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10 |
The Fat Flush Plan Away from Home |
We need to be willing to let our intuition guide us, and then be willing to follow that guidance directly and fearlessly.
Like it or not, fast foods are here to stay. Eating away from home has become a way of life in our twenty-first century. In 2013, 80 percent of Americans reported eating at fast-food restaurants at least monthly, and a whopping 50 percent reported eating at these local establishments at least weekly. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control found that 34.3 percent of children and adolescents in the United States between the ages of 2 and 19 eat fast food on any given day. Think of the public health implication of a third of American children filtering in and out of processed food pushers every single day.
It’s no wonder that the fast-food industry shelled out $4.6 billion on advertising in 2012, an 8 percent increase over 2009, according to the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. In comparison, the “healthy” food categories that the Yale Rudd Center analyzed, including milk, bottled water, vegetables, and fruit, only spent a collective $367 million on advertisements. All the health food categories combined totaled to only 37.8 percent of what one famous fast-food company spent on advertising: McDonald’s. The analysis found that McDonald’s alone spent $972 million on advertisements in 2012. Overall, the 18 assessed fast-food companies spent 12.4 times as much on advertising than all the assessed health food categories. This “helps ensure that Americans are not more than a few steps from immediate sources of relatively non-nutritious food,” according to the January–February 2000 issue of Public Health Reports.
Yet with a little bit of know-how, you can easily Fat Flush your way through the fast-food lane. You just need a basic road map to help you make the best food decisions. And the road map I’m talking about is far from complicated—it is quite simple, in fact. It is designed with the absolutely best fat-flushing foods, based on the foundational principles of the right protein, friendly carbohydrates, and slimming smart fats—the ultimate fat burner. You will enjoy meals that are built on such staples as eggs, lean red meat, fish, vegetables, salads, fruit, and even a little bit of butter. Fortunately, many of these foods can be found just about anywhere these days.
Convenience, however, carries a definite price. You can blow a whole day’s worth of salt and calories in a single fast-food meal if you are not careful. Thus, there is some challenge in making the Fat Flush Plan work at a fast-food restaurant. On the other hand, many fast-food places offer healthier options these days, such as rotisserie-prepared chicken and turkey featured as home-style meals.
Because of the greater variety of foods available on the Lifestyle Eating Plan, it is much easier to eat out when in phase 3 than when in the first two Fat Flush phases. You can enjoy fat-flushing meals away from home if you avoid certain food items, make some savvy substitutions, and lighten up on the food combination rules.
Whether it is fast foods or fine dining, the food choices you make can either boost fat burning or create fat storage. It is really up to you.
By far one of the biggest challenges to eating out is avoiding the trans-fat traps. These fats include the liver-clogging, weight control–inhibiting hydrogenated oils, processed oils, margarine, and fried foods. These oils, as discussed previously, should be strictly avoided because of the trans-fatty acids and/or GMO-laden ingredients they contain. The more common foods that contain them—which you wouldn’t even consider on the Fat Flush Plan anyway—include fast-food biscuits, Danish pastries, chocolate chip cookies, muffins, french fries, fried onion rings, processed cheese, mayonnaise, tartar sauce, and chicken nuggets. They are virtually everywhere!
You will recall that while no one knows for certain how much trans fat the body can actually tolerate, the daily intake should never exceed 2 grams—if at that. The problem is that the most popular fast foods are really top-heavy with those nasty trans fats. In fact, the New York Times reported that the late nutrition expert Mary Enig, PhD, my esteemed colleague and personal friend, found an incredible “8 g of trans-fatty acids in a large order of french fries cooked in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, 10 g in a typical serving of fast-food fried chicken or fried fish, and 8 g in 2 ounces of imitation cheese.”
Just remember that the trans fats I want you to avoid may be lurking in creamy cheese sauces and dressings, which also are loaded with plenty of regular salt and sugar. This is why I encourage you to “lemonize” your salad by simply squeezing a lemon (or lime) over it instead of a restaurant dressing if you haven’t brought your own dressing.
