The UnDiet Weight Loss Guide » December 2010

Monthly Archives: December 2010

Tips

Twenty Tips to Getting Skinny Fast

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If you have a goal in mind such as getting a bikini ready body, looking great in an evening dress for a holiday party or you just want to lose weight to feel healthier, then you’ve probably Googled “getting skinny fast”, scoured the Internet for weight loss tips from the last celebrity who lost 10 pounds fast or you’ve tried a Master Cleanse or other juice fast diet. If instead of following the latest weight loss craze you committed to finding a method that works for your lifestyle and personal preferences than you would start to become your own weight loss success story. While the tips below aren’t “The Best Way To Lose Weight Fast” hopefully they will give you some ideas that you can incorporate into your own life to help you reach your weight loss and health goals.

  1. Eat more meals, not fewer. Instead of skipping breakfast and sipping a cup of soup for lunch only to be famished by dinner which tends to give you license to have a “treat” since you ate so well all day, try eating five to six small meals throughout the day. Figure out your ideal calorie intake and divide that out between breakfast, lunch, dinner and two to three snacks.
  2. If you can’t do a long workout on a particular day, then aim to increase the intensity.
  3. Increase the intensity of your regular workouts in short spurts. Do your normal pace for five minutes, then a slightly increased pace for one minute, then back to your normal pace, then an even more slightly increased pace for one minute. Continue this patter until you’ve completed your workout.
  4. Look for fun ways to work out. If you’re social, trade your weekly dinner with a friend for a long walk & coffee; if you’re competitive, join a team; if you love the outdoors, scrap your gym workout for a hike – well you get the idea. If you’re having fun working out, then you’ll stick with it, maybe even adding more workouts to your week. Wouldn’t that be lovely!
  5. If you find it difficult to not have an after dinner snack then aim to make it a fresh fruit or veggie.
  6. Don’t avoid carbs – you need them for energy. Just make sure they are good-for-you carbs such as whole grains, beans, fresh vegetables and fruit.
  7. Omega 3 fatty acids are very important for your body – don’t eliminate fats completely, just make sure that the fats and oils you consume are of the healthy variety.
  8. Protein will fill you up and give you energy, so don’t avoid it, just be smart about it. Choose lean proteins and serve them with lots of veggies.
  9. Flavor your water with a healthy drink powder or fresh citrus juices such as lemon, lime or grapefruit. Not only will this help to keep you hydrated, it will give you something to do with your hands and mouth if you tend to eat when you’re bored, but also lemon juice helps your digestion to perform more effeciently, eliminating waste more quickly and can even relieve constipation.
  10. Add strength training to your workout routine. You’ll feel better, look better, and burn more calories throughout your day just resting.
  11. When weight training, make sure to give your body a day of rest in between workouts. If you want to workout every day you can choose to do upper body one day and lower body the following day.
  12. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Many times when you think you’re hungry you’re actually thirsty. Next time you’re hit with a craving or feel like you’re starving drink a large glass of water first and see if that takes care of things.
  13. Think of your diet as a lifestyle change, not as a temporary thing. If something isn’t working for you, rather than tough it out, look for other things that will work for you that you can live with.
  14. If you can eliminate alcohol entirely, more power to you, but for those who enjoy a drink now and then, make sure that one or two drinks aren’t the calorie equivelent of an entire meal. Look for low calorie substitutes for your favorite alcohol drinks.
  15. Make sure to eat a nutritionally balanced diet or your body can rebel causing you to crave the things its not getting. Thirst can feel like hunger (drink more water), a craving for fat can point you towards a cheesecake binge …
  16. Avoid empty calories in sugary drinks like soda & juice. Substitute plain water, flavored water and diet drinks for these sugared beverages whenever possible.
  17. If motivation is a problem for you then look for ways to support your weight loss efforts such as a walking club, a friend you meet at the gym, joining a sports team …
  18. Look for low calorie or healthier substitutes for your favorite high calorie foods.
  19. When you find yourself turning to food for comfort, out of boredom or for reasons that have nothing to do with being hungry, pay attention. Stop. Ask yourself why you’re eating and if anything else will help other than food. Now to be realistic, you may not be able to to do this in the moment, but later, stop and take a look at your choices and see if you can substitute healthier behaviors than eating yourself away from your goal.
  20. Look for ways to add calorie burners to your day. We all know the basics, park further away from your destination, take the stairs instead of the elevator but here are some ideas you may not have thought of:
  • walk to your co-workers desk instead of sending an email or using the inter-office mail service
  • when at the park with your kids keep moving, either playing with them or walking the perimeter of the play area or bring stretch tubing and do a strength training session
  • do leg lifts while brushing your teeth or blow drying your hair
  • do squats over the toilet instead of sitting down
  • walk in place or around the room while talking on the phone
  • when driving, pull your navel towards your spine and/or clench your buttocks
  • use a back pack or bicycle saddlebags so that you can do errands on your bicycle instead of in your car
  • use a bicycle sidecar to take your little one to school or on errands with you
Uncategorized

The Real Reason Why Losing Belly Fat is a Good Idea

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More and more people are becoming aware of how they look and this has set the stage for a rise in interest in fitness and weight loss programs. Eliminating belly fat seems to be the focus of many new fitness programs and books on how to lose weight fast. Although it’s good that people are making an effort towards exercising and losing weight so that they can feel confident with the way they look, there is a more important reason why a flatter belly is a good goal.

The health constraints that a bulging stomach imposes on your body is something that should be considered when aiming for a flat belly. Excessive belly fat is a sure sign of visceral or intra-abdominal fat, which is linked to high insulin, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure and many other health challenges. This kind of fat may be the most dangerous kind of fat and can increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some types of cancers. So when you’re dreaming of a new set of washboard abs, let your inspiration be not only looking fantastic in a bathing suit but also living a longer and healthier life.

