X Factor Diet Food List
The X Factor diet is based on a moderate carbohydrate and adequate protein diet. It reduces your intake of grains, improves the kinds of fats you eat and introduces a calorific ratio of 35:35:30.
That means 35 per cent of your calories should come from top quality proteins, 35 per cent from low glycaemic index carbohydrates and 30 per cent from health-enhancing fats at each meal.
But there's no need for lots of weighing out of ingredients or counting calories on the diet. Instead portions are measured using the simple 'palm method'. Amounts of food about as big as your palm minus thumb and fingers and the same thickness as your hand, equals one palm of food. Each meal will usually be made up of one 'palm' of protein and two 'palms' of carbohydrates. You should also be eating roughly a tablespoon or so of certain healthy fats per meal.
In general you should eliminate refined convenience foods from your diet and choose natural, fresh, organic, unprocessed foods where possible. You should make non-starchy vegetables your main source of carbohydrates, eliminate certain unhealthy fats and eat protein foods at every meal and snack.
Below is our simple at-a-glance guide to the foods you can eat on the X Factor diet. Click on the links above to see picture galleries of the different foods included.
The carbohydrates you should eat
A lot of the carbohydrates you will be eating on the diet have a low glycaemic index. That means they are converted by your body into glucose slowly and steadily. This helps to keep your body's insulin levels balanced and Syndrome X at bay. You can eat some moderately high glycaemic index carbohydrates, but starchy high glycaemic index carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, pastry and rice are out. Barley, oatmeal, 100 per cent rye bread or Ryvita can be eaten sometimes. Click on the links further up this page for lists of low, medium and high glycaemic foods that are safe to eat occasionally on this diet. From the lists make up two palms of low glycaemic carbs per meal or one palm of medium to high glycaemic carbohydrates.
The proteins you should eat
The proteins you'll eat on the diet should also be high quality and low in most
saturated fats. So you should avoid any fatty cuts of beef, most kinds of sausage and chicken livers. You should also use the palm method to measure out your proteins. You will not be able to use the palm method to measure out microfiltered whey protein - a very pure type of powdered protein available in health food shops. Instead, use the scoops provided with the powder to make up the required number of grams in the recipe.
The fats you should eat
The fats on the X factor diet are the healthiest available. They can be used in salad dressing or for cooking. Click on the link further up the page to see the fats you should be eating on the diet. Eat about a tablespoon or so per meal. In addition to the fat you get from food, take two teaspoons of flaxseed oil every day, or consider using a good supplement of omega-3 EPA and DHA fish oils. Omega-3 fatty acids help your body burn fat.
Drinks
In general you should try to drink eight to ten glasses of water and no more than two cups of coffee and up to two small glasses of dry white or red wine a day. If you get
bored with water you can ring the changes with herb teas or no-carb flavoured spring water. For a full list of the drinks you can have on the diet click on the picture gallery above.
Sweeteners
Avoid all sweeteners except for stevia and Splenda. Click on the link further up this page for more details about these and how to obtain them.
Herbs and spices
Use as many fresh herbs and spices as you wish.
Fibre
If you need it you can add dried psyllium hunks, available at good health food shops, as they contain no carbs and can be added to smoothies.
Nutritional supplements
As part of the diet you should take the following daily: a good multiple vitamin including phytonutrients, 400-600mcg of chromium picolinate or chromium polynicotinate, 230-600mg of magnesium tartrate or magnesium citrate or chelated magnesium, 1,000-3,000mg of omega-3 EPA and DHA fish oils in capsule form.
Exercise
To get the full effects of this diet you should do some form of strength training, such as water-resistant work outs, resistance exercises like push-ups, lunges, squats and sit-ups, weight machines or free weights four days a week for 30 minutes and walk briskly for 15-30 minutes each day.
For more information visit Leslie Kenton's website at www.lesliekenton.com
Click on the link below for seven days of recipe ideas to go with the diet. Once you have got into the hang of how the diet works you can start to make up your own recipes.
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-91049/The-glance-guide-X-Factor-diet.html