“You are what you repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle.

I created this diet plan for several reasons.

First of all: I recognize that it is not easy to change your habits. And after working with people in this area for many years, I can safely say, it is a tremendous challenge for most people, to make changes in their eating habits as well as their habits for exercise (or lack there-of). Actually, most people I work with BELIEVE they are eating healthy. They try the best they can and wonder why their energy is low and they can't seem to lose the weight...

"I lost 10lbs last month following your DVD & Diet Program, Thanks Dashama!" ~Jenna Barber, FL

The TRUTH is: We live by default and gravitate toward the comfort zone. It's human nature. If you grew up eating Corn Bread and Gravy, you will feel very much at home eating that in your adult life as well. This is the reason its so hard for people to adopt healthier habits they will STICK to... the old programming is engrained into the subsconscious mind so deeply, it feels right, it feels good, it satisfies the SOUL.

The PROBLEM with that is: Many people grew up in house holds that consumed very little raw leafy vegetables, very little alternative protein sources and drinking large quantities of soda, milk, and cool-aid type flavored beverages instead of pure water. This may not sound terrible, but as they say, "YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT". To this, I agree. When you see someone who consumes a lot of processed foods, heavily salted, overly preservative laden and lifeless, YOU SEE IT REFLECTIVE IN THEIR ENERGY!

It is not secret, just observe and report back to me what you find. (The one exception is those who consume low quality foods, but spend a great deal of time exercising or being active, which can and will often improve their energy from the additional oxygen consumption, which is BY FAR the GREATEST SOURCE OF ENERGY ON THE PLANET, next to the SUN. Breathing can change your life. It can change your energy and it can transform the constitution of your CELLS. Thus RECREATING the TOTAL make up of your BODY. Which is the TEMPLE FOR YOUR SOUL.

This is the dilemma that we face...

**You will have access to this diet program when you register for the "Transform Your Life with Yoga" full program.**

Does this SOUND LIKE YOU OR ANYONE YOU KNOW?

Perhaps you are a member of the minority who was raised on health food and completely ENJOY eating Raw Fruits and Veggies? If that's the case: Wonderful!

Within this 3 Stage Dietary Ascension Plan, You will move from whatever your current diet/consumption program is, to the next level UP. We will begin to eliminate the food that is NOT SERVING YOU, that is DRAINING YOUR QI or PRANA, and begin to integrate the healthful foods that are energy and health SUPPORTIVE. Since the Program is a 30 Day Challenge, we will move through the stages a week at a time. The FINAL week will be a TOTAL VEGAN/ Detox Diet and Cleanse. Get Ready to EXPERIENCE the BEST ENERGY YOU HAVE FELT in YOUR LIFE. (and more radiance and light emenating from within you than you will even know what to do with!)

This is an exciting time. You will begin to see yourself and your life as a miracle, as you start to see how every thing you consume affects you either positively or negatively.

"Thanks to you and a few other sources, I've lost about 115lbs. and feel better than I've ever felt. You are a wonderfully beautiful person, and I'm honored to be your friend."

Pete, USA

STAGE 1:
In the first stage you are encouraged to substitute whole grains and natural sugars for processed grains and starches. You learn the concept, ‘eat to live don’t life to eat’. Moderation and discipline are introduced into your lifestyle. You begin to gain an appreciation for the colors of foods and what they have to offer. Additionally you will be introduced to the nutritional content that various foods contain that sustain and enhance your energy. You learn the basic and fundamental workings of the digestive system and begin to integrate food combining strategies into your daily diet. You get acquainted and in touch with your internal system that may have been a stranger to you for your entire life. You replace harmful substances like high fructose corn syrup and trans-fatty acids that have been linked to cancer, obesity and heart disease. You finally make time for those 8 to 10 glasses of water you’ve known you needed to drink each day since childhood.  The recipes and meal suggestions I will offer will include some of what you are familiar to, to allow for easy transition to your new lifestyle. In this stage meat eating is still common and splurging on “unhealthy foods” is considered acceptable and even essential to the process.

This is the perfect place for you to start if you are trying to lose a little weight and implement anti-aging principles into your life. This is the diet that most personal trainers will be on and encouraging their clients to follow.

