A Healthy Nutrition Plan

There are small things you can do as far as making nutritional choices that can yield BIG RESULTS. Below you will find a nutritional strategy that will help you make smart, tasty choices that will help you shed those stubborn pounds, feel better, look better, and become healthier. This is not about drastically changing your eating habits, but making a few minor substitutions and compromises so that you can still enjoy the foods that you like, but in a healthier way. Open your mind to the possibility of trying different foods and different ways of preparing them.

Some Basic Guidelines

The quantities listed below are the maximum amounts that you should have at one sitting. If you want to eat less than the maximum amounts shown, you’re allowed to do that. But don’t skip meals! Remember, avoid eating fried foods as much as possible and watch how much salt you eat. Try not to consume more than a teaspoon of salt per day.

Instructions:
Choose only one of the items above to have for breakfast. Always eat one piece of fruit in the morning. Pay attention to the quantities listed for each item. Don’t skip breakfast. Even if you’re not hungry, try to at least have a piece of fruit in the morning. You can add berries or sliced fruit to your low-fat or fat-free yogurt and sprinkle it with some granola. The hot cereal should measure only 1 cup AFTER it’s cooked. You’re allowed to have a small amount of butter (1 pat size) and 2 tbsp of syrup.

More about cereals:
The best to eat: Bran, Corn Flakes, Cherrios (plain), Shredded Wheat (not frosted), Total, Puffed Rice, Puffed Wheat, Oatmeal, Farina, Cream of Wheat, Grits

Avoid: Those cereals that have sugar added to them or have the word frosted in their title.

FRUITS
Instructions:
Fruits are full of powerful vitamins and minerals that can help fight disease and make you feel better as well as increase your energy. Eat as much fruit as you like. There are, however, some fruits that are better than others when trying to lose weight.

Best to eat: Strawberries, blueberries, apples, oranges, cherries, plums, grapefruit, pears, grapes, peaches, cantaloupe, and honeydew melons

Eat less of these: watermelon, pineapple, avocado and those juices that are marked "made from concentrate."

BREADS
The best to eat: whole grain, wheat, whole wheat, multi-grain or Rye Pita Bread

Avoid: White and sour dough

Instructions:
Breads can be high in something called the Glycemic Index (for more about this, read Extreme Fat Smash Diet). You should limit the amount you consume per day to no more than 2 regular slices.

Instructions:
Meats when eaten in proper quantities are part of a healthy nutritional plan. You should consume no more than two servings of meat in one day. Please pay attention to the quantities that have been listed. 4 oz is approximately the size of one-and-a-half decks of playing cards. Remember, try to limit your fried foods. Grilling, baking, sautéing are healthier ways to prepare your meats and they can be just as tasty!

VEGETABLES/GRAINS
Good to eat: All vegetables except those listed below. Don’t fry your veggies. Bake, grill, boil (not too long), sauté, steam. Don’t cook with bacon or other fats. Use a small amount—1 tbsp—of butter if you like. Add some spices for flavor.

What to avoid: white rice, white potato (white is the color of the pulp, not the skin. A red-skinned potato is still a white potato, because the pulp is white). Instead, have brown rice and sweet potatoes/yams.

BEVERAGES
Best to drink: natural juices, freshly-squeezed juices, water, flavored water, unsweetened tea, herbal tea, diet soda

Try to avoid or reduce your consumption of: regular soda, alcohol, sweetened drinks, drinks that are marked “made from concentrate.”

If you’d like to learn more about a healthy diet or discover tasty, healthy recipes, read Dr. Ian’s Extreme Fat Smash Diet or The Fat Smash Diet. They are both available in paperback in bookstores throughout the country or online at www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com.