With so many people coming back to the diet this times of year, this seems like a great time to start a new discussion about what foods work best for our diet days.
My concern with fast days has always been to get enough protein and vitamins, since I know that our bodies can't store protein, so if we don't get enough to fill our daily need for enzymes, etc, our bodies may break down existing muscle. This is why unhealthy diets lead to weight loss too much of which is due to losing lean muscle rather than fat.
The food I rely on to solve the protein problem without piling on calories is Fage Greek 0% Yogurt. It is 100 calories per container and 18 grams of protein (the same as 3 ounces of meat, cheese, or 3 eggs.) There are a lot of yogurts labeled "Greek" on the market, but this is the one that has the most protein, no added sugar, and the thickest texture. I use a sugar free flavoring to turn it into dessert. (Pudding for you Brits)
For vitamins I have come to rely on either cabbage or Brussels sprouts. Both have much more vitamins per calorie than the other veggies I've looked at. Microwaving 3 oz of Brussels for 2 minutes avoids the nasty sulfury taste and smell that boiling gives them. The cabbage works well in an Asian slaw (the sauce is made with soy, vinegar, a small amount of sweetener, ginger, lime, etc. I use a bottled Ponzu sauce.) I use bagged slaw mix for the cabbage. I also add an ounce of fresh carrot for extra Vitamin and bulk.
Finding low cal meats are tough as I don't like fish or frozen shrimp. I ate so much chicken the first 7 months of this diet I got to where I can't stand the site of it. That leaves tuna (dangeously full of mercury) and lean pork roast, beef roast, and ham. 2 oz of those will work on a sandwich made with a slice of whole grain bread with a spread of Laughing Cow.
Sometimes I have 2 oz of brown rice with Thai peanut sauce as a change from the bread.
But I would really like to hear some more ideas. There are no packaged meals available in our supermarkets in the US that aren't laden with additives, particularly forms of MSG like "yeast extract." MSG is known to promote overeating and weight gain so I avoid it. The packaged foods are very high on starch and sugar and very low on protein, too. But if anyone knows of any packaged food available in the US that comes in under 350 caloreis and is "clean" I'd love to know about it.
So what are your fast day go to foods?
My concern with fast days has always been to get enough protein and vitamins, since I know that our bodies can't store protein, so if we don't get enough to fill our daily need for enzymes, etc, our bodies may break down existing muscle. This is why unhealthy diets lead to weight loss too much of which is due to losing lean muscle rather than fat.
The food I rely on to solve the protein problem without piling on calories is Fage Greek 0% Yogurt. It is 100 calories per container and 18 grams of protein (the same as 3 ounces of meat, cheese, or 3 eggs.) There are a lot of yogurts labeled "Greek" on the market, but this is the one that has the most protein, no added sugar, and the thickest texture. I use a sugar free flavoring to turn it into dessert. (Pudding for you Brits)
For vitamins I have come to rely on either cabbage or Brussels sprouts. Both have much more vitamins per calorie than the other veggies I've looked at. Microwaving 3 oz of Brussels for 2 minutes avoids the nasty sulfury taste and smell that boiling gives them. The cabbage works well in an Asian slaw (the sauce is made with soy, vinegar, a small amount of sweetener, ginger, lime, etc. I use a bottled Ponzu sauce.) I use bagged slaw mix for the cabbage. I also add an ounce of fresh carrot for extra Vitamin and bulk.
Finding low cal meats are tough as I don't like fish or frozen shrimp. I ate so much chicken the first 7 months of this diet I got to where I can't stand the site of it. That leaves tuna (dangeously full of mercury) and lean pork roast, beef roast, and ham. 2 oz of those will work on a sandwich made with a slice of whole grain bread with a spread of Laughing Cow.
Sometimes I have 2 oz of brown rice with Thai peanut sauce as a change from the bread.
But I would really like to hear some more ideas. There are no packaged meals available in our supermarkets in the US that aren't laden with additives, particularly forms of MSG like "yeast extract." MSG is known to promote overeating and weight gain so I avoid it. The packaged foods are very high on starch and sugar and very low on protein, too. But if anyone knows of any packaged food available in the US that comes in under 350 caloreis and is "clean" I'd love to know about it.
So what are your fast day go to foods?
