One of the things that I have struggled with in regard to my own personal body clutter is learning to eat less food than what I want to eat. What I want to eat and what I need to eat are often incongruous and I have a small battle inside my head trying to decide if I am going to “behave” or “sin”. You know exactly what I’m talking about! It’s an issue I know a lot of us all share in common. Getting a grip on how much you really need food-wise is tough. We are used to overfeeding ourselves, truth be told.

Take restaurants for example. Not only do they bring your food on PLATTERS and not plates, they give you enough to feed your entire family. And what do we do? The food comes, we oooh and ahhh over how big the portion is and then we dig in. We will either eat till we’re stuffed and bag it up to take home or we’ll eat it all and complain about how full we are.

Let me share with you how many calories are in a typical chain restaurant meal. For fun, I’m going to share with you something I just ate at a major chain restaurant a while back (thinking a salad would be a good choice) and how blown away I was that it was this many calories and this much fat it’ just unbelievable!

The Chicken Caesar Salad I ate had 1,010 calories and 76 grams (yes, SEVENTY-SIX) of FAT!!!!!!! Hello?? I was absolutely STUNNED!! That’s just not doing my body any favors! 13 grams of that 76 fat grams were saturated fat, too.

What does that tell you?

Two things:

1) BEWARE of “healthy” main course salad options at restaurants and,

2) Restaurant salad dressings are usually really, really over the top fat-wise, carb-wise and in calories.

And that brings me back to my original point: less food – we don’t need to eat all of that! The all-you-eat-mentality is particularly pronounced at restaurants. They BRAG about their hefty portion size!

So how do you handle restaurants? Know what you’re walking into, for starters. If it is a chain restaurant, look on line to see if you can find the menu and the nutritional info for the menu. Not all restaurants do that, but there are other sites out there with that info – just Google it.

Second, have a back up plan. Order sauces, dressings and anything else that you will lend a huge caloric and often, fatty punch to the meal, on the side. All restaurants will happily accommodate – just ask.

Third, if you haven’t split your meal with a dining companion, ask for a doggie bag right when your meal comes. Cut your meal in HALF or more, and bag it up. If it is off your plate, you are less apt to chow down on it and leave with a Thanksgiving-stuffed feeling.

And last but not least – keep restaurant eating as a treat and not a part of your weekly plan. Eating at home is always cheaper, most likely to be more nutritious, you control the fat and the salt and the service is predictable, right?

If you need help planning your menus, go to Saving Dinner and try our Menu-Mailer, your family will thank you. Enjoy!

The Basics of Food Combining For Maximum Weight Loss

To give each meal and/or snack the time to thoroughly digest and move through your system without depositing unwanted fat and waste products, you need to allow two and a half hours after a Starch meal/snack before eating a Protein or Fruit meal/snack, and four and a half hours after a Protein meal/snack before eating a Starch or Fruit meal/snack. Veggies, nuts, seeds, and soy are Neutral and may be eaten with any meal or between meals, although I like to wait at least two hours after a meal so that I can have a big beverage before eating anything else.

This means that you will not have a baked potato with your steak, a bun with your hamburger or a tuna sandwich on traditional bread. But it doesn’t mean the end of life as you know it. There are many substitutions you can make to have your hamburger and eat it too – so to speak – which you’ll find on the substitution pages.

Print These Pages

For a list of foods that are Starches, foods that are Neutral and foods that are Proteins, go to the Food List page.

To help you manage your meals print out the List of Substitutions, Protein Substitutes, and Starch Substitutes pages and refer to them when making a meal or recipe that traditionally would be an imperfect combination.

Get out your favorite recipes and rework them so that they don’t contain any incompatible items.

Working With Food Substitutions

Substituting soy products for dairy and meat products will open up your diet by giving you more food choices. For instance, while you shouldn’t have milk on your cereal because you would be combining a Protein with a Starch, you can have nondairy milk on your whole-grain, sugar-free cereal. Nondairy cheese can substitute for dairy cheese in a burrito or a Pizza Sandwich.  Soy “ham” makes a great deli style sandwich on whole grain bread.

One word of caution regarding nondairy cheeses. Some brands taste awful and don’t melt well. Experiment until you find one you like. If you happened to have a Trader Joe’s store near you I think their soy cheese is the best there is. If you want to avoid cheese altogether try using guacamole, slices of avocado or humus in place of cheese.

If you find it difficult to switch cold turkey to nondairy products, begin substituting 1/4 of the dairy or meat in your Starch recipes with soy products. Then try 1/2, then 3/4, then all soy. See Starch Substitutes for more ideas.

A word to those on high-Protein diets; don’t assume that all soy products are completely Neutral. Read the ingredients. You’ll often find grain products which will add to your carb intake. UnDieters on the Basic or Family Plan need not worry about the small amount of grain in these soy products. Typically I use these soy products with Starch and Neutral meals and use meat and dairy products (rather than their soy alternatives) with Protein meals. Vegetarians can however use these soy products with Protein meals.

