We can’t possibly cover all of the foods that are acceptable
to eat when you are trying to lose weight. Common sense
can tell you that French fries are a no-no and an apple is
great.
What we’ve decided to do is concentrate on those foods that
you SHOULDN’T eat. Of course, this could be a long list as
well, so we’re going to touch on the worst and give you
some possible substitutions.
Beverages
Stay away from anything with caffeine in it - don't forget
that many sodas have caffeine. Caffeine has the same
insulin-stimulating, weight-loss-inhibiting effect as
aspartame. Unfortunately, this includes coffee. Stick to
decaffeinated sodas, teas, and coffees.
Along the same lines, cut out any beverage that contains
aspartame (Nutra Sweet), high fructose corn syrup, or
refined sugar. Since you need to drink a lot of water in
order to lose weight, try water with a slice of lemon or lime
in it. It can be very refreshing and very satisfying!
Alcohol is a no-no in any weight loss plan. It’s OK to have a
glass of wine with dinner, just don’t drink the whole bottle.
There’s no better way to pack on the pounds than to drink
excessive amounts of alcohol – even the ones that claim
they have fewer calories. Moderation is the key with
alcoholic beverages!
Boxed Pre-Packaged Foods
In general, you should stay away from a lot of these
products. If the ingredients are not pronounceable, you
should avoid them. In other words, anything with a lot of
chemicals on the ingredient list are not going to be good for
your diet.
White rice, while very filling, contains starches that can
inhibit your weight loss. Stick to brown rice instead.
Pasta mixes are usually also not good because of the
starches they contain. Stick to whole grain pastas instead.
They taste just as good and are much better for you!
Breads
For the same reasons as pasta and white rice, white breads
should also be avoided. Whole grain breads provide you
with the carbohydrates you need and are less processed
than the white breads. Be sure the bread you choose is
made with whole wheat flour instead of just wheat flour.
Believe me, it makes a difference.
If you love Mexican food, stick to whole wheat flour tortillas
or corn tortillas when you choose your burritos, enchiladas,
or soft tacos.
Canned and Jar Foods
Again, anything that is canned or jarred needs to be free of
excessive chemicals. If the label contains ingredients with
more than four syllables or are hyphenated, it won’t be good
for your diet.
Chicken broth can be very fatty, so stay away. So are many
soup mixes. The good news is that there are plenty of light
or low fat choices out there. These are the ones you should
choose.
Commercially-made tomato sauces or tomato based sauces
contain ridiculously huge amounts of sugar and salt. A better
choice is to make these sauces yourself where you can
control what goes into it. We’ll have a recipe later in the
book for you to do just that!
Do not eat canned fruit or canned vegetables. If it’s been
canned, it’s been cooked thus it loses some of it’s most
beneficial nutrients. They can also contain processed or
refined sugars, so stick to fresh fruits and veggies instead.
If you have to have a little oil to cook your foods in, choose
extra virgin olive oil over the vegetable or corn based oils.
Meats
Choose only lean meats to get your protein intake. It’s
commonly known that you should try to stay away from red
meats like beef. Of course, if you’re like me and love your
steak, choose a lean cut and don’t make the portion any
larger than your clenched fist.
Choose fresh fish instead of canned and be sure it’s of the
lower fat variety. This includes salmon, tilapia, and cod.
Don’t bread your fish either, broil it or grill it to get rid of
any residual fat that might remain.
White meat chicken breasts are better than dark meat
because the darker meat contains more fat. The same
applies to turkey.
Tuna is always a good choice – even if it’s canned. Just be
sure to get the tuna canned in water – not oil!
Dairy
Skim milk should be your first choice over whole milk or two
percent. Avoid drinking too much milk, however, because it
naturally contains some fats that can turn into unnecessary
fat on you!
Unfortunately, cheese on a diet is also a big no-no.
However, you can find low-fat or fat-free cheese in most
grocery stores, so always pick these first. But use it
sparingly!
Eggs are all right on your diet, but you’re better off to use
only the whites instead of including the yolks. Egg
substitutes are a great way to get your egg fix, so look for
these in the store as well.
Fat-free sour cream is alright in moderation, but try to
substitute with plain yogurt instead.
Vegetables and Fruits
Almost all fresh vegetables are good for you. It’s a
generally accepted belief that you can eat all the vegetables
you want and still lose weight. That’s pretty much true – as
long as they’re prepared the correct way. It’s always best to
steam veggies. You can also drizzle them with a little olive
oil and bake them in the oven or – even better – roast them
on the grill! Yummy!
Be careful of eating too many fruits that contain a lot of
natural sugars like oranges and peaches. Because the sugar
is naturally there, it’s not horribly bad for you, but you don’t
want to overload on sugars because it can be converted to
fat.
One big thing you must do when you decide that you want
to lose weight is to immediately clean the cupboards and
refrigerator getting rid of all the foods that can inhibit your
diet. That means get rid of the chips, processed sugar,
canned fruits, etc.
Don’t throw them away – give them to a local food bank.
Believe me, they’ll be happy to get whatever you have to
offer – diet friendly or not!
Once you do that, you get to go shopping! Don’t dread it!
Just shop smart!
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