Food FAQs

A glass of water = 8 ounces = 1 cup = 250 mL.

The problem with carbonated waters is twofold:

1. they often contain sodium, which is dehydrating, which defeats the point of drinking water to hydrate you
2. they can interfere with digestion and cause issues like bloating

If you’re dehydrated, however, and have no alternatives or just want to have an option other than flat water, then carbonated (unflavoured) water is okay and I would max out at 1 per day.

If you’re using a product like SodaStream, the same rules apply plus I would not recommend adding any flavours as they contain preservatives, and in some cases caffeine and sugar.

If you tested drinking decaf tea all day long as if you were drinking regular water, you would notice (likely within 24 hours) that decaf can still be dehydrating. Nothing will replace pure, clean, filtered water so aim to get 8-12 250mL/1 cup glasses per day.

Water consumption depends on your body mass, activity level, number of toxins you’re putting into your body, weather/temperature. In general, however, I recommend 10 cups of water per day. That said, everyone is different and so you’re best to use your urine and thirst level as a guideline: Your urine should be light or colourless and you should not be thirsty. Remember to add 1 cup for every serving of alcohol and caffeine and every 15-30 minutes of exercise.

I generally tell people to wait about 30-60 minutes before downing another cup of H20 after meals. But first and foremost, listen to your body. Most people don’t get enough water every day so I don’t want anyone to wait 30-60 minutes thinking they’re going to interfere with digestion when they really should be getting in another cup to stay well hydrated. In other words, choose hydration first.

There are many reasons you may still be thirsty, despite drinking more water. Below are a few potential causes:

1. Your body is adjusting to the new amount of water intake.
2. You are dehydrated. Check your urine colour (should be clear or light yellow) and take note if other areas of your body are dry – lips, eyes, skin, mucous membranes.
3. Excessive thirst may be a symptom of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia), which may help in detecting Diabetes.
4. You may be eating too much salt, requiring more water to maintain balance.
5. You may be exercising more intensely and therefore losing more fluid.
6. You may have a condition called Diabetes Insipidus, which is characterized by large amounts of dilute urine and increased thirst.

Yes, you can drink decaf coffee! And yes, you can have cream or milk, though I’d recommend it’s organic and hormone-free.

Yes, you can, but don’t rely solely on frozen options. Be sure to consume the majority of fruits and vegetables in a whole, unprocessed, fresh and organic form.

To reap the most rewards from this program, it’s recommended that you follow the guidelines as strictly as possible, which means cutting out sugar, alcohol, chocolate, caffeine, and other foods on the AVOID list for the recommended time.

Plenty of natural options exist: fruits, bananas, apples, unsweetened apple sauce, fruit/vegetable purées, maple syrup, pureed sweet potato or turnips, unpasteurized honey, dates and date paste, brown rice syrup, coconut nectar to name a few. Although agave is naturally occurring, it can also be heavily processed so the preference is to stick to completely natural options.  When baking, if the recipe allows, you can also use banana or other fruits to add natural sweetness.

Whole wheat is one of the top allergens and since we want to reduce nutritional stress on your body, it’s best to eliminate whole wheat wherever possible.

You’ll want to avoid white or whole wheat breads, bagels, English muffins and any other products that claim to be healthy but also contain ingredients like sucrose and white flours.

Firstly, beware of breads that claim to be healthy. You always need to check ingredients. If you see ingredients like sucrose or enriched flour, it’s time to find an alternative.

Alternatives include flours and breads made with: kamut, amaranth, spelt, rye, rice, barley, quinoa, chickpea, coconut or a combination thereof. You can refer to your Meal Planning Guidelines for other suggestions or check out Nic’s Picks for brand recommendations.

Although it’s not ideal to use canned foods in general, it’s not always/often realistic to have the time to soak beans before cooking them. In this case, choose the healthiest beans available – organic and with as few ingredients as possible.

Plenty of nut and seed milks are available or can be made at home. Try your best to alternate the milks so as to not develop a food sensitivity to one of them. For example, almond milk is quite popular these days yet people are consuming too much and developing sensitivities to almonds. Milk options include: rice milk, almond milk, cashew milk, pumpkin seed milk, coconut milk, macadamia milk. Soy milk is not recommended or is to be used sparingly.

It’s not necessarily about consuming less fruit, but more about eating more vegetables. People often think fruits and vegetables are the same, but they’re aren’t. Most people eat more fruit than vegetables because fruit is sweeter. But note that even though the sugar is natural, it can still spike blood sugar depending on what you ate, how much you exercised, how much you slept and other stressors we discuss. Bottom line: choose vegetables whenever possible.

