1. Fresh fruit. Melon, grapefruit, oranges, bananas, pineapple, or any other fruit you like. It can be your entire breakfast, or just the beginning.
2. Hot cereal. Choose from old-fashioned rolled oats, grits, or other hot cereal. Cooked versions are best, but instant is acceptable. If you like, top with cinnamon, or try strawberries, raisins, or other fresh fruit. Do not use milk.
3. Whole-grain toast. Have plain, or top with jelly or cinnamon. Do not use butter, margarine, or cream cheese.
4. Cold cereal with soymilk. Choose whole-grain cereals. Soymilk is not only free of animal fats, it is also free of the cholesterol and lactose that are found in dairy products. Use only low-fat soymilk, such as Edensoy (soymilk is carried at any health food store, or in regular groceries near the condensed milks).
5. Black beans on toast. This Latin American breakfast sounds unusual, but can be popular on both sides of the border. Simply empty a can of black beans into a saucepan and heat. Spoon the beans onto toast and top with a touch of mild salsa or Dijon mustard. One can of black beans holds two generous servings.
6. Chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Open a can of chickpeas and rinse. Eat plain or with non-fat salad dressing. One can holds two generous servings.
(If you are like me, you will be surprised to see these last two. But try them! You’re in for a treat.)
At lunch time, convenience is often key. Low-fat lunches not only help you slim down, they also prevent the after-lunch fatigue that follows high-fat meals.
1. Instant soups. Health food stores stock a wonderful variety of split pea soup, couscous, noodle soups, and others. These are easy to keep in your desk at work, since you just add hot water. (If you prefer, bring a thermos of vegetable or split pea soup from home.)
2. Bread, bread sticks, pretzels, Melba toast.
3. “Finger vegetables.” Cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, broccoli and cauliflower tops with non-fat dressing.
4. Fresh fruit. Enjoy bananas, apples, pears, oranges, etc., as well as fruit like kiwi and fresh pineapple for a change of pace. Avoid avocados.
5. Sandwich. Have a CLT: Cucumber, lettuce, and tomato, on whole-grain bread. Add onion and mustard, if you like. Some people like to add sprouts. Unfortunately, most traditional sandwich fillings are loaded with fat. Avoid meats of any kind, cheese, mayonnaise, and peanut butter.
6. Chickpeas. It’s easy to keep a can of chickpeas in a desk drawer at work. Simply rinse and serve plain, or with non-fat salad dressing.
7. Leftovers from dinner or breakfast are always welcome. Microwave if you like.
8. If you eat lunch in a cafeteria, enjoy the cooked vegetables, potatoes, or the salad bar, using a twist of lemon juice instead of dressing. Avoid all meats, eggs, dairy products, and keep vegetable oils to an absolute minimum.
In planning meals, I suggest starting with vegetables, usually including two different ones at each meal. Then, add a grain or other starch, such as rice, potatoes, or pasta. Include a bean dish and finish with a serving of fruit. Be generous with grains and other starches, and have smaller portions of bean dishes.
1. Vegetables. Try broccoli, spinach, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, peas, lima beans, Brussels sprouts, kale, asparagus, succotash, or any other. Any fresh vegetable is fine: celery, Boston lettuce or other greens, plus any other salad vegetables that strike your fancy: peppers, tomatoes, etc. If you like, top vegetables with a sprinkle of lemon or lime juice, minced garlic, onion, or parsley. Avoid butter or margarine, sour cream, and other fatty toppings. Do not use oil as a topping or for sautéing or frying. Frozen vegetables are convenient and similar in nutritional value to fresh vegetables. Choose plain varieties, not those in cream sauce.
2. Grains and other starches.
a. Rice is one of the best foods for slimming down. It is very low in calories and very nutritious. At the grocery store, notice the variety of boxed rice dishes, such as curried rice, long grain and wild rice, brown rice, pecan rice, basmati rice, risotto with tomato, or rice pilaf. Nearby, you will see the fabulous mixes for couscous, tabouli, and vegetarian burgers. Avoid any mixes with meat products or a high fat content. At the health food store, you will find organic short-grain rice, which is an excellent choice (see recipe on page 161. Or try any other varieties of rice that catch your fancy.
b. Spaghetti with tomato sauce. Whole-grain spaghetti is best. If you are stuck with regular spaghetti, consider it acceptable for now, even though much of its fiber has been removed. Of commercial tomato sauces, choose those lowest in fat.
c. Bread. Whole-grain varieties are always best.
d. Corn. Corn is a grain, not a vegetable. Enjoy the natural taste of corn without butter, margarine, or oil.
e. Potatoes. Baked, mashed (instant is fine), steamed, or boiled. No hash browns, potato chips, or french fries. If you like, a dab of Dijon mustard or ketchup is okay. If you like gravy on potatoes, pick up a can of Franco American Mushroom-Flavor Gravy. Do not add milk to mashed potatoes, and use no butter, sour cream, margarine, cheese, or other fatty toppings.
3. Legumes (beans, peas, and lentils).
a. Black beans. Do not skip this one. Black beans are a delightful discovery. They are extremely low in fat, packed with fiber, and delicious. Top with mild salsa or mustard. If you are new to black beans, I strongly suggest buying them canned (note that different brands vary widely in their sodium content), rather than cooking up dried beans, which requires considerably more time. In case you were worrying, for most people, black beans do not seem to cause much gassiness.
b. Vegetarian baked beans. Several canned varieties are available at grocery stores, and are very convenient.
c. Lentil soup. Progresso and other companies make delicious, low-fat lentil soups. For those on sodium restrictions, health food stores carry low-sodium varieties.
4. Fruits. Pears, cherries, strawberries, peaches, apples, bananas, pineapples, and just about any other fruit make great desserts or garnishes for other foods.