Last night a guy I’m dating told me he was on a health kick and therefore, starting a No Carb Diet. I despise the Atkins diet and philosophy- anything that says, “Here, eat this rasher of bacon for breakfast, go ahead and melt some cheese on there… but don’t you DARE touch that piece of whole grain toast!!!” is absolutely ridiculous.
I’ve noticed when I talk to guys that they are, a lot of the time, completely clueless about what healthy food actually entails. Just say, “no honey, avocados are okay because they’re good fats” and watch his eyes glaze over. So, my bff and I created a guideline for him to follow.
On a side note, I woke up this morning and I felt absolutely terrible. Not even in a hung over sense, I just felt awful. Cloudy. Tired. Listless. I don’t want to feel like that.
So I’m doing it too. I want to wake up in the morning and go for a two mile run before work. I want to feel like a million dollars and hop out of bed, not drag myself into the shower. I want to be a show stopper in a bikini. It will be hard with bartending the late nights, but I should be able to overcome that if I take care of myself the rest of the time.
Kdawg and I devised a detox-and-rejuvenate diet outline we’re going to follow from now on, for a couple weeks and see how we feel. Thought I’d share it with you. I consider myself well educated in all things healthy (we womenfolk spend a LOT of time thinking about what we eat, obvi), and she’s even more knowledgeable. And because I’m a giver, I’m posting it here. 
Here goes…
The “No Really, We’re Healthy, We Swear” Diet
No one should cut whole grains, brown rice, and fruits out of their diet. But sauces and dressings, all things fried, potatoes (other than sweet, which are really good for you), white rice, white bread, pizza, ALCOHOL, etc- all that crap basically does nothing for you.
Breakfast Options:
- Eggs (NOT fried)- or even better, Eggbeaters- with lots of fruit (variety!)
- Kalyn’s breakfast muffins: http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2006/10/egg-muffins-revisited-again.html (You make a bunch and then can grab a couple out of the fridge on your way to work in the morning. Genius.)
- Plain oatmeal, banana
- Whole grain cereal (like Kashi, their protein and fiber cereals are good) and non-fat yogurt
- Wheat English muffin with turkey sausage, ham, or canadian bacon and egg (skip the cheese preferably- drink some skim milk for your dairy.) If you’re in DC, Juice Joint at 15th and Vermont Ave is amazing for fresh, organic healthy food for breakfast and lunch.
- Southbeach Diet peanut butter high protein cereal bar and non-fat yogurt (exactly 200 calories, and healthy)
No soda! No juices unless fresh… they’re sugary and high in calories. A glass of fresh OJ is okay in the morning. Eat real fruit instead.
Lunch:
Salad with TONS of veggies (again- VARIETY! Mix it up every day), fat-free dressing or preferably balsamic vinegar (not viniagrette!) and olive oil. (Beware: 1 tablespoon of olive oil has 120 calories in it, which is about 10% of a low-calorie daily allotment (1200 calories). Go easy!)
ALSO: the lighter the green, the less nutrition there is for you. Iceberg lettuce and celery are basically just water and have almost no nutritional value. Always get DARK leafy mixed greens, romaine, or spinach for the base of your salad- the darker the better!
Get a lean protein in there: either grilled chicken, turkey, shrimp, tuna (tuna steak, not salad), salmon, or other lean fish.
Watch out for high sodium foods (my downfall, I swear I would have a salt lick at work if it wasn’t… well, weird and unheard of), like cheese, soups (especially canned- buy the low sodium), processed meats, ketchup and mustard, chicken/tuna/potato salad, chips, popcorn, nuts, soda, bbq sauce, fast food, microwave meals, etc… Too much salt (daily recommended is 2500 mg) makes you retain water = bloated = I no longer want to leave my apartment, ever. Also, too much money spent on muu muus.
Good Snacks: (PORTION is key here… don’t overdo it)
- Veggies like celery and carrot sticks with no-fat ranch, (or even better, nothing)
- Fruit: especially apples- high in fiber
- Soy crisps
- Wheat crackers
- Cottage cheese or yogurt
- Banana and reduced fat peanut butter (although beware; peanut butter is protein and good fat but even the reduced has 100 calories in a tablespoon- go easy)
- A protein fruit smoothie
- Low sodium V8 juice
- Almonds
Don’t forget a daily vitamin! Take it after eating a meal or snack.
Dinner:
A lean protein (we suggest marinating chicken breasts in the morning so they are delish by dinner time!) with a generous side of veggies, cooked as little as possible (it cooks the nutrients out- light grilling or steaming is best)
Other good/healthy side dishes:
Brown rice, cous cous with veggies, whole wheat pasta, zucchini or broccoli melted with cheese and fresh herbs, sauteed or steamed carrots, cauliflower mash, baked sweet potato fries, any veggies sauteed with olive oil and garlic
Dessert:
Frozen yogurt with berries, or just the berries. Or some lovin.
The absolute MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do to detox/feel amazing is DRINK WATER. Daily recommended is 8 glasses of 8 fluid ounces, but in reality this is the minimum. If you really want to feel a difference, try to get 10 or more every day. The best way to do this is have a water bottle, like a Nalgene, that you know how many of you need to drink a day. This will help you pace so you’re not chugging 4 glasses of water before bed to make your quota.
The second MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do is not drink alcohol. It undoes in minutes (1 drink = at least 100 calories) all the hard work you’ve done avoiding empty and unhealthy calories, it dehydrates you, and is a toxin to your body. 
If you must have a drink, have a glass of red wine… It’s by the far the best for you (it helps reduce your risk of vascular disease, though certain types are better than others.)
And there it is… obviously cooking at home is always, always better, because you know what you’re getting, but smarter choices out in restaurants can make a big difference too- watching out for sauces and marinated stuff because they will be extra high in sodium… the best thing you can do is reduce how much you use of them.
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And thus I embark on my journey to healthiness… 
!!!
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