Friday, May 14, 2010

Me? A D.I.E.T???

Those who know me best know that I am a freak when it comes to nutrition. What the same people don't know is that I think most fad "diets" are downright dumb, if not dangerous.

But lately, there's been a couple of pounds that just don't want to leave my hips despite regular exercise, and for the most part, eating right. My husband has a few pounds or thirty he could stand losing, himself.

So, starting Sunday, I've decided that we are going to try healthy variations of a couple of different diets, for only a week or two at a time, to see how we feel and look by changing things up a little. The first will be a healthy low-carb diet.

This diet will allow:
  • sautéed, baked, steamed, lightly stir-fried or BBQ, LEAN meats, fish & seafood, poultry and their products, barbecued, (such as lean lunch meat, turkey bacon), in MODERATE PORTIONS. None of that "all-you-can-eat steak, bacon, and ribs" from a popular fad low-carb diet. I'm talking like a deck-of-cards size.
  • egg whites and no more than 2 yolks per week.
  • low-fat dairy and soy products (including skim and sugar-free soy milk, & tofu)
  • cheese in small amounts for flavour
  • healthier non-processed vegetable oils such as olive & canola
  • green vegetables such as Romaine lettuce, spinach & other greens, green onions, parsley, cabbage, & broccoli
  • tomatoes: fresh, cooked or canned without sugar
  • peppers of all kinds - the spicier the merrier
  • all herbs & spices, and fresh garlic
  • beer or wine in same moderation as usual diet, no hard liquor drinks or coolers.
  • salsa & sugar free hot sauce, horseradish, sugar & fat free mustard, smoke flavoring, sugar-free soy sauce, lime & lemon juice in small amounts
  • sugar free pickles & unsweetened sauerkraut
  • tea & coffee
  • no more than 4 ounces of unsweetened orange juice per day
  • a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement
  • home-made oil-and-vinegar dressing
  • plenty of water
  • artificial sugar-free sweeteners
  • grapefruit, lemons, lime

What it won't allow:
  • Fatty meats or dairy products including wieners, bologna and hamburger; whole milk & high-fat cheese
  • Fried ANYTHING!
  • beans, including soy beans (edamame)
  • nuts & seeds
  • berries
  • rice, cereal, breads, corn, pastries, cakes, cookies, granola, pasta, crackers, or any other grain products


  • sugary condiments such as ketchup, barbecue sauce, sweet-and-sour sauce, mayo, whipped dressing, store-bought salad dressing, store-bought spaghetti sauce, sweet pickles
  • high complex-carb veggies such as potatoes, carrots, yams, beets (don't even THINK about french fries!), cauliflower
  • processed meals (like I ever eat those anyway)
  • canned vegetables
  • juices besides 4 oz of OJ/day
  • anything with sugar or corn syrup in it including jams & jellies
  • more than 2 egg yolks a week
  • peanut, soy, saturated, or tropical oils or anything with those in them, including butter or margarine.
  • brown, yellow, white, or red onions in large amounts
  • candies, chocolates (it should go without saying, but...)
  • fruit except for grapefruit, lemons, and lime
We'll follow this for a week, two if we can handle it. My husband is reluctantly willing - we don't enjoy eating meat all that much - and will miss the high-fibre bread and cereal products, as well as the rice & beans, for sure. After this trial we are going to try something altogether different to compare results.

Feel free to try along with us, and I would love to hear your results - good or bad. There's a great web site that will let you know the carbohydrate, protein, and fat content of most foods at http://www.nutritiondata.com/ Let me know if you have any questions.

Bon appetite!



photos courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

4 comments:

  1. Hey Chris,

    When you say you will allow artificial sweeteners I am curious to know which ones you use. As far as I know, they are all toxic and bad. I would take sugar over those any day. Have you seen the research on aspartame and splenda?

    Cari-Lee
    www.cleansegirl.com

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  2. Cari-Lee,

    Yes, the only research I've seen negative about Aspartame were from companies that were against the company that produces it. Urban legends abound as they do about pop-rocks and Bubble Yum. My nutritional studies text books point out that the sweeteners available on our market have been tested more than any other food product, and conclusive evidence has proven them all safe for consumption at normal intakes; although I know the "pink" stuff has been shown to induce certain cancers in lab rats, when administered in amounts no human should ever ingest. I do avoid the sweet n low for this reason.

    ReplyDelete
  3. p.s. if you know of a VALID newer study that has conclusive evidence that shows Aspartame unsafe, let me know.

    ReplyDelete