, waffles, syrup, and muffins.

Many fast-food restaurants have salad bars. This is good news and, with care, one can eat reasonably correctly. They do tend to drench the salads in sweetened dressings. Often they mix in fruit or combine starches and proteins. Be selective: pick out and put aside the offending ingredients. Be suspicious of all salad dressings—the manufacturers invariably make them with low-quality ingredients, fillers, and sugars. Do the best you can.

Dinner Parties
In some ways, this is the hardest situation to manage. You don’t want to put your hosts under pressure and you want to be invited another day. If you know your hosts well, it is all right to call in advance and mention that you have special dietary requirements. Say that you prefer fish over red meat or that you don’t like to eat fruit after a meal. Mention that you like green salads and lots of green vegetables. Then, dig into your meal and enjoy it for what it is. You will certainly have to compromise, but then your basic eating habits are natural and healthy and the occasional lapse is not going to be the end of the world.

If you don’t know your hosts well, or the dinner party has a set menu, then it is best to act defensively. You don’t want to go hungry and you don’t want to be churlish. So, before setting off, eat a light meal of conforming plant food (salad, vegetables, nuts, and so on). Then, when you get to your dinner, eat lightly—enough to preserve appearances and to flatter the cook. The “allergy excuse” is always accepted when you want to leave a significant portion on your plate. People also understand if you are watching your waistline and don’t want to eat much of the dessert. You can escape from this challenge in pretty good order.

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COOKING AND FOOD PREPARATION
In our African Pleistocene past, our ancestors did indeed have fire, but they had no way to boil water. They generally ate plant food raw, although they sometimes roasted nuts and other materials. Animal matter, according to convenience, type, and body part, was eaten raw or roasted. Eggs were also eaten raw. These are generalities, but we can combine this with what we know about how cooking affects nutrition.

In the Savanna Model, the emphasis is on keeping meals simple and cooking as little as possible. Vegetables should be used as fresh as possible. Store them in a cool, airy place like the vegetable rack of the refrigerator. Most vegetables can (and should) be eaten raw. Frozen vegetables are acceptable. Canned vegetables are acceptable in controlled situations where the convenience outweighs the nutritional drawbacks. Canned tomatoes, for example, are still quite wholesome and are useful in “quick-fix” dishes. Think big for your utensils. The food quantities are at least double what you are used to. Get a really large salad bowl, frying pan, and saucepan.

With regard to plant food, it is always best to eat it as soon as possible after harvesting and to eat it raw. That is why we put the emphasis on the consumption of salads and for them to be as fresh as possible. Be imaginative— many vegetables can form part of a mixed salad, including chopped broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, zucchini, and leeks. With that big salad in place in your diet, it is acceptable to consume cooked vegetables too. However, the process should be quick to avoid leaching of nutrients. Always use the minimum cooking possible so that the vegetable is still “al dente,” that is, cooked to keep its crunchy texture.

The best method is steaming or blanching. For example, you can cook broccoli florets in boiling water for 3 minutes and that will minimize nutrient loss. Microwave steaming is acceptable, although it is more aggressive on nutrient loss. Light stir-frying is also an acceptable cooking method. Stir-frying in the traditional Chinese method uses no oil, just a couple of teaspoons of water. Steaming, steam microwaving, and blanching are all good ways to cook vegetables. Avoid lengthy boiling, deep frying, and roasting.

Frozen, chopped vegetables are a good standby. They can be stir-fried, just as they come, in their own juices. No need to use a wok—just heat rapidly and stir constantly for 5–6 minutes in a large saucepan. Always use plenty of herbs. The basic stir-fry herb mixture contains oregano, crushed bay leaves, basil, and thyme. You can make up your own mix using equal parts of these herbs, or find a product that conforms closely to this recipe. Use the “oil and water” cooking method.

Foods of animal origin can be cooked. In general terms, there are few nutrients that might be destroyed by heating. Even oily fish retain their good omega-3 oils intact after baking, grilling, or barbecuing. One of the reasons we recom-

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mend avoiding red meats is not only their high content of fat (particularly bad fats) but that the fat oxidizes under high heat. Oxidized fat is a biochemical disaster for health. Meat, poultry, eggs, and fish (Food Group 6) can be cooked using the most appropriate method: microwaving, steaming, grilling, baking, or sautéing. Avoid deep frying. If using oil, just use a light coating of olive oil. You do not need to make fancy dishes every day. In fact, we encourage you to eat simply. Nevertheless, there are many occasions when such dishes are appreciated, particularly for dinner parties and even as useful snacks at home, school, or work.

