No Sugar No Grains (NSNG) Frequently Asked Questions
What is No Sugar and No Grains (NSNG®) all about?
Answer: In its simplest form NSNG® is just that. You eliminate all processed sugars and all grains from your diet. In other words, you eat real food. In earlier podcast, it is referred to as being a “Carnivorous Vegan”. What that means is that you have lots and lots of healthy vegetables and meat in your diet. For vegans or vegetarians however, the concept is the same, but they just don’t have meat in their diet.
What are the best podcasts to explain NSNG®?
Answer: The best podcasts are the following: 53, 56, 59, 65, 73, 99, 153 and 155
For NSNG®, what can I eat?
Answer: You can eat real food, non-processed real foods. Eat vegetables, fruits, nuts/seeds, legumes (see #12 for further clarification), healthy fats and meats. The following podcast talk about foods to eat: 6, 159
What are considered grains?
Answer: According to the USDA, grains are “any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain is a grain product. Bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and grits are examples of grain products.” For more detailed information on grains can be found at this link: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/grains.html The following podcasts talk about grains: 8
What about quinoa?
Answer: Fuck quinoa!! Quinoa is a grain, so it’s not a NSNG® food.
In a NSNG lifestyle, what are considered ‘sugars’?
Answer: Glucose, Fructose, Sucrose, Glucose Syrup, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), Fruit Sugar, Raw Honey, Maple Syrup, Molasses, Agave Nectar, Palm Sugar, Coconut Sugar. A full list of sugars can be found at this link: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-definitive-guide-to-sugar/#axzz2YfdmeAmd
What about artificial sweeteners? Are there any that are considered NSNG®?
Answer: Your body treats artificial sweeteners just like real sugar. So there are no artificial sweeteners that are NSNG®. The following podcast talk about artificial sweeteners: 5
What are NSNG ®suggested fats?
Answer: Grass fed butter, coconut oil, macadamia nut oil, avocado oil, heavy whipping cream, nut butters (be careful to read the ingredient label to make sure it is pure nut butter and not filled with a lot of additives and other oils), Villa Capelli olive oil (no olio della lampada), lard, tallow, bacon grease, ghee, MCT oil, full fat dairy (if you can tolerate it), olives, avocados, full fat coconut milk. The following podcast discuss fats: 145
Is there a difference in olive oil? What olive oil do you recommend?
Answer: There is a difference in the quality of olive oil. In fact, some olive oil is a blend of not only olive oil from different regions, but also may contain other oils. The olive oil that is recommended by the show is Villa Cappelli olive oil. You can get it through vinnietortorich.com and use the code Vinnie for 10% off your order. Here is the UC Davis olive oil report: http://olivecenter.ucdavis.edu/news-events/news/files/olive%20oil%20final%20071410%20.pdf. The following podcast talk about olive oils: 9,
What are some NSNG® suggested snacks?
Answer: Low glycemic fruit, cut veggies, hard boiled eggs, beef jerky, full fat cheese, raw nuts, olives, pumpkin seeds, 85% or greater dark chocolate, deviled eggs (homemade mayo), pepperoni slices, coconut oil, avocado, lettuce rolled up with smoked salmon and full fat cream cheese, hummus and celery, pickles, shot of olive oil, coffee with heavy cream (or grass fed butter, or coconut oil).
What about dairy? Can I eat dairy products on NSNG®?
Answer: If you can tolerate dairy, then dairy is ok to eat. You may need to cut back on your dairy, mainly cheese, if you are struggling to lose weight. The following podcast talk about dairy: 20, 63, and 154
What about fruits?
Answer: Try to keep the Glycemic Index under 50. See www.glycemicindex.com or “Google” Glycemic index for clarification. Generally, berries, apples, citrus, etc. are OK (eaten whole, with their fiber, not juiced).
Can you eat legumes on a NSNG® lifestyle? What kinds can you eat?
Answer: Legumes are ok to eat. But it depends on if you are a vegan, vegetarian or not. If you are a vegan or vegetarian, then legumes are ok. If you are not, then you can eat them, but should do so in moderation.
How can I find locally grown, organic vegetables? (Note: This is for resource purposes only. You can still be NSNG and not eat locally grown, organic vegetables.)
