The Zone and South Beach and GI…OH MY!
I said it…the dreaded “D” word. And for the first time in my company’s history, I’m going to try it. I’ve never believed in dieting. Just the word itself instantly brings upon feelings of anxiety, depression…and hunger. And most of the ones out there on the commercial market are fads. They might work in the beginning, but they are difficult to maintain and usually result in the yo-yo effect (gaining more weight upon returning to regular eating habits). Some are just plain silly…like the ones where you can eat as much bacon as you want but carrots are restricted. Nope…those ones aren’t for me.
But since the birth of my son, 23 months ago, my body has never been the same. Don’t get me wrong…I know I don’t have a weight problem and I am truly thankful for that. But things have definitely changed in the past two years, both in the way I look and in the way we eat.
So, this November, Daily Apple is doing an experiment. Upping the exercise, downing the portions and adding a few of our own “Food Rules”. Chris and I are both going to try it (mostly so we can eat whatever we want at holiday time!) and will be reporting throughout the month on both our Twitter and Facebook feed. I’ll post recipes and do a final summary at the end of the month. So stay tuned everyone and wish me luck! If you want to play along, I’ve written out the recipe for you below.
The Daily Apple “Clean and Green” Diet
Food Rules
Eat only fresh foods
Eat 3 meals and 3 snacks daily
Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day at a moderate/intense level
Walk 10,000 steps a day (that’s 82 minutes of walking for me – average 2 steps/second)
Stretch every night before bed
Eat lots of colours
Eat without a label
Chew your food
Limit your meat and dairy
Avoid anything “white”
The Plan
Grab an average sized dinner plate. This will be your plate for each meal – 3 times a day. Each meal you will divide your plate in half, and then divide one half into quarters. Each meal you will fill half of your plate with fresh fruit and veggies, a quarter with a starch and a quarter with a protein. And each plate allows for one drizzle – of either fat or sugar. Each snack will consist of either a fruit or vegetable and a protein. And you get 3 of them each day. Here’s what we are eating Day 1:
Breakfast Plate: Half: Apples, pears and cucumbers – chopped. Quarter starch: quinoa. Quarter protein: chopped walnuts. Drizzle: Maple syrup
Snack: Celery and peanut butter
Lunch: Half: Arugula, steamed broccoli and roasted cauliflower. Quarter starch: roasted sweet potato. Quarter protein: roasted chickpeas. Drizzle: olive oil
Snack: Carrots and hummus
Dinner: Half: Romaine salad and sautéed bok choi and gai lam (Chinese broccoli). Quarter starch: brown rice. Quarter protein: baked trout. Drizzle: olive oil
Snack: yoghurt and fruit
Last thing. Beverages. If you drink coffee…don’t deny yourself. Especially if you have kids. No more than 2 mugs a day. Otherwise it’s water and green tea for the month. If you drink alcohol…don’t deny yourself. Especially if you have kids! But alcohol has LOTS of calories. So you’re allowed 6 a week…any way you like it. One a day (with one day off for rest) or 3 on Friday and Saturday. Preferably no more than that though…for safety’s sake.
For updates and recipes follow our twitter and Facebook feeds.
Let’s do this!
Don’t forget the drizzle!