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| foodatarian.com |
When it comes to food, many weight loss books
have it wrong. They ask you to replace the convenient foods you’ve eaten all
your life with rigid, detailed menus or complex recipes. Who’s going to keep
that up for very long? Most of us don’t have the time or mental energy
to change our entire way of eating or prepare complex recipes. The truth is
that you don’t need to give up the convenient foods you’ve been eating. Just eat them in smaller portions and less often. Make up
the difference with low-fat yogurt, slowly-digesting grains, and unprocessed
fruits, nuts, and vegetables. The addition of these weight loss foods to your meals will enable you to eat smaller portions
of less-healthy foods without going hungry. As a result, you will consume fewer
calories, be satisfied longer after a meal ends, and be less tempted to snack. Adding
weight loss foods to your meals will be easy with the recipes in these appendices.
Most have six or fewer ingredients, take only a few minutes to prepare, and
require only minimal cooking skills.
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Roasted Vegetables
The high temperatures used in roasting enhance
the flavor of vegetables by caramelizing the naturally occurring sugars. You
can roast almost any vegetable. Asparagus, beets, bell peppers, broccoli,
brussels sprouts, cauliflower, corn on the cob, carrots, eggplant, green beans,
mushrooms, onions, parsnips, summer squash, sweet potatoes, turnips, and zucchini work well. Preheat oven to 420° F. Cut an assortment
of vegetables into 1-inch pieces. Dense vegetables such as beets, parsnips,
and carrots should be cut a little thinner to allow faster cooking. Toss the cut
pieces with a little salt and oil in a bowl until each piece is
lightly coated. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in oven. When
the undersides of the pieces have started to brown (about 10– 15 minutes), turn
them over. Remove when the undersides have started to brown again (about 10
minutes more). If the vegetables are still too firm, cut them thinner or use a
lower oven temperature the next time. If they are too dry or mushy, use a
higher temperature or cut them thicker. For variety, include a little basil, parsley,
rosemary, thyme, pepper, or marjoram in the oil mix used for tossing. Roasted
vegetables can be eaten many different ways. Try them with plain yogurt or
yogurt dip, sprinkled with vinegar, pepper, or Parmesan cheese, dressed up with
fresh thyme or oregano, tossed with pasta or nuts, mixed with seasoned rice, or
added to salads.
Vegetables in Fried Eggs
Try this recipe with fresh bell peppers, spinach,
zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, or canned nopales. Cut vegetables
into bite-sized pieces and fry in oil for a few minutes. Season w i t h salt
and pepper. Crack an egg or two over the vegetables and fry in whatever
manner you prefer. Alternatively, add leftover roasted vegetables, or some
fresh avocado or tomato to your eggs after they are cooked.
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Steamed Vegetables
Steamed vegetables are simple, versatile, nutritious,
low-calorie, and will help make any meal more satisfying. Try the following
recipe with cauliflower, green beans, cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli,
zucchini, sweet potatoes, or carrots. Sl i c e vegetables into ½-inch
pieces. Place in a pot with about an inch of water, or in a steamer.
Bring the water to a boil and steam the vegetables until they just start to
soften or become slightly translucent. This should take 4 to 10 minutes. Don’t
overcook, or they will become too soft and lose color and flavor. Drain. Salt to taste. Eat with a little vinegar, lemon
juice, or plain low-fat yogurt to take away any bitterness that may be present,
or with a little olive oil for flavor.
Copyright ©Stan Spencer, PhD –Originally appeared in The Diet Dropout's Guide to Natural Weight Loss by Stan Spencer, PhD
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