Making Lifestyle Changes : Changing Your Eating Habits (part 2) - Menu Planning

Menu Planning

The list of allowed food and drinks has a symbol by each food group to show if it is a protein (♦), a limited carbohydrate (⋆), or a free carbohydrate (♥). Limited carbohydrates are those with high glycemic index. The glycemic index is a ranking of carbohydrate-containing foods based on how fast they make blood sugar (glucose) levels rise. The higher the glycemic index, the faster a food will increase your blood sugar, with pure glucose having a rating of 100. Carbohydrates with a high glycemic index should be limited and eaten along with a protein source.

When planning your menu, you must make sure you have adequate protein intake to avoid headaches. Avoid all carbohydrates at breakfast and for your bedtime snack. It is critical that you drink at least 8 fluid ounces of water with each meal and snack. You must eat every 3 hours while awake. Remember, the in-between meal snacks are just that, a snack. You are not eating because you are hungry; you are eating to control your headaches. Do not exceed 5 servings (100 grams) of limited carbohydrates per meal. Eating more than 100 grams of limited carbohydrate may trigger headaches by causing a drop in your blood sugar. You may need to increase the amount of limited carbohydrates to cope with increased physical activity or excessive weight loss.

Those with special dietary needs should consult a doctor before making any dietary changes.

• From the list of allowed foods, choose 5–6 servings of protein (♦). You need to have one serving for each meal and 1/2 serving for each snack.

• From the list of allowed foods choose 5 servings of limited carbohydrates (⋆), no more than 20 grams per serving; try for less. You may have these servings at any time except at breakfast and for a bedtime snack. Every serving of limited carbohydrate must be eaten with a serving of protein.

• You are allowed as many servings of free carbohydrates (♥)—vegetables as you want. You need at least 5 servings a day for a healthy diet.

Allowed food and drink

Key to symbols:

♦ = protein

⋆ = limited carbohydrates

♥ = free carbohydrates

^[]Beverages

• Apple and pear juice

• Colas (no diet colas and only one serving of caffeine per day)

• Cranberry juice

• Cream soda

• Ginger ale

• Raspberry soda

• Strawberry juice

• Water

^[]Breads and grains

(no soy oil, soy additives, BHA/BHT)

• Bagels

• Corn tortillas

• English muffins

• Flour tortillas

• French bread

• French rolls

• Hamburger buns

• Italian bread

• Muffins

• Pita bread

• Rye bread

• Wheat and white bread

^[]Cereals, crackers, and cookies

(without any soy or vegetable oil)

• All cereals (without any additives or food triggers)

• Cream of rice and wheat

• Old-fashioned oatmeal

• Pretzels

• Rice cakes

• Rye crackers

• Tortilla corn chips

^[]Dressings, sauces, jams, and vinegar

(no additives)

• Apple sauce

• Chili sauce

• Cranberry sauce

• Fruit jelly (allowed fruit)

• Jams (allowed fruit)

• Ketchup

• Mustard

• Pizza sauce

^[]Fresh fruit

• Apples and pears

• Apricots

• Blueberries

• Canned or Dried (no sulfites or monosodium glutamate)

• Cherries

• Coconuts

• Cranberries

• Peaches

• Raspberries

• Strawberries

• Watermelons

^[]Treats

(limited quantity)

• Angel food cake

• Butterscotch chips

• Butterscotch pudding

• Carrots

• Corn

• Ice cream

• Pastas

• Peas

• Popcorn

• Potatoes

• Pound cake

• Rice (brown, white, or wild)

• Rice pudding

• Sugar

• Vanilla chips

• Vanilla pudding

• White cake mix

^[]Dairy products

• American cheese

• Butter

• Cottage cheese

• Cream cheese

• Eggs

• Evaporated milk

• Farmer’s cheese

• Fresh mozzarella

• Goat cheese, if not aged

• Heavy cream

• Margarine (additive-free)

• Milk (additive-free)

• Ricotta

^[]Meats, poultry, and seafood

(no additives)

• Beef

• Canned chicken

• Chicken

• Crab

• Deli meats (chicken, roast beef, turkey without MSG and nitrates)

• Fish

• Fresh pork (no bacon or ham)

• Lamb

• Lobster

• Salmon

• Scallops

• Shrimp

• Steamed clams

• Turkey

• Veal

• Water-packed tuna

^[]Fresh vegetables

(or canned, no additives)

• Asparagus

• Broccoli

• Brussels sprouts

• Cabbage

• Cauliflower

• Celery

• Chilies (green or red)

• Cucumber

• Eggplant

• Garlic

• Green beans

• Jalapeños

• Lettuce

• Olives

• Peppers (green, red, yellow)

• Pimentos

• Pumpkin

• Radishes

• Spinach

• Squash

• Sweet potatoes

• Tomatoes (all)

• Yams

• Zucchini

^[]Miscellaneous

(no MSG or soy)

• Baking/cooking spices

• Baking powder

• Baking soda

• Bottled water

• Caffeine (2 servings a day or less than 100mg)

• Decaffeinated coffee

• Dry baking yeast

• Flour (unbleached, whole wheat)

• Garlic (cloves, powder)

• Honey

• Oil (canola, corn, olive)

• Onion (flakes, powder)

• Pepper (all)

• Purified tap water

• Salt

• Seafood cocktail sauce (no additives)

• Shortening (no soy)

• Spaghetti sauce (no additives)

• Tabasco sauce (no additives)

• Tomato juice (no additives)

• Tomato paste (no additives)

• Vanilla extract