A note to those allergic to dairy; sometimes you’ll find derivatives of dairy products such as casein which is a milk protein in dairy substitutes. I’ve only found one nondairy cheese that does not contain casein (Soymage), but I don’t like how it tastes or melts. So read carefully and make a  note of those products you like that are good UnDiet substitutes. Tip: so that I don’t have to try and remember or reread the label when making a meal or snack I mark my purchases with a “P” for Protein, “S” for Starch, or “N” for Neutral.

Getting Started with Food Combining

You may not be able to jump right into whole wheat bread and nondairy cheese, but you can structure your meals so that you’re not eating Starches with Proteins. If you’re used to meat and potatoes it will be a bit of a challenge, but if you’re serving some of your favorite veggie dishes instead of potatoes with your Protein meals, and nixing the rolls or using Protein Rolls, you should do okay. If you anticipate lots of objections from your family, start by serving potatoes or their favorite rolls and a veggie dish that they like with your Protein meals. Every now and then eliminate the potatoes or rolls, substituting a Protein Bread or Protein Rolls until you find what satisfies and then you can completely eliminate the potatoes and bread with Protein meals.

Foods like fried chicken which combine Protein and Starch (the bread coating is a Starch) can be easily converted, although if you’re not serving any other Starches with your meal the small amount of flour and bread crumbs used to coat the chicken is fine, as long as they are whole grains. Some great substitutes for the flour coating on any Protein food are:

• ground sesame seeds
• ground nuts
• ground pork rinds
• Protein Bread crumbs
• soy flour or a mixture of any of these

Be Prepared For Maximum Success

Using the substitution charts begin constructing a shopping list so you’ll have the ingredients you need to begin making over your favorite meals.
Get out your favorite recipes and rework them so that they don’t contain any incompatible items. Make a list of any items you’ll need to purchase or prepare.
Eating Out While Food Combining

New research showing that our bodies can handle mixing small amounts of Protein and Starch has given us wider margins when constructing meals. The trick is to keep the ratios small. For instance the small amount of flour in a gravy served with a Protein meal or the small amount of breading in meatloaf or meatballs shouldn’t set you back. The trick is to make sure you eat lots of raw Fruits and/or veggies with every meal. It also helps to take an enzyme supplement. I still use soy flour, veggie broth, and ground pork rinds when I make these items at home but this new research gives me more options when I’m eating out.

$$$aver

When making a Protein meal serve larger portions of vegetables and smaller portions of meat and dairy. If you’re used to having meat for most of your dinners, cut back to three or four meat meals per week. Check out the Recipe Index for some satisfying Starch and Neutral meals, and the Meat-less Recipes Index will help you plan meals that contain less meat and therefore cost less.

Step-By-Step

1. Keep Starches separate from Proteins.
2. Print out these pages:

• Food List
• List of Substitutions
• Protein Substitutes
• Starch Substitutes

3. Begin making the proper food substitutions.
4. Make a shopping list.
5. Prepare substitute items that you’ll need to prepare meals.
6. Don’t try too many substitutions at once. Take it gradually so you don’t feel overwhelmed or discouraged.
7. To continue receiving your (hopefully by now, treasured) UnDiet Steps each week click on over to PayPal to subscribe.

Step-By-Step Subscriber Advantages

Upcoming UnDiet aids some free, some discounted:

• Travel Card
• Fast Food Card
• Fast Food Fakes
• Meal Plans
• The UnDiet Recipe Book
• Doing The UnDiet Kit
• UnDiet recipes, meal plans, and information available only to Step-By-Step subscribers.
• Continually updated UnDiet information.
• Tips & Tricks designed to make the UnDiet as easy (and fun) as possible.
• Step Ahead tips to help you drop a quick 2-5 pounds in a day or over a weekend.
• Meal Plans to help you integrate the UnDiet Steps into your life.

Next Issue

A special menu plan filled with UnDiet basic recipes designed to help you prepare foods that are traditionally improper combinations. Once you try the Pasta Alfredo with Bacon, UnDiet Pizza, Crispy Chicken, Bacon Muffins, Maple Walnut Cream Cheese Pie, Meatloaf with Flourless Gravy … you won’t worry about what you’ll be missing with the UnDiet, except of course, all those extra pounds that are already disappearing. All things are possible – with a little ingenuity!

• Painlessly transition to whole grains.
• Special recipes released only to Step-By-Step subscribers.
• How to satisfy (fool) your family when serving them whole wheat and brown rice.

Check out these books to find more food combining information

Basics

Use low fat yogurt rather than nonfat or full fat yogurt.

Substitute half low fat yogurt for half of any sour cream or mayo in your favorite salad dressing recipe.

Add low fat yogurt to your favorite bottle salad dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Eggs

Also see Rome Zucchini Salad under Sausage heading below.

Quick Egg Salad

In a bowl mix equal amounts of low fat yogurt and mayo. Season to taste with sea salt, black pepper and mustard.

