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Eat
More, Weigh Less
Theory:
The Life Choice
Program is scientifically based on the type of food rather than the
amount of food. On the
Life Choice Program, you’ll consume less than 10 percent fat and
almost no cholesterol. Because
the meals are so low in fat, you’ll get full before you consume
too many calories. Your
body needs only about 4 to 6 percent of calories as fat to provide
the essential fatty acids, so the Life Choice diet provides you with
enough fat without providing you with too much fat.
The Life Choice Diet is simple: Eat foods that are very low in fat,
high in complex carbohydrates, and high in fiber.
Avoid foods from animals, which are very high in fat, very
low in complex carbohydrates, and very low in fiber.
Life Choice diet is a low-fat vegetarian way of eating.
You
can eat the following foods whenever you feel hungry until you are
full (but not until you are
stuffed):
- Beans
and legumes
- Fruits
- Grains
- Vegetables
You
can eat the following foods in moderation
- Nonfat
dairy products including skim milk, nonfat yogurt, nonfat
cheeses, nonfat sour cream, and egg whites
- Nonfat
or very low-fat commercially available products, including Life
Choice frozen dinners, whole-grain breakfast cereals, Health
Valley Chili, Kraft Free nonfat mayonnaise and salad dressings,
Guiltless Gourmet tortilla chips, Quaker Oats oatmeal, Nabisco
fat-free crackers, Fleischmann’s Egg Beaters, Pritkin soups,
Light n’ Lively Free nonfat sour cream, Haagen-Dazs frozen
yogurt bars, Entenmann’s fat-free desserts, and many others
Here
are the foods to avoid as much as possible:
- Meats
(all kinds, including chicken and fish)
- Oils
(all kinds) and oil-containing products, including margarines
and most salad dressings
- Avocados
- Olives
- Nuts
and seeds
- High-fat
or “low-fat” dairy, including whole milk, yogurt, butter,
cheese, egg yolks, cream, and so on
- Sugar
and simple sugar derivatives (honey, molasses, corn syrup, high
fructose corn syrup, and the like)
- Alcohol
- Any
commercially available product with more than two grams of fat
per serving
A
few helpful ideas
- Eat
like a gourmet, with mindfulness, slowly savoring each bite.
Pay attention to the variety of flavors and textures
- Pay
attention to how the food is affecting you, and why and when you
are eating. Write out your feelings in a journal.
- You
may find it helpful to eat food in only one or two rooms in your
home – for example, your kitchen and your dining room.
- Avoid
keeping high-fat foods around the house
- Create
a support group
- When
you go to someone’s home for dinner or a party
- Eat
only when you are really hungry
- Divide
you food into smaller portions.
- Eat
breakfast
Snacks
– keep these helpful snacks handy to prevent you from straying to
high-fat foods:
- Air-popped
popcorn
- Bagels
with sugar-free jam
- Fat-free
tortilla chips and homemade tomato salsa
- Rice
cakes with sugar-free jelly or jam
- Steamed
vegetables with fat-free dressings
- Fresh
fruit and vegetables
- Salt-free
pretzels
- Nonfat
frozen yogurt
Sample
Menu
- Breakfast
– cold cereal, nonfat yogurt, fresh berries, orange juice,
warm beverage
- Lunch
– stuffed baked potato; Broccoli, Potato, and Chick-pea Salad
with Lemon-Tarragon Dressing, tossed green salad, fresh fruit
- Dinner
– Bruschetta with sun-dried tomatoes and capers; pasta with
red peppers, greens, white beans, garlic, and lemon zest,
grilled asparagus with lemon, peppers, and caper vinaigrette,
tossed green salad, peaches cooked in red wine
Dean Ornish,
M.D. 1993.
New York
: HarperCollins
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