If you have been following along with this Trim Healthy Mama Basics series that I have been doing then you have learned about S foods and E foods. In this post, we will be talking about Fuel Pull foods, AKA FP. In my mind, I like to think of them as a neutral food, not an E or S, but something that can go with them or combined to make a FP meal.
What is a Fuel Pull
FP foods can be eaten in an S or E meal to add more food to your meal. Things like non-starchy vegetables would be perfect to add either meal to help you stay full for a full three hours. You can eat a meal of all FP foods and have a lower calorie meal or snack as well. Remember though that too many FP meals can start to hurt your metabolism but a few here and there will help keep your body guessing.
For a meal to be considered FP it needs to have no more than 3 or 4 ounces of lean protein, less than 1 teaspoon or 5 grams of fat, and less than 10 grams of carbs, (6 if it is store bought low carb product).
Most of the time FP will be used as snacks or desserts. There are a couple things to remember when doing that to make sure you do not accidently fuel stack*.
- If you will be eating in less than three hours a FP is your best option. This will help you not have too much of one fuel at a time. These will help tide you over to get you to your next meal. This does not mean that you can snack on FP all day long, you still want to keep three hours between eating.
- If you are wanting a dessert after a meal try to eat it within 30 minutes of finishing. If you have a nice S meal for dinner and want to eat a dessert a FP is a great choice because it doesn’t add more fats to your body.
*Fuel stacking means that you have both a significant amount of carbs and fats in a meal. This causes your body to burn both instead of using the fat that you already have. AKA an accidental crossover.
Fuel Pull Foods
| 3-4 oz of Lean Meats: chicken, tuna, venison, turkey breast. | Laughing Cow Cheese | All Non-Starchy Veggies in liberal quanities | 1 cup all berries |
| Egg whites | 0% Greek Yogurt or Triple Zero from Okios | 2 light Rye Wasa | 1/4 cup beans |
| Low carb tortillas, Joseph’s Lavash or Pita | Protein Powder, Gelatin, Integral Collagen | Nut Milks | Light Progresso Soups |
What not to eat
- Sugar
- White flour, potatoes, rice
- starchy veggies: sweet potatoes, corn, turnips, carrots,
- Fruit that is not berries
- fatty meats
Meal Examples
- There are a lot in the cookbook, including shakes, desserts, snacks, condiments and much more.
- A Triple Zero yogurt with berries
- 2 wasa crackers with a laughing cow cheese wedge and a couple slices of deli meat
- 3 oz of grilled chicken breast with a large amount broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, yellow squash, and tomatoes cooked in 1 teaspoon of coconut oil.
- I like to pull foods that are all fuel pulls and mix them together to make a meal, depending on what I am in the mood for.
What is your favorite fuel pull food? Do you have any questions on fuel pulls? Feel free to ask them in the comments below or email me through the contact form at any time.
All my THM Basics and more can be found on the THM Resource Page