Stir in:

• egg white, scrambled
• green onion, sliced
• celery, chopped or sliced

Pile salad onto any of the below:

• toasted high protein bread
• chips made from protein tortillas (slice into desired size and toast in the oven until crispy)
• protein tortilla lined with lettuce – roll and eat
• lettuce leaf cup
• cucumber slices

Dilled Egg Salad

This summery salad has been adapted from the book “Vegetarian Sandwiches”. You can use this salad on Protein bread or crudites when you make it with eggs. Make the tofu version if you’re going to be having this on whole grain bread or bagels.

Mix dressing in small bowl:

• 2 tablespoons drained yogurt or mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• (1/4 teaspoon honey)
• 1/2 clove garlic, minced or 1 clove roasted
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

In medium bowl use a fork to roughly mash 2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped, or 1/2 cup extra-firm tofu (not silken).

Stir in:

• 3 tablespoons minced bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced celery
• 1 tablespoon minced red onion
• 1 tablespoon drained, chopped capers
• 2 tablespoons, minced dill pickle
• 2 tablespoons minced, jicima

Layer salad onto a slice of Protein bread garnished with a slice of tomato or cucumber, shredded lettuce or jicima or micro-sprouts. Serve open faced or topped with another slice of Protein bread. An alternative to Protein bread would be to stuff celery sticks or cherry tomatoes, roll up in a lettuce leaf with deli-sliced meat, or spread on top of slices of tomato and/or cucumber.

If using the tofu version then make the sandwich as above using whole grain bread or bagel in place of Protein bread.

Basil Omelette Salad

This is one of those dishes I conjured up when it was cold outside, there wasn’t much in the fridge and I was feeling guilty for not eating enough vegetables that day. I wasn’t up to a bowl of cold lettuce so this crepe-thin omelette with piles of tomato and basil was the perfect solution. I’m calling it a salad because it’s mostly raw veggies.

Stir 1 teaspoon basil pesto, (or 1 teaspoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil), into 1/4 cup egg whites ( or 1 whole egg). Season with sea salt and pepper to taste. Pour into heated, lightly oiled pan. Tilt to coat bottom of pan. When top of omelet is almost dry carefully loosen omelette from pan and flip over. Tear one slice mozzarella or white non-dairy cheese into pieces and place on top of omelet. Cover and turn off heat.

While cheese is melting prepare salad. Chop & toss 1 tomato (Optional: add 1/4 avocado, 2 – 4 tablespoons red bell pepper & 1 – 2 tablespoons red onion) with 1 teaspoon basil pesto, seasoning with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Slide omelette onto plate. Spoon half the salad onto half the omelette, fold omelette over salad. Top with rest of salad.

Sausage

Chipotle Sausage Salad

This is a variation of the New ‘awlins Sausage Salad, born out of desperation for the taste of that delectable delight, but missing some of the key ingredients.

Shape 2 cups sausage into 1/2-inch balls. Cook sausage balls with 1 cup chopped onion over medium heat until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes, stirring or shaking occasionally so that all sides are browned. Alternatively you could cook large sausage patties, then cut them into 1/2 inch squares.

While sausage is browning assemble in large bowl

• 1 cup julienned celery
• 2 stalks green onion, sliced
• 1 cup julienned jicima

When sausage is cooled enough to touch add to salad bowl and toss with

• 1 teaspoon canned chipotle in adobe sauce or 2 teaspoons reconstituted dried chipotle
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

Taste and add sea salt and black pepper to taste.

If you like it hot, then use your choice of hot sauce in place of the chipotle in adobe sauce. We like a bourbon hot sauce cuz the bourbon heightens the chili pepper’s heat. So, although the smoking process lowers the heat of the jalapeno, this sauce has a nice kick along with the smokiness of chipotles.

New ‘awlins Sausage Salad

This salad is great as a main dish with a side of Perfectly Neutral Mashed “Potatoes”.

Serves 4 as a side dish, 2 as a main dish.

In a food processor pulse 1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, stems removed until roughly chopped

Add and continue pulsing until finely chopped

• 1 green, red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, chopped
• 4 stalks green onion, trimmed and sliced in 1/4-inch long pieces

You’ll have more of this garnish than you’ll need for the salad. Use leftovers to garnish other salads, soups and casseroles. It will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. It’s great stirred into mayo and used to spread on bread for a sandwich.

Scrape mixture out into small airtight container.

As you prepare each of the ingredients below place them in a medium serving bowl:

• 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 4 large link sausages, casings removed, cooked and chopped
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped peeled jicima
• 1/2 cup cooked, chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped dill pickle
• 1/4 cup bell pepper mixture

Toss with your favorite creamy salad dressing. Go light on the dressing as this salad is very flavorful. This salad can be kept in the refrigerator for a day or so – keep leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Rome Zucchini Salad

I was trying to fix this salad for a friend at her house without making a trip to the grocery store and so came up with the following version. This salad is great as a main dish with a side of Perfectly Neutral Mashed “Potatoes” topped with a little pesto or Parmesan cheese.

