11 Day Plan

DAYS 1-4: THE AWARENESS DAYS – BOOT CAMP

I've deliberately structured these first four days to challenge you to eat in a way you never have eaten before. You'll be following a program focusing on soy, fish, whole grains, soups, fruits, and vegetables. You may have avoided some of these foods before because you thought you disliked them. But in the next four days, I want you to try them. That's all I ask!
After these four days of expanding options, I will offer an example of what a healthy, slimming seven-day eating plan could look like-day by day-meal by meal-including a three-day healthy low-carb blitz.


Expand your option menu

Day 1: Try something new. 

Breakfast:
(option 1)
Mixed berries
Spanish omelet (use Egg Beaters, Scramblers, or egg whites
with peppers, onions, olives, and tomato sauce)
Light or whole-grain toast

(option 2)
Mixed berries
Veggie (soy-based) breakfast links
Light or whole-grain pancake
Sugar-free or light syrup

Lunch:
(option 1)
Black bean soup
Veggie burgers with onion, tomato, pickles, and ketchup
Light or whole-grain bun
Tossed green salad with light dressing

(option 2)
Lentil or mixed bean salad on greens with tomatoes
Portobello mushroom sandwich on light or whole-grain roll

Snack:
Raw vegetables with hummus and/or salsa

Dinner:
(option 1)
Chinese Hot-and-sour soup
Mixed seafood with Chinese vegetables and hoisin, black bean, or ginger sauce (or Buddha's delight or vegetable chow mein)

(option 2)
Japanese: Miso soup
Edamame
Sashimi or seafood teriyaki

Snack or dessert:
Fresh strawberries with Almond-Mocha Fruit Dip
Results of Day 1: You've begun to change your way of eating.

Day 2: Focus on fish.

Breakfast:

(option 1)
Sliced orange
Smoked salmon (and/or sable, sturgeon, whitefish, etc.) on
light or whole-grain roll with light or nondairy cream cheese

(option 2)
Sliced orange
Cold cereal (Cheerios, shredded wheat, bran flakes, or other
whole-grain cereal)
Milk
Blueberries, banana

Lunch:
(option 1)
Three-bean chili with onions, salsa, and guacamolc
Lemon-Poppy Carrot Salad on greens (page 191)

(option 2)
Mussels in marinara sauce Grilled vegetables
Cucumber salad

Snack:
Roasted soy nuts

Dinner:
(option 1)
Barbecue/grill: veggie bratwurst, kielbasa, or Italian sausages
Mixed peppers
Sauteed mushrooms
Corn on the cob

(option 2)
Grilled or barbecued chicken
Mixed peppers
Sauteed mushrooms
Corn on the cob

Snack or dessert:
Watermelon


Results of Day 2: You've chosen healthier foods as your sources of protein.

Day 3; Send for soup; hail to whole grains.

Breakfast:
(option 1)
Ginger-Fruit Yogurt (page 190)
Light or whole-grain waffle
Sugar-free or light syrup

(option 2)
Cinnamon baked apple
Light or whole-grain toast Peanut butter

Lunch:
(option 1)
Split-pea soup
Mixed vegetable salad (any vegetables — including pickled
and/or marinated)
Light dressing
Toasted sunflower seeds

(option 2)
Tomato soup 
Shrimp Caesar salad

Snack:
Low-carb chips (CarbFit, Keto — a good source of soy protein)

Dinner:
(option 1)
Baked Eggplant Casserole with Veggie Ground Beef (page 1 87)
Italian green beans
Marinated artichoke hearts

(option 2)
Veggie meatballs in marinara, puttanesca, or tomato-basil sauce
Italian green beans
Marinated artichoke hearts

Snack or dessert:
Orange and Spice Pumpkin Pudding (page 191)

Results of Day 3: You've filled up on phytonutrients; you're fighting the killer diseases.

Day 4: Eat your vegetables.

Breakfast:
(option 1)
Cantaloupe or honeydew melon
Veggie sausage patties on light or whole-grain English muffin

(option 2)
Orange
Whole-grain hot cereal (oatmeal, Wheatena, etc.) with
Chopped nuts and sugar-free lite syrup

Lunch:
(option 1)
Vegetable soup
Curried "Egg" Salad (page 188) sandwich on light or whole-
grain bread with lettuce and peppers (or commercially
prepared veggie "egg," "chicken," or "turkey" salad)
Sliced tomatoes and avocado

(option 2)
Grilled vegetable plate
Baked sweet potato
Sliced tomatoes and avocado

Snack:
Roasted peanuts

Dinner:
(option 1)
Grilled tuna with lemon and herbs or teriyaki sauce
Baked acorn squash
Sweet-and-Sour Red Cabbage (page 196)
Cucumber dill salad

(option 2)
Veggie Buffalo wings or veggie chicken nuggets
Sweet-and-Sour Red Cabbage
Cucumber dill salad