Preserved Foods
“Fresh is best” is a familiar slogan and it is good for us too. However, that is not always possible, so how do we prioritize? Broadly speaking, the “least bad” alternative to fresh plant food is frozen. Frozen plant foods, such as cauliflower, spinach, and chopped onion, have been quickly prepared in the field, and then blanched and frozen nearby. Blanching is designed to destroy certain enzymes that cause discoloration, softening, and bruising. It is likely that these are background micronutrients that are useful to the human body and which we lose in the process. So, here we make a compromise: in the absence of an alternative, freezing is the least of all evils.

The other methods of preserving plant food are to be avoided: freeze-dried (packet soups), canned (peas, green beans), pickled in salt (gherkins), syruped (fruit jams and jellies), and fermented (sauerkraut). That is not to say you can never eat these things, just do not think that they are proper food. Foods pickled in vinegar (such as onions) have lost many nutrients, but at least the pickling does not add undesirable chemicals.

With regard to animal matter, many methods of conservation are acceptable. Canned oily fish (such as sardines) are, in nutritional terms, just as good as fresh. Just choose the versions that are preserved in olive oil, canola oil, or unsalted water. Smoked salmon or kipper are good, although watch out for high salt content. Frozen poultry, fish, seafood, and exotic meats are fine too. Pickled fish (like herring) are acceptable, but be watchful of the salt and sugar content. Cured meats (such as bacon, ham, sausage, and bologna) are to be avoided simply because they contain high levels of fat, bad fats, and sulfites.

Processed and Manufactured Foods
Eat food that is the least processed as possible. Processing destroys fibers and leaches out valuable micronutrients. Processing increases the glycemic index and almost always means the addition of unwanted, useless, and sometimes harmful compounds—artificial coloring, artificial flavoring, preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilizers, and fungicides (like sodium propionate). Harmful ingredients like sugars, salt, trans-fats, and hydrogenated fat are frequently added.

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The manufacturers adulterate and thin down their products with a variety of junk fillers like whey, modified starch, and unbleached wheat flour. Government authorities allow meat packers to inject saltwater into products like ham, bacon, and chicken breasts. You do not need the salt and you might object to paying up to 25% of the price just for water. Take your fine reading glasses with you to the supermarket (even health food stores are not necessarily safe) and read the ingredient labels. Avoid the bad carbohydrates, shy away from products that have lengthy ingredient lists, and avoid oils and fat additives, particularly animal fats and hydrogenated fats. As a rough guide, if a product is sold with an ingredients label, then it is processed and you should thoroughly vet it.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
Biotechnology companies have genetically modified plants for many reasons but rarely to increase nutrition. Governments and the industry hasten to reassure the public that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are safe, but that is not the point. Volcanic ash might be safe to eat, but is it food? Already our current food supply is too far removed from the Savanna Model. After all, we are organic creatures that have grown up in harmony with a particular pattern of naturally occurring vegetation and fauna.

Most Americans do not realize how much of their food supply is infiltrated by GMOs—some 60% of it—in particular, anything containing tomato, soy, and corn (maize). In America, no authority requires the presence of these GMOs to be labeled. In contrast, the European Union (EU) requires all foodstuffs containing GMOs to be so labeled. However, all is not lost for Americans. After an outcry from consumers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) backtracked and agreed that the “organic” label could not be applied to genetically modified foods.

As things stand, genetically modified food is probably “safe” and nutritionally similar to plants produced by regular intensive farming, but no one knows for sure. Nevertheless, avoid GMOs where you can and consume them when you must. There is also a stronger reason to avoid GMOs: the ethical one of combating the agro-industry mentality that recklessly dumps fake food onto our plates.

Organic Foods
Organic plant food is usually much richer in micronutrients than food from intensively farmed plants. [1] It is less likely to contain pesticides and other chemicals. Moreover, its production methods are kinder to the landscape and its animal husbandry practices are usually more caring. Organic foods of the Savanna Model will always be best. But is “organic” the first priority? Not necessarily. One of the greatest dietary errors in the West is the low consumption of plant food. The adverse health consequences are grave and

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measurable; the consequences of eating agro-industrial versions rather than organic are smaller. Therefore, the highest priority is to eat more Savanna Model food from whatever source. Eating organic is better, but it is a second order of priority.

