The samurai diet is a variation of the paleo diet that involves eating as little processed food as possible. It is based on organically grown fruits and vegetables, high quality meat, fish, seeds, nuts and oil, and gluten-free carbohydrate products. This type of diet allows you to lose 1-2 kilograms per week. What else is worth knowing about it?
The author of the samurai diet is a trainer and nutritionist ─ Nate Miyaki. He described the principles of the diet plan he created in his book “The samurai diet” from 2011. He dedicates this diet to physically active people who exercise almost every day and want to achieve low levels of body fat and build muscles. Miyaki believes that the choice of carbohydrates should be an individual matter. He claims that there are people who achieve very good athletic results on a paleo diet, but there are also those who are unable to perform a proper workout without carbohydrates. The effect of the samurai diet is to obtain athletic success while maintaining good health. The samurai diet is not a weight-loss diet, and therefore only people who train intensively are allowed to follow it. The samurai diet combines the main advantages of the paleo diet, classical Japanese cuisine, sports nutrition and the latest scientific reports on weight loss. Its main principle is the so-called “carb-backloading”, which consists in eating protein and fat dinners, and taking carbohydrates after training and in the evening. This may be accompanied by “intermittent fasting”, which is training done on an empty stomach in the morning.
What exactly is the samurai diet? What kinds of products can be eaten on it, and which should be avoided? The most important rules for the selection of meals here are the same as for the paleo diet. They should be as little processed as possible. We recommend low-fructose fruits, vegetables, high-quality meat, fish and seafood, olive oil, coconut oil and small amounts of seeds and nuts. Good sources of carbohydrates on the samurai diet include paleo sources (fruits, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, plantains, yams, yams, hemp flour, chestnut flour), pseudo grains (quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat groats, millet groats, basmati rice). In the case of groats, soaking them to get rid of anti-nutritional substances such as phytic acid and lectins is crucial.
What can not be eaten on a samurai diet? This diet excludes all kinds of ready-made products, fast food and products that contain refined sugar and hydrogenated vegetable oils. People on the samurai diet are also not allowed to eat milk and dairy products, wheat and other gluten cereals and their products, legumes, brown rice, peanut oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, trans fatty acids and hard margarines.
Contraindications to the samurai diet are: autoimmune diseases, food allergies, gastrointestinal ailments, small intestinal diseases, ulcers, reflux and depression.
What is a sample menu on the samurai diet? For breakfast you can have stuffed eggs with tuna paste and a salad of celery, peppers, spinach and cherry tomatoes with olive oil and herbs. Second breakfast is rice with sunflower seeds, walnuts and banana. A good idea for lunch on the samurai diet is turkey roll with spinach, quinoa and red cabbage salad with apple and olive oil. For afternoon you can eat skewers with chicken and fruit and tomato salsa, and for dinner – a salad with salmon, zucchini, kale and tomatoes.
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