Confused About What You Should Be Eating?

I know it's been almost a week since my last post and I apologize! With the Fourth of July and driving out of town twice over the weekend it has been a bit crazy.

I get asked often from clients and acquaintances what should be eaten and when. Many people, by now, have something of an idea of what they should avoid. White carbs are bad, soft drinks are forbidden, sugary snacks will pack on the pounds. Stuff like that has been beaten into our heads now from medical news and media and nutrition experts. So...what can we eat? And when?

Here's a very simple diet plan for two days of healthy eating. Follow this or something similar and you will treating your body and your waistline very well!

DAY ONE

Meal One: 1/2 cup of oatmeal
3 or 4 scrambled egg whites
Water

Meal Two: Handful of almonds (about 24)
Banana
Water

Meal Three: Huge salad loaded with tomatoes, bell peppers, chickpeas, raisins or dried cranberries, broccoli, avocado, spinach leaves, etc. and topped with balsamic vinnegarette and olive oil

Meal Four: Cottage cheese w/ fruit (orange, apple, peach, or whatever you like)

Meal Five: Grilled salmon
Couscous
Grilled asparagus

Realize that alcohol packs a ton of calories in each drink, so if you have multiple drinks they can quickly add up. If you enjoy a drink at night choose something that can actually be good for your body, like a single glass of red wine. It has antioxidants that help your body fight disease and has about 128 calories per glass.

DAY TWO

Meal One: Fortified cereal like Total or Kashi
Skim Milk
Water

Meal Two: Low-fat yogurt
Fruit such as an orange or blueberries

Meal Three: Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread (Nature's Own is a great brand because it's low calories) with tomato, light mayo or, even better, mustard
Water

Meal Four: Hummus w/ vegetable slices such as carrots and red and orange bell peppers

Meal Five: Baked chicken
Brown rice
Steamed broccoli and cauliflower

If you are trying to lose weight then you don't want to eat anything two or three hours before you go to bed. Some people can have a light sixth meal after dinner, but it depends on their bedtime, their metabolism, and their current body weight and condition. You have to feel out what your own body needs.

Also know that a serving of brown rice or couscous is about what you could fit into your cupped hand. The same goes for your chicken or salmon serving. You don't have to fill your entire plate, and if you do, fill it with veggies. You can go crazy on the veggies!

I hope to include future posts that are similar to this one so that you have plenty of ideas for what to eat throughout the day.

I hope this helps!

Have a great day!

Amanda