Diet Is A Four Letter Word!
Jun 19 '00
First off, do I have any business talking about diets or healthy weight loss when I am sitting here, at sunrise, eating Haagen-Dazs Macadamia Nut Brittle ice cream? Actually, the answer is yes. Although not a successful dieter, I have spent 35 of my last 49 years on this planet on some type of weight loss scheme or another.
As a nurse, I am often called upon to give nutritional advice. This part isn't hard at all; I know the facts, can practically recite the USDA Nutritional Content of Foods tables, (a good resource by the way). and am the proud holder of a singular "A+" doled out in my college Nutrition Class. The tone I strive for is common sense, and like the Greek Golden Mean, moderation is the key.
I would much rather suggest what a person could eat, that shake my mental finger, as it were, and blast the poor soul with a tedious list of what was verboten to consume. This is especially true for diabetic diets. Most people steel themselves for the onslaught of well meaning advice directed at avoiding sweets and foods with sugars. Actually, a diet featuring some sweets, and reduced fat offers the best, and most liveable combination.
Compliance, rather than guilt, is also key, here. In nutritional counseling, it's imperative to find out what foods a person is eating; really eating. The best way to do that is through a week long food diary, of every morsel consumed. In this manner, I found that I was eating about 25% of my daily calories, while cooking and tasting the food.
Funny, but I hadn't really considered these calories at all!
Diet advice will get you absolutely nowhere, if it isn't germane to the individual's personal food taste and lifestyle. A person who has never eaten green vegetables in his life, isn't going to start now! A mom who comes home too tired to cook, will bristle, and eventually turn a deaf ear if you tell her canned and frozen foods are out. With that, I will now offer up some tidbits I have gleaned, gathered and assimilated over the years.
Secrets Of A Carnivore
I was on the Atkin's Diet long before this diet came out. Some of you will remember the Drinking Man's Diet, which also featured a high, high intake of protein and fat. While my medical background lets me know that more than 80 grams of protein a day is unnecessary, (and linked to potential kidney problems), I feel best when eating three protein meals a day.
I do everything in my power to trim all visible fat from my food. Yes, that's different from Atkin's, but at 9 calories a gram, I don't have calories to waste on fat, when protein and carbos are 4 calories a gram.
Like Weight Watchers, I think of my calories as bankable.
The protein foods I have found to have the most protein and less calories are as follows:
Nonfat milk, 1 Cup: 90 Calories, 10 grams protein
4 ounces skinless chicken breast: 115 calories, 18 grams protein
1 large hardboiled egg: 60 calories, 6 grams of protein
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese: 80 calories, 10 grams protein
4 ounces solid white tuna, water pack, 100 calories, 14 grams protein
4 ounces calamari (squid), 75 calories, 17 grams protein
Looking at the above list, it's easy to see that calamari has the best combination of protein for the least amount of calories. Unfortunately, the trade-off is a high cholesterol count, making this a food choice I limit to twice a week.
Fruits And Vegetables
I love to eat fresh fruits and vegetables in season. Luckily, here in Northern California, we have a lovely selection between late March through September. I like a good sized piece of fruit, and would rather have 1/2 cantaloup than 10 grapes. Other fruit bargains, include fresh strawberries, sliced peaches, (not canned in heavy syrup!), kiwi, papaya and berries. Although they are tasty, fruit nectars, grape juice and sweetened Cranberry Cocktail, have triple the calories of the fresh fruit I have mentioned.
There was a time, I thought corn and potatoes were the only vegetables for me. Since then, I have developed a liking for green beans, (especially the thinly sliced frozen variety), broccoli, mushrooms, cauliflower and carrots. I've learned to enjoy Chinese veggies such as bok choy, pea pods and Chinese cabbage. Quick stirred, then steamed with a bit of broth and soy sauce, these are marvelous foils for several of the high protein foods mentioned above.
Lowdown On Fats
Of all the foods I crave, two are very high in fat: butter and chocolate. I'm like the classic French chef, who believes the silkening and creamy addition of at least a bit of real butter, is essential to perfect white sauce, newberg, et al. I've also learned to spend these high end calories wisely, (barring a binge).
It's simplicity itself to know which fats to avoid: the ones that are solid at room temperature. Things like Crisco, lard, coconut and palm oils, (the Deadly Tropicals), and beef, lamb and pork fat, will do the same thing to your arteries, as to a septic tank. This sludge, (known as plaque), builds up in arteries, especially surrounding your heart.
