Vegetables Artichoke hearts Asparagus Avocado Bamboo shoots Bean sprouts Beets Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage (green, red, bok choy, Chinese) Carrots Cauliflower Celery Corn, kernels Cucumber Eggplant Fennel Green beans Greens (collard, kale, mustard) Leeks Mushrooms Okra Onions Parsnip Peas (pods, snow peas, sugar snap peas) Peppers (red, yellow, green, orange) Radishes Salad greens (augural, baby spinach, lettuce, romaine) Salsa Scallions Soup, homemade (2 s) Spinach Squash (crookneck, zucchini) Swiss chard Tomato Turnips Vegetable juice () Watercress A serving is: raw, or cooked (unless otherwise stated). Note: All vegetables are good for you and low in calories, so it s best to fill up on these. Aim for a colorful selection (green, red, yellow, orange, purple) throughout the day. Green vegetables, in particular, are an extremely nutritious choice. Try to eat some of your vegetables raw and some cooked certain beneficial compounds, pigments, antioxidants, etc. are increased by cooking, but some are decreased. So, this is why I recommend a mix of both. When cooking your vegetables, just remember that light cooking is the key. Light steaming is the best option to help preserve valuable nutrients as much as possible. This list is not intended to be exhaustive. Add as much variety to your vegetable choice as you can.
Fruits 2-3 servings per day Apple Apricot Avocado Banana Berries Canned fruit in natural juice Cherries Clementines Dried fruits Figs Fruit juice Fruit salad Grapefruit Grapes Kiwi Lychees Mango Melon, (cantaloupe, honeydew) Orange Peach Pear Pineapple Plums Nectarine Satsumas Tangerines 2 whole 1/4 medium 2 fresh or dried 1/2 fruit 6 fruits 1/2 fruit, or cubes 1 large slice, or cubes 2 medium Note: Fruit is an okay snack choice for weight loss, but don t eat more than 3 servings per day. Also, avoid fruit juices, and fruit canned in syrup most of the time.
Legumes 4-5 servings per week Legumes (peas, beans, or lentils) e.g. kidney beans, chickpeas, baked beans, mixed beans, red split lentils, brown lentils, etc. cooked Note: I recommend legumes at least 4 times per week, but preferably more. They may be served as an alternative to potatoes, rice, or pasta, if you desire. Meat, Poultry, Fish, Alternatives Should constitute the major part of your diet! Beef Chicken Eggs, free-range Egg whites Fish (cod, haddock, halibut, red snapper, salmon, sardines, sole, tuna) Game (buffalo, venison) Hummus, reduced fat Legumes (peas, beans, lentils, or bean or lentil soup) Lamb Liver Natural nut butter (almond, peanut) Nuts and peanuts Pork Seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame) Seeds (freshly ground flax seeds, chia seeds) Seafood (shrimp, scallops, lobster, oysters) Tahini paste Tofu, tempeh, miso Turkey Veal 2 whole 4 whites cooked (when serving as meat substitute) 2 tablespoons 2 tablespoons 1 tablespoon Note: A small amount of protein with each meal will help you to feel full. A rough guide to a serving of meat, poultry or fish is the size of the palm of your hand. Try to have fish at least two times per week (with one portion being oily fish like salmon).
Milk, Dairy, or Alternatives 2 to 3 servings per day Almond milk, calcium fortified Cottage cheese Kefir Hard cheese Milk Rice milk, calcium fortified Ricotta cheese Soy milk, calcium fortified Yogurt, plain, active cultures (i.e. bio) 1.5 ounces (42.5g) Note: When purchasing yogurt check the nutrition label to make sure the sugar content isn t too high, and that there are no artificial sweeteners added, as these should be avoided. Also, check food labels for other dairy products you are purchasing, since they vary according to the manufacturer. Oils and Spreads - these are optional 1 to 3 servings per day Butter (grass fed/organic is best) Coconut oil (unrefined) Extra virgin olive oil (for cold uses only) Nut oils, e.g. walnut, macadamia (for cold uses only) Salad dressing (try to make your own to avoid unhealthy ingredients) 2 teaspoons What to ditch: All margarines, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, anything containing trans fats, so-called buttery spreads. You should also avoid oils like canola (rapeseed), corn, soybean and sunflower oil. What to use: A small amount of butter or coconut oil is best for hot uses, whereas olive and nuts oils are a good choice for cold uses.
Snack Ideas 1 to 3 per day Cottage cheese and peach Eggs, hard boiled Fruit with a protein source, e.g. an apple with nut butter Green smoothie (spinach, fruit, yogurt) Grapes and walnuts Hummus and raw vegetables Nuts or seeds Turkey deli meat with raw veg Vegetable soup Yogurt, natural, live cultures cottage cheese, 1 peach 1 egg 1 apple, 1 tablespoon nut butter grapes, 1/2 ounce (14g) nuts hummus, mixed raw veg 2 ounces (57g) meat, mixed raw veg Note: This list is not intended to be exhaustive, add more variety as you see fit. Fluids At least 9 cups per day for women, and 13 cups per day for men Coffee, unsweetened, plain filter, or instant Green tea, unsweetened Tea, unsweetened Water Up to 2 cups per day 2+ cups per day Up to 2 cups per day Water should be your main drink this is hugely important, don t overlook this step. Note: The one-size-fits-all logic that we need 8 glasses of water per day is flawed. Everyone is different, and so the best advice I can give you is to use the color of your urine as a guide. If your urine is light yellow in color, you are well hydrated. But, if it is a deeper yellow you need to drink more water.