What can I eat?
I know this question sounds totally lame, but I live in Canada and so
many of the foods in the book are just not available. An additional
restriction is that I have Crohn’s which is under control,but I cannot
eat beans (other than string beans) and cannot eat certain gassy veggies
like the whole cabbage family, turnips, radishes. I can eat string
beans, zucchini, carrots, bell peppers, winter squash, mushrooms and
baby spinach. And I can eat a fresh salad each day with greens,
cucumber, tomato. And I have begun to do well with some fresh fruit:
orange, pineapple, blueberries and other things peeled and/or cooked. If
only I could still eat a whole bowl of cauliflour or broccoli, I know
I’d feel full at least.
The book says not to measure portions, but if I’m working on my
cholesterol, don’t I need to cut out the eggs and have smallish portions
of even lean protein?
I can buy regular cuts of meat, but not ground chicken or turkey, nor
turkey sausage. So I am seeing this depressing picture of endless
chicken breasts. I try to buy organic but cannot afford organic chicken
breasts: only the whole chicken is affordable. Chicken is so full of
hormones and antibiotics so that worries me.
Also, I’m worried about eggs as I just learned my cholesterol is high
and my doctor wants me to lower it and retest in a few months. It’s
usually fine…….and my HDL is excellent and so are the triglycerides.
I attribute it to eating more meat in the summer as we grilled meat and
veggies outdoors and I ate no grains. I lost weight but my LDL went up.
It’s just slightly high according to him, but I do want to take care of
it. So that ruins so many of the recipes. And I am doing well
healthwise with my HDL high (due to some almonds, avocado, fatty fish
and olive oil).
The cheese is also hard. Can someone give me a list of all known low fat
cheeses that are naturally low fat, because where I live they don’t have
these fat free brands. The best I’ve seen are things like “partially
skimmed milk” for ricotta or 1% cottage cheese. But nothing is fat free.
And for the cholesterol issue, I’ve come to rely on almond butter rather
than cheese as a protein/fat sustaining food. Considering I can’t eat
everything on the diet, I am wondering if I can change some things for
other things that are of a similar nature. Would anyone know?
Also, phase 1 says no dairy and then he describes day one with some low
fat milk in one’s coffee! Which is it?
If someone could just give me an idea of one day’s possible eating I’d
really appreciate it.
Now I eat something like yogurt, blueberries and almonds in a smoothie
for a sustaining breakfast, canned fish (wild salmon, sardines) or
chicken with a slice of nut bread for lunch, an orange for snack, lean
meat for dinner with a salad, a low carb veggie like zucchini and a high
carb veggie like butternut squash for sustenance (otherwise I’d be
starving as I can’t eat unlimited amounts of more ffibrous veggies) and
after dinner, if I’m hungry, a fruit like pineapple and/or dry curd
cottage cheese (this is a naturally fat free cheese, also called
Farmer’s cheese) and/or some almond or peanut butter with it.
TIA,
Suzan
May 29th, 2004 at 1:48 pm
You wrote: but I cannot eat beans (other than string beans) and
cannot eat certain gassy veggies like the whole cabbage family,
turnips, radishes. I can eat string beans, zucchini, carrots, bell
peppers, winter squash, mushrooms and baby spinach. And I can eat a
fresh salad each day with greens, cucumber, tomato. And I have begun
to do well with some fresh fruit: orange, pineapple, blueberries and
other things peeled and/or cooked. If only I could still eat a whole
bowl of cauliflour or broccoli, I know I’d feel full at least.
**Suzan, my ideas are: Everything above is okay for phase 1 except
for the carrots, winter squash, and all the fruit.
portions of even lean protein?
**Suzan, this is my thought: You really need to read (and believe)
the book here. Eggs are good. And if you limit the lean proteins
you will get too hungry and the diet will fail. Just follow the
instructions and see what happens.
nor turkey sausage. So I am seeing this depressing picture of endless
chicken breasts. I try to buy organic but cannot afford organic
chicken breasts: only the whole chicken is affordable. Chicken is so
full of hormones and antibiotics so that worries me.
**My thinking: In the States there are alternatives between regular
chicken and organic, often labeled “naturally raised”. It would be a
compromise. It is also my understanding that Canada has much higher
standards for raising food. And, please remember that this phase 1 is
just for 2 weeks. Many of these changes are supposed to be for life,
but as we can add back fruit and other carbs we will have more
flexibility.
high and my doctor wants me to lower it and retest in a few months.
**Me again: Eggs are not, I repeat NOT, the culprit.
low fat cheeses that are naturally low fat, because where I live they
don’t have these fat free brands. The best I’ve seen are things
like “partially skimmed milk” for ricotta or 1% cottage cheese. But
nothing is fat free. And for the cholesterol issue, I’ve come to rely
on almond butter rather than cheese as a protein/fat sustaining food.
Considering I can’t eat everything on the diet, I am wondering if I
can change some things for other things that are of a similar nature.
Would anyone know?
**The cottage cheese and ricotta are good. You don’t need your food
to be fat free. Feta, farmer, part skim mozzerella and alpine lace
are some other naturally lower fat cheeses. Someone else may have
more to offer here.
low fat milk in one’s coffee! Which is it?
**As I keep telling my husband, this is not a rigid diet. There is
some flexibility, as in the milk confusion. You pick the parts you
really need. Dr. A wrote that we should give up caffeine, but that
was asking too much of many of us, so he doesn’t make it mandatory.
If someone could just give me an idea of one day’s possible eating
I’d really appreciate it.
**This is what I would recommend. Make a list of all the foods you
can eat, in categories, such as meat, etc. You can check the list by
sending it here if you want. Then start looking for recipes. And
look in the archives of this list. I found a great one here:
a mediteranean vegetable casserole.
It was chopped eggplant sauted
quickly with garlic and olive oil, place in casserole
dish and top with sliced veggies (green pepper,
zuchinni, red onion, mushrooms etc) cover with a can
of chopped tomatoes, salt and loads of parm. cheese
and bake at 350 for 45 minutes - delish!!!
I thought it would be great over some spagetti squash and I might
throw in some firm tofu for protein. The person who posted it
credited www.allrecipes.com as the source.
If you are going to do this diet, read the book and do it as close to
the instructions as you can. But keep flexible, too.
I hope I helped. I’m just another dieter trying like you are.
Star (in NY)
May 31st, 2004 at 2:55 am
All the foods are available in Canada… where are you??? You make it
sound like we live in the sticks… roflmao. Eat the veggies you can
eat… use the list of foods as your guideline. You shouldn’t ever be
hungry and eating a high carb veggie isn’t wise, stick with the list
and eat what you can from it. Stay away from the high glycemic fruits
and stick with the berry family, apples, etc. A serving of lean meat
is fine, remember a normal portion of sirloin steak is only the size
of a deck of cards. If you’re concerned about eggs, eat the whites
and leave the yolks for once/week or buy liquid eggs. You don’t want
fat FREE cheese, you want LOW fat cheese, look for 6 grams of
fat/serving or less… for example 15% m.f. mozzarella is good as is
the low fat ricotta or the cottage cheese as you mention. Eat your
whole grains, you need a good balance and the minerals in grains are
important for optimal health. If you can’t find ground
chicken/turkey, get them to grind it for you or grind it yourself…
just make sure you’re getting the white meat, not the dark meat. The
recipes in the book are a GUIDE, create your own menus. Milk is
allowed, I think it’s two glasses/day in Phase 2. You sound like
you’re in Phase 2 if you’re eating fruit now. Good luck. Again, you
want LOW fat, not FAT free cheese.