When it comes to salad dressings, do not rely on the common staple of balsamic vinegar and other vinaigrettes. Vinegars, with the exception of apple cider vinegar, are one of the sneakiest sources of hidden fructose. Recall from Chapters 2 and 3 that fructose, with its delayed insulin response, goes straight to the liver, which cannot efficiently metabolize it and deposits it as fat. This can lead to elevated triglycerides, as well as the more serious nonalcoholic fatty liver disease impacting nearly 90 million people. In addition, fructose can lead to many of the same metabolic issues as the much maligned glucose due to its impact on the liver and microbiome. Instead, opt to use a healthy oil like olive oil, flaxseed oil, or macadamia nut oil and to squeeze a lemon or lime.
As a rule of thumb, if you are on phase 3 of the Fat Flush Plan (the Lifestyle Eating Plan), choose sauces that are based on wine (the alcohol burns off in cooking) or lemon or real cream ones. Or opt for a light marinara rather than a heavy-duty cheese and tomato sauce. You can even enjoy cream soups with real cream. For those who don’t tolerate dairy, go for the vegetable or tomato-based ones. And remember that on the Lifestyle Eating Plan, you also can enjoy bean soup as part of your daily quality carbs—using moderation, of course.
You will want to hold back on mayonnaise because most commercially prepared mayonnaise products are made with partially hydrogenated soybean oil. So there goes ordering those tuna, egg, shrimp, and chicken salads, as well as most coleslaw and potato salad (even for Lifestyle Fat Flushers—those on the Lifestyle Eating Plan), because they all contain mayonnaise. At home, you can make your own mayo using olive or avocado oil. When out, however, think in terms of mustard or even yogurt instead of commercial mayonnaise. A side of salsa, guacamole, or hummus (chickpea pâté made with sesame paste for Lifestyle Fat Flushers) cut with lemon juice or fresh lemons can really satisfy your taste buds. And those foods don’t contain the trans-fat factors that mayonnaise-based dips do.
When it comes to bread, muffins, crackers, and rolls, try to eliminate those made with gluten-containing grains like wheat, barley, rye, and spelt. This will be next to impossible in most fast-food establishments. By the way, this also goes for pasta, especially when it is the focus of your meal. No matter what the glamorous incarnation (e.g., penne, angel hair, rigatoni, ziti, spaghetti, or macaroni), pasta is almost always made from white flour—that simple carbohydrate that is rapidly absorbed into your bloodstream and sends glucose and then fat-promoting insulin levels soaring. A better bet, whenever possible, is to order gluten-free food items, such as brown rice. And do remember that like pasta, even sourdough—which may have some redeeming qualities—is still made with white refined flour.
Since not all fats are considered off-limits on the Fat Flush Plan, and so many are actually crucial to cultivate health, be sure to choose foods that feature healthy fats. Olive and sesame oils are two of the oils of choice for Lifestyle Fat Flush. They are often used in many higher end restaurants, especially Italian, Greek, Spanish, and Chinese establishments. Olive oil with lemon is probably the best salad dressing you can use when eating out. Just be sure it is 100% extra virgin olive oil that has that signature string to it in the back of the throat which signifies high polyphenol content. Always order it, as well as sauces, on the side. Use just one tablespoon. You can even drizzle a little bit on your entrée as well as on your salad.
Fish and other seafood, as you know by now, are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. You may select from a wide variety. Of course, wild caught salmon (both the Atlantic and king varieties) is the “king” of the omega-3s. You can get fresh salmon most anywhere these days, but it may be farm-raised, which is not what you want. Other high–omega-3 fish you can try include mackerel, rainbow trout, halibut, cod, haddock, tuna, and, of course, anchovies.
Although a bit salty, the underrated anchovy is high in omega-3 and omega-7 fat-burning power. Salmon and other fish can be grilled, broiled, poached, or baked in wine and seasoned with lots of fresh garlic (specify fresh; otherwise, garlic salt will be used) and onions. Some Japanese and Chinese dishes use peanut oil for stir-frying. This is also acceptable, unless, of course, you have a peanut allergy.
A delicious Fat Flush smart choice in Mexican restaurants is guacamole, which contains those beneficial fats similar to those in olive oil. Guacamole can be used as a topping, in place of sour cream or heavy cheese. Just remember to lemonize whenever and wherever you can, which I believe cuts the unhealthy fats and assists in metabolism.