In a food processor pulse until roughly chopped

• 1/2 bunch fresh basil, large leaves torn
• 4-8 sprigs fresh flat leaf parsley, stems removed

Add 2 stalks green onion, trimmed and sliced in 1/4-inch long pieces and continue pulsing until finely chopped.

Scrape into medium salad bowl and add

• 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 4 large link sausages, casings removed, sliced and cooked
• 2 cups chopped zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup cooked, chopped onion
• 1/4 cup freshly shredded parmesan (use grated only if you don’t have shredded on hand)
• (1/4 teaspoon sea salt)
• (1/4 teaspoon black pepper)

Toss with your favorite creamy salad dressing, preferably a garlic or tomato dressing. Go light as this salad is very flavorful. Garnish with toasted pecans.

Chicken

Green Chicken Salad

The herbs are the key to this salad. The flavor will change drastically depending on what herb or herbs you choose. Try cilantro, parsley, or basil alone in the salad. Other herbs such as rosemary, tarragon, or sage are too strong tasting to use more than 1/4 cup, but you can mix them with other herbs to make up the 2 cups. Lime juice works especially well with cilantro, orange juice is wonderful with rosemary, lemon goes with everything.

Use a food processor to finely dice each set of ingredients. Dump ingredients into a medium bowl as you go along.

• 4 cups cooked chicken, chopped and 1 clove garlic or 2 cloves roasted garlic
• 2 cups fresh herbs and 2 cups lettuce
• 1 cup leaves and inner celery stalks (taste to make sure they aren’t bitter) and 1/2 cup red onion and/or green onion
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup radish, cut into quarters (squeeze diced radish in your hands to release as much moisture as possible before adding to mixing bowl)

Dress lightly with mayo. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper, and a little fresh lemon, orange, or lime juice if you like. Not too much juice though; you don’t want to thin the dressing.

Serve:

• on top of a bed of lettuce lightly dressed with an oil and vinegar dressing
• spooned onto cucumber slices (taste wonderful lightly salted or sprinkled with citrus juice)
• stuffed into celery sticks
• spooned onto radish slices (don’t use radish in the salad itself)
• rolled up inside lettuce leaves

Pesto Cottage Cheese Salad Dressing

Puree until smooth

• 1 cup lowfat cottage cheese
• 1 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup pesto

Taste and add sea salt and black pepper to taste.

Feta Tarragon Salad Dressing

Let this dressing rest for at least 30 minutes before serving to give the flavors the chance to develop.

Puree in blender until smooth

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 cup feta cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely ground flaxseed (if you need to grind the seed, do it in the blender before adding other ingredients)

With blender running slowly pour in 1/2 cup soymilk.

Tuna

Cherried Tuna & Beans

Mix in a bowl:

• 1 cup cherries, halved
• 2 cups fennel, thinly sliced (you could also use celery)
• 1 can water packed tuna, squeezed to drain well
• 1 can soybeans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red or green onion, optional

Toss with your favorite oil and vinegar dressing. We love to use a raspberry or cranberry vinegarette.

Tuna Carrot Slaw

This very simple salad doesn’t look as good on the page as it tastes when made. It’s become one of my new favorites. I’m giving the recipe for one serving since I love to have this for lunch, but if you want to serve it for dinner, just use the amounts in brackets to serve four. Make it up at least thirty minutes before serving to give the flavors time to meld.

Stir together in small (medium) bowl

• 1/4 cup mayo [1 cup]
• 1 – 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice [1 -2 tablespoons]
• 1 teaspoon dried dill, 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped [1 tablespoon dried, 1/4 cup fresh]
• dash or two of cayenne [1/8 teaspoons]
• small pinch of black pepper [1/4 teaspoon]

Add to bowl and stir until well coated with dressing

• 2 large carrots, shredded [8] 2 tablespoons (chopped red or green onion) [1/2 cup] 1 handful water-packed tuna, squeeze in your hands until very well drained [1 cup] 2 – 4 tablespoons cashews, chopped [1/2 - 1 cup]

Prosciutto Melon Salad

Remove the seeds from 1 cantaloupe. With a spoon or melon baller scoop out the flesh to form bite-size pieces. Cut a small section from the end of each cantaloupe half and set aside the cantaloupe shells. In a medium bowl add to cantaloupe and toss until well mixed

2 cups torn lettuce 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped sea salt and black pepper to taste Scoop salad into melon halves. Garnish with thinly sliced prosciutto and grated or thinly sliced Parmesan.

Reuben Salad

Arrange on a bed of lettuce

• corned beef, diced or cut into large chunks
• swiss cheese, shredded or cut into small cubes
• sauerkraut or sauteed, shredded cabbage

Drizzle with dressing.

Dressing

Mix with fork or shake in a bottle

• extra-virgin olive oil
• balsamic or unfiltered, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
• Dijon mustard
• sea salt
• black pepper

Basic Protein Salad

I was never a salad eater before I started working with the principles of the UnDiet. Even though this salad seems pretty simple – and it is – it makes all the difference. My mouth is watering just writing this down. This salad is an entire meal, and often in my house!

