Weightloss on starch solution??

rahmahrobin

I'm vegetarian who's currently trying to transition to a vegan diet. And I think the starch solution would be a really convenient and manageable way to do it. Does anyone have any tips or stories about the lifestyle??

GreenTeaPotato

Personally I feel it's the easiest, most natural way to eat. Whip up some batches of grains and keep eating as reheated leftovers throughout the week. Mix and match with each other and include veggie side dishes.

As for avoiding oil: so easy to NOT cook with oil. Just a little water or veggie broth instead and keep the food moving in the pan. I don't even use non-stick cookware and have no problems. Doing the dishes are effortless when there's no oil to cut through. And I feel good knowing that's how clean the food was that went inside me.

Examples of my typical grain batches would be stuff like couscous and chick pea salad, taboulleh, or mushroom barley risotto. Even just plain brown rice, millet, or quinoa. I don't shy away from "white pasta" dishes either but do eat more of the "whole" grains. These dishes last several days to a week in the fridge.

Each meal will have 1-3 helpings of those different grains (maybe 2-3 servings each, if not more). Then I'll have sides of say, spinach, corn and/or potato. Some meals with 1-2 servings of legume (i.e. beans). No need for more than 3 servings of legumes per day. Mix and match this kind of dish throughout the day.

My favorite veggies with my grain staples are spinach, mushrooms, beets, bell peppers, corn and potatoes. I try to eat at least one potato a day. So many ways to cook potatoes!

For fruit, usually I do a smoothie to get them in quickly. 2-3 servings (handfuls) of berries and/or citrus fruit per day. No need for more. It's expensive and unnecessary to eat tons of fruit every day, especially organic. Tomatoes are a fruit, remember? I usually get a tomato in each day. Slice one up to eat on top of almost any grain dish.

I think of eating as "meeting a quota" of nutrition rather than "restricting calories":

6-11 servings whole grains (serving is only 1/2 cup cooked)
4-5 servings vegetables, 1 of which should be a dark leafy green (1/2 cup cooked or whole piece of vegetable)
2-3 servings beans/legumes (these also count as vegetable servings)
2-3 servings fruit (1/2 cup chopped or whole piece of fruit)
1-2 servings nuts/seeds, if any (2 tbsps for seeds or 1/4 cup for nuts, a small handful)

Generally you can eat unlimited grains and veggies. The other foods should be limited to the daily quota if possible (on average). It's good to have a tablespoon of ground flaxseed per day somehow (put in a smoothie, mixed into a grain dish, sprinkled over veggies, etc.).

For anyone concerned about the high cost of "organic" produce, keep in mind you don't need to eat that many servings of fruit and veg per day. Most of your food intake will be the inexpensive whole grains. Fruit and veg are SIDE DISHES low in calories and high in nutrients.

McDougall says you don't need to count calories on this Solution because you'll fill up easily and feel satisfied. He's generally right unless you need to get aggressive about weight loss. Personally I like to track food periodically to see that I'm getting my "nutrition quota" if you will.

RodaRose

Remember to include nuts and seeds.

rahmahrobin

Thank you!!!!!