“America’s Doctor, Mehmet Oz”, M.D., learned the benefits of the Mediterranean diet long before most of us did. When he was growing up in Delaware, his Turkish mother served vegetables and fruits of every hue and occasionally some known here only as weeds that grow in cracks in the sidewalk. “Purslane is one of the best sources of omega 3 fatty acids in the plant kingdom,” he says. In Turkey, it’s part of a dish called semizotu purslane salad served with yogurt. “Since it’s a weed, it’s very easy to grow,” he adds with a grin. “You just have to pick it and eat it.
Dr. Oz’s easy rules – Losing Weight & Staying Slim Forever
Dr. Oz may be the only health expert in America who could inspire you to dig salad ingredients out of your front walk. People trust him. And it’s not just because he’s a celebrated heart surgeon, a pioneer in the use of alternative therapies, and Emmy winner.
Why Dr. Oz Loves the Mediterranean Diet?
Dr. Oz can rattle off every health benefit of the Mediterranean diet like the rest of us can say the alphabet; lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer, and Alzheimer’s. But those aren’t the only reasons it’s the basis of the “one-day-diet.” “It’s a satisfying mix of food that’s tasteful and playful,” says Dr. Oz. “And it can help you lose weight because it makes you feel so full, you don’t want to eat any more.”
A one-day-diet? Ah, you’re thinking, there’s a trick to this. And your’re right. But it’s one that you’re going to want to play on yourself.
So often we lose sight of our goals, particularly when we catch sight of a slab of cheesecake that reminds us how “deprived” we’ve been. On the One-Day Diet, every day is the first day.
Now, here’s your first dose of motivation: You can lose up to two inches and 10 pounds in four weeks by following our meal plan. Just as important: Follow these simple rules that will help you zero on key risk factors for weight gain and conquer them once and for all.
RULE 1: Renew Your Vows Daily
Start each morning anew, and recommit to sticking to the plan one day at a time, day after day. That helps you keep the energy and motivation that you always bring to a new project and that can fizzle out once you see how challenging your undertaking is.
RULE 2: Do Something Completely Different Every Day
Add what we call the “George Costanza Element” daily. It’s based on the Seinfeld character who, in one episode, decided to turn his life around by doing the opposite of what he usually did. (And it worked at least for 30 minutes)
Doing something different can help shake up your thought patterns and challenge old habits like “I’m tired; I need a Cinnabon.” It’s like traveling in a country where they drive on the left hand side of the road: You are forced to pay more attention to traffic pattern and where all the gears and gadgets are in your car.
Being more mindful about how and when you eat, how you think when you are under stress, and what you could be doing instead will put you in the driver’s seat when it come to your diet. No more popping handfuls of candy, skipping breakfast, or reaching into your grab of excuses for why you can’t exercise today.
Some suggested add-ons:
I will try one new vegetable.
I will try TiVo Jon Stewart and get to bed at a decent hour.
I will give myself positive advice like “Stay Strong,” “Keep at It,” “Never Give Up”.
I will notice when I start to feel stressed out and want to eat, then do something totally different.
RULE 3: Set your Kitchen on Automatic
You want to arrange your pantry, fridge, and life so you only choices are good ones. Don’t worry; there will be a lot to savor. Since ours is a Mediterranean diet, you’ll get healthy fats in the form of olive oil as well as olives themselves, avocados, sunflower seeds, nuts, and other foods that are satisfying in small quantities. Fat makes you feel fuller longer, and it gives you that soul-pleasing taste that helps keep you on track.
While you will have lean meat or fish every day, the bulk of this diet is plant foods: vegetable, fruits, and whole grains. The fiber in these will by slowing your digestion-help stave off hunger without adding a lot of calories. “But whole grains doesn’t mean just bread, ” says Dr. Oz. “In the Mediterranean and the Middle East, bread tends to be very then (pitas).” Experiment with other gains, such as quinoa. (Whole gains are high in amino acids,” says Dr. Oz.) and even chia yes, the sprouts that miraculously grow on your Chia Pet). “Serve it in or on another dish,” he advises. “It’s very chewy.”
