Recently, I wrote about my family's new diet, the Perfect Health Diet, and the benefits I've seen so far. This diet goes against the traditional "Western" diet - it's high fat, moderate protein, low carb, no (processed) sugar & no grain (other than rice). If you are more interested in what's "in" and what's "out" with this diet, check out my previous post.
Ok, so you don't eat grains, beans, sugar, vegetable oils or processed foods? So what do you eat?
The Perfect Health Diet is drastically different than the typical Western diet. So much so that at first it's hard to figure out what to eat without grains, beans, and sugar. That's why I've heard the above question every time I've told someone about my diet. And nearly every time I've answered the question, I've seen a little light bulb go off. Because there really is so much we can eat and it's all good, tasty foods. Foods that people have been guilty about for years. That they thought they couldn't eat. That are "bad" in every other diet they've tried. Yep, that's what I eat - rich, fatty foods! And I feel healthy! And I have so much energy! And I lost weight!
Here are some ideas of what we eat. Keep in mind, some of these foods/recipes below call for low-fat versions of foods, flour, etc. Use full fat options instead (full fat yogurts, sour cream, milk, etc.) and substitute rice/almond/coconut flours for wheat flour.
Breakfast:
Cream of Rice or Rice and Shine
scrambled eggs/omelets, varied with different veggies and cheeses
fried eggs
bacon
bausage
crustless quiche
bacon cups (line muffin tins with bacon, fill with eggs, cheese, veggies, salt & pepper) and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes)
hard boiled eggs, cheese, nuts
yogurt with honey & fruit
avocado with lemon juice
almond flour pancakes
Lunch:
hard boiled eggs, cheese, nuts
yogurt with honey & fruit
avocado from the previous night's dinner
soups: potato soup, butternut squash soup, broccoli cheese
Dinner:
rice with veggies and meat stir-fries
fried rice with veggies, meat, & egg (great way to use leftover rice, cold rice works best for making fried rice because it won't be as sticky as freshly made rice)
"naked burrito" (rice with meat, salsa, cheese, lettuce, fajita veg)
any meats (steak, pork chops, ribs, chicken, venison, etc., etc., etc.)
stuffed bell peppers
macaroni and cheese (we use the Fannie Farmer's recipe with rice elbow macaroni, rice flour & no breadcrumbs)
chicken Parmesan (sub rice flour) over rice noodles
parmesan crusted pork chops (sub rice flour)
chicken coconut curry over rice
shrimp (especially barbecued shrimp & veggie skewers)
fish
Sides:
salads with olive oil and vinegar dressing, veggies, fruits, nuts
veggies of any kind (we love to saute them with a little garlic in some olive oil or grill on the BBQ)
this cabbage recipe is my new fave veg recipe
garlic mashed potatoes
baked potatoes with sour cream
mashed/baked sweet potatoes
homemade fries
parmesan rice pilaf
feta and parmesan zucchini bake
twice baked potatoes casserole (to die for)
Snacks:
smoothies (made with cream, ice, frozen/fresh fruits, juice, almond butter, etc.)
cheeses
fruits
vegetables
nuts
Dessert:
Primal fudge (my husband's favorite dessert - he begs for these!)
Paleo brownie
Homemade ice cream (sugar free)
Frozen non-dairy desserts (we love this strawberry one)
For more ideas, see my "Perfect Health Diet" Pinterest board.
Anyone else grain free/sugar free?
What are your favorite meals?
This is too funny--3 of the blogs I read were all talking about food and/or meal planning yesterday! My SIL was on a diet similar to this (not sure if it was the same, but she was never eating grains). I know people say there is still a lot to eat, but even when I looked at the list I didn't see much for me personally because there is so much with eggs and they often make me sick to my stomach (light allergy or something, I think). Glad it's working well for you though!
ReplyDeleteThe breakfast ideas are a bit egg top-heavy, but I think that has to do more with me liking eggs than with those being the only options. I'm looking down the list and really don't see anything else with eggs (chicken parm could be made with or without). We really only eat eggs about three days a week for breakfast and, other than the occasional hard boiled egg for lunch or fried rice for dinner, maybe once monthly or bi-monthly, that's all the eggs we eat. I could easily cut them out altogether.
ReplyDeleteI was a vegan for years, so compared to that diet, this seemed to have so much variety.
The eggs probably just stand out to me because I'm always avoiding them! I guess in comparison to being vegan it really would seem like a lot of options. I admire people who are able to just decide they won't be eating something because I have absolutely no willpower for that. If something looks tasty I usually just eat it! But I think I've been getting better lately and hopefully it is lasting instead of just a phase like most of my healthy eating tends to be!
ReplyDeleteMy main question is whether or not this diet has made your grocery bill go up. That really is my main concern. I try to eat similar to this (uh except I have a hard time cutting out dessert), but I'm worried it would send my grocery bill through the roof!
ReplyDelete