Gluten Free Diet

In my first month on a gluten-free diet, I’ve lost at least 1% body fat. That might not sound like much, but when you’re starting out at 9% fat, going down to 8% makes you noticeably even more ripped.

You see, recently I tested positive for gluten-sensitivity, and this has  caused me to change my diet. It means no more bread,  and because I’m taking a “hard-core” approach recommended by Dr. Peter Osborne, it also means no more quinoa or rice.

This has made a huge difference and makes it easy to get ripped.

Here’s the diet I follow…it’s delicious, filling, and helped me lose fat without even trying.

First, I start my day with 4 cups of water during my “magic writing time”. That where I do my best work and write workouts and articles for magazines like Men’s Health.

Fasting during this writing time allows my mind to be clear and I write better.

At 6am I have a greens drink and wake up ol’ Bally the Dog for his morning walk and swim in Lake Ontario here in Toronto (or in the river if we’re out on the farm).

It’s not until about three hours after waking that I have my first breakfast:

Breakfast #1 – Blender Drink + Apple + Almond Butter

Here’s what goes into my blender drink: 2 cups almond milk, a a banana, blueberries, spinach (you can’t taste it, trust me), and even some broccoli.

I also use grass-fed whey protein (vanilla). Dr. Osborne is not a fan of dairy, so this might be a little controversial in his plan.

To go along with my blender drink, I’ll have a giant apple and two tablespoons of almond butter or natural peanut butter.

Breakfast #2 – After Workout Snack

Right after my workout, I’ll immediately leave the gym and bike home, where I’ll make another blender drink.

Almond Milk, grass-fed whey protein (chocolate), a banana, spinach, and natural peanut butter.

After more writing and another dog walk, it’s time for both Bally and I to have our gluten-free lunches. I choose from  three options.

Lunch Option #1 – The Big Boy Salad

I start with a huge raw salad of:

– Spinach, red onion, mushrooms,1/2 avocado, broccoli, peppers

And I add some cooked foods:

– A half or full can of black beans or kidney beans – Tomato sauce (yes, weird, I know, but I use this as dressing)

Lunch Option #2 – Hard boiled eggs & lots of fruit

I eat 4 hard boiled eggs, watermelon, cherries, and an apple with raw almond butter. Sometimes I have raw broccoli, carrots, and  red peppers with hummus before lunch.

Lunch Option #3 – Leftovers from previous night’s dinner

I eat at 12pm, right after I feed ol’ Bally the Dog, and that meal usually gets me to 3:30 or 4pm.

Late Afternoon Snack

My freezer is stacked with raw nuts. There are giant jars of  almonds, macadamias, walnuts, and pecans so that I always have some for snacking.

Late afternoon, I have raw nuts and dates, or nuts and an apple. I might also have raw vegetables and hummus. This keeps me going through to 7pm when I have a late dinner.

Dinner

I like to make steak or ground  beef mixed with vegetables. You already have my great steak recipe, and I make that at least once per week.

In the past, I used to make quinoa with steamed broccoli, red onions, avocado, mushrooms, and peppers, and then mix in tomato sauce and olive oil as well.

These days, because Dr. Osborne says that quinoa might be contaminated with gluten (because most facilities process quinoa alongside wheat products), I’ve removed it from my diet.

So now I just make the same recipe but using ground beef instead of with quinoa. When I travel, which is quite often, I’ll have more fish and chicken.

After dinner I eat a lot of fresh fruit, choosing from cherries, watermelon, apples and frozen bananas. I’ve even created a “frozen banana churro dessert” that is awesome.

More about that next time.

Until then…

Get Ripped by Going Gluten-Free here

Hope that helps,

Craig Ballantyne, CTT
Certified Turbulence Trainer