All women have known someone who has, or they themselves have, tried very hard to fit into the perfect dress. Sometimes its for a date, sometimes Prom or a big fancy dinner with the Mayor. But often it's for a wedding. No, I'm not getting married, but this subject came to mind as I'm attempting to reassess my current diet and go healthy.
I've recently gotten the inspiration to go vegetarian...Again.
What with packaged foods getting more and more expensive because the economy making gas prices skyrocket, not to meantion the oil spill off the gulf coast, I find it disheartening to throw away my last chicken leg just because I couldn't eat it all by myself and in the course of my eating craze for the week I forgot it was there in the back of the fridge and instead eating that last piece of chicken, I bought a pizza two nights ago. Why not cut the meat out of the picture entirely?
A 3lb bag of carrots, $2
A 4lb chicken, $8
A 5lb bag of potatoes, $5
5 lbs of steak for dinner, $20
Savings aside, the fresh ingredients are so much better for you, and when they go bad, you can toss the remnants in the garden.
But now for my personal story.
I find I eat less meat in the warmer months than the cooler months. My body naturally craves fruits and veggies over meats and cheeses. Ive cut out pork and beef to occasional celebrations, and I eat more fish and poultry than any other meat. But even chicken and turkey can get heavy when it's hot. I've recently discovered duck, but the fatty meat is one of those you can't have too often or your arteries will revolt!
Add to that, I'm going to be in my sister's wedding in three weeks, and I'm looking forward to looking really good in all the pictures.
My skin this year has had a bad reaction to the pollen and other pollutants which has caused me to cake on more make-up when I go out, which only makes the situation worse.
Vegetarians have great skin! Because their bodies are processing less fat, less growth hormones, less additives. They have cleaner bodies, with the exception of those who smoke and drink heavily, and purer spirits. In fact, take one day, and eat nothing but fruits, grains and veggies. The next day you'll feel lighter, less weighted down but the processed foods we eat everyday.
Thus I give you; The Wedding Diet.
First the no-go's:
These are the foods you completely cut out of your diet, no matter what!
Okay, Onto the Do-goods:
No, this is not a "traditional" veggitarian diet with no meats what-so-ever. This is a transition diet to help ease the gap between omnivore and herbivore.
Now that you have the dos and no-gos, mix up a little something and go veggie!
I have this plan in place:
Breakfast:
1 Grain
1 fruit
8oz water ( just to start)
8oz tea or coffee (to keep me going)
Lunch
1 Salad or full serving of vegetables
1 fiber or grain
1 protein (legume or soy)
1 dairy, like cheese (this could be a snack)
1 fruit
1 optional course, like yogurt, or soup, some thing to keep you sustained
8 oz Juice or water
Dinner
1 Protein (chicken or fish)
2 Servings of vegetables
1 grain or serving of fiber
1 fruit (remember, tomatoes are fruits!)
8 oz water or juice
1 cup green tea
Unless out at a restaurant with a limited menu selection, I'm going to stay away from chicken as much as possible. I want to see if I can make it a full week with out meat at all. But I'm not going to toss my sausages yet. Right now, I'll finish what's left in the house, but I won't replace it with new. Only fruits, veggies and grains will be added to my shopping basket from now on!
Now I do believe that everyone should celebrate every once in a while, so a little wine on the weekends, or treating yourself to a pizza is not going to kill this diet. Try to stay away from yeasty breads, large amounts of butter, greasy foods and excessive amounts of beer. And listen to your body. If you'd rather eat your protein at lunch, than eat it then. Everyone is different, and everyone's diet should be different.
Happy Diet Changing!
I've recently gotten the inspiration to go vegetarian...Again.
What with packaged foods getting more and more expensive because the economy making gas prices skyrocket, not to meantion the oil spill off the gulf coast, I find it disheartening to throw away my last chicken leg just because I couldn't eat it all by myself and in the course of my eating craze for the week I forgot it was there in the back of the fridge and instead eating that last piece of chicken, I bought a pizza two nights ago. Why not cut the meat out of the picture entirely?
A 3lb bag of carrots, $2
A 4lb chicken, $8
A 5lb bag of potatoes, $5
5 lbs of steak for dinner, $20
Savings aside, the fresh ingredients are so much better for you, and when they go bad, you can toss the remnants in the garden.
But now for my personal story.
I find I eat less meat in the warmer months than the cooler months. My body naturally craves fruits and veggies over meats and cheeses. Ive cut out pork and beef to occasional celebrations, and I eat more fish and poultry than any other meat. But even chicken and turkey can get heavy when it's hot. I've recently discovered duck, but the fatty meat is one of those you can't have too often or your arteries will revolt!
Add to that, I'm going to be in my sister's wedding in three weeks, and I'm looking forward to looking really good in all the pictures.
My skin this year has had a bad reaction to the pollen and other pollutants which has caused me to cake on more make-up when I go out, which only makes the situation worse.
Vegetarians have great skin! Because their bodies are processing less fat, less growth hormones, less additives. They have cleaner bodies, with the exception of those who smoke and drink heavily, and purer spirits. In fact, take one day, and eat nothing but fruits, grains and veggies. The next day you'll feel lighter, less weighted down but the processed foods we eat everyday.
Thus I give you; The Wedding Diet.
First the no-go's:
These are the foods you completely cut out of your diet, no matter what!
- Fried. ANYTHING Fried. No fried fish, no fried chicken, no french fries, no hash browns (home fries are okay). Basically, if the food comes in contact with a deep pan filled with gallons of hot oil, don't do it.