Now that you have a solid goal in mind, now that you’re motivated to start moving towards a healthier lifestyle, now that you have a picture of the swimsuit you want to wear pinned up on your dream board, there are many effective ways to lose belly fat. Some of these programs and tips are easier than most people think. While working your core muscles is helpful towards getting a flat belly, contrary to popular belief, sit-ups, crunches, and all those exercise machines
designed to target the abdominal muscles are not the best way to get a flatter tummy. Your stomach muscles may be carved into a six-pack but you won’t be any closer to your swimsuit, weight loss or health goals if your six-pack is covered with a layer of fat. Regular aerobic exercise and a healthy diet will burn more fat than these targetted routines because these are designed to burn fat and build muscle all over your body. The good news is that since the abdomen stores more fat than any other part of your body, the belly fat is usually the first to melt away.

Aiming for tighter abs because you want to look good is not a bad goal but remember that a flat stomach has extreme health advantages that will take you a longer way towards a happy life than the right swimsuit will.

Working Out

Benefits of Owning a Portable Treadmill

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Have you purchased fitness equipment only to move it to your garage, shed, or basement? And once the workout equipment is out of sight, you of course, forget about it and stop using it. Your expensive treadmill, Bowflex, rowing machine … ends up gathering dust and taking up storage space that could be put to better use.

The problem many people face when buying home gym equipment is space. These machines don’t look that large at the department store or even online, and you think that they will fit fine in your spare bedroom, but once the machine is in your home, you realize that it is much larger than it seems. In order to save space the machine gets moved out of the house and is never used again.

Portable gym equipment can help you remedy this situation. There are many different options available, but a portable treadmill, in particular, is a great way to have workout equipment in your home without concern for taking up too much space. They can easily be stored and taken out when needed for a workout, with convenient and easy folding on the machine.

There are both manual and electric models available. The most portable options will be the manual units because they are lighter than most electric ones available, most weighing as little as 50 pounds, making them easy to move from place to place. Besides the benefit of portability, these machines also have a display to help you track to fitness progress with a calorie counter and distance and time indicators.

Most motorized treadmills will come with many more features and benefits than their manual counterparts. One great example is the NordicTrack EXP2000. It is a motorized portable treadmill that has 9 built-in workouts to keep you motivated and help you avoid boredom. These machines are heavier than the 50lb manual options, but are easier to use and have more features.

If having gym machines in your home is appealing, but you are short on space, consider getting a portable treadmill for their space saving benefits. They can be a much better investment than bulky machines that will end up not being used.

Basic Information

Starch Substitutes for Food Combining

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Breading for a Starch Meal

Try not to fry, instead brush or spray a cookie sheet with oil and “oven fry”. It’s important to use a flat sheet or cookie sheet rather than a pan with high sides, otherwise your food will bake, not “fry”. Even better, place a cooling rack inside a roasting pan. Spray rack with oil and place your food on the rack before baking.

  • whole grain bread, crumbed in a blender or food processor
  • whole grain flour
  • For a thicker coating dip food in nondairy milk, veggie broth, or any other liquid (even water) before dredging.

Baked Goods

These substitutions don’t work well for cookies, but are great for cookie bars, cakes and other baked goods. Since I don’t eat eggs very often I keep a couple cartons of frozen egg white in the freezer to use when baking.

  • Two egg whites for one whole egg.
  • Replace white flour with sifted whole grain flour for a Starch Meal, using 1/4 less than the recipe calls for.
  • Replace sugar with Stevia , Splenda, Truvia, honey, agave nectar, pure maple syrup, pr any other unrefined sugar. You’ll have to experiment with the amount that will satisfy you and work with your recipe.
  • Substitute cocoa powder and unsweetened or bittersweet (bittersweet does have some sugar though) chocolate wherever you can. Adjust the sweetener to compensate for the loss of sugar that would have been in the semi-sweet or milk chocolate.

Crusts for a dessert

  • For a pastry crust use a whole wheat pastry crust. If you’ve got the time you could make whole wheat tortillas, adding in some ground nuts, flavoring extract and acceptable sweetener and use those in place of a pastry crust. Another idea would be to use a crumb crust, using store bought  or home made natural cookies, instead of a pastry crust.

Crusts for an entree

  • For a pastry crust use a whole wheat pastry crust. If you don’t have a recipe for one I’ll be publishing one on the Starch Recipes page sometime in the near future.
  • Whole wheat tortillas.
  • For a crumb crust make sure that the crumb mixture consists of whole grains or ground nuts.

Potatoes

Use the chart below to choose a potato that’s lower in starch. Keep in mind though that a potato’s starch content determines the best way to use it. The rule of thumb: the more starch a potato has, the less moisture it contains, which results in a fluffier texture when cooked. Note: new potatoes (which are often red potatoes) can be any type of potato that’s been picked before it matures. They have the same starch content of the mature potato.

I buy mostly low starch potatoes and use them in place of the more traditional Russet or Baking potatoes. They cost a little more, but what would you pay to lose a pound?

High Starch

Medium Starch

Low Starch
Russet Long Whites Round Whites
Baking Yukon Gold Eastern
Idaho Finnish Butter Purple Peruvian
All-Blue
Round Reds

Misc.

Diced or chopped: For the most part, as long as your serving this recipe with a Starch meal, (not a Protein meal) it’s okay to leave the potatoes in. However if you’ve had a lot of potato in your diet lately you may want to use one of the following substitutes:

  • cauliflower is the most direct substitute for potatoes and one you can always count on.
  • mushrooms
  • carrots
  • green beans
  • jicima

Pureed: Use cauliflower instead of potatoes.

