Much of this list I took from a post from Chris Powell's book, Choose More, Lose More for Life. I added some of my thoughts and ideas based on my personal research and study, as well as some personal comments about my eating habits.
General guidelines:
- When to eat
- Eat breakfast within 30 minutes of getting up *Jen: Since I workout first thing in the morning, my breakfast is later than 30 minutes after getting up. If your schedule does not allow for this, don't sweat it! Just eat when you can and strive for it to be fairly early in the day.
- Eat another meal or snack every 3 hours for a total of 5 meals/snacks in the day
- Example carb-cycling meal schedule, with a 6.45 am wake-up time: 7 am breakfast, 10 am morning snack, 1 pm lunch, 4 pm afternoon snack, 7 pm dinner; eat similar amounts for each meal or snack *Jen: I typically eat more for my meals than for my snacks. That is certainly fine!
What to Eat:
- Protein – lean and low-sodium
- Beef – cube steak, flank steak (lean), roast beef (low-sodium), round steak, sirloin steak (extra lean), ground beef (extra lean)
- Game meats – venison, elk
- Pork – tenderloin, low-sodium ham
- Poultry – chicken breast (skinless), chicken thighs (skinless), ground chicken breast, duck breast, turkey breast (low-sodium deli), turkey breast (skinless, not deli), ground turkey (99% fat-free)
- Fish – branzino, catfish, cod, flounder, grouper, haddock, halibut, pollock, salmon, sardines, sea bass, snapper, sole, swordfish, tilapia, tilefish, trout, tuna
- Shellfish – clams, lobster, shrimp
- Dairy – cottage cheese, egg substitutes, egg whites, Greek yogurt (nonfat, plain) *Jen: Don't freak out here about egg whites...egg yolks are listed under fats. Eat the whole egg!
- Powdered protein – whey protein, egg protein, soy protein, rice protein, hemp protein
- Vegetable protein – tempeh, textured vegetable protein, tofu. For vegetarians, tofu can be substituted into any meal
- Fats
- Dairy – cheeses – blue cheese, brie, cream cheese, egg yolk, feta cheese, goat cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, romano, sliced cheeses (e.g. cheddar, colby, gouda, havarti, monterey jack, muenster, swiss)
- Dairy – other – cream, sour cream
- Dressings – creamy dressing, mayonnaise; make your own if you can
- Fruit – avocado, olives
- Nuts and seeds – almonds, almond butter, peanut butter, pecans, sesame seeds, sesame butter, sunflower seeds, walnuts
- Oils – flaxseed oil, olive oil, coconut oil
- Vegetables
- Unstarchy vegetables – artichokes, asparagus, bell peppers, bok choy, broccoli, broccoli rabe, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, chard, collard greens, cucumber, endive, eggplant, fennel, garlic, green beans/wax beans, kale, leeks, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, peppers, parsley, radicchio, radishes, rhubarb, salad greens (arugula, romaine, other lettuces), scallions/green onions, shallots, snow peas, spinach, sprouts, squash, tomatoes, turnips, zucchini, spaghetti squash
- Root vegetables and starchy vegetables, listed under carbs below
- Flavorings
- Herbs – including basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme
- Spices – including cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, cumin, fennel seeds, garlic powder, ginger, Italian seasoning, paprika, steak seasoning
- Butter/olive oil spray, chili paste, chili sauce, extracts (e.g. almond extract, peppermint extract, vanilla extract), hummus, horseradish sauce, hot sauce (e.g. Tabasco), ketchup (Simply Heinz or other brand with NO added sugar), lemon juice, lime juice, low-sodium broth, low-sodium soy sauce, marinara sauce, mustard, salsa, tomato paste, tomato sauce, vinegar (e.g. cider, red-wine, white-wine), Worcestershire sauce (watch out for high sodium)
- Salad dressings – consider the fat content – balsamic vinaigrette, French dressing, Italian dressing; make your own!
- olive oil, coconut oil
- Sweeteners – stevia (e.g. SweetLeaf, Truvia), xylitol (e.g. Xlear, Xylosweet), sorbitol, erythritol, honey in very small amounts
- Beverages
- Almond milk (unsweetened), soy milk (unsweetened)
- Coconut water (pure)
- Coffee, tea (regular, green, or herbal)
- Tomato juice
- Water (flat or sparkling)
- Protein Shakes as detailed below *Jen: As you know, my recommendation is Shakeology so that you get a balanced amount of nutrients, protein and carbs.
Foods that may be eaten for breakfast on low-carb days, and in all meals on high-carb days:
- Fruits
- Apples, apricots, bananas, berries (blackberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, strawberries), grapes, grapefruit, kiwifruit, lemons, limes, oranges, mangos, melons, nectarines, papayas, peaches, pears, pineapple, plums, tangerines
- Carbs
- Breads – brown rice tortillas, corn tortillas, Ezekiel 4.9 breads, Ezekiel 4.9 English muffin, Ezekiel 4.9 tortillas, whole-grain bread
- Cereal – All-Bran, Fiber One, Kashi Go Lean, Kashi Good Friends Cereal, Kashi Heart to Heart, low-fat granola, old-fashioned oatmeal, steel-cut oatmeal
- Grains – amaranth, barley, bran, buckwheat, brown rice, millet, oats, popcorn, quinoa, wild rice
- Legumes – beans (boiled or low-sodium canned), lentils, soybeans/edamame, soy nuts (slightly salted)
- Pasta – brown rice pasta, couscous, whole grain pasta
- Root vegetables – beets, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, rutabagas, sweet potatoes/yams, winter squashes (butternut, acorn)
- Starchy vegetables – corn, peas
- Meal replacement shakes
- Contain protein, carbs, fiber, vitamins, and minerals (avoid carb-containing shakes for no-carb meals)
Foods to Avoid
These may be eaten in your reward meals or reward days, if you have to, but keep them out of your house to avoid temptation.
- Processed and refined carbohydrates
- Table sugar and other sugars, including brown sugar, corn syrup, raw sugar
- Candy, chocolate, ice cream, soda with sugar
- Fruit juice
- Refined flour / white flour and foods containing it
- Baked goods such as bagels, white bread, cake, cookies, crackers, pretzels, donuts, pastries
- White rice
- Chips *Jen: On my reward day I certainly enjoy Sun Chips and salsa. BUT! I don't go crazy and eat out of the bag. A good rule of thumb is SERVE foods onto your plate, not keep reaching into the bag or box.
- Processed foods
- If you have to get processed foods, try to find low-sodium options
- Fatty foods
- Fried foods
- Hydrogenated oils
- Foods high in sodium
- Alcoholic beverages
- Beer, wine, hard liquor *Jen: I have nothing against a good bottle of wine! Just enjoy in moderation is the message here.
- Artificial sweeteners
- Saccharin (Sweet’N Low), sucralose (Splenda), aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet)
- These can be useful while you’re cutting back on sugary processed foods and getting used to eating whole, healthy food
- It is a very good idea to eventually switch from all artificial sweeteners to natural sweeteners
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