Add Kitchen Tools that are Essential to Your Diet:
1. Immersion Hand Held Blender – Create tasty healthy smoothies in a flash.
This hand held tool lets you whip up smoothies in the glass and puree soups right in the pot a get thin trick, since research shows that having low calorie soup before a meal helps you eat less.
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The Cuisinart Hand Blender can also be extended to help with blending into pitchers, bowls, and pots. Drinking smoothies are undoubtedly an easy way to consume foods low in calories and set the path to achieving good health.
Try the below Blueberry Pineapple Smoothie Recipe it is a tasty way to get you started.
Simple Blueberry Pineapple Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of pinapple
- 1 cup of frozen blueberries
- 1 cup of blueberry juice
Mix all the ingredients and blend it up in your blender. It mixes up very blue and the pineapple is a really nice combination with the blueberries and juice. You can buy frozen berries in your grocery store cheaper than fresh ones. They’re nice frozen because you don’t have to add ice cubes to make it cold.
2. Steamer
It’s great for cooking vegetables without adding oil and for keeping most of the nutrients.
This inexpensive item can also do fish.
If you want to stay healthy, or get healthy, there’s nothing like fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and poultry to help you. A lot of the secret to keeping these foods healthy is the preparation. For example, broiled meats are going to be much healthier for you than fried meats. And steamed fresh vegetables are a lot healthier than boiled or canned vegetables. This is where a food steamer comes in handy. A food steamer, or steam cooker, cooks the food with steam (surprise!) which helps to preserve the vitamins and minerals in the food. Boiling leaches most of them out of the food. For this reason steamers are very popular with vegetarians and those on macrobiotic and raw food diets.
Just about any type of vegetable does very well with steaming: broccoli, cauliflower, corn on the cob, carrots, artichokes, zucchini and so on. Try some steamed pears instead of baked pears. Cornish Hens and chicken breasts do well in a steamer, as do julienned or sliced beef strips. Fish and seafood is perfect for this type of cooking. You can even steam pork chops.
But you don’t have to be on one of those diets to enjoy the benefits of a good food steamer.
3. Handheld Chopper
This makes it easy to chop veggies no more excuses for not getting your five plus slimming fruits and veggies ad day.
You can chop just about anything; carrots, water chestnuts, red bell pepper, celery and more. Unlike a food processor, it will also chop nuts without turning them into paste.
Try this recipe;
Peppers, Mushrooms, Ham and Herbs omelet is healthy and great tasting. And use your chopper to chop up the peppers, mushrooms, ham and herbs to makes it a lot easier.
Mushroom, Ham and herbs Omelet Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 -3 eggs
- 1 tbsp of skim milk
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbs of olive oil
- Break the eggs into a bowl, and add the milk, salt and pepper.
- Beat the eggs gently with a fork, just until they combine together. Do not over beat them or whisk them to a froth.
- Place the frying pan on the stove and warm the pan over a moderate heat before adding the oil.
- Once the oil begins to heat up, carefully add the eggs to the centre of the pan, tilting the pan so that the eggs spread out evenly over the bottom.
- Ham – add a handful of finely chopped ham just before folding the omelette in half.
- Fine herbs – chop up some fresh parsley,tarragon and chives and add to the eggs before beating with a fork.
- Mushrooms – slice mushrooms. Add just before folding omelet.
RULE 4: Keep your belly Full
Hard to believe, but one thing you can do to keep your metabolism in high gear is eat. By not letting yourself get too hungry, you will avoid the inevitable carb binge, which sends blood sugar soaring. In response, insulin rises, causing blood sugar to plunge again and setting you up for another food feast. You can still have your three meals although they may be a little smaller then you are used to), but Dr. Oz recommends adding two snacks that include belly-filling protein, such as a handful of almonds or a low fat cheese stick. Protein makes you feel full, possibly because it affects hormones that rule appetite.