Mashed Potato Crust or Topping

  • mashed cauliflower
  • whole grain biscuit dough
  • brown or wild rice crust
  • whole grain pastry dough

Here are some breads you can purchase:

  1. Ezekiel bread (made with sprouted grains
  2. whole wheat pita bread
  3. whole wheat tortillas (Since fat free whole wheat tortillas are difficult to find and generally taste horrible, I’ve included a very simple recipe.)
  4. Whole wheat lavosh. These are fat free and taste great. Many supermarkets carry them, and almost every health food store I’ve shopped at. Very cheap, very big, excellent for wraps. I use these in place of tortillas all the time.
  5. Whole grain naan.

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Basic Recipes

Fat Free Whole Wheat Tortillas

You won’t miss the fat in this recipe, and they’re so easy to make. A really fun family project. You mix up the dough, and divide it. Then let one family member roll out the tortillas, another cook them, another fill them, another roll them, another stack them in a baking pan to keep in a warm oven. Because making tortillas will coats my kitchen with a flour residue I always make as many as I can at a time and freeze or refrigerate the leftovers.

  • whole wheat flour
  • water
  • salt to taste
  • optional: herbs fresh herbs are best, but if you don’t have them use dried, just in lesser quantities: basil, oregano, cilantro, rosemary, sage, minced garlic, minced dried tomatoes, cumin, coriander, fennel, cinnamon, finely minced citrus zest … You might also want to try mixing a little flavoring extract into the water especially if you’re making a dessert tortilla. Vanilla, rum, coconut, chocolate, or orange extracts go great with cinnamon and/or citrus zest. I haven’t yet tried using flavoring for non-dessert tortillas but I’d like to try tequila, vodka, maybe even wine. Don’t worry about the alcohol, it burns off when you cook the tortillas. If you try it, please e-mail me with details of your experience.

Mix the flour with enough water to form a stiff, but workable dough. Cover dough and let rest for at least 30 minutes or refrigerate and proceed the next day. Cut dough into equal sized pieces, depending on how large you want your tortillas. On a floured work surface with a floured rolling pin, roll each dough ball into a thin tortilla. Heat griddle or heavy pan. Place first tortilla in pan and let it cook while you roll out the next tortilla. When the tortilla bubbles on the top and has small brown dots on the underside, turn it over. It will cook very quickly on the second side. Continue cooking and rolling until all of your dough is used.

Fat-Free Whole Wheat Bread

Stir 2 packages yeast into 2 cups warm (not hot) water and 1 cup low-fat or non-fat rice or nut milk. Allow 3-4 minutes for yeast to dissolve, then add 1 tablespoon salt, 1/4 cup date or maple sugar and 4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, and any of the optional ingredients below. Knead for 2 minutes, adding a bit more flour to keep the dough from being too sticky. If using a food processor mix ingredients in processor, knead for 10 seconds. Let rest for 10 minutes. Add another cup of flour, kneading the dough for 10 minutes, adding more flour if necessary to keep dough from being too sticky. Using food processor mix for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until dough is elastic. At this point you can either continue to make the bread or freeze all or half of it. If you’re using frozen dough, let it thaw in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight, then proceed. Oil the bowl, place a towel or plate over it and set to rise in a warm place for 2 hours. Or you can set the oven to warm, turn off, and place dough bowl in oven, uncovered. Punch down the dough. You now may add anything from the list below. Divide the dough in half and place in nonstick or lightly oiled loaf pan. Cover with towel or oiled saran wrap and let rise 1 hour. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes until browned and sounds slightly hollow when you thump the bottom of the loaf. Let it cool on a rack or towel before slicing.

You may add at least 1 cup and up to 2 cups of any of the wonderful ingredients below:

  • green or black olives (don’t bother slicing them, but make sure they’re pitted!)
  • roasted onions
  • roasted garlic
  • any fresh herbs you have on hand (rosemary, oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram …)
  • chunks or shredded soy or nut cheese
  • minced dried tomatoes with roasted onion, roasted garlic and fresh herbs
  • 1 cup ground  or minced nuts
  • substitute chicken, beef, vegetable broth, water from steamed vegetables, or from soaking dried tomatoes or mushrooms for the water
  • minced veggies: carrots, broccoli, spinach, onion, garlic, mushrooms, bell peppers

I prefer to bake all my breads in shaped bread tins (order tins). They come in several different shapes and while that’s fun, it’s really the texture of the loaf that I’m after. Because these pans have a cap on both ends, the bread turns out very compact and can be thinly sliced, which makes for wonderful sandwiches and “holders” for bruschetta and other spreads. If you have kids you may find you have more luck getting them to eat whole wheat bread if you serve it to them in these fun shapes. As an alternative (to the kids turning up their noses dilemma) you can make their sandwiches and then use cookie cutters to cut them into shapes. Depending on the sandwich filling I save the discards in a plastic bag in the freezer and use them later to make bread pudding or strada.

When using shaped bread tins don’t allow the bread to rise beyond what it normally would while defrosting. If using bread dough straight from the bowl, let it rise 30 to 60 minutes, punch down, shape into a thick snake and slip into lightly greased bread tins.

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Vegetable “Pasta”

Sometimes it’s handy to have a substitute for whole grain pasta, such as when you are wanting to get more veggies into your diet. This is actually a “Neutral” recipe, suitable for either a Starch or Protein sauce.

Using a vegetable peeler or the slicing side of a grater make long, thin strips of any of the following:

  • broccoli stalk (first peel and discard tough outer portion of stalk and 1/4 inch off end of stalk)
  • carrot (first peel and discard tough outer layer and don’t forget this is a starch)
  • zucchini
  • beet (first peel and discard tough outer layer and don’t forget this is a starch)
  • sweet potato (don’t forget this is a starch)
  • fennel
  • turnips
  • taro root
  • bamboo shoots
  • spaghetti squash
  • tofu: freeze a block of firm tofu, then cut into noodle size strips. Heat through or saute to brown.