Snack or dessert:
Low-calorie Creamsicle or Fudgsicle


Results of Day 4: You've pushed the envelope. You've begun to change your entire relationship with food 

DAYS 5-11: THE ACTION DAYS
Here is a seven-day example of an ideal eating program,
What follows is a Picture Perfection Prescription for lowering your risk of major diseases significantly and adding years to your life. It's ideal also for maximum weight loss with maximum safety and healthfulness. I call it the New Picture-Perfect Eating Plan with a Three-Day Healthy Low-Carb Blitz. It follows all the principles of the Picture-Perfect Prescription Food Pyramid and is thus an example of what a healthy weeks eating might look like—with the added goal of weight loss tossed in.

Day 5: Strive for the ideal.
Breakfast:
Fresh fruit cup
Light pancake with light maple syrup
Sauteed veggie sausage patties

Lunch:
White bean soup
Grilled portobello mushroom sandwich on a whole-grain roll
with lettuce, sliced tomato, and onion
Coleslaw
Snack:
Pistachio nuts

Dinner:
Shrimp cocktail
Pasta primavera
Broccoli rabe with garlic and oil

Snack or dessert:
Poached Pears with Sherry (page 194)

Results of Day 5: You have just enjoyed a day of satisfying food with minimum intake of calories.

Day 6: Lower your risk of disease.

Breakfast:
Banana and dried blueberries
Oatmeal with cinnamon and sugar-free syrup
Milk

Lunch:
Tomato-vegetable soup
Turkey sandwich on light bread with lettuce and mustard

Snack:
Roasted soy nuts

Dinner:
Peppered Sea Bass (page 193)
Grilled tomatoes
Green peas
Pickled beets and onions

Snack or dessert:
Individual No-Bake Cheesecakes (page 190)
Results of Day 6: You are getting health benefits and minimum calories.

Day 7: Lower your calorie intake.

Breakfast:
Raspberries
Light toast and peanut butter

Lunch:
Curried Pumpkin Soup (page 189)
Spinach salad with tuna, chickpeas, peppers, and onions with
light French dressing

Snack:
Tootsie Pop Lollipop

Dinner:
Vegetarian Sloppy Joe on a light bun (page 196) Grilled mushrooms and asparagus
Snack or dessert:
Mango

Results of Day 7: Without repeating a single food choice, your low-calorie habit continues.

Day 8: Eat the pyramid way. 


Breakfast
Grapefruit
Lox, eggs, and onions (Scramblers, Egg Beaters, or egg whites)
Light toast

Lunch:
Lentil soup
Grilled vegetable plate with baked sweet potato

Snack:
Edamame

Dinner:
Baked cod with tomatoes and onions Green beans and baby carrots Cucumber salad

Snack or dessert:
Chocolate-dipped fruit

Results of Day 8: You are experiencing the wonderful variety of foods you can enjoy, using the pyramid as a guide.

Day 9: Three-Day Healthy Low-Carb Blitz 1.

During the next three days, the following low-calorie menus also emphasize low-carb foods. While you're on the Low-Carb Blitz—on Days 9, 10, and 11—you will have a varied diet that emphasizes healthful, low-carb foods. If you choose not to go on the Low-Carb Blitz, choose any meals from Days 1 through 8.

Breakfast:
Omelet (Scramblers, Egg Beaters, or egg whites) with spinach, mushrooms, and veggie ham or bacon
1 slice low-carb toast

Lunch:
Vegetable-lentil soup
Tuna salad on mixed greens, with vinaigrette dressing

Snack:
Roasted almonds

Dinner:
Vegetable antipasto with roasted peppers, marinated artichoke
hearts, and olives
Veggie meatballs and low-carb pasta with pesto
Sauteed zucchini

Snack/dessert:
Peanut Butter Delight (page 192)


Results of Day 9: You have completed your first day of the Low-Carb Blitz.

Day 10: Three-Day Healthy Low-Carb Blitz 2.

Breakfast:
Low-carb cereal, hot or cold, with chopped walnuts and sugar-free syrup or low-calorie sweetener and milk

Lunch:
Grilled mushrooms
Veggie burgers and tomato
Garden salad with Sesame-Flax Dressing (page 195) and
toasted pumpkin seeds

Snack:
Low-carb chips

Dinner:
Chinese vegetable soup
Stir-fried shrimp and broccoli with cashew nuts, soy sauce, and
Chinese mustard

Snack or dessert:
Low-calorie Popsicle

Results of Day 10: The second day of the Low-Carb Blitz is over, but you don't have feelings of hunger.

Day 11: Three-Day Healthy Low-Carb Blitz 3.