To a bowl of lettuce add any of the following:

• bite-sized chunks or shredded cheese
• sausage
• pepperoni
• ham
• turkey
• chicken
• corned beef
• roast beef
• shrimp
• lobster
• crab
• ham, turkey, or chicken salad made with sugar-free mayo
• hard-boiled eggs

Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Dress with mayo thinned with fresh lemon or lime juice, or just drizzle on a little extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Mexican Caesar Salad Protein, Neutral if not using feta cheese

Puree

• 2/3 cup creme fraiche, real or soy sour cream, or firm tofu
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2-4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, 1-2 tablespoons dried

Break 8 cups romaine lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Toss with enough dressing to evenly coat. Garnish with 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds & (3 tablespoons feta cheese).

Egg Salad Salad

The recipe title is not redundant, this is an egg salad that is a SALAD. The measurements here are not exact but they don’t need to be. You can make this salad with small amounts of produce leftovers and adjust the amounts according to what you have.

Pulse in food processor until finely diced, but not pureed

• 1/2-1 cucumber, seeded and peeled (if the skins aren’t waxed then you can leave the peel on)
• a pinch of sea salt

Dump from processor bowl into strainer and allow to drain for 30 minutes

Pulse in food processor until very finely diced, but not pureed

• 4-8 hardboiled eggs
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 2-6 stalks celery
• 1 tablespoon-1/4 cup onion
• (green cabbage)
• (jicima)
• (water chestnuts)
• (green beans)
• (choose only one: sesame seed oil, dill, or tarragon to taste)

Add cucumber and pulse just until thoroughly mixed into the salad.

Serve on top of:

• Protein Bread
• cucumber rounds
• zucchini rounds, raw or cooked
• thinly pounded and cooked chicken breasts

or wrapped up in:

• lettuce leaves
• slices of corned beef, ham, or any spiced ham such as prosciutto

Perfect Potluck Picnic Pea Salad

This can be served in a large bowl or mounded on a platter lined with lettuce leaves.

Combine

• 2  ~ 10 ounce packages frozen peas, thawed
• 1 cup cheese, cubed (cheddar, Edam, jack, mozzarella – choose one, don’t mix cheeses)
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
• sea salt and pepper to taste

BLT Salad

Mix in salad bowl and set aside 1/2

• 1 cup mayo
• (1/4 cup creme fraiche, yogurt, or sour cream)
• fresh lemon or lime juice, just enough to thin the mayo to pourable consistency
• 2-3 cloves roasted garlic
• (1 teaspoon Dijon mustard)
• (1/4 teaspoon horseradish)
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Add to bowl

• Romaine lettuce
• bacon, crumbled or cut into bite-size pieces
• tomato, chopped or sliced
• (cheese: cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, jack)

If you need to add some of the reserved dressing do so. Leftover dressing can be used on any other salad.

Broccoflower Salad

This is a very large salad which is good for potlucks. You can cut the recipe in half to serve to your family or make the entire recipe and use the suggestion below for leftovers. If you only have 1/2 a head of cauliflower or broccoli just use more bell pepper, celery, or tomato.

A couple of hours before serving mix in large bowl

• 3/4 cup sugar-free bottled Ranch dressing and 1/4 cup mayo or
• 1 cup mayo
• 2 cloves roasted garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 1 teaspoon dried cilantro or parsley, 1 tablespoon fresh
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Scoop out 1/2 the dressing and set aside to drizzle over assembled salad. Add to bowl

• 1 head broccoli florets, slice each head lengthwise into bite-size pieces
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2-3 stalks celery, diced
• 1/2 bell pepper, julienned
• 1 cup olives, sliced or diced
• 1 cup cheese, cut into cubes (Mozzarella, Gouda , Provolone, or Edam)
• 1 large tomato, with seeds removed and chopped- if you think you’ll have leftovers use the tomatoes as a garnish so you don’t have to pick them out before cooking up the casserole below.

Broccoflower Casserole

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place leftover Broccoflower Salad in oiled baking dish. Pour a little heavy cream over veggies, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. (Drizzle or dot with butter.) If there’s not much cheese in the leftovers add some cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes until veggies are just tender.

Chicken Salad with Egg Yolk Dressing

Makes 4 servings.

This is a great way to use egg yolks leftover from making UnDeviled Eggs.

Ingredients
4 egg yolks
6 stalks celery
2 dill pickles
1 tablespoon capers
3 cups chopped chicken breasts
2 tablespoons green chilies
1/4 cup yogurt
1 teaspoon mustard

Directions

In a medium bowl, use a fork or potato masher to mash together egg yolks, yogurt and mustard. Season to taste with sea salt, black pepper and garlic.

Stir in remaining ingredients.

Eat as is or:

• mound on top on cucumber slices
• roll inside lettuce leaf
• serve on a bed of steamed greens dressed with lemon or lime juice and a little salt and pepper

Fitness Aids

When you’re on the road and didn’t pack your computer you can still get a great workout by downloading workout videos to your smartphone. Head on over to Fitness Magazines downloadable videos and get your workout on! And while you’re there check out their Sweepstakes for a chance to win fabulous fitness related prizes.

