A key feature of this book is to help you learn a way of eating that makes it easy to reach and maintain a healthy weight and take care of your health at the same time. With the current epidemics of obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes, it’s clear that too many of us are doing something wrong.
One of the worst nutrition guidelines ever was the recommendation in the 1992 Food Guide Pyramid that people should eat as many as eleven or twelve servings of grains every day. OMG! Who, outside of marathon runners, could burn up that much carb energy? These recommendations came out exactly as everyone was becoming more sedentary than ever before. (Even if you go to the gym every day, research suggests that it barely makes up for having a sedentary job where you sit all day.1) These guidelines were a recipe for disaster, and the present-day epidemics of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes are the result.
When those recommendations were combined with guidance to cut way back on fat and to minimize protein intake, you got meals that were not satisfying and did not quench hunger. Without sufficient protein, people who lost weight also dramatically reduced their metabolic rate, making it virtually impossible to maintain that weight loss.
You are going to re-train yourself to eat in a way that is satisfying and quenches hunger for more than 30 minutes. This jump-start plan lasts from one to two weeks, and completing the jump-start will make it much easier to adopt the full plan. You decide when you are ready to move on to the full Med-DASH eating program. During your jump-start, you will learn to make veggies the center of your plate and protein the satisfying accompaniment. You will avoid starchy and sugary carbs, so you won’t have sugar crashes that lead to cravings and all-day grazing.
It is important to focus on “foods to include” instead of what to avoid. In the one to two weeks of the jump-start, you are going to focus on including lots of nonstarchy vegetables; lean meats, fish, or poultry (for nonvegetarians); beans, nuts, and seeds; low-fat or nonfat fermented dairy foods; and heart-healthy fats. This array is the foundation of healthy eating advice and of a truly sound lifelong eating style. The advantage of this jump-start plan is that it helps you learn how to eat in a satisfying way that is filling, while not causing blood sugar highs and lows that can lead to overeating. You will learn to naturally moderate how much you eat.
During this one-to two-week jump-start plan, you are going to avoid carbs: That means fruits, starchy veggies, and grains are out. But just for one to two weeks. This is a short-term quick fix to maximize your results. And this part is absolutely optional. That said, people do find that this re-training helps them forge a path that is naturally sustainable. And they love the weight loss, especially around the waist.
Lean meats, fish, poultry
Fermented (preferably) reduced-fat dairy foods: cheese, yogurt
Eggs
Beans and peas: These are great protein options for vegetarians. Although they do contain a fair amount of starch, they are also fiber-rich, which slows down how quickly your body digests and absorbs them, so there is little concern for them causing you to have a glucose crash from the starch.
This includes almost all vegetables, except, for example, potatoes, yams or sweet potatoes, beets, and parsnips. Sweet corn is a grain, even though we tend to think of it as a vegetable. We are skipping grains during the jump-start.
Olive, peanut, and canola oils
Nuts and seeds (also good protein sources), including peanuts and peanut butter
Avocados
During this optional jump-start, we are putting a few of the key Med-DASH foods on hold. But just for a week or two. Fruit and whole grains are very healthy, so don’t worry, they come right back in after the jump-start. Starchy and sugary vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, and beets are foods you want to avoid at this point. All grains are off the table, including wheat, corn, oats, and quinoa. For dairy, we are just going to have small amounts of milk, such as what you’d add to coffee. Yogurt and cheeses are absolutely fine during the jump-start. At this point you are just establishing a new foundation based on protein-rich foods, high-fiber, low-starch, and low-sugar foods; and heart-healthy fats.
I like to provide serving size guidance in terms of appetite size: smaller, moderate, or larger. Focusing on calories or being overly rigid doesn’t help you learn how to eat in a way that is pleasant or sustainable. I want you to figure out how much to eat based on what is satisfying for you. Without worrying about calories, you still can lose weight. It happens because you are choosing foods that are bulky and filling (fruits and veggies) as well as satisfying (protein and fats). You want to focus on getting a variety of different food types, which will bring you the right mix of nutrients to improve your health. And as you change your eating habits, your hunger level decreases, so you will be satisfied with smaller servings.
What do you learn from the jump-start?
• To fill your plate with colorful vegetables and balance them with lean meats, fish, and poultry or other protein-rich foods such as beans.
• To add dairy to your day by choosing milk, cheese, or yogurt.
• That your hunger is easy to manage without the blood sugar highs and lows.
• You will have calmed the inflammation caused by your body’s response to your previous intake of excess calories, especially sugars and starches.
• You won’t overproduce triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, or the fat-storage hormone insulin.
• You will lose weight and feel great!
What a great start to an eating plan that will improve your health and be easy to follow! It is a new way of eating, one that will become your eating plan for a lifetime.
Breakfast
• Something protein-rich: 1 or 2 eggs, and/or 1 to 2 ounces sliced lean meat, or ½ cup beans or lentils
• Something bulky/filling and rich in vitamin C: Preferably vegetables (or vegetable juice)
• A little milk in your coffee or tea, if desired (sugar is not recommended during the jump-start)
Midmorning snack
• Nuts, 4 to 6 fluid ounces yogurt, or 1 ounce cheese, and raw veggies
• Roll-ups: a lettuce wrap, 1 slice (1 ounce) reduced-fat cheese, 2 to 3 ounces lean meat/fish/poultry or beans
• Extra veggies: salads and other raw veggies
• Water with fruit slices (although don’t eat the fruit in the jump-start program)
• Light yogurt
Afternoon or before-dinner snack
• Same as morning snacks, plus additional options, such as raw veggies dipped in ¼ cup guacamole, salsa, or hummus
Dinner
• Salad with mixed greens and raw veggies, optional nuts/seeds
• 3 to 5 ounces cooked lean meat, fish, or poultry, or main-dish beans
• 1 or more cups cooked nonstarchy veggies
• Water with fruit slices (don’t eat the fruit during the jump-start)
Below is a suggested tracking form for the jump-start plan. You can download larger versions of this form at dashdiet.org/forms