The Military Diet - Should you try it?

Another day another diet: a friend asked me today about what I thought of the Military Diet that all her co-workers are doing.  The premise?  I couldn't describe it better myself:

“The Military Diet lets you lose up to 10 pounds per week without strenuous exercise or

prescriptions. And best of all, the Military Diet is free! The 3 day military diet plan is probably less expensive than what you’re already eating. The chemically formulated food combination is designed to burn fat, kick start your metabolism and lose weight fast. In fact, the Military Diet is one of the best natural diets known for rapid weight loss without a prescription.

The Military Diet works in an emergency situation; say you have to fit into a wedding dress, take a cruise, or your ex is coming to town and you want to make him drool. The Military Diet is for people who need to lose weight fast or lose more weight over the long term. If you follow the Military diet for a month, you can expect to lose at least 30 pounds.”

They are up-front about this not being a long-term diet (thank God) and recommend a Mediterranean diet for long-term healthy living.  Ironically, the Military diet is low carb and low calorie while the Mediterranean diet is founded on carbohydrates and fat in the form of whole grains and olive oil.  It is not classified as low calorie.  The Military diet suggests the Mediterranean diet because “Europeans have it right”, though they fail to mention that obesity has reached global proportions even in Europe.  It’s just not that simple…..

But the Military diet is!  With limited food choices that are desirable to some people (hot dogs, ice cream), I’m really not surprised that you can lose weight on this diet.  After all, it is low-calorie and low carb.  When you lose this amount of weight fast, it is mostly water anyhow. 

Based on my calculations, the Military diet provides roughly 1000 calories/50 g carbs the first day, 1500 calories/80 g carbs the second day, 900 calories/90 g carbs the third day.  For reference, I would say the average person (especially someone who struggles with their weight, based on my professional experience), eats around 2000+ calories per day and 200+ grams of carbs per day.  Given the difference, it is not shocking that you will drop weight by eating this way.  Other aspects of this diet that I have a problem with include the very obvious lack of fruits and veggies.  A healthy diet includes a variety of colorful fresh fruits and veg.  The Military diet has bananas and apples, broccoli and carrots in limited amounts but that’s about it.  The emphasis on processed, high-fat foods such as hot dogs, ice cream and red meat is similar to where we started: SAD (Standard American Diet). 

If diets like this continue to surface and gain popularity with American public, we will continue taking steps in the wrong direction when it comes to health and obesity.  Our relationship with food will continue to suffer.  Quick, easy fixes, too good to be true magic bullets and no-effort needed promises fuel an unhealthy relationship with food.  After your ex is done “drooling” over your beautiful Military bod, you will probably end up bingeing on carbohydrates, gaining even more weight back and begin searching for the next easy fix. 

www.calorieking.com

http://themilitarydiet.com/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mediterranean-diet/CL00011

http://www.euro.who.int/en/what-we-do/health-topics/noncommunicable-diseases/obesity

Take a Leek

Emergency phone call from a friend tonight: “Ginger!  How do I clean a leek?  You can’t eat the green parts, right?”

Great question!  One I asked myself just last week.  I had found a great recipe for Bulgur with Greens and Leeks so I bought all the ingredients and then I started to prep.  I realized at that moment:  I’ve never cooked a leek before!  They are quite beautiful – white bulb at the bottom spreading into firm, dark green leaves at the top.  I did not prepare the leek correctly my first time, so here is a nice YouTube video about how to do it.  Basically, you need to slice off the very bottom root-part and the dark green leaves at the top, then slice it lengthwise so you can clean out the dirt between layers.  The white part is the most soft and delicious.  If you are going to sauté leeks as part of your recipe, you can go further into the more firm green leaves because they will soften as they cook.  Leeks have a nice onion-y smell but do not overpower other vegetables.  Like onions and garlic, leeks belong to the Allium family and are highly regarded as beneficial to health. 

Leeks are high in vitamin K, A, C and B6.  They also contain manganese, folate, potassium and iron.  They are high in fiber and low in calories (like so many other veg).  Because they also contain a compound called “kaempferol”, they provide heart healthy benefits by relaxing blood vessels.  Kaempferol combined with other antioxidant polyphenols and carotenoids in leeks protect against oxidation throughout the cardiovascular system. 

Leek consumption was first reported beneficial by the Greeks and Romans but is thought to have originated in Central Asia with dried specimens having been found in Egyptian sites.  Because leeks can grow well in cool, wet climates, they became popular in the UK and are even a celebrated national emblem in Wales.  Take a leek and celebrate spring!