Answer: You can look for a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) at the following link: http://www.localharvest.org/
How can I find locally caught wild fish? (Note: This is for resource purposes only. You can still be NSNG® and not eat locally caught wild fish.)
Answer: You can look for a local Community Supported Fishery (CSF) at the following link: http://www.localcatch.org/index.html
Where can I find grass fed beef? Pastured eggs? Pastured chickens? Pastured Pork? (Note: This is for resource purposes only. You can still be NSNG and not eat grass fed beef, pastured eggs, pastured chicken, pastured pork, etc.)
Answer: You can look for a local farm or a farm in your area by going to the following link: http://www.eatwild.com/products/
What are suggested NSNG® fuels for endurance events?
Answer: You can fuel with olive oil, nut butters (Justin’s Almond Butter comes in little packs), ucan super starch plain (http://www.generationucan.com/home.html), avocado, coconut oil, basically anything that you can tolerate and what you have practiced with during training. Don’t do anything new on race day!! The following podcast discuss fueling for endurance events/training: 66, 159
What about chocolate milk as a recovery food?
Answer: Fuck chocolate milk!! Chocolate milk is loaded with sugar.
What can I use as a recovery food?
Answer: Use the foods that you typically eat. Eat vegetables, meats and healthy fats.
What about protein powders?
Answer: One of the few protein powders that Vinnie likes is plain whey with no nothing added. Jarrow Formulas comes about the closest (http://www.jarrow.com/product/182/Whey_Protein_Unflavored). Vinnie is not a big fan of supplementing with protein, unless it’s during long hours of exercise, where getting real food is impossible or too difficult! The following episodes discuss protein powders: 89
What are the basic strength exercises that I can use to build strength without spending hours on end at the gym?
Answer: The basic exercises that you can use to build strength are: Seated Shoulder Press, Bench Press, Lat Pulls, Squats, Lunges and Leg Press. For a demonstration of these exercises you can go to the Vinnie Tortorich YouTube Channel at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5-i0ACzJSGlaiwhoLCRfUw
How can I go into ketosis?
Answer: In order to go into ketosis, you need to ensure that you have less than 50 net carbs a day. Net carbs are total carbs in grams minus fiber in grams. The following podcasts discuss carb intake: 34, 138, and 152
What is ketosis?
Answer: Ketosis (dietary ketosis) means that our bodies are using fat for energy. Ketones (also called ketone bodies) are molecules generated during fat metabolism. The following podcasts talk about ketosis: 25, 85 and 91
How do I lose weight on NSNG®?
Answer: You will lose weight on NSNG ®because you will eat real food, and it will naturally make you full. The following podcasts discuss weight loss: 9, 10, and 13
What other podcast episodes has Vinnie and Anna been on?
Answer: Vinnie and Anna have been literally scores of other podcasts, including: Endurance Planet Podcast, Fit, Fat, Fast Podcast, Garden Variety Tri Podcast, Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show (Book), Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show (Guest Host), Livin’ La Vida Low-Card Show (Guest), Plant, Run, Family Podcast, Rich Roll (Guest Part 1), Rich Roll (Guest Part 2), Rich Roll (Book), Zen and the Art of Triathlon Podcast.
Where can I get the NSNG t-shirt?
Answer: You can go to the NSNG store® and choose from our current selection. Stop by frequently to find limited edition items.
Is there a Community of Interest that I can join which talks about NSNG lifestyle?
Answer: The best place to join our Facebook community is at the Vinnie Tortorich’s No Sugar No Grains group. It is a very interactive Community of Interest with a lot of experienced NSNG people, and those that are looking at how to life the lifestyle.
Where can I get the book “Fitness Confidential” #FitnessConfidential?
Answer: You can purchase Fitness Confidential exclusively on Amazon.com. Buy one for a friend!! You can also find many helpful books on our NSNG® Book Club page.
How can I get Vinnie on a phone consult? How much do these sessions cost?
Answer: You can go to https://vinnietortorich.com/phone-consultation/ and fill out the information to request a phone consultation with Vinnie. The rates are currently $115 for 1/2 hour consultation, and $195 for a 1 hour consultation.
