Here it is — my best non-diet diet advice. Remember how they told us that there are no good foods or bad foods? Well, we do know that there are super foods and not-so-great ones. And, we also know that in times of huge stress, or even in good old times, those not-so-great foods are especially tasty and appealing. So, I’ve come up with a monthly plan that is not a diet, but a way to clean up our act, and get some super foods into our system.
Simply pick a super food, such as blueberries, the goddess of the antioxidants. Then select a not-so great food, such as potato chips or milk chocolate. Every time you would normally reach for a chip or a hunk of milk chocolate, grab a blueberry or blueberry-rich snack instead.
It’s that simple. Decide on the not-so-great food that you will give up for the month, and put it in writing. Post it on your fridge to remind yourself. Try food swapping for a month. Instead of chocolate chip pancakes, eat blueberry pancakes. Okay, that one was too easy. Instead of chips or candy, eat a fistful of frozen blueberries. They quench a thirst, provide a sweet taste, and give you lots of health benefits. Add blueberries to trail mix. Add dried or fresh blueberries on top of salads. I tried this last month, and at the end of the month, I had lost three pounds, and I felt great.
Here are some ideal food swaps:
Not-so great super
potato chips air-popped popcorn
macaroni sweet potato
French fries sliced pickles
peanuts pineapple chunks
gravy berry-based sauce