Happy belated New Year! Hope 2011 is off to a fantastic start. Mine is - except for this nasty, unrelenting cold/flu virus that I can't seem to shake. I'm calling it the Energizer Bug.. it just keeps going and going and going.. headache, congestion, sneezing, runny nose, sore throat, cough, muscle aches and pains, oh my!.. and no of course I'm not mad; I'm not one to point fingers (but just saying... I saw dozens of walk-in clinic patients before the holidays and take the subway daily and nothing.. until a certain someone sneezed on me (you know who you are grrr).. Anyhow, the point of this immune failure admission is as follows:
I think it's helped me better empathize with patients and readers who have abandoned healthy eating or hit roadblocks claiming that 'diet' food just doesn't taste like anything.
I haven't been able to taste food for a few days now. And it has totally taken the pleasure out of eating! Why would anybody want this? It's not worth it. I get it. Better to be overweight than not taste and enjoy your food. If switching from high fat, high sugar, high salt foods to healthier options really results in this relative apparent lack of taste, akin to how I'm feeling now with this flu, then woah, no wonder people often give up so quickly. Here's the thing..
It's temporary. Just like taste buds and smell come back once the cold passes, the taste of food comes back once your palate adjusts to the new diet. Our taste receptors are desensitized after years of overpowering them with processed foods loaded with salt, fat and sugar. When we remove the high solute load, things can taste a little bland while our taste bud sensitivity is adjusting. Don't give up. Recognize that this is just a temporary adjustment period. Remember how you felt the first time you tried beer or wine or a martini or a cup of coffee -- gross!! Pungent. Buy hey, my guess is you just may have stuck with it. Well let's give the good stuff a chance just like we did the bast stuff.
To help you through this adjustment period, I've suggested some flavor enhancers below that you can use while incorporating these new suggested foods and beverages into your healthy lifestyle. Before long, you won't even need them.
Egg Whites: Yes it's worth it. Yes it saves major calories. A whole egg typically has about 100 calories - 20 from the white, 80 from the yolk. The white is the protein. The yolk is the fat. DITCH the yolk and reap major calorie saving benefits!! Try some of following to help you adjust:
1. Add two tbsp of real bacon bits to your egg white omelet while it's cooking (60 calories)
2. Add two tbsp of parmesan cheese like PC Blue Menu 100% grated parmesan cheese (50 calories)
3. Herbs (chopped parsley, chives, basil, sage, and thyme all work well (0 calories)
4. Add two tbsp crumbled light feta cheese (80 calories)
5. Add two tbsp Ketchup (30 calories)
6. Add 1 yolk (80 calories)
*** careful not to add all of them.. the calories will add up faster than your cell phone minutes..
Water: Yes it's important. Yes it helps you feel full and yes it's been proven to hasten weight loss. DRINK it! If you have trouble getting it down, try the following:
1. Boil it, squeeze a lemon in and sip it
2. Drink it at room temperature (easier to digest and drink high volume than cold water)
3. Drink it carbonated.. Buy cans of soda water (it's amazing how you can start craving this and feeling like it's actually a treat) or flavored Perrier (lemon, lime, or my favorite - Grapefruit)
4. Buy naturally flavored calorie free (and artificial sweetener free - **these can trigger sugar cravings) varieties: Metromint (peppermint, spearmint, orange, chocolate, cherry.. YUM!) is my favorite brand; Hint water is also good
Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk: Yes it's delicious. Yes it's an absolute staple for me. It can actually quench thirst and hunger and it's the perfect magic drink to tide you over when you're feeling hungry but not ready for your meal yet. If you're not yet ready to just enjoy a cup as a treat on its own, try the following:
1. Stir in 1 tsp of instant coffee grinds (decaf or regular). Stir for a few minutes as the grinds take some time to dissolve in the cold beverage. You can add ice if you like and blend for an iced coffee treat. Top with Gay Lea Real Whip Cream Light (4 tbsp, i.e. shake the canister and spray a big dollop = 30 calories).
2. Add 1 scoop protein powder and 1/2 cup frozen berries and blend. Delish.
Rabbit Food: Men seem to call vegetables this. I guess they think those hot chicks they're gawking at are rabbits then. CUZ veggies are what those chicks are eating to keep svelte!! (FYI.. why are women called chicks? Cuz they/we're cute? Cuz breasts, thighs, legs are delicious? Food for wasted thought). Anyhow, to make veggies more palatable, try the following:
1. Steam and then put in blender in batches with chicken stock, garlic salt, and pepper. Excellent with broccoli, mushrooms, cauliflower.. (adds negligible calories)
2. Add some delicious, exotic ingredients to add taste and punch to your salad. No one likes just bare lettuce sitting on a plate. Yuck. Experiment. When you add extra ingredients with flavor, you can skip the high fat dressing. Just some salt, pepper, and low calorie dressing mixed with balsamic or flavored vinegar can work magic and save you heaps of calories. Remember.. just because olive oil is healthy, a tbsp will set you back 14 g of fat and 120 calories. If you add 3 tbsp of oily dressing, you may as well have just had a Big Mac on your salad. Watch the dressing. Try these ingredients:
1. Hearts of Palm, canned, so good (negligible calories)
2. Corn niblets (1/4 cup = 70 calories)
3. 1 bag Sensible Foods apple chips (they come in other fruits as well) = 80 calories
4. 1/4 medium avocado (70 calories)
5. 2 tbsp cranraisins (50 calories)
6. Add cucumber slices, shredded carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms to your heart's content (negligible calories)
** watch out for cheese, nuts, and seeds -- they can add MAJOR calories that just ain't worth it for a salad! If you're going to use them, measure portion size and be forewarned.
Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment