28 Day Diet Challenge - Day 17

(Sponsored by Whole Foods Market)

The “Frequent Eating" Myth

We have already addressed the diet myths of milk and animal protein, now let’s talk about the notion that snacking is a good thing or that you need to eat many small meals to rev up your metabolism.

There are many studies that show that the more frequently you eat the more calories you wind up putting in at the end of the day so frequent eating does not help you lose weight faster, rev up your metabolism or improve your health. If anything eating more often just puts more pounds on. Other physical concerns with eating often or snacking include:

• The digestive track needs to rest in order to properly replenish its digestive enzymes so it can digest food properly.
• Detoxification and self-repair is much more efficient when the body is not digesting food.

The best (and really only solution) is to eat only when you are hungry! Eating when hungry means eating three meals a day or sometimes less, depending on how hungry you are. The only real exception is if you are an athlete or a physical laborer. For the rest of us, we must strive to eat at meals only and get away from ‘recreational eating’ when not really hungry.

In real life, people generally snack between meals to satisfy food cravings or we consume empty calories while eating for recreational purposes. When we cut out recreational eating, we experience how much more enjoyable it is to eat when we are really hungry. Then, we find that unprocessed, natural food tastes much better. This heightened taste sensation that accompanies true hunger gives us terrific feedback to inhibit overeating behavior so we can actually get more pleasure out of our diet.

Your Action Plan: See if you can move closer to three meals a day, without snacking and include plenty of vegetables and beans with lunch and dinner and fruit after the meal.  Later you’ll learn how to snack healthily, but first you have to break the habit all together.

Breakfast

• Chocolate Smoothie

Chocolate Smoothie 

Serves: 2 — Prep Time: 5 minutes 

Ingredients

• 5 ounces organic baby spinach
• 2 cups frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup unsweetened fat-free milk
• 1 medium banana
• 2 dates, pitted
• 2 tablespoons natural cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

Directions
Blend all ingredients together in a high powered blender until smooth and creamy.

Lunch

• Mixed greens, avocado, and tomatoes with low-fat, low-salt dressing
• Roasted Vegetable Pizza
• Apple

Veggie Pizza 

Serves: 2 — Prep Time: 25 minutes 

Ingredients

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 large red bell pepper, sliced 1 inch thick
• 1 large Portobello mushroom, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash seasoning
• 5 ounces organic baby spinach
• 2 whole grain tortillas
• 1/2 cup pasta sauce, no or low salt
• 2 ounces skim-milk cheese, grated

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Toss broccoli, bell peppers, and mushrooms with garlic powder, balsamic vinegar, and seasoning. Roast seasoned vegetables on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes, turning occasionally and mounding to keep from drying out.
3. Steam spinach until just wilted.
4. Remove vegetables when done and preheat oven to 450 degrees.
5. Spread a thin layer of pasta sauce on tortilla, sprinkle soy cheese, and distribute roasted vegetables and spinach on top.
6. Bake for approximately 7 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortilla is lightly brown around edges.
7. Serve over brown rice, if desired.

Dinner

• Raw vegetables (carrots, red pepper, broccoli)
• Caesar Salad Dressing/Dip
• Southwestern Chicken (Vegetarian substitute—Quick Vegetable Bean Medley)
• Cauliflower Spinach Mashed “Potatoes” (EASIER alternative— Steamed Asparagus)
• Mixed Berry Freeze (need frozen bananas) or fresh fruit

Note: Freeze bananas for Mixed Berry Freeze for dinner on Day Seventeen.

Caesar Salad Dressing

Serves: 3 — Prep Time: 8 minutes 

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic, roasted*
• 1/2 cup unsweetened fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup raw cashew or peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• Black pepper

Directions

1. Roast garlic. Remove skins and blend with the rest of the ingredients in a high powered blender until creamy and smooth.

*To roast garlic; break the cloves apart. Leave the papery skins on. Roast at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes until mushy. 

Southwestern Chicken

Serves: 4 — Prep Time: 15 minutes 

Ingredients

• 1 cup salsa, low sodium
• 1 cup black beans or red kidney beans, low or no sodium
• 1 cup fresh or frozen sweet corn
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix salsa, beans, corn, and cilantro together.
3. Spoon 1/2 of the salsa mixture over the chicken and marinade for at least one hour.
4. Bake chicken for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
5. Slice the chicken breasts and top with remaining salsa mixture.

Cauliflower and Spinach Mash

Serves: 4 — Prep Time: 25 minutes 

Ingredients

• 6 cups cauliflower florets, fresh or frozen
• 6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 10 ounces fresh organic spinach or organic baby spinach
• Fat-free milk
• 2 tablespoons Mrs. Dash or other no-salt seasoning, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

1. Steam cauliflower and garlic about 8 to 10 minutes or until tender.
2. Drain and press out as much water as possible in strainer.
3. Place spinach in steamer, steam until just wilted and set aside.
4. Process cauliflower, garlic, and cashew butter in a food processor with “S” blade in place until creamy and smooth. Check the consistency. If it is too thick, add a small amount of soy or hemp milk, process some more and check again.
5. Add Mrs. Dash or other no-salt seasoning and nutmeg, adjusting to taste.
6. Mix pureed cauliflower with wilted spinach.

Serve hot or warm.

Mixed Berry Smoothie

Serves: 2 — Prep Time: 10 minutes 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unsweetened fat-free milk
• 1/2 ripe banana, frozen*
• 1 10-ounce package of frozen mixed berries
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

Directions

1. Place the soy or help milk in a food processor, with the S blade in place (or use a high powered blender).
2. Turn the machine on and drop in small slices of frozen banana, one by one.
3. Add the berries and mix.
4. Place in serving bowls and top with flax seeds.

*Freeze ripe bananas at least 24 hours in advance. To freeze bananas, peel, cut in thirds, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. The same recipe can also be made with other frozen fruit.