Helpful Hints

Informative Diet Tips to Achieve a Healthier Body

Initially, you will be asked to follow a low carbohydrates diet. (Healthy carbs, such as yogurt, beans, and whole grains, will be added back to your diet on an individual basis.)

Foods to Avoid

Sugars, including brown sugar, molasses, honey, syrups, fructose, and fruit juices. Starches, such as breads, pasta, potatoes, rice, baked goods, cereals (including oatmeal and grits), crackers pretzels, and chips, alcohol, beans, popcorn, regular, and “light” yogurt and foods that are deep-fried or breaded. Fruits, such as bananas, grapes, cherries, pears, and watermelons, as well as fruit juices, jams and canned or dried fruit.

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Foods You Can Eat

Lean meats (fish, turkey, chicken), eggs, eggs whites, or egg beaters cheese, green vegetables, salads with oil & vinegar or a low carb dressing, nuts (but not candied or honey-roasted), unsweetened peanut butter, broth, seasonings, tofu. Avoid fruits for the first two weeks. After that, you may enjoy fruits such as peaches, plumb, nectarines, oranges, grapefruit, and berries.

Foods You Can Eat:

Lean meats (fish, turkey, chicken), eggs, eggs whites, or egg beaters cheese, green vegetables, salads with oil & vinegar or a low carb dressing, nuts (but not candied or honey-roasted), unsweetened peanut butter, broth, seasonings, tofu. Avoid fruits for the first two weeks. After that, you may enjoy fruits such as peaches, plumb, nectarines, oranges, grapefruit, and berries.

Helpful Hints

  • Become accustomed to reading labels. Sugars and other carbs are often found in unexpected places, such as pickles, barbecue sauce, ketchup, salad dressings, popular brand peanut butter, etc.
  • Remember, low fat does NOT mean low carb. Products labeled “light” are generally low in calories but usually not low in carbs. Avoid them!
  • Turn your salad into a meal by adding tuna, a diced hard-boiled egg, cheese, or a grilled chicken.
  • If you don’t eat meat or if you have high cholesterol, you can still get protein from veggie burgers whey or soy protein powder, soy milk or soy cheese, tofu, nuts, egg whites, or ‘egg beaters’
  • For a low carb breakfast, try some ‘egg beaters’ or egg whites with or without cheese and veggies, a low carb protein shake, a low carb yogurt, such as “Carb Control,” cottage cheese with fresh fruit, turkey bacon, or turkey sausage. Fry using a cooking spray, such as “Pam” rather than oil.
  • ‘Morning Star’ is a company that makes tasty veggie burgers and other meatless products that are available in area supermarkets.