Use Map My Fitness to track your workouts and share them on Facebook. How’s that for motivation?

Search Healthy Living Blogs for a blogger who lives in your area to glean tips for working out in your city.

Go to Meetup.com to connect with others in your area who are working out. You’ll find cooking clubs, dieters, walkers, runners, tennis players, volleyball teams … You name it and chances are you’ll find a group in your area on Meetup.

Aida – software program to help diabetics make the proper diet adjustments.

Food Composition software program will tell you what’s in 5,975 foods, based on the USDA Nutrient Database.

Always4Free – hey, why pay when you can get it for free? This is the link to the Health & Beauty page.

23 Fitness Downloads These software downloads can help you manage your diet and fitness schedule, as well as monitor health concerns such as heart disease and diabetes.

Video Fitness is a thriving online community whose members are dedicated to helping each other make the most of a home exercise program. Members accomplish this by writing reviews of the exercise videos that they use regularly, and by sharing advice and opinions in the Reader Forum.

They don’t sell videos, so their community members can be completely honest about whether a fitness video lives up to its claims. There’s also a FREE download for a workout log program.

Cooking Light magazine’s web site is running a year long program called Good Moves 2000 which is well worth following along with. Each month you’ll get motivated with new information and new moves.

Download these shareware demos . They’ll be useful to your weight loss progress, and give you a toy to inject some fun into your UnDiet. I’ve found that weight-tracking software kept in conjunction with a food and exercise diary has helped immensely in determining just what I can and cannot get away with. For instance, it was this tool that helped me to figure out that too much sugar (even unrefined sugar and aspartame) will stall my weight loss.

Vita-Master ™  Easy access to alternative, wellness, and nutritional information from hundreds of sources. This software database has won several awards for its full powered design that enables you to collect and track your own information as well! There’s a free demo download so you can “try before you buy”.

Weight Whiz prompts you for a daily weight entry. This data can then be graphed over a specified period of time to show long-term or short-term trends.

Don’t have the time or money to get together with a personal trainer? These software programs will help to construct, motivate, instruct, and track your exercise program.

Crosstrainer is an exercise assistant that you can use to create and schedule workouts for cross-training, bodybuilding, and toning. You can also use it to track your nutritional intake and schedule aerobic exercises. Among other features, the program’s cross-training option will allow you to design and schedule a weight-training program that complements your main sporting regiment. The program also comes with a nutritional intake log and a food database of more than 5,000 foods and related information. Other features include printable workout sheets, daily logs and reports, schedules, and more.

Version 4.5.2 adds the ability to upload and download recipes and workouts to the Crosstrainer Online Community.

Feedback Weight-training Designer acts like a personal trainer to help you design your own training program for building muscle and reducing body fat.

Sante is an interactive program that tracks diet, exercise, and health. Enter your personal details, and Sante will come up with a specific, detailed recommendation for how you can attain your specific goals, whether they be to lose pounds or bulk up.

Health-RunR offers diet, exercise, and related behavioral support tools for weight loss, maintenance, and gain. It also maximizes competitive fitness and health. It will generate and record diet, fitness, and sports-training programs ideal for the individual user. It provides complete diet, nutrition, and exercise support for conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, liver disease, AIDS, aging, pregnancy, occupational injuries, food allergies, and more. Health-RunR tracks calorie burn off rates and records and analyzes intake of food, alcohol, water, coffee, and tea. It also tracks prescriptions, medications, herbs, and vitamins.

Fitness Information

Great American Products check out their library of articles on health and fitness. You’ll find out how to work your lower body, upper body, abs …

The Fitness Guide Message Board a great place to get advice, get your questions answered, and get in touch with an exercise buddy.

Global Health and Fitness is your on-line guide to healthy living and optimal fitness. Whether you’re a beginner or advanced, they’ll help you avoid common mistakes, teach you techniques for making your routine more effective, and guide you step-by-step to achieving optimum results. Check out their gallery of free fitness tools:

• Archive of fitness articles
• Fitness Analysis
• Monthly Newsletter
• Protein Calculator
• Calorie Calculator
• Fat Calculator
• Carbohydrate Calculator
• Heart Rate Calculator and more

Video Fitness is a thriving online community whose members are dedicated to helping each other make the most of a home exercise program. Members accomplish this by writing reviews of the exercise videos that they use regularly, and by sharing advice and opinions in the Reader Forum.

They don’t sell videos, so their community members can be completely honest about whether a fitness video lives up to its claims. There’s also a FREE download for a workout log program.

Cooking Light magazine’s web site is running a year long program called Good Moves 2000 which is well worth following along with. Each month you’ll get motivated with new information and new moves.

IVillage: good article on the whys of weight training, plus you can post your question(s).

Fitness Equipment

Just Her Sports is an online sporting goods store for women of all ages. Girl’s and women’s sports equipment, accessories, apparel, books, videos and gifts at affordable prices. Select your sport and you’ll also find a wealth of information including the latest news and features on women’s sports, women’s health and a selection of products to help you achieve your goals. Stick-to-It Fitness Links on-line mags, find fitness equipment, exercise & fitness info.

