Maker's Diet 101

I've been getting a lot of questions about the Maker's Diet, so I thought I'd take a few steps back and let you know some of the details.  There are three phases, adding up to a total of 40 days.  The first phase is "designed to stabilize insulin and blood sugar, reduce inflammation, reduce infection, enhance digestion, and help balance hormones in your body" (Rubin, 199).  In other words, phase one detoxifies your body.  In Phase 2, a greater variety of foods are introduced to your diet.  (YAY)!  According to several testimonies, by the start of Phase 3, you should have noticed an increase in your energy, an improvement in your digestion and skin, as well as have your cravings under control, and even be closer to your ideal weight.  Phase three is considered "the maintenance phase of the diet" (Rubin, 223).  This phase is scheduled for the last two weeks of the forty-days, but ideally, you will choose to follow this phase for the rest of your life.  Below are the lists of "Foods to Enjoy" from The Maker's Diet written by Jordan S. Rubin:

Phase One: Foods to Enjoy



Meat (grass-fed/organic is best)
Beef
Lamb
Venison
Veal
Buffalo
Elk
Goat
Meat bone stock/soup
Liver and heart (must be organic)
Beef or buffalo sausage or hot dogs (no pork casing—organic and nitrite/nitrate free is best) use sparingly in phase 1)

Fish (Wild freshwater/ocean-caught fish is best; make sure it has fins and scales!)
Salmon
Tuna
Halibut cod
Scrod
Brouper
Haddock
Mahi mahi
Pompano
Wahoo
Trout
Tilapia
Orange roughy
Sea bass
Snapper
Mackerel
Herring
Sole
Whitefish
Fish bone soup/stock
Salmon (canned in spring water)
Tuna (canned in spring water)
Sardines (canned in water or olive oil only)

Poultry (pastured/organic is best)
Chicken
Cornish game hen
Guinea fowl
Turkey
Duck
Poultry bone soup/stock
Chicken or turkey bacon (no pork casing—organic and nitrite/nitrate free is best) (Use sparingly in phase 1)
Liver and heart (must be organic)

Eggs (high omega-3/DHA is best)
Chicken eggs (whole with yolk)
Duck eggs (whole with yolk)

Dairy
Goat’s milk yogurt (plain)
Homemade kefir from goat’s milk
Soft goat’s milk cheese
Goat’s milk hard cheese
Sheep’s milk hard cheeses

Fats and oils (organic is best)
Ghee
Goat’s milk butter
Cow’s milk, butter, organic
Avacado
Extra-virgin coconut oil (best for cooking)
Extra-virgin olive oil (not for cooking)
Flaxseed oil (not for cooking)
Hempseed oil (not for cooking)
Goat’s milk butter (not for cooking)
Raw cow’s milk butter, grass fed (not best for cooking)
Expeller-pressed sesame oil
Coconut milk/cream (canned)

Vegetables (organic fresh or frozen is best)
Broccoli
Asparagus
Squash (winter or summer)
Beets
Cauliflower
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Celery
Eggplant
Garlic
Okra
Cucumber
Pumpkin
Onion
Lettuce
Spinach
Mushrooms
Peppers
Tomatoes
Peas
String beans
Artichoke (French, not Jerusalem)
Leafy greens (kale, collard, broccoli, rabe, mustard greens, etc.)
Raw leafy greens (endive, escarole, radicchio, arugula, frisse, etc.)
Sprouts (broccoli, sunflower, pea shoots, radish, etc.)
Sea vegetables (kelp, dulse, nori, kombu, hijiki)
Raw, fermented vegetables (lacto-fermented only, no vinegar)

Beans and legumes (soaked or fermented is best)
Small amounts of fermented soybean paste (miso) as a broth
Lentils

Nuts and seeds (organic, raw, soaked is best)
Almonds (raw)
Hempseed (raw)
Pumpkinseeds (raw)
Flaxseeds (raw and ground)
Sunflower seeds (raw)
Hempseed butter (raw)
Almond butter (raw)
Sunflower butter (raw)
Pumpkinseed butter (raw)
Tahini, sesame butter (raw)

Condiments, spices, seasonings (organic is best)
Salsa (fresh or canned)
Tomato sauce (no added sugar)
Guacamole (fresh)
Apple cider vinegar
Celtic sea salt (or Real Sea Salt by Redmond)
Mustard
Herbamare seasoning
Omega-3 mayonaise (Spectrum)
Umeboshi paste
Soy sauce (wheat-free), tamari
Raw salad dressings and marinade (recipes in book)
Herbs and spices (no stabilizers)
Pickled ginger (preservative and color free)
Wasabe (preservative and color free)
Organic flavoring extracts (alcohol based, no sugar added), i.e. vanilla, almond, etc.

Fruits (organi fresh or frozen is best)
Blueberries
Strawberries
Blackberries
Raspberries
Cherries
Grapefruit
Lemon
Lime

Beverages
Purified, nonchlorinated water
Natural spring water, no carbonation added (i.e. Perrier)
Herbal teas (preferably organic)—unsweetened or with a small amount of raw honey or Stevia
Raw vegetable juice (beet or carrot juice—maximum 25 percent of total)
Lacto-fermented beverages (recipes in book)
Certified organic coffee—buy whole beans, freeze them, and grind yourself when
desired; flavor only the organic cream and a small amount of honey.