A second point is that the designation “organic” does not turn a bad food into a good one. Organic sugar, organic milk, organic butter, and organic pork are all just as bad as the regular sort. Does a cigarette smoker worry if his tobacco is organic? Of course not—the main problem is the tobacco itself.

So, choose organic when you can, otherwise select conventionally produced foods when you must. For this to happen, your attitudes will have to change. In particular, be prepared to pay a little more. Also, be prepared for produce that is more misshapen, bruised, and discolored—buy organic and shun the Technicolor perfection of supermarket produce. You will be rewarded by glorious, rich flavors and the comfort of knowing that you are nourishing your body with genuine nutrients.

DIETARY TIPS
Fruit
As a general rule, fruit should not be eaten at the end of a meal. However, strawberries and raspberries seem to be an exception and most people do not have any digestive difficulty with them. You can make them, therefore, into attractive desserts. Cooked fruit, while less nutritious, is not problematic. Many people have digestive difficulties if they drink on top of fruit. Definitely avoid drinking tea, as it contains certain compounds that reduce the effectiveness of the range of micronutrients in fruits.

We do not recommend that you liquidize fruits. Juicing, pasteurizing, concentrating, and reconstituting are processes that destroy the nature and utility of the natural fibers, strip out the nutrients, and increase the glycemic index. It is much better to eat the fruit itself: when we eat an apple, for example, it requires chewing and it takes time. As a result, our brains register the process at its true value, gastric juices are mobilized, and we feel satiated more easily.

You should treat dried fruit (raisins, currants, dates, figs, apricots, peaches, etc.) as sugars. They are, therefore, bad carbohydrates. In addition, the drying process destroys some of the micronutrients, so in no way can dried fruit be a substitute for the fresh variety.

Candy
Almost all confectionary is high in sugar and you should avoid it. However, all is not lost: cocoa powder is low glycemic. Moreover it is a “Green” plant food, rich in a wide range of antioxidants and other micronutrients. If cocoa is combined with “safe” ingredients, it can make an excellent chocolate. The dark, bitter

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chocolate made with a minimum of 75% cocoa solids is low glycemic. Read the fine print—if “cocoa solids” come before sugar on the list, then this is probably acceptable. Really good varieties will have the exact percentage of cocoa indicated. You can eat this kind of chocolate safely at the end of a meal, but discipline yourself to eat just a couple of squares (about 1 ounce). Some enterprising makers of diabetic chocolate (sweetened with “Green-Amber” sugar alcohols) have rebranded their chocolate as a “low-carb” or “diet” chocolate; these are fine in moderation.

Caffeine
Caffeine is sometimes demonized in health circles. Nevertheless, almost all vegetation contains some caffeine and the body is quite capable of processing it without distress. It is only in certain plants that the concentrations reach mind-altering proportions. In modest quantities, caffeine can give increased mental performance and improve mood. Increasing the dosage doesn’t bring increased benefit and some unpleasant symptoms start to appear: irritability, anxiety, jitteriness, headaches, and insomnia. In addition, at higher doses, caffeine drives up insulin levels, increases insulin resistance, and makes it harder to lose weight. [2] However, the harmful effects of caffeine are reduced when it is present in tea or coffee. Scientists speculate that other beneficial nutrients in these beverages compensate. Researchers have also found that a high consumption of micronutrient-rich plant food mitigates the harmful effects of caffeine on its own.

So, how quickly do we reach this safe limit? The average cup of American coffee contains 100 milligrams (mg) of caffeine, whereas coffeehouse strength can be 180 mg. The caffeine content of tea varies, but it averages about 40–50 mg. There are also about 40 mg of caffeine in a 12-ounce can of cola. In a cocoa drink (2 teaspoons of pure cocoa powder), there are only 10 mg. Our view is that caffeine in modest amounts is well within the normal range for human consumption. For a 165-pound adult, that works out to 4 cups of American coffee per day or 8 cups of tea. Be sensible about it, watch how your caffeine intake affects your mood, and avoid overdosing. If you are diabetic, caffeine in the form of moderate tea or coffee drinking might even be helpful. [4]

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What about Supplements? Many people think that it is a good idea to take supplements, particularly if they have a medical condition, but this is a very narrow way of looking at nutrition. There are thousands of compounds that are important to the harmonious functioning of the body, and they all need to be working together. It is unrealistic to think that we can compensate for dietary errors by cherry-picking this or that supplement.

