Phase 4 – Healthy Eating
In this HeartStrong.com video/article, we are going to discuss the phase 4 healthy eating plan. Once again, phase 4 gives more flexibility. If you have reached this point, that means your are likely doing pretty well with a predominately whole foods plant based diet. By being less restrictive on what you can eat in phase 4 we move one step closer to the final goal of establishing a new way of life that you can follow for the rest of your life. Here is what phase 4 healthy eating looks like with the differences from phase 3 highlighted in red:
Universal Rules – Phase 4
- Eliminate all processed foods and junk foods completely – eat real food
- Eat unlimited vegetables
- Eat beans/legumes as your predominate protein source
- Eat more whole grains and potatoes (fat free) – increased in phase 4 due to increased physical activity
- Added sugar and oil completely eliminated
- Alcohol in moderation (optional) – not to exceed 2 servings daily for men and 1 serving daily for women
- Do not overeat in general
Plant Strong – Phase 4
- 90% of calories from plant sources, 10% from lean meat
- Dairy and eggs completely eliminated
- Meat substitutes completely eliminated
- Eat food from all plant food groups (fruits, vegetables, beans/legumes, whole grains, nuts/seeds)
- Nuts/seeds are not limited (within reason)
- Avocado not limited (within reason)
- Fruit is not limited (within reason)
Plant Perfect – Phase 4
- 100% of calories from plant sources, eliminate meat/dairy/eggs completely
- Meat substitutes completely eliminated
- Eat food from all plant food groups (fruits, vegetables, beans/legumes, whole grains, nuts/seeds)
- Nuts/seeds not limited (within reason)
- Avocado not limited (within reason)
- Fruit is not limited (within reason)
Heart Disease Reversal – Phase 4
- 100% of calories from plant sources, eliminate meat/dairy/eggs completely
- Meat substitutes completely eliminated
- Keep fruit at 3-5 per day
- Add in 4 extra servings of leafy greens daily (goal will be 4 servings/day)
- Nuts/seeds eliminated (excluding ground flax and chia seeds)
- Avocado eliminated