In addition to the omega-3 poultry, beef, lamb, veal, fish, and other seafood, you also can have a tempeh or tofu dish a couple of times a week. This is always best either grilled, steamed, or stir-sautéed in the right oil.
You may want to accompany your entrée with a salad, but hold those glutenous croutons. They are made with wheat, and usually with hydrogenated oil, just like the prepared salad dressings. A double portion of steamed veggies (preferably fresh) and a friendly carb for those on phase 2 Metabolic Reset or Phase 3 Lifestyle Fat Flush (such as cooked carrots, peas, a small baked potato, brown rice, or corn on the cob with a small amount of flaxseed oil blended with real butter at the table) are good choices. Be sure to ask if that’s really butter on the table—not an imitation. Enjoy one pat if you so please. Side orders of roasted garlic, parsley, chives, leeks, and even chopped onions can be an added flavor booster for your meal.
For breakfast, eggs that are poached or boiled (hard or soft) are a good choice. Or ask to have an omelet prepared with lots of fresh veggies such as onions, spinach, and peppers. Although not ideal because of the high sodium and additive content in some of these selections, other breakfast foods that will work on the road are lox or smoked salmon, turkey sausage, cottage cheese, and a couple of slices of real Swiss cheese with tomatoes. If you’re hankering for cereal, make sure you have enough protein and fat (such as a scoop of cottage cheese) to provide a balance so that you don’t overdo the crash-and-burn carbohydrates. Otherwise, you’ll wind up looking for a pick-me-up an hour later from sugar or a caffeine-laden beverage such as coffee, tea, or cola.
And speaking of caffeine and beverages, here’s the lowdown. Although I know that green tea has been touted as a miracle drink, high in the phenol-based antioxidants that help to prevent certain types of cancer, I feel that caffeine is caffeine is caffeine—a theme reiterated throughout this book! There are 35 mg of caffeine in 6 ounces of green tea versus 100 mg in a 6-ounce cup of drip-brewed coffee. Besides, most teas are high in fluoride and copper, the latter mineral which seems to go hand in hand with estrogen, potentially leading to estrogen excess and water retention.
No matter what your phase, I would suggest selecting or bringing your own herbal tea bags, such as peppermint, fennel, ginger, or dandelion root tea. For Phase 3, you could bring along red tea, an antioxidant-rich tea that is also good for balancing blood sugar levels. Red tea comes from South Africa, where it has been enjoyed for over 200 years. It is high in the antioxidant-rich flavonoids. In fact, both it and dandelion tea nourish your liver.
The second-best option might be a blended herbal green tea, which cuts down on the caffeine because it also contains herbs. I would look for Tazo Om and Green Ginger, The Republic of Tea Moroccan Mint, or Celestial Seasonings Antioxidant Green.
Avoid iced teas or iced-tea mixes, because they are often presweetened with lots of sugar or aspartame. A much simpler alternative is to order hot water with lemon or lime. Just remember: when in doubt, lemonize! There is something fresh and clean about lemons and limes. I think you’ll agree with me that they are quite satisfying.
As far as takeout meals are concerned, there are some okay meals that don’t exactly conform to the fat-flushing principles but are acceptable in a pinch—once you’re in the Lifestyle Fat Flush eating phase, that is. Some examples are the grilled chicken sandwiches at Arby’s, Dairy Queen, Hardee’s, or Carl’s (9 grams of fat, 28 grams of protein, and 33 grams of carbohydrate); the chicken fajita pita at Jack-in-the-Box (9 grams of fat, 28 grams of protein, and 31 grams of carbohydrate); and the chili at Wendy’s (8 grams of fat, 24 grams of protein, and 29 grams of carbohydrate). Of course, try your best to eat your fast-food sandwiches as lettuce wraps.
And as mentioned previously, no matter what phase of the plan you are on, I would definitely look for places that feature rotisserie chicken or turkey, touted as a much healthier alternative to the fried version. Because rotisserie meat is not fried, the fats are not chemically altered into trans fat in the high-heat frying process, and any unhealthy fat that the meats do contain drips off during the rotisserie turning process. With a side salad and steamed vegetables, plus lots of fresh lemon, you can’t beat it.
