The 5 Pillars of Dr Dan's Food Plans
Most importantly, all food must be nutritious and anti-inflammatory. It must be real food. It should nourish the gut microbiome and promote healthy mitochondria.
Second, the food must be delicious! This is not a program of sacrifice. There is an adjustment period while your taste buds adapt to your new microbiome. Once that’s settled in, though, you’ll find that the food is fantastic. I look forward to my meals every day and eat as much as I want. No calorie counting here!
Third, the food must be cost-efficient. This doesn’t mean that quality food can be as inexpensive as processed food. However, when you consider the costs of medications, doctor visits, surgery, and the decline in quality of life caused by the Standard American Diet (SAD), it makes sense to spend more on real food than on medical expenses. Instead of buying a case of diet soda, buy grass-fed beef or wild-caught salmon. For a pound-for-pound comparison, consider that a bag of Doritos costs about $1 per ounce—that’s $16 per pound! Compare that to about $12 per pound for grass-fed chuck roast!
Fourth is the matter of time efficiency. We’re all busy. Most of us don’t have a lot of time to cook. The recipes I use are an efficient way for busy people to enjoy nutritious meals. This was one of the most challenging parts of the food plan, but I think you’ll like it once you get used to it. I like watching YouTube chefs, but I don’t have a lot of people to help me prepare the ingredients, and I’m sure you don’t either. The most important feature is the “plan over.” Planovers are not leftovers. Instead, they are meals that are prepared in advance and stored in the freezer so that they can be eaten over the next couple of days. You’ll understand this better when we talk about real menus in the sections that come later.
Lastly, it must be sustainable! This isn’t a quick-fix fad diet that people use for a two-week tune-up before a beach vacation, only to return to their old habits afterward. This lifestyle will dramatically improve your appearance and how you feel, improve your lab values, and likely extend your health and lifespan. This food plan brings us back to a diet similar to our ancestral diets—the ones with which our genetics evolved.