I didn't know if you'd go back to the VLCD post and find this so that's why you get your own little thread.
If you were to go to the supermarket with me, you'd find that all my shopping is from the perimeter of the store. I hit the inner aisles for olive oil, oatmeal, wheat germ, and my husband's cereal.
I tend to eat the way Mediterraneans eat. My dad is from Spain, my mom is from the Dominican Republic, and if I had to choose between the two, the Spaniards eat a better fare than the Caribbeans. (Island folks eat way too much salt for my tastes.)
I eat all meats, dairy, vegetables, and fruits. The meats I eat are either broiled or grilled, not baked or fried. The dairy is fat-free, and dairy is the ONLY food I'll eat fat-free because when the fat is removed, nothing else is added to take its place. I wouldn't do that with "regular" food.
I eat most vegetables and fruits in their raw states, with the peels when possible. If I have to "cook" anything, it's steamed. I always, always, always add olive oil to my vegetables because without fat, the phytochemicals in the vegetables are not released. Therefore, no fat-free dressing ever, ever, ever.
Brown rice, and lots of it. Garbanzos (my favorites), pigeon peas (gandules), kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, any bean that has NOT been Americanized (no refried beans, no chili and beans, none of that). You can buy them fresh for about $.50/pound or canned for a heck of a lot more. All I do is soak them the night before in the fridge, and the next day I treat them as I would canned beans. Other side dishes are couscous, tabbouleh (make sure the tomatoes are really fresh, really chilled, and throw in cilantro to blow your mind).
We eat fish at least three times a week, beef once a week, pork twice a week, chicken, once a week. No burgers. No hot dogs. None of that crap. When I go out to eat sometimes, I have a burger, medium rare, with onions and mushrooms because there is just nothing in this world like a well-made burger.
I do grill bratwursts with grilled onions and peppers whenever the Red Sox get to the finals, though.
We don't really snack around here but we'll sometimes lunch on hummus, whole wheat crackers, feta cheese, fontina, manchego, other hard cheeses like that.
Avocados don't last long around here.
We will slice plantain (green), wrap it in aluminum foil, add chunks of mango and pineapple, and throw that on the grill as a side dish sometimes.
Stuffed grape leaves is also good, easy, nutritious, and filling.
I eat no processed foods. I read about Lunchables on here the other day and didn't know what it was so I looked it up. It was scary. I eat nothing from the deli. Turkey breast is great stuff so I buy a turkey breast, cook the thing, slice it, and wrap it in romaine lettuce leaves with a bit of pesto for a breadless sandwich. I got that idea from a South Beach article.
I grow lots of herbs and we must have close to 200 spices in our cabinet that we use regularly. My husband travels a lot and he brought me back a five-pound batch of the best curry powder that someone mixed for him in India. We pick up saffron when we're in Spain, but we can get most of our spices at the grocery store and do okay with that.
We eat lots of sushi. It's easy to make. Cut and serve. Just make sure you ask for sushi-grade fish at the store.
No mayonnaise, but we've become mustard snobs and vinegar connoisseurs. No salt. Sugar in my coffee once a day. Half and half cream. No butter. Never have it in the house.
I eat no bread unless I order that burger at a restaurant. We don't even buy bread except for the occasional loaf of French bread so that we can make bruschetta topped with olive oil, mozarella cheese, a thick slice of tomato, and basil.
I don't care much for sugar or baked goods, desserts, or any of that, but I could go face down on cheesecake, chocolate-raspberry ice cream, and Hershey's kisses. The way I resolve that is to not buy it. When my husband and I run 30 miles in a week, we treat ourselves to the ice cream. We buy the little container and go through it on a Sunday night while reading our New York Times. It's our "sugar date".
I'm not an organic food nut so I use the regular supermarket. But I'm conscious of the chemicals in our food supply so I try to use my better judgment and stick to what seems most wholesome.
I raised four kids like this. The oldest (29) is a nutritionist and a vegetarian who has run four marathons. Second child (27) is a vegan and a competetive bicyclist waiting for the Tour de France to allow women to participate. Third is a boy (22) who eats only organic, and the baby (19) sticks to the Mediterranean fare.
I wouldn't say I have a weight problem because of the way I eat. I weighed 119 pounds my entire adult life until about four years ago when the pounds started creeping on as the metabolism slowed down. My problem is that I am not consistent with my training. If I just would get my butt out the door on a regular basis, I'd be just fine.
I don't follow recipes because after 30 years you kind of get a sense for how flavors work together. But if you need some guidance, check out Made in Spain, epicurious magazine, cooks illustrated magazine, and even FoodTV. I don't know that I can put the links on here but if you google the above, you'll find it all.
I hope this answers some questions for you. Food is wonderful. I'll never give up eating well as long as I live. And I am a firm, firm, firm believer that you can eat extremely well and maintain an adequate weight, be full of energy, and look great in a hot pink bikini!
Jeremsgirl, this is for you!
). I smoked briefly in High School, told on myself and then had to stop. Thank God for my parents! HAHA! 