Another fantastic fast option is fish tacos. My go-to takeout taco restaurant is the fast-food restaurant Rubio’s. At Rubio’s, tacos contain grilled fish made from mahimahi or red snapper, and they come with a delightful yogurt-type sauce with fresh cabbage. When ordering at different establishments, make sure you order tacos with grilled fish, and ask for a corn tortilla instead of a flour tortilla or taco shell. In phase 3, a corn tortilla counts as one friendly carb, but taco shells are loaded with trans fats, and flour tortillas are, unsurprisingly, loaded with wheat flour. I usually order several fish tacos and remove the taco shells or flour tortillas. Rubio’s also has lots of salsas and fresh lime for seasonings.
Don’t be shy. Make your personal needs known to your server in a nice way. Ask a question such as, “Do you serve butter or margarine?” or “What are the ingredients in this dish?” And always ask for the butter, olive oil, and sauces on the side. I always tell my server that I’m very sensitive to certain foods from the get-go and do my best to make friends with the server. In many cases, servers have gone out of their way to accommodate my needs and have actually brought me the bottles of oil used in the making of various dressings and sauces. Sadly, canola oil is frequently used, even in the “fancier” establishments.
Also ask about methods used to prepare foods, and make it quite clear that you don’t want anything that is fried (a sure bet for getting those terrible trans fats). You may want to find out what kind of fresh vegetables are available and request that they be steamed. I always look on the menu to find what veggies are served with other dishes and then politely ask if they can be included with my entrée too. This approach has been especially important for me when I can’t readily get greens. For instance, I search for a dish that has sautéed spinach or escarole with garlic and then make my request.
Let your server know that you definitely don’t want margarine added to your broiled or grilled entrées, which is frequently done to avoid dryness. Ditto for mayonnaise, which also is likely to have trans fats. You can add a pat of butter if you are in the Lifestyle phase.
You can enjoy Italian, Chinese, Mexican, French, Japanese, Mediterranean, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Thai cuisine on the Fat Flush Plan. Cajun and Creole foods are not off-limits either for special occasions. Just keep in mind that highly spicy foods can cause water retention in some people.
This is the cuisine where, at least in the type of Americanized Italian food in the United States, you have to watch to not overdo carbs such as pasta, beans, and that delicious garlic bread. Thus you might want to have the server take the bread basket away as soon as you sit down. If you are really hungry, then order an appetizer right away. Grilled portobello mushrooms or an artichoke (hold the breading) is a tasty starter. You may want to indulge in a Caesar salad, which is perfectly Fat Flush legal. Just ask for it without croutons and get the dressing on the side. And if you have a taste for anchovies in the Caesar dressing, go for it! They are high in the omega-3s, although a bit on the salty side. The best news at an Italian restaurant is that you usually can get a wide variety of delicious, colorful veggies that are not as easily available elsewhere, such as zucchini, peppers, cauliflower, eggplant, and spaghetti squash. In addition, you can typically get a leafy green, such as spinach or escarole, here as well. Sautéed with onions, fresh garlic, and a little lemon in olive oil or chicken broth, these vegetables are out of this world and very Fat Flush friendly.
And oh yes, there’s that cheese—the mozzarella, ricotta, and provolone. For those of you on the Lifestyle Fat Flush eating plan, keep them to a tasty minimum and use them as a condiment, please. You can even have your pesto (that sensational combination of olive oil, garlic, basil, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese) and eat it too. Ask for it on the side so that you can enjoy a couple of tablespoons slowly and deliberately. Do not overlook the veal dishes (the Marsala, piccata, or scaloppini), which are usually quite outstanding in the finer Italian restaurants. Watch to make sure you are adhering to high-quality oils like olive oil, and learn to lemonize by ordering several lemon wedges that can help emulsify excess oil.
Things are really simple when you go to Chinese restaurants. Just find out which dishes can be made to order and request no MSG, sugar, salt, or soy sauce. If you must, you can always add your own soy sauce at the table. If the oil is anything other than sesame or peanut oil (and there’s no allergy to peanuts), then order your food steamed. I always request a stir-fry that uses chicken broth and is made from such combinations as beef, chicken, seafood, or tofu with snow peas, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, broccoli, scallions, bamboo shoots, and bok choy (Chinese cabbage).