Don’t risk scraping your knuckles by worrying about getting the very last bit of each vegetable. I save the “bits” and use them in other dishes, eat them right then, or freeze them and use to make a vegetable broth.

If you’ve used the slicer section of the grater to make your veggie strips you’ll need to stack the slices and cut them into 1/4 – 1/2 inch wide strips. Lightly steam or dry saute the veggie strips until “al dente”. Top with butter and a sprinkling of soy Parmesan cheese, shredded soy or nut cheese, or any of your favorite pasta sauces.

Soy Mayo

Puree in blender 1/2 a package soft tofu, juice from 1/2 a small lemon or lime, sea salt & pepper to taste. When tofu is smooth, you may have to stop and scrape down the sides once or twice, with the blender still running drizzle in 1/4-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil until mayo is desired thickness. Also taste the mayo – if it tastes a bit floury add more oil.

If you don’t like the strong taste of extra-virgin olive oil you could use canola oil or nut or seed oil instead. Be aware that olive oil and canola oil are the most hearth healthy, but an occasional foray into nut and seed oil won’t be harmful and you may relish the change every now and then.

Whole Grain Breads

Basic Information

Protein Substitutes for Food Combining

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Breading for a Protein Meal

Can be fried in any type of oil, but olive or canola oil is the best.
The following (except for the soy flour) can also be used to substitute for bread crumbs.

  • ground pork rinds – sounds gross but their slight bacon-y flavor works well in most recipes
  • soy flour
  • ground sesame seeds
  • ground sunflower seeds
  • ground nuts
  • any mixture of the above

Crust for an entree

  • If your recipe calls for a rice crust substitute textured protein granules, soy granules or finely chopped nuts. You may need to add extra moisture to hold the crust together. You can add water, softened or melted butter, broth, or just omit the crust.
  • For recipes calling for a pastry crust substitute crepes or melt butter in an omelette pan, thinly coat bottom of pan with egg and cook until done; or butter pan and dust with finely grated parmesan cheese or just skip the crust.

Crust for a dessert

  • For a crumb crust substitute ground nuts or sesame seeds mixed with a little soy flour.
  • For a pastry crust substitute soy flour pastry in your favorite crust recipe or use a crumb crust.

Eggs

  • Frozen egg substitute or egg whites. Make sure that you buy the kind which has no additives.
  • Substitute two egg whites for one whole egg in baked goods, except cookies.
  • Use one whole egg and two to three egg whites and you won’t notice any difference in the taste.
  • Baked Goods (these substitutions don’t work well for cookies, but work very well for cookie bars, cakes & pies.)
  • Two egg whites for one whole egg in baked goods, except for cookies.
  • Replace oil with the same amount of pureed Fruit. Pumpkin, and applesauce are the best because they are low in carbs, next on the carb count meter are dates and prunes and bananas are way too high in carbs to use when on a high protein diet.
  • Replace white flour with soy flour.
  • Replace sugar with Splenda, Truvia, Sweet n Low or Stevia if you’re trying to lose weight, Equal or other aspartame sweetener if you’re on maintenance. Experiment with the amount of sweetener that will work with your recipe. If you’re making a Fruit dessert add 1/2 teaspoon – 1 tablespoon baking soda before adding the sugar substitute. The baking soda counters the tartness of the Fruit, allowing you to add less sweetener.
  • Don’t use sucrose, molasses, raw sugar or cane sugar. All of these will sabotage your carb count.
  • Substitute cocoa powder and unsweetened or bittersweet (bittersweet does have some sugar though) chocolate wherever you can. Adjust the sweetener to compensate for the loss of sugar that would have been in the semi-sweet or milk chocolate.

Basic Protein Recipes

This bread is so easy to make I often make a double batch and spread the extra batter onto an oiled jelly roll pan or pizza pan. Bake the bread for 15 minutes and you’ve got a pizza crust. Yea, bet you thought you’d never eat pizza again!

Protein Cheese Bread

  • 2/3 cups soy flour
  • 2/3 cups whey powder (found in health food stores)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream, cream cheese, tofu or ricotta cheese
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
  • 1-2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, swiss, mozzarella, parmesan, or whatever you have)

Mix all ingredients well and pour into well greased loaf pan. Bake in preheated 275 degree oven for one hour. Test with toothpick inserted into middle of loaf. You should see moist crumbs clinging to your tester but not wet crumbs. If the outside of your loaf is getting too brown cover the top with aluminum foil or if the sides and bottom are getting too brown. Take the loaf out of the oven. Let cool completely, carefully slice and spread slices out on an oiled baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until bread is done.

Variations:

  • 4-8 slices crisply cooked crumbled bacon and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup chopped, sliced or whole black or green olives, use parmesan or mozzarella cheese
  • 1 tablespoon fresh herbs, or1 teaspoon dried herbs

Dairy-free version:
Use nondairy cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream in place of regular cheese.

Substitutes for Bread Sandwiches

  • cucumber slices
  • lettuce leaves with filling inside)
  • roasted eggplant slices (cut eggplant in 1/4″ slices, place on greased baking sheet, sprinkle with salt if desired, broil for 5 minutes on each side)
  • carrots cut lengthwise into thin strips
  • filled celery sticks
  • sausage patty
  • roll up inside deli-sliced meat or cheese
  • a slab of cold meat or cheese

More Protein Recipes

Coming Soon: The UnDiet: 2 Weeks of Extremely Low Carb Menus & Recipes

Basic Information

List of Substitutes For Practicing Food Combining

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Some substitutes are perfectly acceptable, others are somewhat acceptable (indicated by italicized type) and therefore should be used only occasionally or if you just must have that particular item (i.e. comfort food, family or peer pressure, having a party …). If there is no entry under a certain column that means that there is no substitute needed for that food group. If an entry spans two or more columns then it works for those two or three food groups.

