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

 |
|
{ 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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