Pills and supplements aren’t your only option when it comes to suppressing your appetite. There are many foods which have appetite suppressing properties and once you know which foods have this bonus you can start incorporating them into your diet and be on your way towards managing your weight. Here is a list of natural appetite suppressant foods that will work wonders in moving you towards your weight loss goal:

• Dark chocolate: a dark chocolate bar made of 70 percent cocoa is a good natural appetite suppressant. Its bittersweet taste can signal your body to reduce its cravings for other foods. Dark chocolate also contains steric acid which can work to slow down digestion. This means that you will end up feeling full longer than normal and therefore reduce your cravings to eat more food.

• Fiber-rich foods: fiber is an excellent appetite suppressant. It curbs your appetite simply because it is not digested quickly. It makes you feel full longer and quicker. Fiber-rich foods to consider adding to your diet are fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and whole grains.

• Protein-rich foods: just as with fiber, protein can be the best appetite suppressant as it can make you feel full longer, too. Some protein-rich foods you may want to add to your diet include nuts, tuna, and lean meats.

• Chili peppers and hot sauces: these condiments contain capsaicin, a substance that can lower the hunger-inducing hormones in the body. This substance can also increase the appetite suppressing hormones. Pile these condiments onto some of the other appetite suppressing foods in this article and you’ll pack a double appetite suppression punch.

• Potatoes: these tubers contain a special starch that can make you forget the feelings of being hungry for a long time. However, make sure you munch on healthy potato dishes such as boiled or baked potatoes and not French fries and potato chips.

Besides the foods listed above there are many more foods that you can trust to effectively suppress your appetite. Once you start incorporating these foods into your diet you’ll be on your way to a successful goal of shredding some pounds.

Some of our readers have expressed an interest in an alkaline diet which is recommended for cancer patients and those experiencing other health challenges. Hopefully this guest post will help to steer you in the right direction.

The alkaline diet is pretty straight forward. The general idea is to increase the percentage of alkaline food that we consume. So what are alkaline foods? Overall, the distinction between acid and alkaline foods is pretty simple. Fruits and vegetables are “alkaline” everything else is “acidic”. The definition has nothing to do with the pH of the foods themselves.

For example, lemons are acidic. However these fruits actually alkalize the human body. This can seem a bit confusing. The reason for the alkaline/acid effects of foods is as follows. It is actually the nutritional content of foods that determines whether they alkalize or acidify. Proteins cause foods to acidify our body. On the other hand, high potassium foods alkalize. So if you’d like to start feeling more energetic throughout the day, you could try eating more fruits and vegetables.

An alkaline diet plan is actually quite easy to follow. If you have your own juicing appliance, it’s even easier. When you first get up in the morning, get yourself a glass of water. Then for breakfast include an extra piece of fruit, an orange or grapefruit is a good choice. If you’re able to make yourself some homemade orange juice, that would be perfect. At every meal, try to eat one more serving of vegetables than you do at present.

A lot of people decide that they’re going to trim fat from their body and then do their best to achieve their goals without much of a plan at all. Many people decide to lose fat on a whim or when they simply get fed up with what they see in the mirror. But if you want to truly get long-term results then you’re going to have to be as organized as possible. Otherwise, you’ll just be really motivated for two weeks and probably quit when you face inevitable challenges that come your way. This is a familiar pattern that has plagued people for a long time, but there’s no reason you can’t change things. In order to be organized and know exactly how to approach things, you might benefit from the help of a Fat Loss Journal. The great thing about a Fat Loss Journal is that there are no exact rules as to what it should contain. It is basically a resource that you can tailor to your personality that will also help you to stay on track.

It’s important to remember there is an emotional part to losing weight just as there is with gaining weight. If you don’t deal with the emotional aspect in a healthy way, chances are you won’t be able to adapt a new healthier diet conducive to weight loss. You’re going to face challenges along the way, and one of the best ways to deal with them is with the help of a journal. It can be a resource in which you record your various thoughts and feelings, and it can be a place to vent as well. In addition to building up your support system of friends and family, having a journal at your side can help to bolster your mental well-being in pursuit of a healthier body. You can also use it to write any interesting information that you find on the Internet, or helpful advice that your friends give you. It can be a place where you record different types of recipes that you can try along with pictures of yourself so that you know exactly how far you’ve progressed. The point is to make your Fat Loss Journal what you want it to be.

Since exercise is such a key component to fat loss, you’re going to want to keep yourself on track using any means possible. A journal can be the perfect place to record your experience with different types of exercises and what you can do to improve your performance. Ideally, you want to be able to work your way up from walking around the neighborhood each day to picking up the pace with the best exercise equipment. Recording workout information is a vital step in helping you to build your endurance and fine tune your approach to daily physical activity. Ultimately, your fat loss journal will be a valuable resource you can have at your side that is custom tailored to provide you with the information necessary to adapt your plan as you go.