Worse, dosing up on one compound can have unforeseen and detrimental ramifications. This is the Sorcerer’s Apprentice syndrome mentioned in chapter 4. Nevertheless, we are obliged to eat foods that are produced chiefly by agroindustrial methods. Farmers grow lettuce hydroponically (the technique of growing plants with their roots not in soil but in nutrient-dosed water), only using nutrients that are essential to lettuce. Ordinary soils too might have reduced levels of micronutrients, either from intensive farming or just because they are made that way. Does it matter? When we say “reduced levels,” that still means that there are enough nutrients. The main problem with the average Westerner is that he or she is only consuming about 12% of the ideal amount of plant food. Just by doubling consumption, this will double the intake of micronutrients and they will be a lot better for it.

If you are eating according to the Savanna Model, what is the likelihood that you are suffering any deficiencies? The answer is, highly unlikely. You will be consuming eight times the weight of non-starchy plant food compared to the average American. So, even on plant foods with “reduced levels” of micronutrients, your intake will be well into the healthy intake comfort zone. (The one nutrient that it is hard to get this way is omega-3 essential fatty acids.)

The central tenet of the Bond Effect is that we will find all the nutrients we need by eating the right kinds of foods in the right patterns. The whole thrust of our message is to discourage people from the prevailing idea that they can avoid hard choices, keep their bad eating habits, and compensate by “taking a pill.”

ADOPTING THE SAVANNA MODEL IN THREE STAGES
Put in place the new, healthy eating habits of the Savanna Model in Stage 1 and then move on to the other stages. Step by step, you will gradually modify your habits in the right direction, substituting healthy choices for your current unhealthy one. Over the course of the three stages, you will slowly wean yourself from the foods that are not good for you and start to incorporate more and more of the Savanna Model.

Take it at a pace that is comfortable for you. You can even decide to stop at some intermediate stage. Each stage is a summary of the more detailed advice already given in the book. If in doubt, refer back to the earlier chapters. For each stage, there follows examples of foodstuffs in the various categories used in the Owner’s Manual.

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Note: Earlier in this chapter, we gave an example of how we might eat during the day. Typically, we would eat less at a time but more often. Some might be light meals taken at regular mealtimes like lunch or dinner, others are light meals taken between them, like afternoon tea and supper. In the following segment, we talk about these eating occasions as “sessions.”

Stage 1: The Lift Off
This stage is the most important—you have opened the portal to a new world, one that will change your life. Most of the changes are not difficult: much of it is the simple exchange of one food for an equal substitute. Other changes have to do with the order in which foods are eaten. None of it demands a lot of willpower.

Cooking and Food Preparation
• Avoid deep-frying.
• Reduce consumption of processed foods, fast foods, ready meals, etc., to no more than 1 serving per day (none is best).

Dietary Tips
• Eat fruit on an empty stomach.
• Avoid protein/starch combinations—Group 6 foods (Meat, Poultry, Eggs, and Fish) with Group 2 foods (Grains) and/or Group 3 foods (Vegetables, Starchy).

Accumulation of Lapses
• “Red” foods—limit to no more than 4 per day (none is best).
• “Red-Amber” foods—limit to no more than 6 per day (none is best).
• “Amber” foods—limit to no more than 8 per day (none is best).

STAGE 2

Stage 2: Escape Velocity
In this stage, we turn the screw a little tighter, but when you have mastered it, you will have escaped the gravity of your old earth-bound ways. You are “over the hump” and already fueling your body in ways that it recognizes and responds to.
Cooking and Food Preparation
• Avoid deep-frying.
• Reduce boiling and roasting.
• Prefer stir-frying, steaming, and microwave steaming.
• Reduce consumption of processed foods to no more than 3 servings per week.
• Keep meals simple.

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Dietary Tips
• Eat fruit on its own.
• Avoid combining Group 6 foods (Meat, Poultry, Eggs, and Fish) with Group 2 foods (Grains); that is, protein/starch combinations.

Accumulation of Lapses
• “Red” foods—limit to no more than 1 per day (none is best).
• “Red-Amber” foods—limit to no more than 2 per day (none is best).
• “Amber” foods—limit to no more than 3 per day (none is best).