Sweeteners
Unheated, raw honey in very small amounts (1 Tbsp. per day maximum)

Miscellaneous
Goat’s milk protein powder (Goatein by Garden of Life)

Phase 2: Foods to Enjoy (2 weeks)

Meat
All meats listed in phase one

Fish
All fish listed in phase one

Poultry
All poultry listed in phase one

Eggs
Fish roe or caviar (fresh, no preserved)

Luncheon meat (organic and nitrite/nitrate free is best)
Turkey, sliced (free range, preservative free)
Roast beef, sliced (free range, preservative free)

Dairy (organic, grass-fed is best)
Homemade kefir from raw or nonhomogenized cow’s milk
Kefir from pasteurized, nonhomogenized cow’s milk
Raw cow’s milk hard cheeses
Cow’s milk cottage cheeses
Cow’s milk ricotta cheese
Cow’s milk plain whole-milk yogurt
Cow’s milk plain kefir
Cow’s milk plain sour cream
Raw goat’s milk

Fats and oils (organic is best)
Expeller-pressed peanut oil

Vegetables (organic fresh or frozen is best)
Sweet potatoes
Corn
Yams

Beans and legumes (soaked or fermented is best)
White beans
Black beans
Kidney beans
Navy beans
Tempeh (fermented soybean)

Nuts and seeds (organic, raw, soaked is best)
Walnuts (raw)
Macadamia nuts (raw)
Hazelnuts (raw)
Brazil nuts (raw)
Pecans (raw or soaked and low-temperature dehydrated)

Condiments, spices, seasonings (organic is best)
Ketchup (no sugar) [I get Westbrae brand, fruit-juice sweetened]
All-natural salad dressings (no sugar/corn syrup, no preservatives)
All-natural marinades (no sugar/corn syrup, no preservatives)

Fruits (organic fresh or frozen is best)
Apples
Apricots
Grapes
Melon
Peaches
Oranges
Pears
Plums
Kiwi
Pineapple
Pomegranates
Passion fruit
Guava

Beverages
Raw vegetable juice (beet or carrot—maximum 50 percent of total)
Coconut water

Sweeteners
Unheated raw honey (up to 3 Tbsp. per day)
Stevia

Phase 3: Foods to Enjoy (2 weeks and/or indefinitely)


All Meat, Fish, Poultry, Eggs, Luncheon Meat, Dairy, Fats and Oils, Vegetables listed in Phases 1 and 2.

Beans and legumes (soaked or fermented is best) Add these along with what is listed in phases 1 and 2:
Pinto beans
Split peas
Red beans
Garbanzo beans
Broad beans
Lima beans
Black-eyed peas
Edamame (boiled soybeans) – in small amounts

Nuts and seeds (organic, raw, soaked is best) Add these along with what is listed in phases 1 and 2:
Almonds (dry roasted)
Almond butter (roasted)
Walnuts (dry roasted)
Tahini (roasted)
Pecans (dry roasted)
Macadamia nuts (dry roasted)
Sunflower seeds (dry roasted)
Pumpkinseeds (dry roasted)
Pumpkinseed butter (roasted)
Sunflower butter (roasted)
Peanuts, dry roasted (must be organic) (in small quantities)
Peanut butter, roasted (must be organic) (in small quantities)
Cashews, raw or dry roasted in (small quantities)
Cashew butter, raw or roasted (in small quantities)

Condiments, spices, seasonings (organic is best) – all those listed in phases 1 and 2.

Fruits (organic fresh or frozen is best) Along with fruits listed in phases 1 and 2, add:
Banana
Papaya
Mango
Canned fruit (in its own juices)
Dried fruit (no sugar or sulfites): raisins, figs, dates, prunes, pineapple, papaya, peaches, and Apples

Beverages Along with beverages listed in phases 1 and 2, add:
Raw, unpasteurized vegetable juice
Raw, unpasteurized fruit juice
Organic wine and beer (in very small amounts)

Grains and starchy carbohydrates (whole-grain, organic, soaked or sprouted is best)
Sprouted Ezekiel-type bread
Sprouted Essene bread
Fermented whole-grain sourdough bread
Quinoa
Amaranth
Buckwheat
Millet
Kamut (in small quantities)
Sprouted cereal
Oats (in small quantities)
Brown rice (in small quantities; pre-soak in water and an acidic medium for 7-12 hrs. before cooking)
Spelt (in small quantities)
Barley (in small quantities)
Whole-grain kamut or spelt pasta (in small quantities)

Sweeteners  Along with sweeteners listed in phases 1 and 2, add:
Pure maple syrup


Obviously, I would not be doing this if I didn't think there were great and many reasons for it.  Check out the book to discover more for yourself about the benefits!  And follow along here to see my first-hand impression of why it is worth it!