 Michi’s Ladder is not a diet. It’s a simple substitution plan. To lose weight, try swapping the foods you eat for similar foods in tiers 1 and 2. The more you eat in tiers 1 and 2, the more you’ll increase your chances of losing weight. There are some healthy foods in lower tiers, but they’re either calorie dense or nutrient deficient. To lose weight, you want to maximize the nutrients in every calorie you consume.
Note on frying: Foods should be eaten raw, steamed, grilled, poached, baked, or broiled. Frying automatically drops even the best foods into tier 5.
| Tier 1: The Pious Tier |
Apples, with skin
Artichokes
Arugula
Asparagus
Avocados
Beans
Beets
Bok choy
Boysenberries
Bran
Broccoli
Broccoli sprouts
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Cereal, whole grain
Chard
Cherries
Citrus fruits
|
Collard greens
Cottage cheese, nonfat
Cucumbers
Egg whites
Endive
Fish, cold water (salmon, mackerel, sardines)
Fish, freshwater
Flaxseed
Garlic, fresh
Granola, raw,
no sugar
Hemp seed
Kale
Lettuce, romaine, green or red leaf
Milk, nonfat
Milk, soy
Muesli, raw, no sugar
Mushrooms
|
Mustard
Nectarines
Oatmeal
Olive oil
Olives
Onions
Pears, with skin
Peas
Peppers
Plantains
Prunes
Radishes
Raspberries
Refried beans, nonfat
Rice, brown
Salsa, natural, no sugar
Seitan
Spinach
Squash
Strawberries
Sweet potatoes
|
Tea, green or black
Tempeh
Tofu
Tomato sauce, no sugar
Tomatoes
Vinegar, Water
Yams
Yogurt, nonfat,
no sugar
|
| Tier 2: The Happy Tier |
Apples, skinless
Bananas
Blueberries
Bread, whole grain
Cantaloupe
Cheese, nonfat
Chicken, skinless white meat
Coffee, black or cappuccino with nonfat milk
Corn
Cottage cheese,
low-fat
|
Cream cheese, nonfat
Duck, free-range
Eggplant
Fish, farmed
Granola or energy bar
Grapes
Hummus
Juice, fresh-squeezed with pulp, no sugar
Kiwifruit
Mangoes
Meal replacement
bar
Melon, honeydew
|
Milk, 1%
Nuts, raw
Ostrich
Pancakes, buckwheat
Papayas
Peaches
Pineapple
Plums
Raisins
Ricotta cheese, nonfat
Soy nuts
Soy sauce
Squid
String beans
|
Sunflower seeds
Tortillas,
whole wheat
Turkey breast
Vegetable juice
Veggie burger
Venison, free-range
Watermelon
Yogurt, no sugar
Zucchini
|
| Tier 3: The Swiss Tier |
A1 Steak Sauce
Angel food cake
Applesauce
Bagels
Beef, eye of round
Beef, London
Beef, top round
Canola oil
Cheese, low-fat
Chicken, dark meat
Chicken sandwich,
broiled
Chicken taco,
baked
Clams
|
Coffee, cappuccino with whole milk
Crab
Cream cheese,
low-fat
Eggs, whole
French fries, baked
Fruit, dried
Graham crackers
Granola
Honey
Jam or marmalade
Jerky, turkey
Juice, from concentrate
Ketchup
|
Lamb, lean
Lettuce, iceberg
Lobster
Mayonnaise
Milk, 2%
Muesli
Oatmeal, flavored
Oysters
Pancakes
Pasta, plain
Peanut butter, raw
Popcorn, plain
Pork tenderloin
Potatoes, baked
or boiled
|
Pretzels
Refried beans,
low-fat
Rice cakes
Rice, white
Sauerkraut
Soup, canned broth
Steak, lean
Sweet-and-sour
sauce
Veal cutlet
Wine, red
Yogurt, frozen,
nonfat
|
| Tier 4: The Dodgy Tier |
Animal crackers
Beef, filet mignon
Beef, lean ground
Beef, sirloin
Beef Stroganoff
Beer
Bread, refined flour
Buffalo
Butter
Caesar salad, with chicken
Canadian bacon
Cheese (including bleu and goat)
Chili
Chinese food
Chips, low-fat, baked
Coconut
|
Coffee, iced mocha latte with nonfat milk
Coffee, latte with whole milk
Coffee cake
Crackers
Grilled cheese
sandwich
Ham
Hot dogs, turkey
Ice cream, sugar-free or fat-free
Jell-O
Juice, sweetened
Lamb chops
Lasagna, with meat
Macaroni and cheese
Margarine
|
Meat loaf
Mexican food
Milk, whole
Muffins
Nuts, salted or roasted
Peanut butter,
not raw
Pepper, stuffed
Pizza, meatless or Hawaiian style
Popcorn, with salt and butter
Pork chop
Potato salad or
macaroni salad
Pudding, with
low-fat milk
Reuben sandwich
|
Sherbet
Shrimp
Sloppy Joe, lean beef
or turkey
Soft drinks, diet
Soup, canned creamy
Spaghetti,
with meatballs
Sub sandwich
Taco salad,
with chicken
Tortilla, refined flour
or corn
Tuna salad or
chicken salad
Vegetable oil
Wine, white
Yogurt, frozen
|
| Tier 5: The Newburg Tier |
| Alcohol, hard liquor
Bacon
Baked beans
Beef, ground, regular
Beef taco, fried
Breakfast sandwich,
fast food
Cakes
Candy
Cereal, sugared
Chicken a la King
Chicken, buffalo wings
or nuggets
Chicken or fish
sandwich, fried
|
Chips, potato or corn
Chocolate
Cinnamon bun
Coffee, mocha, macchiato, ice blended, frappé, triple caramel vanilla buzz bomb, etc.
Cookies
Cream cheese
Creamed veggies
Creamer, nondairy
Doughnuts
French fries
Gravy
Hamburger, fast food
|
Hot dogs
Ice cream
Jerky, beef, pork,
or venison
Juice, sugar added
Lobster Newburg
Nachos
Onion rings
Pastries
Pies
Potato skins, fried
Potatoes, fried
Potpie
Refried beans,
with lard
|
Salad dressing, creamy
Sausage
Soft drinks, sugared
Tater tots
Toaster pastries
|
|
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello just bought the insanity vedios can’t wait to start.I am 178 lbs 6′ft wqnt to get cut up an big what foods do you recomend from the nutrition guide
Wesley, When you get Insanity, you’ll get a very thorough nutrition guide and meal plan. Just follow the guide, and you cant go wrong!
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