STAGE 2:

In the second stage you are introduced to the concept of SUPER FOODS. The highly nutrient dense powerful foods that will fortify your body and create an environment for health and longevity. In this second stage, we begin to enjoy the taste of water and prefer it over other toxic beverages. We see its inherent purpose and value in our lives and look forward to its cleansing and renewing affects. We begin to enjoy the flavor of vegetables and look forward to trying new foods. When we eat out, we choose the restaurants that offer the highest quality foods, with a wide variety of health enhancing options. We begin to enjoy home cooked meals even more, since we are able to see the ingredients and feel comfort in knowing we are consuming only the highest life enhancing foods to nourish the body. This is a wonderful diet for people interested in attaining the highest state of health and balance, but need to remain grounded in this material world. If you have obligations and family this will require some discipline, but it is manageable and highly rewarding on all levels.

Stage 3:

is the final level in this dietary process we are introduced to cleansing and detoxification. You learn that, just like your car, you must maintain your body in the same way. Your internal organs are like the parts of your car. They must be cleansed and replenished regularly to keep the whole process running smoothly with no problems. When you begin to understand how the liver affects your energy, and how over consuming alcohol and certain foods destroy the functionality of this vital organ, you start to make better consumption choices.. This is when the magic happens. You see yourself as in control of yourself. And the more you know, the better you feel. The better you feel, the more you attract good things to yourself. In this way, you are consciously creating the life of your dreams. When we understand cleansing and detoxification, we can start to integrate the right foods into our diet that take care of this process for us naturally and continually. We begin by eating at least 1 green leafy colorful salad per day and consuming plenty of fresh fruits, seeds, nuts, raw and steamed vegetables, whole grains, and high nutrient density deliciousness. We crave foods that are alive and life enhancing. We feel revitalized by our meals and snacks. We become very subtilized in our bodies, so we can detect when we are out of harmony immediately and implement specific strategies to rebalance ourselves. We consume moderately and when we are consuming, we focus completely on the process of chewing, swallowing, absorption, digestion, elimination. We see each meal as a gift of nourishment and a blessing from the Divine. We give thanks for each bite every time. To each glass of water we offer a blessing, knowing that our bodies are comprised of over 70% water and the quality of our life is dramatically enhanced and improved when we raise the frequency of the water we consume. The diet is wonderful for healers, spiritual teachers and leaders, and those people who spend a great deal of time each day either in meditation or spiritual sadhana. At times you may feel incredibly “high” and almost as if you could fly! This allows for a transformative state of consciousness, yet can at times feel a bit ungrounded. This can easily be remedied by consuming a several items for the “Grounding Foods” list.

**Optional: Week 4 is a detox/cleanse week with a whole plethora of options for you to choose from. Everything from the very simple juice and herbal cleanses that allow you to continue to eat food to the most advanced cleansing like the Master Cleanse and everything in between.

General List of foods to avoid:

Refined foods/ Processed white flour and sugar (found in crackers, cookies, cakes, pastries, pasta, breads, tortillas, soda, juices, candy, etc.) these are often disguised by the following names: white wheat flour, bleached white flour, wheat flour (doesn’t say 100% whole wheat, so it is processed), high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sugar, sucrose, malto-dextrose, sucralose, etc. they are empty calories, add no nutritional value and can turn to fat almost immediately when eaten.

Preserved/processed foods (anything canned or ready made. Ex. TV dinners, lunch meat) contains a lot of sodium which makes you retain water and appear/feel bloated.

Alcoholic beverages: since alcohol is just a variation of sugar, it turns to fat almost immediately (if you must have something, drink no more than 1-2 glasses of wine or light beer) Avoid sugary or creamy beverages, which have the highest caloric content full of sugar and fat.

Fried/sautéed/breaded foods : high in fat; turn to fat when eaten (ex. fried calamari) clogs arteries, contributes to high cholesterol, cellulite, heart disease, cancers, etc.

Starchy foods: (ex. potatoes, white rice, bagels, etc.) turn to fat.

