Celebrity trainer Jorge Cruise‘s new book Tiny and Full will be released just in time for the holidays and promises you a smaller waist by only changing one meal a day.
The premise is simple: follow a vegan diet for breakfast. Then, go back to incorporating animal-based foods for lunch and dinner, while still keeping a heavy emphasis on plant-based foods.
“When I say vegan,” Cruise told Diets In Review exclusively, “I mean in the truest, most natural form of vegan. A whole food (minimally processed), plant-based diet. Potato chips and Coke are technically vegan, but I encourage the healthiest, most natural form of vegan possible with whole, plant-based foods.”
Why just breakfast? you may be asking. There are two main reasons.
“There are numerous studies showing that determination and drive are almost always strongest in the morning hours when you are fresh,” explains Cruise. “This is because willpower is like a muscle — it’s strongest when it has been given good rest and restoration.” Focusing on breakfast, when your resolve is highest, gives you the best odds for success.
Just one meal is all it takes, though. Cruise makes it clear he is not an advocate for becoming a full time vegan.
“For most of us, it’s a lifestyle change that is just too hard to maintain,” said Cruise. “There are more people who have quit being vegan than there are those who are actual vegans. I intentionally created Tiny and Full as a part-time vegan program to help you get the benefits of the vegan diet but avoid the negatives.”
The negatives, in addition to being hard to sustain, are that a vegan diet is missing crucial nutrients for optimal health and wellness. Because going vegan makes it easy to become deficient in Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Iron, Zinc, Calcium, and Omega 3s, many vegans go without or must turn to expensive supplements to achieve proper nutrition.
“However, by just being a vegan for breakfast but then adding in animal-based foods for lunch and dinner, you are not only creating a sustainable lifestyle that you can stick to, but you are ensuring a balanced diet with the proper nutrients,” says Cruise.
Jorge Cruise’s Tiny and Full is available December 29th at book stores and online everywhere. But you don’t have to wait until then to make the switch to vegan breakfasts. Try one of Cruise’s favorite high protein vegan breakfast recipes exclusively from Tiny and Full and get a jump start on your New Years weight loss resolution!
Good Morning Chia Seed Pudding
Serves 4
216 calories per serving
10.9g Fat/26.6g Carbs/10.9g Sugar/12.7g Fiber/5.7g Protein
Ingredients
3 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup chia seeds
1 tbsp. of pure maple syrup, to taste
1 cup blueberries
3/4 cup chopped mango
For the toppings:
12 blueberries
Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together the almond milk, chia seeds and maple syrup. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Whisk again.
Cover and place in the fridge for 2.5-3hours. You can also let it chill overnight. Stir mixture occasionally.
Remove for fridge and stir. Mix in blueberries and chopped mango.
Portion into bowls and add additional blueberries on top.