As someone who works in the fitness industry and is always working with people on their fitness goals the subjects of diet and food come up constantly.  A hot topic that I always end up discussing with clients is healthy protein powders.  Many people trying to change their bodies and bring them to a state of fitness are including more protein to build muscle, loose fat and increase their metabolism. This is great logic in theory.

Protein is a key component to all your fitness goals and I may likely be the first to tell you to bump it up.  But just as much as increasing your protein matters so does where it comes from too. The quality of protein in the majority of protein powders is hardly fit for consumption despite what is presented on the label and advertised in the media. The vast majority of protein powders are loaded with additives. They contain chemical flavors, colors and scents. They are loaded with preservatives (which is why they will keep for several years on your shelf) and many fillers like inexpensive soy to make up bulk and hike the protein stats on the label.

What is not discussed is how these protein powders and your body interact together. Protein powders made from a low quality protein source which is often overly-processed soy and whey are usually very difficult for your body to digest.  Despite what the numbers say on the label if your body can’t use it then it’s useless to you. Additionally, there are all the additives included in the protein powder that your body has to now deal with. Where does it go? More often then not these additives line your intestines making it even harder for your body to absorb the nutrients that you need and adding excess body weight through expanded intestines. Have you noticed how your tummy grow over the years even when your body fat is in check? This is a sign of toxic build up at work in your body and showing up in a spare tire around your stomach.

Finding the best protein powder means choosing a protein powder that your body can digest. Look for natural proteins from hemp or other vegetable sources.  Look for very few ingredients, only one if possible. No flavoring is always best, then you can add in what you like to have such as berries or bananas. Following these guidelines when choosing your protein powder will speed you along towards reaching your fitness and weight goals much more so than blindly following the magic promises in the next magazine ad you read.

If you have a well-balanced diet and are not consuming high quantities of highly processed foods, then you don’t necessarily need to take probiotics. Probiotics are essentially foods or supplements that contain high quantities of “beneficial” bacteria that are thought to improve health and will definately improve digestion. Unfortunately most modern diets do not contain sufficient quantities of these bacteria with the result being that we do not maintain viable populations of probiotic bacteria in our gastro-intestinal tract.

Recent studies indicate that probiotic bacteria can help to:

• manage diarrhea, especially diarrhea that is linked to prolonged use of certain antibiotics
• treat irritable bowel syndrome
• improve digestion and nutrient uptake
• reduce the likelihood of food allergies
• control cholesterol levels
• get rid of yeast infections caused by Candida
• reduce the risk of certain forms of cancer
• assist in the treatment of intestinal infections

Labeling requirements around probiotics are still weak so take care when looking for a good probiotic supplement. If you see a product labeled “probiotic”, it may not contain sufficient quantities of viable bacteria to provide a significant health benefit. In addition, some manufacturers make generalized claims about health benefits, without linking these back to the specific genus, species and strain that is provided in the probiotic food or supplement.

The best probiotics are sold in good quality packaging (often inert glass), with clear expiration dates and with all health claims backed up by independently conducted scientific studies. In particular make sure that the probiotics are identified down to the strain level and information is provided on the specific quantities that are provided. You will normally see this measured in terms of Colony Forming Units or (CFU’s). If in doubt stick with probiotic supplements that include acidophilus and bifidobacterium strains as these are the most studied and mimic the natural bacteria found in our intestines.  For more guidance when choosing which probiotics to purchase the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) is a good resource.

H2>Sources for High Quality Probiotics

There are more than 100 million Americans who are either overweight or obese, with the highest percentage among kids. The excess fat trend is growing at an alarming rate, with many children approaching morbid obesity even before their teen years begin.  This unfortunate condition fortunately has a simple explanation, and an equally simple solution.

It’s all about the foods we put in our mouths, not how much food we eat.  For years, we’ve been told that gaining weight is because we are eating too much food. Most of us have come to believe the popular myth that the body responds to a natural “energy balance” that results in piling on fat if we consume more energy than we happen to “burn” through our daily activities. It turns out this isn’t the case, which will come as a great relief if you’ve ever tried to starve yourself by cutting calories, thinking that consuming fewer calories would be the quickest way to lose weight. Fortunately, it doesn’t work that way.

If you’re wondering how to lose belly fat, you’ll be relieved to learn it’s extremely simple. You lose belly fat the same way you lose fat in other areas of your body:  by lowering the chronic insulin levels in your bloodstream. Fat only accumulates in the presence of insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas in response to an increase in your blood sugar levels. Blood sugar rises most quickly when you consume sugar, starch, and other easily-processed carbohydrates.

In order to keep your blood sugar at healthy levels, you need to significantly reduce your sugar and high fructose corn syrup intake, as well as drastically curtail your consumption of potatoes, breads, pastas, rice, brownies, cake, cereals, and the like. While this will undoubtedly be hard to do at first, particularly if you’re used to a life full of sugar and starches, you’ll be amazed at how quickly the weight comes off!

Find Out How To Eat The Low Insulin Way