Better? Olive, chicken and avocados contain mono-saturated fat, which is good in moderation, and excellent in combination with the better known poly-unsaturates such as corn, peanut, safflower and canola oils. Even heart-smart oils can be manipulated with extra hydrogen to produce hydrogenated oils.
Read labels on margarines. It doesn't matter if it's corn, soy or canola, if it's hydrogenated, it's better to avoid in favor of the somewhat better partially hydrogenated oils. These are generally found in soft, or tub style margarines. All regular margarines and butter have the same calories. Only butter has cholesterol, (cholesterol is only found in animal products). Diet or light margarines are okay for spreading, but avoid their use in cooking and baking, due to their high water content.
Foods You Never Thought Of As Fat
Certain foods, by dint of their calorie and fat gram to protein ratio, are actually so fatty that they should be used sparingly, as with all fats. Triple fat ice cream, (remember that premium Haagen-Dazs?), bacon, sausage, hot dogs, cream cheese and even my beloved avocados, fit this bill. Same goes for triple fat, (gooey and delicious), Brie! Nut butters, such as peanut, almond and cashew, (yummy!), skirt this category. Some salad dressings, such as my favorite Ranch With Bacon probably fall into this category, too.
Among dressings, I have found both diet Zesty Italian and Catalina (satisfies that sweet tooth), that taste decent with less than 5 calories a Tablespoon. In reality, most of us use about 2 Tablespoons of dressing per individual serving of salad, which along with such additions as bacon bits, grated cheese and croutons, can really add up!
I've made homemade Italian dressing, using a larger ratio of either basalmic, rice or red wine vinegar to olive oil. Often, to rev up the flavor meter I'll steep garlic cloves or rosemary sprigs in this glorious concoction.
Starches and Desserts
Any food that makes you work a little bit, will burn more calories and take longer to digest. Good choices among grains and cereals: bran, regular oatmeal, bulgur, brown rice and rye. Whole wheat or whole grain breads are preferable to "wheat" bread, (often just caramel colored white bread!), and pastas made with whole wheat or soy are a hearty change from the usual bland offerings.
In our house, the above mentioned ice cream, is a rare treat. We don't buy light ice cream, (regular ice cream, whipped with air, and at a premium price), but prefer the tangy and refreshing taste of sorbets such as peach, pineapple and marionberry, or a trip out for a small cup of frosty frozen yogurt. I satisfy my sweet tooth with flavors like pina colada, Oreo cookie and fudgecicle. You'll find Gummi Bears, fresh and canned fruit, graham crackers and things of that ilk in our weekly shopping carts.
A Word On Restaurants, Fast And Otherwise
Although I am large, I am not a big eater. The quantities served at the average sit down restaurant look huge to me, and I usually can't eat it all. I'll have the soup or salad, one slice of bread or a biscuit, (two if at Red Lobster), and eat my veggies, part of my potato/rice/pasta and maybe half of my steak, prime rib, et al. Never batting an eyelash, I have the other half of my entree, with maybe some potato or other side dish if good, dished up into a Doggie Bag. Makes great midnight munchies or a satisfying lunch the next day.
I scarcely have room for dessert or appetizers, and at fast food restaurants, (go there maybe once a week), I like places like Jack In The Box or Wendy's, were you can get smaller portions of things like finger foods or even burgers. Since I can't eat much in one sitting, I avoid the fries, filching a hot handful from my dear one's order.
In Conclusion
Do I cheat? Heck, yes! Often enough, that my weight has stayed within the same 5 lbs for the last 6 years. I'm human, and life is too short to be, er, eaten up by guilt. I have come to realize that being overweight is unhealthy, but doesn't mean I'm a bad, or even a weak, individual. Life is full of choices, and the foods we eat are part and parcel of lifetime decisions. I wish you well, in your quest for healthful weight loss and will close with one diet tip that won't deprive you of a morsel of food.
Best Diet Tip Ever Walking just one mile a day, without changing anything else you do, will burn off eleven extra pounds, per year, for the average sized individual. That's six blocks up to a park near our home, and six blocks home!
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Member: Casey Stewart
Location: West Coast Of Mars
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Save the Earth...it's the only planet with Chocolate!
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