Leeks with Greens and Bulgur Wheat                                            

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

4  leeks, white and tender green section chopped

2 bunches Swiss chard or collards, stems and leaves cut/torn into 1-inch pieces (separate)

4 cups mushrooms, sliced (any variety you prefer)

6  garlic cloves, chopped finely 

1/2 tsp each salt and fresh-ground pepper

5.5 cups vegetable broth

2 cups bulgur (I used Bob's Red Mill)

       

 Instructions:

1. Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. 
2. Add leeks and chard stems.  Cook until soft (~4 minutes)
3. Add mushrooms.  Cook an additional 5 minutes.
4. Add green leaves and garlic.  Cover and simmer 5 minutes more.
5. Add salt,  pepper, broth,bulgar to mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer covered for 10 mins.
6. Serve warm.       

References:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=26

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/nutrients-leeks-1205.html

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/garlic/

4 Easy Steps to a Spring-Clean Kitchen

Last year around this time, I gave a presentation titled: spring cleaning your diet.  The presentation went well but I did not provide the information you may be expecting.  I didn't talk about losing weight coming into summer, detoxing, or gardening.  Actually, I didn't give much information on how to eat specifically; I talked about spring cleaning the pantry.  Now that it is March, I feel the urge to do a little spring cleaning once again.  I attacked my kitchen cabinets today and found myself reflecting on how relevant my presentation last year was to my current project.  I thought you might feel the same change in the winds as I do now and yearn to clean up some of your winter dust-bunnies.  If you open your pantry and things fall out on you, it may be time for a spring clean….

Step 1:  PLAN

Before you jump in to your project, reflect on your goals and desires.  What do you want to do more of:  plan meals, grocery shopping lists, increase fruits and vegetables, eat in more?   Consider exactly you want to happen:  how many more vegetables do you want to eat?  How much weight do you want to lose?  How many times a week can you cook dinner at home?  Having a very specific plan will give you focus and strengthen your chances of being successful.   For me, I want to create a meal plan every Sunday to set myself up for success during the week.  And I want to be able to see what I’m working with in my kitchen.

Step 2:  REMOVE CLUTTER 

This involves taking stock of what you already have in your house and eliminating any excess.  Spend an afternoon taking everything out of your packed freezer, digging through the back of your refrigerator, or discovering the dark corners of your pantry.  Instantly, anything expired or undesirable must go.  Further, (as I discovered today) if you don’t know what it is, you need to get rid of it.  This will be one of the easiest steps; do not over-analyze it.  Keep foods that you may use in a recipe soon.  If you uncover an opened, stale package, toss it.   If you have several boxes of the same food, perhaps you only need to keep two and can donate the rest.  In my cupboard today, I found 12 cans of beans, three cans of coconut milk, four half-used boxes of noodles, and way too many jars of baking powder and cream of tartar.  It took me awhile to go through all my spices and combine jars of the same product but at least now I know what I have and can more easily use them when cooking.

Step 3: CLEAN

Easy:  soap, water, dry and you’re done.  I took the time to wash out my silverware organizer and other random items that truly needed it.  Cleaning is the easy part. 

Step 4:  ORGANIZE

Start by prioritizing.  Plan to put things that you use most often in the easiest to reach places.  If you cook with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper every day, have them somewhere very convenient where you can access them easily.  Secondly, group similar items.  Put all your baking goods together such as baking powder, vanilla, sugars, and flours.  Keep dry goods together such as pasta, rice and liquids together like oils, sauces so you can always find certain ingredients easily. Finally, utilize your space.  Get creative with ways to store foods so that they stay fresh, safe, and can be easily utilized.  Organizing your space is very personal and the way that you find something is unique; take the time to reflect on what makes the most sense for you and your kitchen.

After I organized my cabinets today, I can actually see everything I have.  I pulled out some items I wanted to use this week which helped me plan my menu.  If you have an assortment of items, type them into a search engine and you will get a long list of recipes that combine the products you have on hand.  That’s how I came up with Monday’s recipe.  Here’s what I’ll be eating this week, thanks to my spring clean:

Monday:  carrot-coconut curry with chickpeas

Tuesday: salmon on rice noodles with a toasted sesame-based sauce

Wednesday: mushroom and herb risotto

Thursday: miso soup and tofu stir-fry

Friday: home-made lentil soup

Let me know what you put together from the things in your pantry.  Good luck and happy spring to you!