This page is a full list of all the UnDiet substitutes. If you’re focusing on a Protein Blast or meat free diet you can print out either the Protein Substitutes or Starch Substitutes pages.

Soy products that contain Starches such as grain syrup or food starch are in a small enough amount that if you’re on a vegetarian diet you can safely use them in place of meat in Protein dishes.

Protein

Starch

Neutral

Baked Goods

chocolate

 Substitute cocoa powder and a little
butter, or unsweetened chocolate or carob. Adjust the sweetener
to compensate for the loss of sugar that would have been in the semi-sweet
or milk chocolate.

egg

These substitutions don’t work well for cookies, but are great for all
other baked goods.

 To reduce fat you can substitute liquid egg, 1/4 cup
= 1 egg		 Three egg yolks = one whole egg.

3 tablespoons pureed or well mashed tofu for each egg called
for. It really does work!

flour

 Replace white flour with 1/2 the amount of soy flour,
so 1 cup of all purpose flour becomes 1/2 cup soy flour.

Replace 1/4 of the flour with ground nuts, seeds, or ground
dried vegetables.

 Replace white flour with sifted whole grain flour, using
1/4 less than the recipe calls for. Tip: oat flour has the lightest taste
and color.		 .

sugar

 Replace sugar with Stevia, Sucanat, honey,
pure maple syrup, date or maple sugar. Experiment to find the amount that
will satisfy you.

Beverages

beer

 . non-alcoholic beer

coffee

 . roasted grain beverages decaf

cream instead of milk, half & half or non-dairy creamer

date/maple sugar instead of white sugar or sugar sub.

cola

 sparkling water with fresh Fruit juice

wine

 dilute with
water (the French do it), sparkling water if you must

Breading & Breadcrumbs

 Ground:

  • pork rinds
  • sesame seeds
  • nuts
  • soy flour
  • any mixture of the above
 whole grain bread crumbs

whole grain flour

 ..Ground:

  • sesame seeds
  • nuts
  • soy flour
  • any mixture of the above

Crust for a Dessert

A crust can often be omitted or use one of these
substitutes.

 Pastry crust: soy flour pastry crust.

Protein Crepe with sweetener added.

 whole wheat pastry

whole wheat tortilla or lavosh coated with butter and/or honey/maple
syrup

Crumb Crust: sugar free whole grain  cookies or graham crackers

 Crumb crust: ground nuts with a little soy flour.
.

Crust for an Entree

A crust can often be omitted or use one of these
substitutes.

 Rice Crust: soy granules or finely chopped
nuts. You may need to add extra moisture to hold the crust together, you
can add water, softened or melted butter, broth.

Pastry Crust: Protein Crepes, or melt butter in an omelette pan, thinly
coat bottom with egg and cook until done, or Soy Flour Crust.

 whole wheat pastry crust

whole wheat tortillas

crumb crust: whole grains, ground nuts or seeds

 .

Dairy

 .

American, Cheddar, Mozzarella or Jack Cheese

 nondairy or real dairy cheese such as rice, almond
or soy cheese		 nondairy cheese .soy or almond cheese

condensed milk

 Pour 1 cup water and 4 cups soy powder
into a large saucepan. Let sit for 2 hours, then bring
to a boil and boil for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add (for sweetened
condensed milk 2 cups unrefined
sugar) 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and 1/4 cup
butter stirring until dissolved. Makes 1 quart. Store in refrigerator
up to 2 months.

cottage cheese

 Mash firm tofu with a fork, add a little heavy
cream.

cream cheese

 nondairy cream cheese

farmers cheese/hoop cheese

 Mix nondairy cream cheese & roughly
mashed tofu.

milk

 soy or almond milk any nondairy milk soy or almond milk

ricotta cheese

 . Same as cottage cheese.

yogurt

 . nondairy sour cream or nondairy yogurt creme fraiche or clabbered cream

Eggs

 Frozen egg substitute tastes great and is
healthy. Make sure that you buy one with no additives.

Two egg whites for one whole egg, except in cookies.

One whole egg and two to three egg whites and you won’t notice any difference
in the taste.

 1/4 cup well mashed tofu for each egg …1/4 cup well mashed
tofu for each egg

Sauces

Roux Sauces

 soy flour instead of white or wheat flour whole wheat or oat flour instead of white
flour		 Add water  to heavy cream  to
sub for milk or half & half or use soymilk.

Tomato Paste Tomato Sauce Tomato Pasta Sauce

 Tomato Paste
: Soak dried tomatoes in medium hot water for an hour – overnight.
Puree using only enough of the soaking liquid to make a thick puree.
Tip: For a shorter soaking time dice the tomatoes before adding
water.

Tomato Sauce: add more liquid.

Pasta Sauce:Add broth, cream, olive oil or combo until sauce
is desired consistency. (Stir in spices.) Allow flavors to meld for
15 – 30 minutes.

Add Dried Tomato Paste or sauce at the end of a recipe so
the tomatoes don’t cook. For a richer flavor add the tomato paste
or sauce and let rest for 15 – 30 minutes. Reheat if necessary,
taking care not to let it boil.

If it’s impossible to add the tomatoes at the end use pureed
roasted red bell peppers instead as they can be cooked.

Vegetables

 . .. . .

carrot

 tomatoes, yellow or orange bell pepper, fennel,
celery		 .. . .

corn

 onion, celery, bell pepper .. . .

potato

 cauliflower, onion, fennel, jicima (yes it can
be cooked!)		 .. . .

tomato

 red bell pepper, yellow tomatoes
(they’re less acidic than red tomatoes) or Slow Cooked
Tomatoes: place cored tomatoes cut in 8-10 wedges
or chunks skin side down on a baking sheet lined with oiled
foil. Bake at 115 degrees for 4-8 hours depending on
how moist you want them.  Check every 60 minutes. Since these take so
long to dry I make 2 full trays & freeze the excess.

winter squash

 yellow or orange bell pepper, fennel, cauliflower .. . .
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Detailed List of Foods: Proteins, Starches, Neutrals

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go_undiet1Review your packaged foods with this detailed list. You can filter the list by whatever it is you’re watching in your UnDiet, fiber, sugar, fat, transfats …

This page is designed to educate you as to what food group a particular food belongs in – Neutral, Protein or Starch. Use this list to guide you in planning meals and help you to choose appropriate substitutes.