Breakfast:
Sauteed veggie sausage patties on low-carb toast or rol
Sliced tomato

Lunch:
Black bean soup
Grilled salmon
Roasted cauliflower and asparagus

Snack:
Celery, olives, and hearts of palm

Dinner:
Picture Perfect Chili (page 194
Herbed green beans
Tossed salad with Dijon vinaigrette

Snack or dessert:
Low-carb carrot cake or chocolate cake (commercially prepared or from Mini-Carb cake mix)

Results of Day 11: You've changed your relationship with food— and you're adding healthy years to your life.

Here are the foods you'll want to have on hand to help keep you on track. If you always have them in stock, it'll be a lot easier to make smart choices when hunger hits.

Fruits and Vegetables

*  All fruits and vegetables—raw, cooked, fresh,
frozen, canned, in soups. Avoid any packaged
fruits that have added sugar.

Soups and Broths

Satisfying, easy, versatile. Soups can be a snack, part of a meal, or a cooking ingredient. And soups with vegetables and/or beans offer a nutritional bonus. Stock up!

Sauces, Condiments, and Marinades

Use these to add flavor, moisture, texture, and versatility to every food, every meal.

* Oil-free and/or low-calorie salad dressings

* Fat-free or lite mayonnaise, fat-free sour cream, fat-free yogurt (plain) or lite yogurt with Nu-traSweet

* Mustards: Dijon, Pommery, and other kinds « *Tomato puree, tomato paste, tomato sauce

*    Clam juice, lemon or lime juice, tomato juice,
V-8 vegetable cocktail

*    Butter Buds, Molly McButter

* Cooking sprays in butter, olive-oil, garlic, or lemon flavors, such as Pam

* Vinegars: balsamic, cider, tarragon, wine, or other flavors

* Horseradish: either red or white

*Sauces: A-l, barbecue, chutney, cocktail, duck sauce, ketchup, relish, salsa, soy, tamari, and Worcestershire

*  Onion: fresh, juice, flakes, or powder

* Garlic-, fresh, juice, flakes, jarred minced, or powder

*    Herbs: all, including basil, bay leaves, chives,
dill, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, tar­
ragon, thyme

*    Spices: all, including allspice, cinnamon, cloves,
coriander, cumin, curry, ginger, nutmeg, and
paprika

*    Extracts: including almond, coconut, maple,
peppermint, and vanilla

*    Cocoa powder

Dressings and Dips

Fat-free or lite are recommended. The lite versions may be called low-fat, reduced-fat, or low-calorie and are often tastier than the fat-free. Use as top­pings or even cooking liquids as well as for dip­ping and dressing. I recommend keeping several variations of dressings and dips on hand, in­cluding at least one creamy version.

Candy

Avoid the "dietetic" variety; it's almost as caloric as the real thing but far less satisfying. And you'll tend to eat more—for more calories. Here are the best bets.

* Any chewing gum or gumballs

*  Any hard candy, including candy canes, Her-
shey's TasteTations, Jolly Ranchers, lollipops

like Tootsie Pops or Blow Pops, sourballs, and Werther's Original Butterscotch

Frozen Desserts

Any fat-free frozen yogurt or nondairy substitute or sorbet is a fine addition to the freezer. Try for the tower-calorie choices among them.

• In soft-serve, stick to varieties that contain up to 25 calories per ounce, as in Skimpy Treat, Columbo fat-free frozen yogurt, ICBY or TCBY,  and Tofutti

*In hard-pack, choose items with up to
400 calories per pint, as in all Italian ices,
Sharon's Sorbet, Sweet Nothings, and Low-Fat
Tofutti

*Creamsicles, frozen fudge bars, and Popsi-
ctes or other bars, opt for those with up to 45
calories per bar, as in Dolly Madison Slender
Treat Chocolate Mousse, Tofutti Chocolate
Fudge Treats, Weight Watchers Smart Ones
Chocolate Mousse and Orange-Vanilla Treats,
and Welch's Fruit Juice Bars

* Individually packaged frozen bars, choose ones with between 80 and 120 calories each, as in FrozFruit, Haagen-Dazs orange and vanilla sorbet bars, and Starbucks Coffee Frappuccino and Mocha Frappuccino bars

Beverages

*Low-calorie beverages are good to keep on hand to supplement water, but avoid beverages labeled “naturally sweetened" or "fruit juice-sweetened."

 *Coffee and teas

*Crystal Light, Diet Mistic, Diet Natural Lemon Nestea, Diet Snapple, and other brands of iced tea

*Diet sodas, including cherry chocolate, choco­late, cola, cream, orange, root beer, and more

*Seltzer, including plain or flavored (check the calorie count if the product is labeled "naturally sweetened")

 *Hot cocoa mixes: Stick with ones with 20 to 50 calories per serving, as in Nestle Carnation Diet and Swiss Miss Diet (avoid cocoa mixes that have 60 calories or more)

*Milk shake mixes: Choose varieties with no more than 80 calories per serving, as in Alba Fit 'n Frosty and Weight

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