Okay, I know it is early, but I have a new plan for the New Year and I can’t wait to share it.
I hope you are sitting down.
Members of my family may commence mocking and sarcastic comments at any time.
I have made two major decisions regarding my diet and health problems.
- In order to gain more control over what I eat, I must return to cooking. Yes, I know. It’s been years since I’ve really “cooked”, but I think I still know how. I still have recipes and cookbooks. I still own pots and pans. It can happen.
- I am going to adopt the Alton Brown diet philosophy and make some lists of what I need to eat every day and every week. Once I do that, I don’t think there will be much room in my diet for what I do NOT need to eat.
I also plan to continue my efforts at snack and portion control. But I feel like I’m making progress with those.
In case you are not familiar with Alton Brown’s diet, it consists of four food lists:
Foods to Eat Daily
- Fruits
- Whole Grains
- Leafy Greens
- Nuts
- Carrots
- Green Teas
Foods to Eat 3 Times per Week
- Oily Fish
- Yogurt
- Broccoli
- Sweet Potato
- Avocado
Foods to Limit to Once per Week
- Red Meat
- Pasta
- Desserts
- Alcohol
Foods Totally Eliminated
- Fast Food
- Soda Pop
- Processed Meals
- Canned Soup
- Any type of "diet" foods
I’m working on my own lists and will have them ready by January 1. I’m basing mine on my personal preferences and the Mayo Clinic list of “super foods”. And being a bit OCD, I plan to be much more specific with my lists in terms of foods and portions.
As for my “never again list”- I already eliminated soda from my life a few years ago. I don’t eat many diet foods except a few “low fat” ones. Those with sugar substitutes give me headaches. I seldom eat fast food of any kind. It’s the “processed meals” and “canned soup” that got my attention and sent me back to the kitchen to cook. I don’t eat any frozen meals, but I do eat a few frozen food items that could be eliminated by real cooking. And soups---I have given up on finding a nutritious one in a can! I am going to make my own!
As you know, my personal demon is sodium, and I am determined to eliminate as much as possible from my life!! Perhaps at some point in the future I will not need to take three different blood pressure medications.
So…brushing up on the cooking skills for the New Year.
Bon appétit!
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