Dressings/sauces commonly sold in stores: (blue cheese dressing, ranch, Alfredo sauce, gravy, etc.) tend to be high fat/ calories/ sodium. Use in moderation or avoid altogether

Saturated fats from animal products: clog arteries, not beneficial for any part of the body (ex. The fats that are solid at room temperature: butter, cream cheese, cheeses, chicken skin etc.)

Sodium/salt : found in almost every food, makes thebody retain water and appear bloated (ex. canned foods, cereals, deli meats, cheeses, v8 juice, soy sauce, etc.) Replace with high quality versions like Pink Sea Salt or Bragg's Liquid Amino Spray.

Red meat, pork, shell fish: (high in saturated fat, cholesterol and/or calories) if you are going to consume animal meats, then it is important that you select only the highest quality available to you. Lamb, organic farm raised chicken and buffalo meats are the best. Wild Alaskan Salmon is high on the list of healthy fish options.

IMPORTANT TIP: Additionally, eating just before bed and skipping breakfast are both not advisable. Breakfast jumpstarts the metabolism and eating before bed simply adds unnecessary calories. You won’t starve to death before morning and chances are you will sleep better if you don’t eat right before bed.

What to consume plenty of:

Water: drink 8-10 glasses/day: cleanses, detoxifies, purifies all systems, quenches hunger, energizing, etc. (for variety you can drink herbal tea, or eat fresh veggies and fruit that contains high water levels).

Vegetables: any and all varieties. Raw is best for you, because the cooking process destroys many of the nutrients and enzymes. If possible eat one salad per day minimum (minimize: avocados, potatoes, beets, etc: starchy/fatty) Create delicious flavorful dressings and sauces from organic virgin expeller pressed olive oil, flax, hemp or coconut oils that are wonderful “healthy fats” and satisfy your hunger very effectively.

Fruits: all are good, in moderation. (Berries are the best due to their high fiber content, low calorie content, high nutrient density and delicious flavor; second is pomegranates, and third best: citrus: grape fruit, etc) bananas, apples, pears, water melon, and pineapples are the highest sugar content.

Whole grains: (quinoa, millet, kasha/bulgur wheat, brown rice, 100% whole wheat, oats, soy, etc.) provide essential nutrients and fiber necessary for digestion and elimination of waste.

Seeds/nuts/dried fruit/super foods: these all contain very high concentrations of nutrients, fiber, goods fats, and proteins. Some of the best in this category are: pumpkin seeds- great for parasitic elimination; almonds- especially when raw, blanched, sprouted or soaked; super foods like goji, pomegranate, acai, noni, and raw organic cacao.

Hemp: this is a wonderful natural alternative source of protein, good omega 3,6, and 9 fatty acids, fiber, fiber, low carbohydrates and delicious nutty flavor. They now make many foods and supplements from hemp such as protein powder, seeds, sprouted hemp bread, power bars etc. in addition to being wonderfully healthy, it is also incredibly sustainable and renewable as a resource, which makes it a blessing to our planet. The more crops like hemp that we support globally, the more rapidly we can heal the global environmental crisis and conserve water usage as well. Hemp can also be used to non edible purposes such as making fibers for clothing, paper to write on, and so many other items from rope to furniture. With more support, resources like this will become more main stream and will begin to replace crops that are contributing to the destruction of our natural environment.

IMPORTANT TIP: Eat small meals frequently instead of large meals a few times throughout each day. You may have heard this before, and you’re going to hear it from me too. The reason is: it works and if you are still not following these rules, you will continue to see the same results you’ve been getting in the attainment of your health goals. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. You have got to change some of your habitual patterns and habits in order to see real, lasting and measurable changes in your life.

IMPORTANT TIP: Eat breakfast daily.

IMPORTANT TIP: Eat moderately. What does this mean?

It means eat until you are no longer hungry.

It means don’t eat until you’re stuffed and can’t fit another bite in your belly.

