(h) List of foods
This is a general guideline for food choices. It favors bulkier, low calorie foods and carbohydrate restriction. It should be combined with the previously discussed items in (b), (c) and (d).
FAVORED FOODS
PROTEINS
Meat: All kinds of meats are fine. *Beef, pork, lamb, game and poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese). The attached animal fat is also useful and includes the one attached to the meat itself or with the chicken skin.
Fish and seafood: All kinds. *Prefer fatty fish reach in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, albacore tuna.
Eggs: All kind of eggs and egg whites.
NATURAL FATS
Fats are high in calories per gram but they improve the food taste and produce more satisfaction, decreasing hunger. *Saturated fats are now considered not harmful, including fatty red meat and fish. Saturated fats such as butter, ghee, coconut oil and lard are the best options for deep frying. However, feel free to eat mostly unsaturated fats (e.g. olive oil, avocado) if you prefer. Coconut, avocado or olive oils are also good options. Try Béarnaise, Hollandaise or garlic sauce (always check the ingredients in the label if not made by yourself). The fat of the egg yolk is a very good aliment and complements the excellent protein of the white portion. Remember that each egg is a single cell that contains all the elements to develop a full chick.
VEGETABLES
Favor those with the lowest glycemic index. *Cabbage, asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, olives, spinach, mushrooms, cucumber, lettuce, kale, cauliflower, avocado, peppers, tomatoes, celery, etc. Leafy green ones as well as tomatoes can be eating in unrestricted amounts. They have extremely low glycemic index, add few calories and are very nutritious, particularly if eaten fresh. They improve gastrointestinal functions producing gastric filling with decreased appetite and help to regulate the large bowel microbiome.
NUTS AND BERRIES
Enjoy low-carb nuts like brazil nuts, macadamia and almonds. Berries like raspberries, strawberries and blueberries are OK in moderation (great with whipped cream!).
DAIRY PRODUCTS
Always select full-fat options. *Real butter, cream (40% fat), sour cream and cheeses. Be careful with regular milk, reduced fat and skim milk as they contain proportionally more milk sugar. Avoid flavored, sugary and low-fat products.
EVERY DAY DRINKS
Water: Still or sparkling. Add a slice of lemon or lime.
Coffee and tea: Drink them freely. *Hungry between meals? Try adding to your drink little cream or milk or a lump of unsalted butter or coconut oil.
FOODS TO AVOID
The major objective is to avoid carbohydrates as much as possible. The chart below will help you to choose from the low glycemic index products that you enjoy the most.
SUGAR
Eliminate soft drinks, candy, juice, sports drinks, chocolate, cakes, buns, pastries, ice cream with added sugar and breakfast cereals. Also avoid artificial sweeteners: they often maintain sugar cravings.
STARCH
Avoid bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, French fries, potato chips, porridge, muesli, etc. Small amounts of root ("underground") vegetables are okay, such as sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, beets, parsnip, rutabaga and celeriac.
MARGARINE
Do not use. *Butter can raise LDL (bad) cholesterol but do not adversely affects other risk factors for heart disease or stroke. Newer margarines decrease LDL cholesterol but they are not damaging or beneficial. One problem is continuous manufacturing change. Different mixtures of vegetable and fish oils are used. Salt and other compounds are added to make the flavor and texture enjoyable. In summary, it is an industrial butter imitation that has no health benefits and tastes bad.
ALCOHOL
Beer is full of rapidly absorbed carbs. Sweet wines and cocktails (punch, margaritas, etc.) are also very dangerous.
DIET PRODUCTS
With our plan, there is not need to buy any of them. *Some are fine. However, their advertisement may be confusing. For instance, they may be fat-reduced but contain added sugar. Always read the ingredient list and consult with us if needed.
FOODS SAVED FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS
Limit amount of fruits. *Fruits are extremely healthy. However, they contain a lot of sugar. Dried fruits (raisins, prunes) have even more carbohydrates. Fruit juices are the worst because they it is easy to drink large quantities and contain no fiber. Strawberries, coconut, citrus and melon contain fewer carbohydrates than, for example, bananas and grapes (see glycemic index tables). Use them mostly as a treat, like a candy, because will slow down your weight loss.
ALCOHOL
Dry wine (regular red or dry white wine), champagne, whisky, brandy, vodka and cocktails without sugar.
DARK CHOCOLATE
Above 70% cocoa, preferably just a bit.