Starches

Grains

    barley
    brown rice
    buckwheat
    bulgar
    couscous, whole wheat
    kasha
    millet
    rye
    wild rice

Legumes/Beans:

    black beans
    black-eyed peas
    garbanzo beans
    kidney beans
    lentils (come in many colors)
    lima beans
    mung beans
    navy beans
    pinto beans
    split peas

Seeds:

Seeds are best eaten raw as toasting or roasting destroys their digestive enzymes. That said, a toasted pumpkin seed is a wonderful thing to behold. Since seeds are high in calories use them as a garnish rather than eat them by the handful.

    caraway
    poppy
    pumpkin
    sesame
    sunflower

Pasta:

Avoid pasta made with anything other than a whole grain.

    artichoke flour
    brown rice flour
    corn
    buckwheat such as soba noodles
    whole wheat

Cereals:

Look for cereals made with:

    whole grains
    no refined sugars
    chemical-free
    additive-free

Starch Ingredients:

These become starches only when cooked:
Use fresh potatoes. Frozen and dried potato products contain additives which make them difficult to digest. Exceptions can be found in health food stores. corn starch (use browned whole wheat or arrowroot flour instead)

    beets
    carrots
    corn
    fructose (made from corn)
    peas
    potatoes including sweet potatoes & yams
    potato flour
    soy sauce (wheat free can be found in health food stores)

Proteins

Note: the following is one of the more stringent food combining rules – keep each Protein group separate as it takes different digestive juices to digest each group. Honestly, I don’t follow this rule most of the time, but hey – maybe if I did I could lose those last ten excruciating pounds!

Dairy:

Use raw (unpasteurized) dairy products whenever possible. All dairy products contain casein and should be avoided as much as possible.

Cheeses: avoid yellow cheeses if you can, they contain dyes

    cream cheese
    cottage cheese
    farmers cheese
    half & half
    hoop cheese
    kefir
    milk (avoid completely)
    ricotta cheese
    yogurt (avoid completely)

Eggs

Meat

    bacon and sausage – be careful of chemical additives
    fish
    poultry
    red meat
    shell fish

Nuts:

Nuts are a carb/protein mix so limit them and remember that toasting or roasting destroys their digestive enzymes. The list below shows those nuts with the higher protein counts first.
brazil
macademia, pine nuts
almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, walnuts
hazelnuts, filberts, peanuts, pistachio
mixed nuts, peanut butter, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds
soybeans, cashews
coconut, almond paste

Protein Ingredients:

    gelatin

Neutrals

While vegetables are a carbohydrate they’re considered Neutral and can be eaten with any other food. The only time you need to be aware of vegetables as a carbohydrate is when you’re on an extended (more than one day) Protein Binge.

All vegetables (except Starch Vegetables when cooked)

    agar-agar (gelatin substitute made from seaweed)
    agave nectar
    honey, preferably raw, unfiltered
    maple syrup
    nuts, preferably raw
    soybeans
    soy flour
    soy milk (check label for chemicals or processed sugars)
    soy products (check label)
    soy nuts (check label for chemicals)
    tofu – silken, soft, medium, firm, baked

The predominant element in the foods below is fat. These can be used with both Proteins and Starches as the fat makes them Neutral.

    creme fraiche
    whipping or heavy cream
    butter
Working Out

Getting In Shape At Home

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For many of us, going to the gym is just not an option.  Either the membership fees are too high or we just do not have time to drive to the gym on a regular basis.  If this sounds familiar, consider creating a fitness area within the comforts of your own home or office.  A home gym will offer you a great workout that can be arranged around any busy schedule.  Depending on space, most people will elect to use some type of weight machine as well as a machine to build cardiovascular health. Typically, when these two forms of exercise are combined a greater workout can be achieved.

Depending on your personal fitness goals, gym equipment should be customized to focus in these two areas.  Many people will purchase home exercise equipment that offers them ways to build and tone upper body muscle while utilizing a recumbent bike or elliptical to build lower body strength and boost cardiovascular health.  This can be a great strategy for those who do not have space for a full home gym that has lower body attributes.  It is also highly suggested that free weights become incorporated with workouts whenever possible.  Dumbbells can add new dimensions to routines that will work muscles differently and offer a more intense workout, ultimately leading to results faster.

Resistance trainers can be another great way to build diversity into your workout routine.  Resistance machines, similar to free weights, offer the ability to work muscles differently.  They also help lengthen muscle mass which can lead to greater success faster.  Depending on the machine, resistance trainers can accommodate most any ability and fitness level.

Creating a workout routine at home, that you enjoy, is a great alternative to the high cost of gym memberships.  Although home gym equipment may seem expensive, remember it is an investment that will more then pay for itself over time!

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Fast Weight Loss with a Belly Fat Diet

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If you have made the decision to lose a few pounds, or even if you have quite a few pounds to lose, it is going to take some effort. No one loses weight without putting in a good deal of determination and planning.  In fact, the best way to lose belly fat will often be with the right belly fat diet.

If you have researched all the various diets that claim to help you shed pounds quickly, then you are probably a bit overwhelmed and starting to wonder which plan is really the one that will work for you. There is no doubt that the number of fad diets continues to rise, but research consistently tells us that if we want to lose belly fat, there needs to be some healthy changes in our eating habits as well as the implementation of an exercise program.