If you are in the Lifestyle phase and want a good vegetarian meal, try Buddha’s Delight, a mix of vegetables and rice cellophane noodles that can be stir-sautéed in vegetable broth. Buddha’s Delight can be modified for any Fat Flush phase by omitting the noodles. You can have tofu added to the dish with a side of steamed veggies topped off with scallions, garlic, and a bit of Chinese five-spice powder, a delightful mixture of unique spices related to cinnamon. Most of the soups offered in a Chinese restaurant are made with lots of cornstarch—including egg drop soup—so it is best to skip the soup course. On the Lifestyle Fat Flush, lo mein dishes—cellophane or mung bean noodles with some chicken, beef, shrimp, or other kinds of seafood—also might be appealing. Just remember that those oyster and black bean sauces are loaded with salt, which can result in boggy, watery tissues. Try a bit of the hot mustard, minced garlic, scallions, and even some Chinese five-spice powder instead.
As for the fortune cookie—by all means have fun and open it. Read your fortune, and then leave the cookie behind. Also, try eating with chopsticks. It may help to slow you down and enhance your digestion as a result.
You may want to select such entrées as chicken, shrimp, or beef and eat them without the tortilla unless you are on the Lifestyle Fat Flush. Look for main dishes with fish, chicken, or beef that can be prepared with onions, tomatoes, and peppers (such as Veracruz snapper), or look for dishes that can be sautéed in olive oil with a touch of garlic. If you are on the Lifestyle Fat Flush, a tasty Mexican soup (such as black bean soup) would be a great way to start your meal. If not, then how about some guacamole (loaded with the healthy monounsaturated fats) with lots of fresh lemon or lime juice? Salsa is probably your best all-over topping. Use the sour cream and cheese as condiments, with just a dollop or a few sprinkles here and there for flavor. If you are fortunate enough to locate an authentic Mexican restaurant, such foods as squash blossoms, jícama, and chayote cactus are treats for the palate. If you happen upon a restaurant on the other end of the American-Mexican food spectrum, like Tex-Mex, you can order a beef, chicken, or seafood fajita with extra vegetables, and if you are not yet in the Lifestyle Phase, eat your fajita without the corn tortilla. Be sure, as always, to watch the kind of oil that the restaurant uses to cook the fajita meat and veggies, and ask them to use as little oil as possible.
Ooh la la! Here you can select from a wide variety of broiled, poached, and steamed foods. Anything sautéed in a wine sauce, such as a Bordelaise sauce, is bound to be a winner. The traditional French dish fish en papillote (cooked with herbs in the fish’s own juices) is highly recommended, as are such dishes as roast chicken with herbs (poulet aux fines herbes), ratatouille (a vegetable casserole), bouillabaisse, and coq au vin. Poached salmon is also a tasty choice, but go light on the butter and cream sauce in this and other selections. If you have a hankering for something outside the American mainstream, try duck, but avoid the sweet sauces it is often cooked with.
As in Chinese cuisine, these dishes tend to feature soy sauce, which should be avoided as much as possible due to its high salt content. For the same reason, you will need to go light on the teriyaki sauce (a blend of soy sauce, rice wine, and sugar) and sukiyaki, which are used as marinades for many entrées featuring chicken and beef. Similarly, miso (the fermented soybean paste) is also high in salt. A bit of miso, however, can be used as a glaze or as a soup base with sea vegetables (hijiki and arame) and scallions.
Japanese restaurants are known for their sushi bars. I personally don’t recommend eating sushi because raw fish often can be contaminated with parasites. (Please refer to my book Guess What Came to Dinner?) Lifestylers can go for the California rolls (avocado and cooked shrimp), and for that matter, they can also enjoy any sushi offerings that are made with smoked salmon or cooked crab, cooked shrimp, cooked egg, cooked eel, and cooked octopus. Straight vegetarian sushi (such as the kappa maki, made with cucumbers) is good too. The nori seaweed wrapping surrounding all these delights is quite nutritious in its own right—and it’s loaded with trace minerals like the thyroid-boosting iodine. Of course, if brown rice is used in the sushi, then all the better.
