THE DENSITY DIET
This high density diet is full of nutrients and high quality food.
If you are looking for a magic food to make you feel young and energetic, I can’t name one but I can name many. They are the nutrient dense foods, those foods that contain at least two essential nutrients. Essential nutrients are those nutrients that have been shown to be necessary for good health, such as protein, fats, carbohydrates and fiber, water, vitamins and minerals. Usually, when we think of nutrients, we think they are necessary to reduce deficiencies in the diet. With the latest news reports and advertising, we believe nutrients reduce diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Yes, many nutrients, essential or newly discovered, do have health benefits. When we’re in good health, our bodies stay younger and look younger. I’m going to help you choose those nutrient dense foods for a younger and healthier body.
Your daily meal plan is going to include:
4 cups vegetables
3 fruits
3 whole-wheat or whole-grain foods
5 oz lean protein foods such as meat, fish, chicken, eggs or cheese with a minimum of 3 oz fish 3 times a week
2 low fat dairy foods
½ cup soy foods or legumes
2 Tbsp nuts or seeds including flax seeds
4 tsp good fats
2 cups tea
1 1/2 oz dark chocolate
1 (women) or 2 (men) alcohol servings (optional)
You are saying: I can never eat as much as that. Well, when you eat nutrient-dense foods, the quantity is large, but the calories are not. These foods have all the nutrients needed to feed your body.
Let’s look at a perfect day:
Breakfast:
2 whole grain foods 1 cup high fiber cereal
1 dairy 1 cup 1% milk
1 fruit 3 prunes
Snack:
1 dairy 6 oz. yogurt
1 fruit ½ banana
Beverage 1 cup tea with 1 oz 1% milk
Lunch:
2 whole-wheat foods 2 small slices whole wheat bread
2 protein foods 2 oz chicken
2 cups chopped vegetable salad with cucumbers, cabbage, onions, carrots, celery, parsley, tomatoes and lettuce
2 vegetables 1 legumes ½ cup beans in salad
2 good fats 2 tsp olive oil plus vinegar and spices
Snack:
Nuts or seeds 2 Tbsp nuts
Fruit 1 slice cantaloupe
Chocolate 1 1/2 oz dark chocolate
Beverage 1 cup tea with 1 oz 1% milk
Dinner:
3 protein 3 oz. tuna (the size of a deck of cards)
1 starch ½ cup brown rice
2 vegetables 2 cups vegetables with broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, peppers and garlic
2 fats 2 tsp canola oil for stir-fried vegetables
Alcohol 5 oz. wine (optional)
If you can picture these amounts on your plate, you will notice the portions of some foods such as tuna, are a third the size we have come to believe is normal. And the vegetables are twice as much. This means you may still be hungry after eating all the above. If so, you can eat larger portions, depending on whether you want to lose or gain weight.
Are there treats you are missing? Have two treats a week. One treat = 250 calories = half a dessert, half a muffin, or a small chocolate bar.
Now that you look at the day, you will notice the portions are small, the snacks are small, and the types of foods are already in your kitchen. The main problem is finding the vegetables, getting them home and preparing them. It is not a secret that we don’t eat enough vegetables, fruits and whole grain foods. People like them, but don’t eat them because they are not as handy as a muffin or bagel. In every store there are freshly baked sweet breads, which we swallow without even thinking - plenty of calories and no essential nutrients. This is where our problem starts. After that, we are not hungry for the nutrient dense foods. If you think of food, think The Density Diet.
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