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Kelly LeVec (CCN) is a bestselling author, clinical nutritionist, and holistic health coach to A-list celebrities like Halle Berry and Jennifer Garner, who she recently helped prepare for their roles. LeVec is known for her Fab Four philosophy, a healthy eating approach that allows for food freedom while still achieving balanced blood sugar and satiety. In other words, it’s not a diet. The method instructs you to prioritize protein, fat, fiber, and leafy greens, all of which I was severely deficient in until I met LeVec at a Now Foods wellness retreat.
LeVeque and I sat down to analyze my diet and figure out why, on a primarily pescatarian/plant-based diet, I was experiencing cycles of fatigue and cravings and felt like I wasn’t getting the full benefits of my daily training. The most obvious reason was that I was only taking in half the amount of protein my body needs: 1 gram per pound of body weight, according to LeVeque. In other words, someone who weighs 130 pounds needs 130 grams of protein. minimum.
“Most people get 50 to 60 grams of protein a day,” LeVeque explains. “I recently worked with Jennifer Garner and Halle Berry on a film and they were both not getting enough protein and were only getting an afternoon meal and dinner that contained protein. But I added a smoothie or six ounces of salmon or steak to their breakfast.”
Not only did I feel fuller all day, which helped me cut out my usual snacking habits, but it also helped me have more stable energy and drink less coffee.
It’s worth noting that LeVeque’s recommendation is higher than the recommended amount of protein in a standard diet, which starts at about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight and goes up to 1.6 grams per kilogram for very active people. There’s not necessarily research to suggest that going any higher than that will help, but everyone is different, and some people may feel better on a higher-protein diet.
The big question is whether you can stick to a plant-based diet and still get the right amount of protein. “I’ve had these conversations with a lot of celebrities over the last 12 years, and they say, ‘No, plant-based foods are better for you, meat is bad for you,'” LeVeque told me. “In fact, plant-based protein is not very bioavailable. So if you get 10 grams of protein from whole animal foods, most of it will be absorbed. But if you get 10 grams of protein from plant foods, maybe only 6 grams will be absorbed.”
LeVeque is right that plant foods are often not complete sources of protein (meaning they don’t contain the nine essential amino acids your body needs), but that doesn’t mean you have to eat meat to increase your protein intake. By combining different plant protein sources (think quinoa and beans, or broccoli and tofu), you can get a complete protein.
LeVeque elaborated that available protein sources are used by the body to heal, rebuild and strengthen muscles, which in turn impacts the body’s metabolism. Of course, individual biological differences play a role, but inadequate protein intake perpetuates blood sugar spikes. And that’s exactly what I was experiencing every day. Like Garner and Berry, I was also skipping lunch and not refueling properly (celebrities are just like us!).
I decided to give Lebec’s dietary recommendations a try for the next few weeks to see how it would affect my mood. The results were remarkable. Not only did I feel fuller all day, which helped me cut out my usual recreational snacks, but I also had more stable energy and drank less coffee. I was able to stay focused later into the night, which improved my productivity at work and boosted my morale each week. I’ll definitely be experimenting with the dishes I’ll be showing you below, but experimenting with this lifestyle has definitely made me feel better.
Read on to find out what changes I made to my diet to incorporate LeVeque’s Fab Four plan into my daily life, and what suggestions ultimately worked for me.
Experts featured in this article
Kelly LeVeque, CCN, is a clinical nutritionist, celebrity holistic health coach, creator of Fab Four fundamentals, author of “Body Love” and “Body Love Every Day,” host of the Be Well podcast, and founder of Be Well protein powder. She has partnered with Now Foods to develop a beneficial smoothie builder that incorporates her famous Fab Four formula.