Many people go into a weight loss plan hoping to lose belly fat, or to lose weight overall, but they are not ready to make a change in their lifestyle. This is exactly what sets up the yo-yo dieting which not only leaves most dieters extremely frustrated, it slows the metabolism making successive attempts at weight loss even harder. This constant up and down with your weight is not only hard on your self-esteem; it is not good for your health either.

To successfully lose weight and maintain that weight loss requires a determination to change some simple dietary habits you may have established. Some people like to eat snacks in the evening while watching television, others have gotten complacent about getting up and engaging in some form of exercise; maybe you’re one of the many people who have become accustomed to running through the local fast food drive-thru. All of these little habits can result in big weight gains if not taken into control.

The belly fat diet will help you learn to eat properly and finally lose the weight, but even better, it will help you keep the weight off once you’ve reached your goal.

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Don’t Fall For These Camouflaged Saboteurs

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Arm Yourself With Knowledge

We’re going to unmask those camouflaged goodies that woo you with promises of energy, satisfaction, extra vitamins, masses of protein … NEWS FLASH – they’re the enemy, disguised with pretty labels and misleading verbage, laying in ambush, waiting to sabotage your weight loss and health efforts. Knowledge is your best weapon against these insidious tricksters. In this week’s Step we’ll identify some of the most popular saboteurs and give you the ammunition to effectively disarm them.

A Sticky Situation

While peanut butters marked “reduced fat” do have less fat than the average jar, they usually have just as many calories when you total up the additional sugar added to give the finished product the same flavor as the full fat version.

Jams that are labeled “all-fruit” tend to contain ingredients other than Fruit and may even have less Fruit than jams that don’t carry the “all-fruit” labeling. The label on the front a package is a clue to what it’s inside but not a promise. Where you’ll get the real info is in the Ingredients and Nutrition Info sections.

UnDiet Ammunition
Look for:

  • “oil on top” nut butters – you can pour off some or all of the oil. These nut butters are also lower in saturated fat since the oil in them comes only from the nut instead of the added oil in other types of nut butters. When you pour off all the oil the resulting nut butter will be pretty dry so you may want to puree it with low-fat silken tofu or bananas for a low cal, low fat, refined-sugar-free, tasty treat or just puree it with the jam for any ready-made jar of sandwich filling.
  • jams that list Fruit as the first ingredient in their ingredient list and that contain no refined sugars

These Goodies Will Double Cross You Every Time

Don’t be fooled by the cookies, cakes and other baked goods in the diet aisle which are labeled “low fat” and “sugar free”. The low fat items typically have a higher degree of refined sugar, the sugar free items could be sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, sorbitol, aspartame, Nutrasweet, or evaporated cane juice, all of which will stall your weight loss.

Graham crackers often have very little graham (whole wheat) flour and almost always will contain refined sugar.

UnDiet Ammunition

Take a stroll down the diet or health food aisle and you’ll find many alternative cookies, cakes and other dessert items.

Get the Sugar Out: 501 Simple Ways to Cut the Sugar in Any Diet


This timely book is aimed at the millions of people whose low-fat diets aren’t providing the health benefits and weight loss they expect.

More than 50 recipes make Get the Sugar Out a great guide to low-sugar adaptations of favorite meals, snacks, drinks and desserts, along with tips on how to read food labels and ratings of popular foods.

Check out Gittleman’s recipe for Living Apple Pie on the UnDiet site this month.

Falling For Mr. Goodbar

Energy, sports and protein bars are generally not a good item for UnDieters. They’re designed as a portable meal replacement for athletes on biking trips or mountain treks. The excess protein they contain may do more harm than good when you eat them regularly as a snack between meals. Excess protein can cause the body to excrete calcium. When eaten regularly they could increase the risk of osteoporosis. Extra protein is not something that the average person needs to look for in their diet. Even a balanced vegetarian diet contains enough protein to sustain you. Besides these bars are almost always a mix of Protein and Starches, and contain a lot of refined sugars. The UnDiet alternatives are better snack options – they have approximately half the calories of energy/sports bars and no refined sugars.

UnDiet Ammunition
The items below are great non-perishable meal replacements to carry with you when you’re on a hectic schedule:

  • The diet and/or health food aisle of your local grocery store will have a good selection of meal and snack bars that cater to UnDieters, low carbers and diabetics. Of course you can also find these in a health food store.
  • Low-fat granola: make your own or pick some up at the grocery or health food store – remember to read the ingredients list looking for refined sugars and added oils.
  • Tofu Jerky (meat jerky is fine also, just difficult to find without all kinds of nitrites and other additives including refined sugars).
  • Trail mix, make your own or look for it at your local grocery or health food store. Just remember to look for refined sugar and other additives and avoid them.
  • Breakfast bars that contain whole food ingredients and do not contain refined sugars and trans-fats.
  • Dried Fruit, make sure it’s sulfur-free.
  • Nuts
  • Really Nutritious Nutri-Grain Bars (the recipe will be in an upcoming Step)

When a Rose By Another Name is Not a Rose (so sorry WS)

Watch out for tricky labeling. Air-popped popcorn flavored with high-fat or sugary coatings can supply as much fat and calories as potato chips. Words like “stone ground wheat” or “hearty” used to describe crackers trick you into believing that they’re made with whole grains, when they may not be at all. Read the ingredient list to determine if “stone ground wheat” products are actually made with “whole wheat”, the key word being “whole” whenever an ingredient list is referring to a grain. And don’t forget to check further down on the ingredient list as many whole grain products also contain refined sugar in the form of “high-fructose corn syrup”. “Evaporated cane juice” or “brown rice syrup” are good alternative sweeteners.

Fruit leathers and other Fruit-based treats whose labels claim they’re made with real Fruit may not contain much real Fruit at all.

The word “natural” on a food label does not always mean the product is healthy. So-called “natural” Fruits can contain refined sugar since sugar is considered a “natural” ingredient.