The best strategy for eating Japanese cuisine is going for the grilled entrées of scallops, shrimp, chicken, and beef, which are prepared using the hibachi grill. Hibachi-style food preparation has become quite popular (just make sure that the food is not finished with a margarine blend, as is the custom these days). And now Mongolian-style barbecue outlets are popping up all over the country featuring the barbecue method of cooking. You can build your own meal from a variety of fresh ingredients (e.g., raw beef, chicken, shrimp, and scallops) with lots of vegetables and even sesame seeds, however you like it. As long as there is plenty of fresh garlic, parsley, and scallions, you really can’t go wrong.
Pita (pocket) bread is served routinely in these restaurants along with two savory vegetarian dips, hummus and baba ghanoush. Hummus is chickpea pâté; baba ghanoush is eggplant pâté. Both are made with sesame butter, garlic, and lemon. Blended with some tzatziki (yogurt and cucumbers), each can serve as a salad dressing, or just the tzatziki alone will do the honors. I would skip the pita entirely, because it is usually made from wheat flour, which, as you well know, is not recommended in any phase of the Fat Flush Plan. Instead, use celery sticks and cucumbers for the dips.
Greek salads and others that feature feta (preferably from goat) cheese are also a nutritious choice. Try a spinach pie for a satisfying taste treat and eat around the phyllo crust if you’re not extremely gluten-intolerant. As a great main course for all Fat Flushers, try shish kebab (grilled meat with vegetables on the side). Souvlakis (skewered lamb, beef, chicken, and fish mixed with vegetables) are also acceptable. Sides of chopped parsley, tomatoes, and scallions with mint and lots of lemon can top off a lovely meal.
Indian cuisine featuring pilafs and biryanis (rice-based dishes) and bean-based dals is okay in moderation if you’re on the Lifestyle Fat Flush, of course. Tandoori chicken and lamb, which are cooked in a clay oven to retain the moisture from the meat, are also fine for phases 1 and 2. Other tasty entrées for Lifestylers include chicken or lamb korma with coriander and yogurt sauce. Lightly curried vegetable and chicken dishes will satisfy those who like spicy foods and do not retain water from hot seasoning.
The Indian dal salad is similar to the Middle Eastern tabbouleh but is made with lentils instead of wheat. Remember that lentils are protein-rich friendly carbs—so figure them into your meals regularly. Or you can enjoy instead a couple (and only a couple) of baked pappadums (lentil wafers). The chapati and naan (kinds of flatbread) are very delicious but are also made from wheat, so it is best to stay away from them entirely.
This is a personal favorite. You can basically follow the recommendations outlined above for Indian cuisine, but you may wish to add the popular coconut milk–based soups such as tom kha. Enjoy it with some protein, such as shrimp, chicken, or beef. Coconut contains a healthful, naturally saturated fat known for its antiviral and thyroid-supporting properties. You can enjoy these soups with lemongrass and cilantro seasonings when you are on Lifestyle. The problem I find with many Thai restaurants, however, is that sugar is a prime ingredient is almost every dish. So, be proactive and ask that your dish be made from scratch without added sugar.
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In closing, after eating the Fat Flush way for years, I can say that the best way to eat out is to ask questions and even shop around for a restaurant that is responsive to your special requests. In Santa Fe, a Chinese restaurant used to keep a special bottle of sesame oil and cook all dishes in this oil for my family and guests. In San Diego, one of the Chinese restaurants added brown rice to the menu. The owners were more than happy to comply with my special requests, especially when I brought in huge parties of friends and publicly thanked them again for making my life so much healthier.
The holiday season? No problem, especially on Lifestyle. You just need to know the inside tips. For starters, eat a little something before you arrive. In this way, you won’t be famished and tempted to eat the sugary, starchy pick-me-ups or appetizers that undoubtedly will surround you. Grab a glass of water and hold it in your hand—getting refills as needed—throughout the evening. No one will notice you’re not drinking alcohol. And, of course, for those really festive times, indulge in some spirits. Light beer—maybe six ounces or so—an ounce of hard liquor, and even a half glassful of dry wine are fine for a little libation. Just don’t drink on an empty stomach. Have your drinks with some vegetables and dip, with cheese, or with dinner.
