Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital issued the following announcement on Jan. 24.
If you’re like most people who make a New Year’s resolution, you want to eat healthier, lose weight or both. And if you’re like most of us, your resolve has already begun to teeter. By February 1, the majority of weight-related New Year’s resolutions have been tragically cut down in their prime by unrealistic expectations, fad diets, the frustration of not seeing results and a host of other factors.
Don’t give up! Make 2020’s resolution the one that sticks. It’s easier than you might think, and the first step to getting back on track is focusing your next trip to the grocery store on the best foods for satisfying your hunger and cutting your cravings. Here are the foods you should favor (and the foods you should avoid):
EAT: Protein
Proteins are the building blocks of our bodies. They help build, repair and maintain our tissues. They strengthen our immune system. Most importantly for people trying to lose weight, proteins help you feel full after a meal and assist in maintaining your metabolism.
Best Sources:
Chicken, eggs and other poultry
Seafood
Plain Greek yogurt and cottage cheese
Tofu
Suggested Recipe: Slow cooker spinach artichoke chicken
AVOID: Sweetened Beverages
Drinks that are sweetened with sugar or "naturally sweetened" provide little-to-no nutritional value. Instead, they spike your blood sugar and insulin response with a concentrated dose of sugar that is quickly absorbed — leading to increased appetite and cravings.
Worst Offenders:
Soda
Juice
Fancy coffee drinks
Store-bought smoothies
Alternatives: Whenever you find yourself craving a sugary sip, reach instead for a carbonated flavored water. Likewise, the rich flavor of coffee with heavy whipping cream or half and half can help you avoid "Frappuccino withdrawal." But one of my favorite go-to’s is infused water using whole fruits, herbs and spices; try this recipe for a refreshing blend of honeydew, cucumber and mint.
EAT: Non-Starchy Vegetables
Vegetables are wonderfully dense in nutrients, rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals while staying low in carbohydrates. In short, they fill you up with minimal impact on your blood sugar. Why don’t starchy vegetables make the cut? For one, they pack triple the carbohydrates, but not triple the good stuff. Worse, they are one of the easiest foods to over-consume in frequency and portions (when was the last time you only had a half-cup of corn or potatoes at a meal)?
Best Sources: Asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, green beans, kale, lettuce, [takes breath] mushrooms, onions, peppers, spinach, spaghetti squash, sugar snap or snow peas, tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini
Suggested Recipes:
(Hot) Roasted Brussels sprouts
(Cold) Power blend tuna salad
AVOID: Added Sugar
Extra sugar causes a surge in insulin, and high insulin levels cause your body to store fat rather than burn it. Refined carbohydrates also lead to a "crash and burn effect" as blood sugars drop below the recommended range, leading to a bigger appetite and more cravings.
Worst Offenders:
Cereal
Snack bars
Pre-sweetened yogurts
Canned fruit
Condiments, particularly ketchup, BBQ sauce, honey mustard, French dressing, and similar
Alternatives: The bad news? 80% of our food supply contains added sugar. The good news? It’s all in the same place — typically the packaged goods dominating the center of your supermarket. That’s why your best strategy is to “shop the perimeter,” where you’ll be able to focus on fresh produce and natural, whole foods. Go in with a list and stick to it, read labels (even products within the same family can vary wildly in their contents) and never shop when you’re hungry.
EAT: Fat
Fat tends to get a bad rap, but your body needs it in order to absorb vitamins A,D,E and K, not to mention heal wounds. Fat is also the slowest macronutrient to be digested (the order is carbs, protein, fat), so it promotes satiety and adds flavor to foods.
The fats with the most protective health benefits are unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated). Saturated fats are not the enemy they've been pegged as for the last 40 years; consider them a “neutral” fat. The one type of fat you should avoid is trans fat. Trans fat significantly increases your risk of heart disease with consumption — so much so that the Food and Drug Administration has ruled them no longer safe for human consumption and require them to be removed from the U.S. food supply by 2021.
Best Sources:
Olive oil, avocado oil and coconut oil
Nuts and seeds
Avocado
Butter
Suggested Recipe: Low-carb granola
AVOID: Refined Grains
Refined grains have pretty much had any nutrients processed out of them. Without the fiber, they are digested and enter the bloodstream rapidly, causing that familiar spike in blood sugar and fat-storing insulin.
Worst Offenders:
White flour
Bread
Pasta
Rice
Baked goods
Snack goods
Breakfast cereals
Alternatives: Seek out low-carbohydrate substitutes that are similar in texture. These pacify your senses by providing the same mouthfeel as the carbs you’re used to. For example, try swapping in riced cauliflower for white rice, edamame pasta for traditional wheat pasta and almond flour for white flour when cooking and baking.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital
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