UnDiet Ammunition

  • Healthy Choice or Newman’s Organic microwave popcorn contains no trans-fats and the surprise bonus is that you’ll never taste a better microwave popcorn than Newman’s Own Organics.
  • packaged popped organic popcorn which you can find at any health food store or health food aisle of grocery store
  • If you can find Farmer Steve’s Organic Microwave Popcorn consider yourself lucky – it’s oil-free and lightly salted.
  • Triscuits and Wheat Thins are good cracker choices, although I find that the low-fat versions of both of these crackers tend to taste stale, so stick with the regular version.
  • Sulfur-free dried Fruit snacks with Fruit or dried Fruit listed first or second in the ingredient list.

Not-So-Smoothie-Sailing

With juice-bar Fruit and frozen yogurt shakes, often called “smoothies” you can gulp down a LOT of calories and refined sugars. If Fruits are processed in a juicer, most of their fiber is lost, and the fiber is what makes you feel full. Then, juice concentrates are added which make for additional calories with absolutely zero nutritional benefit.

UnDiet Ammunition

At a juice bar:

  • Pick vegetable blends instead of juice blends.
  • Choose juices which are made fresh at that bar (usually orange, apple, and grapefruit).
  • Order a smoothie instead of a juice. Smoothies contain the whole fruit, whereas a juicer removes the fiber. Look for smoothies made with fresh juice, bananas, and/or yogurt (if it’s sugar-free).

If you’re at home you can whip up a low calorie smoothie that’s brimming with live digestive enzymes. Drink up and you won’t miss your juice-bar smoothie at all. If you’re short on time you can make up a pitcher full of smoothie and then just pour them into your thermal cup as you run out the door.

Dairy Disasters

Yogurts marked “natural” or  “no artificial ingredients” can contain refined sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup (but not artificial flavors or colors). Yogurts whose labels don’t have the “live and active cultures” seal may not contain the live bacteria cultures that give yogurt it’s health and digestive benefits. Puddings made with “70% nonfat milk” may contain more fat than puddings made with whole milk, because vegetable oil may have been added. Kind of makes you mad doesn’t it when you see how the “art of labeling” messes up your attempts to eat healthy?

UnDiet Ammunition

  • “Reduced fat” and “part skim milk” cheeses have less fat than regular cheeses, yet taste and melt almost the same – “nonfat” cheeses however, don’t taste or melt any better than the packaging they come in.
  • Yogurt with the “live and active cultures” seal on the label and no refined sugars.
  • Ready-to-eat puddings without fats or oils high on their ingredient lists and with no refined sugars.
  • UnDiet Fruit Puddings such as Cocoa Pudding and Raisin Nut Pudding.

Frozen Ass-ets (which is where these treats will end up on you!)

Frozen fruit bars usually aren’t 100% Fruit. Some contain a high percentage of refined sugar. Low-fat pudding or ice cream bars often contain so much refined sugar and processed ingredients that the lack of fat is hardly the issue. Even the sugar-free varieties are no plus for weight loss when they’re sweetened with Nutrasweet/aspartame.

UnDiet Ammunition

  • Commercially frozen bars made from 100 % Fruit or juice – can also contain yogurt, cream, milk, or nuts.
  • Homemade frozen bars made from any UnDiet Fruit Shake, Fruit Pudding, or Citrus Cooler.

Caught in a Crunch

Even though vegetable chips contain about half the fat of regular potato chips they have almost the same number of calories. Terra chips substitute insulin producing vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and beets for plain old spuds. Designer chips contain such a small amount of nonstarchy vegetables or whole grains that you’re not getting much more fiber or antioxidants than you’d find in a bag of old-fashioned potato chips. The big issue here is that during weight loss these starchy vegetables cause your body to produce more insulin than is conducive to weight loss. When you’re into maintenance these chips are okay – just not on a daily basis.

UnDiet Ammunition

  • Baked Tortilla Chips (make your own – the store-bought variety tastes awful) – corn is another insulin overloading vegetable though so save these for maintenance or eat them sparingly.
  • Make your own whole wheat tortilla and pita chips.
  • Air-popped popcorn, with or without a short burst of butter spray, sea salt, Parmesan cheese, herbs & spices – popcorn is an insulin overloading food so save these for maintenance or eat sparingly.
  • Zucchini Chips, Kale Chips, Apple Chips – make your own or find a brand that you like.
  • Chew on dried tomatoes – sort of like an Italian jerky.
  • Cheddar Crisps
  • Spicy Cheese Crisps
  • Sun Chips brand chips are made with whole wheat, but eat sparingly. In other words, enjoy the 100 calorie bag but don’t use them as a substitute for dinner.

For those on Protein Blast:

  • Pork rinds (sounds gross but they’re really good) give you the satisfaction of a crunchy snack. They’re high in fat but you’re not worrying about that on a Protein Blast, are you?
  • Cheddar Crisps
  • Spicy Cheese Crisps
  • Zucchini or Kale Chips

Tips & Tricks

Stop a moment before you reach for a snack. When you’re stressed, tired, frustrated, bored, angry … it’s so easy to grab a prepackaged snack food. Instead, get away from what you’re doing, even if for just a little while; take a walk, run an errand, make a phone call, visit an office compatriot … Then if you still feel you need a little something, choose an UnDiet alternative.

$$$aver

Write out at least a week’s worth of menu’s using your favorite grocery store’s ads to plan sale items into your menu.

Step By Step

1. Be on the lookout for your particular camouflaged saboteurs.
2. Shop for and/or prepare alternatives that satisfy and beat your saboteurs at their game.
3. Print out this Step and post it near the places where you snack attacks creep up on you.
4. Go to Coupon Clearinghouse – find coupons for thousands of food items.
5. Once you’ve cleaned out your cupboards you’re ready to move on to Step 4: Separate Foods.