TRIGGER FOODS (Forbidden)
Trigger foods are those that you cannot exercise control over. They are forbidden. *You taste a little bit of them and cannot stop until you finish the whole container. We will help you to identify those that are a problem for you, perhaps chocolate, ice cream or pasta. They may even be in the list of the usually recommended items. However, because of your tendency to over eat them, they should be eliminated of your sight at home and from your choices at the restaurant or office cafeteria.
NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
Over the counter multivitamins pills with minerals are fine but they do not have enough of some vitamins. Thus, additional doses of some vitamins are encouraged, particularly B complex, C and D.
GLYCEMIC INDEX CHART
Gram per gram, different foods produce different increase in blood glucose. The glycemic index is a relative ranking of carbohydrate in foods according to how they affect blood glucose levels. For instance, the index for pure glucose is 100. Included here is a summary for common foods. A list for more than 1,000 foods can be found in www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › pmc › articles › PMC 2584181.
| GLYCEMIC INDEX | |||
| FRUITS | INDEX | ||
| Low glycemic index | LEGUMES | ||
| Cherries | 22 | All low glycemic index | |
| Plum | 24 | Chickpeas | 10 |
| Grapefruit | 25 | Peanuts | 13 |
| Peach | 28 | Soy beans | 15 |
| Prunes, pitted | 29 | Peas | 22 |
| Apple | 36 | Cashews | 22 |
| Pear | 38 | Lentils | 28 |
| Apple juice | 41 | Baby lima beans | 32 |
| Orange | 45 | Kidney beans | 34 |
| Pineapple juice | 46 | Navy beans | 39 |
| Grapefruit juice | 48 | Canned chick peas | 42 |
| Medium glycemic index | Black eye peas | 50 | |
| Kiwi | 52 | ||
| Orange juice | 52 | GRAINS | |
| Banana | 53 | Low glycemic index | |
| Grapes, black | 59 | Barley | 28 |
| Pineapple | 66 | Parboiled converted white rice Uncle Ben | 38 |
| High glycemic index | Long grain rice | 47 | |
| Watermelon | 72 | Sweet corn | 48 |
| Dates | 100 | Medium glycemic index | |
| Quinoa | 53 | ||
| VEGETABLES | Brown rice | 54 | |
| Low glycemic index | Couscous | 65 | |
| Green leafy vegetables | <15 | High glycemic index | |
| Tomato | 15 | White rice | 73 |
| Tomato soup | 38 | Brown rice | 68 |
| Carrots, cooked | 39 | ||
| Sweet potato, boiled | 44 | PASTAS | |
| Parsnips | 52 | Low glycemic index | |
| Yam | 54 | Whole wheat spaghetti | 37 |
| Green peas | 54 | Macaroni | 45 |
| High glycemic index | Medium glycemic index | ||
| Sweet potato, baked | 94 | Spaghetti | 58 |
| Boiled white potato | 82 | Macaroni and cheese Kraft | 64 |
| Mashed potato | 87 | ||
| Baked russet potato | 111 | VARIOUS | |
| Low glycemic index | |||
| BREACKFAST CEREALS | Hummus (chickpea salad deep) | 6 | |
| All high glycemic index | Peanuts M&M's | 33 | |
| Cheerios | 74 | Pizza Super Supreme (Pizza Hut) | 36 |
| Oatmeal | 79 | Chicken nuggets | 46 |
| Puffed wheat cereal | 80 | Medium glycemic index | |
| Cornflakes | 84 | Snickers Bar | 51 |
| Potato chips | 54 | ||
| BEVERAGES | Honey | 61 | |
| Low glycemic index | Rye crisps | 64 | |
| Tomato juice | 38 | Shortbread | 64 |
| Apple juice | 41 | Popcorn | 65 |
| Pineapple juice | 46 | High glycemic index | |
| Grapefruit juice | 48 | Corn chips | 72 |
| Orange juice | 52 | Soda crackers | 74 |
| Medium glycemic index | Graham crackers | 74 | |
| Coca Cola USA | 63 | Doughnuts | 75 |
| Fanta | 68 | French fries | 76 |
| High glycemic index | Wafers | 77 | |
| Gatorade USA | 89 | Pizza | 80 |
| Pretzels | 83 | ||
| BAKERY ITEMS | |||
| Low glycemic index | |||
| Wheat tortilla | 30 | ||
| Barley bread | 34 | ||
| Oat bran bread | 48 | ||
| Corn tortilla | 52 | ||
| Medium glycemic index | |||
| Hamburger bun | 61 | ||
| Pita bread | 68 | ||
| Taco shell | 68 | ||
| Whole wheat bred | 69 | ||
| High glycemic index | |||
| Bagel | 72 | ||
| White wheat bread | 75 | ||
| French bread (baguette) | 95 |