Business luncheons can be a snap. First, there’s usually a salad. The safest dressings are always those made from healthy oils like olive and sesame seed oil. Remember to always order them on the side. You never know about the blue cheese and ranch dressings, which may be made with trans-fat mayonnaise. You can always squeeze fresh lemon and add a little olive oil on your salad whenever in doubt. I personally order a Caesar salad because I am assured that the lettuce is really green. Romaine is higher in nutrients such as heart-healthy and bone-healthy magnesium and chlorophyll than its lackluster relatives, particularly iceberg.
If you can manage it, just ask for a double helping of the vegetables with your entrée in place of the white rice, pasta, or baked potato you can pretty much bet will be part of your meal. Remember these are the carbs that can raise your blood sugar levels quickly, especially if there’s not enough protein or healthy fat to balance the surge.
If fresh fruit is for dessert (fresh berries to be exact), you’re home free. I always ask for fresh berries even if they are not on the menu. Most of the time they are available, especially in finer establishments.
The important thing here is not to make a big deal about your food preferences and draw attention to yourself. If you do, people who know better but aren’t following healthy principles may redirect their guilt and make you feel uncomfortable. It will be evident in their looks, facial expressions, and even their comments. I know; I have been there many times.
If a buffet is on the menu, then go out of your way to avoid the potato, pasta, and three-bean salads (which often have some added sugar to boot). Then run to the protein. Freshly carved roast beef, grilled or baked fish, chicken dishes, lamb, and the like should be your basic favorites. Check out the veggie section, choosing any green veggie you want to fill up your plate: spinach, broccoli, asparagus, and green beans. If you are a phase 2 or are a Lifestyle Fat Flush eater, then select one friendly carb (and only one) to accompany your meal based on the fat-flushing friendly carb choices.
The holidays and other special events may feel like a minefield of problems, but they don’t have to be. You actually can join in the festivities, eat smart, and keep true to your Fat Flush health revolution. I know that traditionally during those special times of the year—particularly from Thanksgiving and Christmas to New Year’s—many of us have let down our guard and packed on 10 to 15 pounds. Here are some ways to sidestep those holiday pounds and still have fun celebrating with your family and friends.
The first thing you’ll want to do is continue taking your conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), because even with a slipup, half the weight you regain will be redeposited as muscle. Then, about an hour before you hit the holiday scene, have a salad or, if you are on Lifestyle, a bowl of soup to curb your appetite. You might want to try circulating around the room and meeting new people. Not only will it be interesting and fun, but it also will keep you from hanging out near the food. While you’re making the rounds at a party, scan the food table and look for smart Fat Flush food choices. When you want to nibble on something, select raw veggies rather than the carb-rich crackers and trans-fatty chips. It’s also a good idea to use a napkin, not a plate, so that you eat less. And while you’re there, head on over to that dance floor and get groovin’! Dancing is a great exercise and lymph mover.
On Lifestyle, at work, where everyone seems to bring in all kinds of goodies during the holiday season, bypass the cookies and candy. Select a handful of raw nuts and fruit instead. If you are having the holiday meal at your home or if you are bringing a dish to someone else’s home, cook up some mashed sweet potatoes seasoned with cinnamon instead of those candied yams. Make a Fat Flush dip, serving it with celery, cucumber, and zucchini sticks. Forget the bread stuffing and use a variety of seeds, nuts, and vegetables (such as celery, onions, and mushrooms seasoned with anise, cayenne, garlic, or parsley).
And since the holidays are an especially stressful time of year—stirring up one of those hidden weight gain factors that pile on the pounds—be sure to keep your diet nutrient-dense so that blood sugar levels remain steady, and stick to those stress-busting rituals like quality sleep, journaling, exercise, and aromatherapy baths. Keep a keen eye out for hidden sugars, and be sure to consume adequate protein and fat to balance your body’s chemistry.
I also recommend getting the helpful yeast fighter Y-C Cleanse. It will help keep cravings at an all-time low. (See Chapter 15.) This is extremely important, because all those holiday cakes, cookies, and candies contain sugar, which is the favorite food of yeast. By keeping your yeast in check, you will lose your appetite for such goodies. For years I have recommended Y-C Cleanse as a preventive measure against holiday weight gain. And it really works.
Enjoy!