Are you serious about losing weight and living healthy? If so, one of the first things to take care of is to clean out your kitchen. Chips and dips and similar foods are out while crackers and cheese, etc. are in.
You need to cook your own meals when you can rather than eat out; this will give you the healthiest diet to go along with your healthy lifestyle. Doing this means going to the supermarket and having fun in the aisles. Look at the nutritional value of what you’re buying, not at the hype. Don’t get hooked into the hype of low sugar (often means high fat) or low fat (often means high sugar), gluten free, light, etc.
Let’s begin with a basic fact. Too many people buy into hot-nutrition issues. A current one is gluten free. What is gluten? Gluten is a composite of storage proteins termed prolamins and glutelins found in wheat and related grains (this includes barley, rye, oat, and all their species and hybrids such as spelt, khorasan, emmer, einkorn, triticale, and so forth). Gluten has viscoelastic properties, i.e., it gives elasticity to dough, which helps it rise and maintain its shape. Often, gluten gives the final product a chewy texture. However, unless you have Celiac disease you do not need and should not, eat gluten free products. Celiac disease is a problem with digesting gluten (found in foods like bread, crackers, and pasta) that affects the absorption of nutrients. Symptoms include gas and bloating, weight loss, and fatigue.
Ironically, most people who reach for gluten-free products don’t have celiac disease or even a sensitivity to wheat. The market for gluten-free products is exploding despite that only 1% of Americans have Celiac disease. Why exactly we don’t know. Many people likely perceive that a gluten-free diet is healthier. In fact, it isn’t. For people with celiac disease, a gluten-free diet is essential. But for others, unless people are very careful, a gluten-free diet can lack vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Yet another reason I encourage you to become your own nutrition expert.
Now, let’s look at cleaning out your kitchen. Rather than remodel your cabinets, you’re going to remodel the food in them. Two friends in this remodel are protein and fiber. Why? Because both will help you reach the feeling of fullness, both during a meal and afterward. A general rule of thumb is about 30 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber for each meal. Thus, you need some options to choose from; not exotic options, but those that contains food items easily found at the local grocery store and more importantly, food items that you like.
Some people will push for totally organic, but that is an individual choice. If you want to go that route, I’d grow as much of my own vegetables as I could, along with some fresh herbs. I’ll discuss those in a later blog.
First, let’s let’s begin by looking at what you eat for breakfast. An example of an easy dish is an egg-white omelet with spinach and mushrooms mixed with some fresh herbs from your garden. A cup of egg whites is about 120 calories. An average omelet is about 250 calories. For a beverage try coffee, tea, or milk. You’ll find there are many varieties of the latter such as Silk, which is a healthy alternative to whole milk. I make my own mint tea from mint from my garden and add just a little oregano, thyme, and couple of other herbs to it for more antioxidants. I have a mesh tea ball that is about the diameter of a tennis ball, which I stuff with mint leaves then add the other herbs above, just a few leaves of each. The ball is placed in a filled ½ gallon pitcher and placed in the refrigerator for a day or so. You’ll see the color of the water change and the tea is great without any additives such as sugar. Perfect on a summer day. You can easily make any kind of drink that you like; the number one rule is, no sugar in it.
Second, for lunch or dinner, the leanest meat proteins are chicken and turkey breast. If you’re tired of too much chicken there are a wide variety of wild meats on the market such as elk and bison that are good alternatives. You can also go the Vegan route. Of course, sandwiches are always a good option for lunch or dinner, especially if you’re on the go. You can make them and put them in a container. If you’re using lettuce, tomatoes, etc., opt for a separate container for them so your bread doesn’t get soggy. Use whole wheat bread (a slice of bread has an average of 70 calories). You can put anything on your sandwich from lean meats, cheese, lettuce, humus, alfalfa sprouts, and many others. Look for foods high in fiber and lower in fat – not low fat, but less fat.
Don’t forget condiments: you can add other items of all kinds to your foods to get a healthy mix, which includes cottage cheese, swiss cheese, all kinds of cheeses, nuts, etc. to salads mixes of all kinds, sandwiches, and so forth.
The important thing is to choose healthier foods. These foods include, dried fruit of all kinds, yogurt, chicken or turkey sausage, omega-3 eggs, hot cereals, quinoa, chicken soup (make your own, it’s fun), greens (lettuce, cabbage, spinach, mixed greens, kale, and more), brown pastas, brown or wild rice, whole wheat breads, protein drink supplements, cheese sticks, and so much more.
The following is a typical food day in the life of Jim, but every day is different because there are so many varieties of good food in all categories to choose from.
Breakfast: 1 cups of egg whites (about 130 calories) with two ounces of cheddar cheese (about 230 calories), 2-3 links of Johnsonville turkey sausage (pre-cooked; 40 calories per link); all of this is mixed with fresh herbs from my garden and coffee or herbal tea (non-sweetened) for about 500 total calories. It’s a five-minute meal and I’m out the door, plus it’s relaxing to cook if you get up just a few minutes early.
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Morning snack: a cup of fresh raspberries or a small banana.
Lunch, one of my larger meals, 9 ounces of roasted chicken breast (about 420 calories), large salad with oil and vinegar (about 180 calories) and water or diet soft drink (use the latter sparingly).
Afternoon snack: a small pear or handful of nuts or protein drink, just depends on my mood and how well prepared I was for the day.
Dinner: Large salad topped with cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, some nuts and dried cranberries, as well as cut up lean meat (4 ounces) or tofu and a no calorie drink (about 700 calories).
Before bedtime snack: small apple, banana, or dried fruit (about 100-140 calories). Will partially digest until about 2 am as you come out of your REM sleep cycle and the body wants food.
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Overhauling your kitchen is not a huge task and you can do it over a couple of weeks as you determine what kinds of food you like best that are healthier and what you’ve been eating. The first step is to get rid of all the fried foods and chips. Do a little each day and done right I guarantee that you can lose 10-12 pounds in about 3 weeks by just getting rid of your sugar foods, candy, chips, similar foods and replacing them with healthier choices. Below are some good examples out of so many to choose from.
| Food Substitutions | |
|---|---|
| This | Not This |
| 2 oz smoked meat on Wheat Thins | Bagel or Lox |
| Apples with yogurt | Apple pie |
| Crackers (such as Carr’s) | Potato Chips |
| Dark chocolate | Milk chocolate |
| Dried fruit or trail mix | Candy |
| Hot cereals | Sugary cereals |
| Low-sugar drinks (all kinds) | High sugar drinks |
| Pita chips and humus | Cookies |
| Roasted or baked potatoes/sweet potatoes | French fries |
| Pistachio’s | Salted nuts |
| Water, tea, or coffee | Soda |
| Whole-wheat banana bread | Cake |
| Yogurt | Ice cream |
There are so many choices you can make, which makes it fun. Because of the variety of choices, there is no excuse for not eating well. Fried foods are out, grilled foods are in.
Remember, it doesn’t matter if you’re Mr. Olympia or Ms. Universe; what matters is how you look and feel to yourself and that you’re working on being healthy – it’s not a struggle, it’s a journey. There’s no better day to get started than today. Make it a good one!
