E: Other Vegetables
*Spinach, *Mixed vegetable (including other cruciferous vegetables), *Sauerkraut, Asparagus, Peas, Broccoli, Green Beans, **Cauliflower, Cabbage.
All vegetables contain carbs. Non starchy vegetables, such as (broccoli, Asparagus, green beans) contain good carbs and fibre. These should make up at least 50 percent of what is on your plate at every meal, by volume.
Vegetables are not limited to only the above. You can add to them as you like. Fresh may be better but canned is also alright, only watch the salt content. However do not fixate too much on salt intake. Latest research shows salt is not as much the villain as it has traditionally been made out to be. Unless you really go out of the way to add extra salt you don’t have to worry. (See – ‘Salt Intake’).
Note:
Rule#3:
DO NOT drink calories.
Keep properly hydrated. Drink massive quantities of water and as much unsweetened tea, coffee (with no-more than two table spoons of cream per day. You may sprinkle a little cinnamon instead). If you are feeling hungry during the day, take some lemon water and some nuts instead.
DO NOT drink milk (See – ‘Effects of Milk’), bottled soft drinks or fruit juices in the initial stage of the diet, except on feast/binge days. Phosphoric acid in carbonated drinks is to be avoided.
Consumption of sugar sweetened beverages is associated with a higher risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Fresh lemon juice with water, or Indian drinks such as ‘Jal Jeera’ all without all sweeteners are fine.
As regards alcohol, it is strongly recommended you DO NOT drink alcohol. But it is your personal choice and you need to make it with care. The less you drink, the leaner and healthier you will be. Alcohol interferes with the normal metabolic pathways, including those for fat burning. It is also easy to drink a lot of calories from alcohol without realizing it and the extra calories get stored as fat, even leading to fatty liver syndrome. Hangovers also affect your nutrition and exercise the next day.
DO NOT drink white wine or beer. A glass, of red wine per night may be consumed but it is NOT necessary for this Diet.
You may drink reasonable quantities of water during your meal time as you feel necessary. Our stomachs are so formed as to direct most of the water along its shorter side directly towards the small intestine, away from food which plops into the longer side. It is only when you drink too much water at a time that your digestion might be affected, even then a little dilution, which slows down digestion, is a good thing and in any case your body has the ability to some extent to control the acidity levels in your stomach. (See – ‘Need for Proper Hydration’).