IMPORTANT TIP: Most of the time, we aren’t even hungry when we START eating, so this rule is often lost from first bite. Before you begin eating ask yourself: “Am I hungry?” if yes, how hungry? If you’re only a little hungry, only eat a little bit. And even if you are very hungry, you should still not consume massive amounts of food. It takes your body much too long and takes too much energy to digest overconsumption. Medically speaking, over consumption is directly correlated to many of the life threatening health concerns of our time. It has been linked to everything from obesity, heart disease, cancer, stroke, and organ failure.  It is mentally, physically, spiritually, financially, and emotionally draining. On the basic and immediately effective levels, often times it creates the desire for a nap. This is because the body needs time and energy to perform the miracle of digestion, with the assistance of digestive enzymes and gastric juices. You can help your body do its job more efficiently by consuming moderately and ingesting additional pro-biotic enzymes, as well as chewing each bite until the food becomes soft and almost liquefied. The digestion process does begin in the mouth, and if we skip this step and swallow our food only partially chewed, we create more work for our digestive system and this often leads to indigestion and the resultant intestinal gases that ensue.

IMPORTANT TIP: Get on a regular and continual eating schedule that supports your needs and fits into your lifestyle. It may take a bit of preparation to begin, to have the best foods available for snacking and meals. Additionally, you will feel like you’re eating too much at first, if you are used to the traditional 3 square meals a day approach. Most people these days aren’t even following the traditional meal schedule. Eating has become very imbalanced and erratic. The concept of community and family unity has been lost in much of our society. It is ideal to eat with family, friends and loved ones when we can. This maintains a sense of community and connectedness that was and should still be an integral aspect to the balance and harmony we experience in our lives.

Example eating schedule: 4-5 small meals/ 3-4 hours apart - 8am, 11:30am, 3pm, 6:30pm/ or 7am, 10:30am, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm) when you eat in this way, you allow your body to burn the “fuel” quickly and efficiently and you never allow your “internal furnace” to grow cold. It is important that you consume the right foods during these small meals as well. This is the key to maintaining a healthy metabolism and to losing excess fat.

For fat and weight loss:
Follow the 3 stages of the P10L dietary ascension plan. This will ensure that your weight loss will not only be gradual, which is the healthiest way to lose weight, but will be permanent. This is due to the fact that your new consumption habits will be a reflection of your new lifestyle and not part of a fad diet or weight loss plan. When you begin to clean up your consumption and become more conscious in all aspects of your life, you will see the weight melting off of you. You won’t need to get on a scale ever again, since you will be able to see the weight you have lost when you look at yourself in the mirror!

Organic Foods:

It is best to consume foods labeled organic whenever possible. Organic foods are grown in nutrient dense soil without the use of pesticides and other insect killing poisons. These foods are not genetically modified either. Many foods that are sold in the stores today have been genetically modified in some way or another. Although the process of genetic modification has not been around long enough for extensive studies to have been conducted, there are negative repercussions to consuming these foods. Foods that have had their genes altered tend to have longer shelf lives, while at the same time having a reduced nutrient content.

There are even some types of vegetables and fruits that have been genetically modified to be an insect repellant. Thus, the beautiful, red, plump juicy looking tomato that we see in the produce section has the ability to kill various insects when they take a bite from it. Just imagine what this “product” is able to do to our bodies!

Additionally, if you choose to eat meat, try to eat meat that has been raised on an organic farm, fed with nutrient dense grains and grasses. Most of the meats sold in the grocery stores have come from animals raised on factory farms that were fed hormones and steroids to make them grow faster and larger to gain greater profits for the meat industry. Still others are being injected with antibiotics to sustain the animals’ lives despite their diseases and illnesses. There have been studies conducted that link human consumption of these hormones, etc. to various types of cancer and other life threatening diseases.

If you wish to read more about the evolution of our food in America, I strongly suggest you read the book, “The Food Revolution” by John Robbins. It is a very well written and detailed account of our current dietary state and where our society is heading if  we continue in the direction we have been thus far.

The physical body and the material aspect of your life is very complex and could encompass volumes and novels. This information is not meant in any way to be finite or conclusive. Your body and physicality are very important and I encourage you to become very interested in exploring ever deeper into this aspect of your existence.

DISCLAIMER: The information on 30 Day Yoga Challenge, LLC is provided solely for informational purposes as a service to promote your personal health and happiness. It does not constitute medical advice and is not intended to be a substitute for proper medical care provided by a physician or holistic professional. Dashama and associates assume no responsibility for any circumstances arising out of the use, misuse, interpretation or application of any information supplied on 30 Day Yoga Challenge, LLC.