- Pork. Yes, all pork. No sausage, no pork bacon, no fatback, no pork chops, no ham (deli meats included) No pork! If you read the labels on your packaged foods you'll find that pork is used a lot of places you wouldn't think about like hot dogs, bologna, pepperoni, minced meat sausages. It's called filler for a reason.
- Beef. I could run through the stats about what is fed to cows, but I think you can all see why I say, no beef.
- Turkey. This one may seem a little odd, because turkey is usually on the good list. But I put it here for two reasons. The first is, the Itis! Everyone is familiar with that Turkey meat induced coma you get after 5-6 slices. And even though the meat is lean, this protein can slow you down, make you lethargic and lackadaisical without even meaning to. Now in instances where you are substituting it for beef, is fine, but when your friends offer you that big roasted turkey leg at the fair, just say no.
- Cheese. This one is a little more difficult to explain, because I don't mean ALL cheese. I mean, the useless cheese. You sprinkle a little parm on your salad or you use mozzarella on your pizza, I see no harm in the indulgence. But be mindful of whats in your cheese. Does it have vitamin D, Calcium, Iron. What is your cheese doing for you? This will require you to read the labels on your cheeses and choose one with the highest nutritional value within your budget. I often do this with juices. I love Ocean Spray, but the Target Brand has the same nutritional value per serving and uses Beet Sugar, a natural sugar, not artificial sweetener. So be picky about your cheese.
- Booze. Alcohol is full of empty calories. I once spent a weekend eating nothing but veggies, fruits and clean proteins in to balance out my three drink minimum for 4 nights in a row. The very apparent weight gain to a very long time to get rid of. If you're constantly hydrating your body, it won't be so bad, but drinking heavily is never good for your diet. Why do you think you never really see the reality girls eating, but you always see them drinking? They're compensating for their alcohol caloric intake.
- Simple Sugars. This one actually isn't that hard once you train yourself to eat better. Some sugars also have glucose levels that will disturb your natural balance, sugar rush, and even enough cards as a few slices of bread. This includes the sugars in sodas, don't be fooled by the coke zeros and the diet sprite, somewhere they've replaced the sugar with something else that's just as bad for your diet. By using brown sugar, natural syrups, honey, you can get all the sweet with non of the issues.
Okay, Onto the Do-goods:
No, this is not a "traditional" veggitarian diet with no meats what-so-ever. This is a transition diet to help ease the gap between omnivore and herbivore.
- Water. Lots and lots and lots of water. When you're thirsty, get some water. I feel this can include Sobe Water and VitaminWater, a little flavor never hurt, just make sure you're not getting a high dose of sugar with your big bottle of flavor.
- Fruit. You can't really go wrong with eating fruits, but the body needs variety. Don't by 20 bananas and decide that this week is banana week and all you're going to eat is bananas. Mix your fruits so your body doesn't get bored with them.
- Veggies. Same as with fruits, mix up your vegetation. Sometimes people say the dislike greens, but really they don't like kale, a type of green. Don't be afraid to find new greens to cook until you find the one that you like.
- Protein. Notice I didn't say fish. I didn't list fish in the "don't's" because there are very few fish varieties that are "bad" for you. You get your amino fatty acids, in a light protein. In addition to fish are legumes and beans. Most people turn their nose up at beans, but they are nutritionally satisfying. Lentils, for instance are widely used in Indian cooking as an alternative to meat and the cooking styles and flavors are varied enough that you could eat a different type of lentil every day for a month. Don't forget that many of your veggies have protein in them and some meals can add up to the same protein levels as a good steak. Chicken falls into this category, but don't be fooled by the bland chicken breast trap. Eat both dark and light meats and use them sparingly.
- Dairy. Some Vegans don't believe in anything but soy, but I'm don't see myself being a vegan, ever. I love eggs and toast, ice cream, cheese! I use sour cream and yogurt in my cooking and sometimes soy just isn't enough. But for your dairy intake, everything in moderation. Don't be fooled though, this does include butter. Don't find yourself piling on the cream cheese and the margarine on your whole grain bagel. That's not going to help!
- Grains. Grains are very important for fiber, but they base the meal. Try new grains and find new ways to cook your usual grains. Try Quinoa!
Now that you have the dos and no-gos, mix up a little something and go veggie!
I have this plan in place:
Breakfast:
1 Grain
1 fruit
8oz water ( just to start)
8oz tea or coffee (to keep me going)
Lunch
1 Salad or full serving of vegetables
1 fiber or grain
1 protein (legume or soy)
1 dairy, like cheese (this could be a snack)
1 fruit
1 optional course, like yogurt, or soup, some thing to keep you sustained
8 oz Juice or water
Dinner
1 Protein (chicken or fish)
2 Servings of vegetables
1 grain or serving of fiber
1 fruit (remember, tomatoes are fruits!)
8 oz water or juice
1 cup green tea
Unless out at a restaurant with a limited menu selection, I'm going to stay away from chicken as much as possible. I want to see if I can make it a full week with out meat at all. But I'm not going to toss my sausages yet. Right now, I'll finish what's left in the house, but I won't replace it with new. Only fruits, veggies and grains will be added to my shopping basket from now on!
Now I do believe that everyone should celebrate every once in a while, so a little wine on the weekends, or treating yourself to a pizza is not going to kill this diet. Try to stay away from yeasty breads, large amounts of butter, greasy foods and excessive amounts of beer. And listen to your body. If you'd rather eat your protein at lunch, than eat it then. Everyone is different, and everyone's diet should be different.
Happy Diet Changing!
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