The Austerity Mode Food List
Austerity Mode eliminates nearly all the remaining sugars and starches left in Basic Drink Your Carbs. Sweet Protein, Alternative Flours and Limited Grains are now to be avoided. Beans are now Limited because, while they are an excellent source of very filling fiber, they are also high in carbohydrates. All other categories remain the same.
Do not expect Austerity Mode to be easy. Going cold turkey on sugar and simple carbohydrates - even if they are already at a very low level in your diet - is akin to trying to kick a heroin habit without methadone or so much as a single therapy session. It brings all the symptoms associated with addiction withdrawal. (We were planning to list the symptoms here, but instead we will just recommend that you rent Sid and Nancy.)
The last time we spent a week in Austerity Mode, Steven found himself standing in Walgreens staring longingly at the snacks in the junk food aisle. And by snacks, we’re talking about plastic-wrapped, artificially flavored “baked goods.” For the record, the reason they wrap these foods in plastic has nothing to do with preserving freshness; it is to keep them from gathering dust. There is no need to keep them fresh since they are injected with all manner of synthetic ingredients to ensure that they age without any noticeable degradation. They are like Cher; anything that can be done is being done to ensure their exterior hull retains its alluring shape. When foods this bad look good, you know that you are having serious carb cravings.
Do not expect Austerity Mode to be easy. Going cold turkey on sugar and simple carbohydrates - even if they are already at a very low level in your diet - is akin to trying to kick a heroin habit without methadone or so much as a single therapy session. It brings all the symptoms associated with addiction withdrawal. (We were planning to list the symptoms here, but instead we will just recommend that you rent Sid and Nancy.)
The last time we spent a week in Austerity Mode, Steven found himself standing in Walgreens staring longingly at the snacks in the junk food aisle. And by snacks, we’re talking about plastic-wrapped, artificially flavored “baked goods.” For the record, the reason they wrap these foods in plastic has nothing to do with preserving freshness; it is to keep them from gathering dust. There is no need to keep them fresh since they are injected with all manner of synthetic ingredients to ensure that they age without any noticeable degradation. They are like Cher; anything that can be done is being done to ensure their exterior hull retains its alluring shape. When foods this bad look good, you know that you are having serious carb cravings.
Fact: Our friend Elliott once spent two hours during a nasty winter storm tearing apart dresser drawers, searching under his car seats and even sifting through ashtrays in a futile attempt to find a cigarette that might have somehow been overlooked. In the end, he emptied the tobacco out of every stubbed out butt he could find and smoked them in a pipe made of tinfoil.
As far as we’re concerned people who consume pre-packaged baked goods with a shelf life approaching infinite should view themselves as no different from Elliott. They are not seeking a pleasurable experience. They are looking for a fix.
Stay disciplined. This process is not easy, but it does get easier. As each day passes, the cravings will diminish. For most people, in about a week they will vanish altogether.
AVOID
Sweetened Protein
These meats often contain very little sugar or other sweeteners. Nonetheless, they are to be avoided in Austerity Mode. The only exception is for products that contain absolutely no added sweeteners. They do exist, but they are hard to find.
These meats often contain very little sugar or other sweeteners. Nonetheless, they are to be avoided in Austerity Mode. The only exception is for products that contain absolutely no added sweeteners. They do exist, but they are hard to find.
- Beef/Buffalo Jerky (sweetened)
- Deli Meats (sweetened)
- Bacon (sweetened)
- Ham (sweetened)
- Pepperoni (sweetened)
Grains
There is no question that grains add far more calories to a meal than a side dish of vegetables. While we believe that limited quantities of these complex carbohydrates should be part of a healthy diet, the following grains are to be avoided in Austerity Mode:
There is no question that grains add far more calories to a meal than a side dish of vegetables. While we believe that limited quantities of these complex carbohydrates should be part of a healthy diet, the following grains are to be avoided in Austerity Mode:
- Brown Rice, Wild Rice, Forbidden Rice, etc.
- Buckwheat
- Quinoa
Alternative Flours
- Avoid all alternative flours. You can resume your occasional baking when you get back to Basic Drink Your Carbs.
- Acorn Flour
- Almond Flour
- Bean Flours
- Buckwheat Flour
- Coconut Flour
- Quinoa Flour
- Tapioca Flour
LIMITED
Beans (Dried and Fresh):
- Azuki Beans
- Black Beans
- Black-Eyed Peas
- Broad Beans (Fava Beans)
- Cannellini Beans
- Chickpeas
- Great Northern Beans
- Green Beans
- Kidney Beans
- Lentils
- Mung Beans
- Pinto Beans
- Runner Beans
- Soybeans
- White Beans
- Etc.