Don’t eat to lose weight, eat to be healthy and weight loss will happen at a healthy and moderate to fast rate.
This plan may seem complicated at a glance; it may seem like a lot to remember at first. I found that after about a week or two it becomes second nature and you just easily recall what you should eat next and when. After a little practice you will find that you’re not spending so much time measuring and reading labels.
The relationship between BMI and disease is simple. There is a range of “normal weight” where people live the longest and have the lowest susceptibility to disease. The farther the BMI above normal range the higher risk for diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, breathing problems, and certain cancers. Individuals with a BMI below normal range are also at increased risk for disease. These people tend to have decreased immune ability (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010) . If you feel you are under weight, you should consult a physician.
Nutrition Plan
If you’re looking to lose weight or decrease your risk disease you should start by removing daily intake of refined carbohydrates. These foods include, but are not limited to, cookies, cakes, candies, biscuits and doughnuts. Next, avoid pan frying anything. Healthier alternatives include steaming, boiling, baking, broiling and grilling.
A healthy diet plan that would help most people lose weight and be healther would include 3 small to medium meals a day, 2 to 3 fairly large snacks and a dessert that is to be eaten before 8pm. It would include at least 2 cups of fruit where a cup equals approximately 2 servings; 3 or more cups of vegetables where a cup equals approximately 2 servings; about 3 servings of milk products; 3 to 4 ounces of grains; about 6 to 8 ounces of lean meat or beans; sometimes certain oils; and a lot of water. Other beverages would include caffeine free tea with low calorie sweetener, fruit juice that can replace a portion of fruit, and coffee with low calorie sweetener and fat free milk if desired which will account for a portion of the dairy for the day (MyPyramid.gov, 2010) .
Breakfast should consist of either 2 eggs or 3 egg whites or a cup of granola cereal, 1 and ¼ cup of puffed Kashi™ cereal or the like; and a piece of fruit such as an apple or orange. To drink, breakfast will include caffeine free green tea or caffeine free coffee with low calorie sweetener if desired. It should also include one 6 to 8 ounce glass of low sodium tomato juice.
About 2 and a half hours after breakfast a snack should be scheduled that may consist of a piece of low fat piece of cheese; a 6 ounce non fat yogurt; or 2 to 3 slices of cold cut turkey breast and a piece of fruit. In other words, one serving of dairy and a fruit or one serving of protein and a fruit should be the first snack.
Lunch should include a salad with a variety of vegetables and sliced chicken breast. Or a whole wheat tortilla wrap with low fat and low sodium cold cuts (about 3 or 4 slices depending on size and thickness) and lettuce, spinach thinly sliced carrots, onions, cabbage or any vegetable that sounds appetizing to the patient. Either the salad or the wrap can have a maximum of 3 tablespoons of dressing for taste. Preferably low fat, oil based dressings. Even fat free salad dressing may contain a lot of sodium; hence it is important to use caution when pouring. Lunch should include one or two glasses of water and any other desired beverage in fat free or low calorie form such as low calorie Gatorade or Coke Zero.
About 2 and a half hour after lunch a snack will be planned. This snack should include either a half a cup of cottage cheese, a handful of cherry tomatoes, gluten free rice crackers, baby carrots, a low fat protein bar or something similar to these items and the choice should depend on what was eaten earlier in the day. For example, if breakfast included tomato juice and an apple and the first snack included a plum, then this snack should include baby carrots; gluten free, rice crackers, whole wheat crackers or something similar, but it should not include a piece of fruit. If breakfast included milk and the first snack included a yogurt, then this snack should not include any dairy. This snack should also include a 6 to 8 ounce glass of water.
Everybody’s day is a little different. Some people eat dinner around 5pm, others are just getting off of work at 5pm and don’t eat dinner until 6:30 or 7pm. If dinner is after 6pm then I suggest putting another snack into the schedule. This should be considered when preparing dinner, or course. This snack should consist of either a serving of fruit (about one small apple), or a serving of veggies (about 10 baby carrots) and at least one 8 ounce glass of water. A one ounce block of fat free cheese may be all that is needed to get by until dinner.
Dinner should include 2 to 4 servings of vegetables or about 1 to 2 cups. I recommend providing two different vegetables or vegetable dishes so that it doesn’t seem redundant and to provide a variety of nutrients. For example, asparagus can be one half of the vegetable portion and a mix of steamed zucchini and squash can be the second portion. Dinner should also include 2 to 4 ounces of grains (for women, 1 to 3) depending on the amount of grains consumed earlier in the day. Healthy grains that go good in a variety of dinner recipes include bulgur wheat, couscous, wild rice, whole grain brown rice and quinoa. For example, if breakfast included my recommended amount of cereal and lunch included an 8 inch tortilla (which is equivalent to about 1.5 ounces of grain), then dinner should include about once more ounce equivalent of grain such as 5 whole wheat crackers or half a cup of prepared bulgur wheat. If no grains were eaten earlier in the day, then dinner should contain 1 cup of grains such as a long grain-wild rice mixture. Finally, dinner should include a lean source of protein such as chicken breast, fish or tofu. The portion should be about 5 to 8 ounces depending on how much protein was consumed earlier in the day (MyPyramid.gov, 2010) . (Jegtvig, 2008) .
Certain items can be eaten in any amount such as spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus and other green vegetables. Coming up with different way to eat the recommended servings will help to avoid loss of interest. If dinner contain half a cup of bulgur wheat or couscous mixing it with peas and carrots might make it all more desirable. Adopting healthy eating habits such as these will greatly decrease the risk of certain disease. Exercise is also a part of a healthy lifestyle and it also contributes to decreased risk for disease.
Author: Andrea Antczak, RN Student
References
Jegtvig, S. (2008, July 24). What is a serving of fruits or vegetables? Retrieved Dec. 4, 2010, from About.com: http://nutrition.about.com/od/fruitsandvegetables/f/servingfruit.htm
MyPyramid.gov. (2010). Home. Retrieved Dec. 4, 2010, from MyPyramid.gov: http://www.mypyramid.gov/index.html
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2010). Assessing Your Weight and Health Risk. Retrieved Dec. 2, 2010, from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm
