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.
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| 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, WaterYams
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 cheesesandwich
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 liquorBacon
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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