January 15, 2008

• Mainlining a Menu

  I'm gonna be on this health thing for a while.  Like I said, it's kind of an obsession. 

  Yesterday, on the food side of things I gave some of the big picture information about what gets metabolized in what order.  And how that has influenced my food choices.  Now something I want to go back and follow up with - a person who needs to lose 10 pounds has a very different situation than a person who needs to lose 100 pounds. 

  A sustained weight loss over a long period of time has risk factors that have to be considered.  For example: toxins and hormones are frequently stored in body fat.  So as you lose weight these are released back into your blood stream.  That can mean mood swings, unexplained illnesses and flu-like symptoms and all sorts of other issues.  Now, the BEST way to deal with that from the outset is to drink a ridiculous amount of water so you can make sure that your system is being flushed.  But sometimes the water is not enough. 

  There's a reason that Slimfast and other dieting products say that if you need to lose more than 40 pounds you should consult a physician. 

  So having said all that, I'm going to come in behind what Tiff said in the blog she wrote in the comments from yesterdays post.  (Which is awesome and worth reading through if you missed it.)

  Going lo-carb isn't a matter of simply counting grams of carbs.  In fact, that can be exactly the wrong thing to do.  If you are eating 30 grams (a small amount) of carbs per day, but they are all potato chips, white bread, pasta, high fructose corn syrup and the like, you might as well drink Elmer's glue, it will have just about the same nutritional benefit and the glue may have fewer downsides.

  By all means, if you want to count your grams count them - but make them count.  Eat whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables are great, but in fact, for the best nutrition, frozen foods are frequently the best.  They are harvested washed and frozen usually within a matter of hours, whereas the "fresh" foods in your market may have spent days or weeks in transport.  And I'm not even going to get started on tomatoes, which are picked green and then GASSED to make them turn that sickly pink before they are put out in the store. Okay, so I did get started on the tomatoes.  But that's all I'm going to say about them.

  So what are the best carb options for getting your fiber and nutrients without over-doing it on the sugars?  You do know that the reason carbs give energy is that they all contain amounts of sugar, right? 

  VEGGIES   (4 oz cooked       FRUITS  (4 oz or 1/2 cup
                       8 oz raw)                            except where noted)
  artichokes                                 apple
  asparagus                                 apricots   (2 med)
  bamboo shoots                         blackberries 
  bean sprouts                              blueberries
  beet greens                               boysenberries  
  broccoli                                    cantaloupe
  brussels sprouts                        cranberries
  cabbage                                    peaches
  cauliflower                                 pineapple
  celery                                        grapefruit
  chard                                         honeydew
  chicory                                       orange
  cucumber                                    raspberries
  eggplant                                      strawberries (3/4c)
  endive                                          tangerine
  escarole                                       watermelon  ( 1c)
  green beans
  green onion
  green pepper
  leeks
  lettuce (almost any kind other than iceberg)
  mushrooms
  radishes
  tomato ripened on the vine
       (farmer's markets are the best source for good tomatoes)
  sauerkraut
  snow peas
  spaghetti squash
  spinach
  summer squash
  yams
  zucchini

  STARCHES ( 1/2c or 40 calorie serving)
  whole grain bread (ALL commercial bakery bread is made with SOME white flour, but if you buy the kind that says "whole grain, and look for fiber on the nutrition label - you're good)
  whole grain cereal (look for sugars < 10 grams per serving and fiber > 5 grams per serving)
  oatmeal
  whole grain pasta (there's a great pasta from www.FiberGourmet.com with 130 calories 7 grams of protein and 18 grams of fiber per serving)
  legumes (black beans, garbanzo beans, pintos, kidney or navy beans, green peas,, lentils, black eyed peas etc)
  corn tortilla (try to find 40 cal ones they are out there!)
  whole grain tortilla (the small taco sized ones are the closest to the right portion size)
  brown rice
  melba toast (process three pieces into bread crumbs to coat chicken or fish then cook in the oven for a "breaded" and "fried" version that's really tasty.  Dip the meat in egg white, coat with crumbs, sprinkle with herbs and a little sea salt then bake at 350 until juices run clear.)

  These are not exhaustive lists, but they are a good representative sample of the kind of thing you can and should eat instead of mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, potato chips, etc.  Eating right is as much a matter of eating well as anything.  And once you get into the habit, you'll be surprised how unappetizing things you used to crave become.  Seriously.

  Use a little bit (1 teaspoon per serving) of olive or safflower oil, any herbs and spices you have an interest in trying, seasoned vinegars, mustard, Tabasco sauce, lemon/lime juice, or low sodium soy sauce to season. 

  My goal is to branch out a little more because I've gotten into the routine of the same three seasonings, the same four vegetables, and the same three fruits every day.  It's my plan that every time I shop I will purchase at least one "different" vegetable and try at least one new recipe a week.

  I'm not much into the idea of trying to live off romaine lettuce for a year.  I want my food to be fun and delicious.  And it can be. 
  

  • 4:21 pm
  • 7 Comments