High starch and low starch carbohydrates are different, which is why it’s recommend you consume more lower starch carbohydrates like vegetables.

Starch is a type of carbohydrate, often called a complex carbohydrate because it’s made from long sugar molecules. Although they can be loaded with beneficial nutrients, fiber-rich whole grains, lentils, legumes, root vegetables and some fruits contain significant amounts of starch. Because they are more complex, they require more energy to break down. This is more work for your body.

Salty snacks, sweet treats, sugary breakfast cereals and other easy-to-grab foods are also starches and are considered highly-refined carbs, which are often linked to weight gain and other serious medical conditions, such as Type 2 diabetes.

The less starch a vegetable contains, the less carbohydrates and, therefore, the less calories and less sugar. This means for the same calories, we can eat a larger quantity of non-starchy vegetables compared to smaller servings of starchy vegetables. Thus, 50% of your plate should consist of low-starch vegetables!

Dried fruit is dehydrated (and therefore lacks the water you would consume in fresh, whole fruit) and often contains sulfites, sugars and/or and preservatives. It is not recommended. That said, if you need to add some flavour to an oatmeal, for example, you can add goji berries or a few dried pieces. Just remember, it’s always best to choose natural, whole fruit over dried.

If budget is an issue, refer to the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists to better understand which foods should be organic. If you are consuming meats, do your best to ensure they are hormone free, and if not, ask your butcher for the best option available.

Dairy is one of the top 2 allergens (whole wheat is the other one). Therefore, in the beginning of the program, try to cut out dairy entirely or as much as possible. If you must consume dairy, as a general rule, I recommend 1 daily hormone-free, antibiotic-free serving. Since toxins are stored in the fat of animals, I’d recommend that the higher fat the milk, the more it should be hormone/antibiotic-free.

Yes, goat cheese is dairy. If you have a dairy sensitivity or allergy, you may or may not have the same sensitivity to goat cheese, even though goat milk has less lactose and a slightly different protein structure than cow’s milk.

Most of the foods you consume have some form of protein. But usually people are getting too much or too little. There are lots of great protein options out there including: fish, eggs, grass-fed beef, quinoa, lentils, shellfish, beans, turkey, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, cottage cheese, nuts, and of course – the infamous chicken 🐓.

Breakfast means “break fast”. It means that you’re breaking the food and drink fast that you went through overnight while you were sleeping. It’s highly recommend to have at least something to eat within an hour of waking. Even a serving of fruit is better than nothing. Ideally, however, you’ll follow your Meal Planning Guidelines and start the day with a protein, fat, and carbohydrate, including a vegetable. Check out the Recipe Books for ideas!

If you’re constantly on the go, it means you’re like most, if not all, of our clients. So don’t worry – the program will not be a waste. If eating out and being on the go is your reality, we’ll adjust your program and make recommendations as needed. It is fully possible to be extremely busy and healthy at the same time!

100%! The best thing to do is to text your coach with as much advance notice as possible. If you’re already at the restaurant, you can send a picture of the menu or the menu link. Or send the menu link in advance and we’ll get back to you with suggestions. We’re working on compiling a list but with clients in various cities, it can be a big list – thanks for your patience!

There are plenty of alternatives to white or whole wheat pasta. It just depends on your taste preference. Over at NPW, we’re big fans of shiratake noodles, which are made with yams. You cook them differently (they actually take less time) but they are quite similar to pasta, particularly rice noodles.

Other pasta alternatives include bean (ie/black bean, chickpea), grain (ie/spelt), soba (buckwheat), lentil, quinoa, corn, rice, and if you want to go hard core, you can use spiralized veggies such as zucchini.

Need ideas? Check out your Recipe Books.

Have you ever cut carbs for an extended period of time and felt like your brain can’t function or like you have no energy? That happens because your body must have carbohydrates, and in particular, your brain only gets its fuel from carbohydrates.

HOWEVER, this doesn’t mean you get to load up on bread, pasta and potatoes everyday. There are plenty of types of carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits, beans) to help you meet your quota. Plus if weight loss is a goal, it’s best to check out the Food Rules or speak with your coach about specific amounts and timing of carbohydrates each day.

Although there are some healthier protein powders out there, I generally encourage my clients to get their protein from natural, unprocessed, whole sources. If you are choosing a powder, I’d recommend you choose unflavoured and use a natural sweetener to replace vanilla or chocolate flavours. ie/Use maple syrup, dates, berries, a touch of honey, cocoa, or real vanilla.