It All Starts in the Kitchen

Chicken, eggs, pork tenderloin, low sodium bacon, and ground turkey are my meaty staples. Low sodium turkey in water in pouches, too. The grocery stores near me mark down the turkey every couple of days, so I have a freezer stocked and waiting to incorporate the turkey into good stuff. I have bags of turkey burgers, some meatballs, etc.

www.budgetbytes.com is a great website to look for meal inspiration if you're looking to expand what you know how to cook, and gives a good breakdown of the pricing. It's not "diet" food, and you won't find calorie counts or nutritional info, but it's a place to start. www.skinnytaste.com does meals with nutritional data too, but she often switches out the good stuff for reduced fat cheese -- blech!

Spinach, red peppers, tomatoes, avocados, green peppers, cilantro, green onions, garlic, cauliflower, and my personal two favorites: lemon and zucchini! On occasion, a sweet potato. I'm not fond of potatoes though. For fruits, whatever is in season -- and when something goes on mega sale, I make sure to buy enough to freeze and use for later!

I keep corn tortillas, black beans, chickpeas, and pinto beans on hand at all time. I have a couple of cans of low sodium chickpeas in case of a hummus emergency (oh, don't tell me you've never had one!). Some rice, but not too much of it. Quinoa, too, but I try to keep conscious of what the food industry is doing to other countries, so I get it infrequently. The only other cans I keep around are low sodium tomatoes (sauce, diced, etc).

Snacks are typically Fage yogurts, roasted, unsalted pistachios or almonds, and Pirate's Booty on occasion. I'm more likely to slice up some corn tortillas and make some quick salsa, though. Or hummus & homemade pita. Occasionally some of those two-ingredient banana oat cookies (1/2 cup oats, 1 banana, mash together, bake, voila! Delicious) or frozen banana pureed into "ice cream."

My favorite dinners: stuffed pork tenderloin (with sundried tomatoes, mozzarella, and a mustard rub), chicken enchiladas (slow-cooked chicken, homemade tortillas, homemade sauce with some cotija on top), chicken tikka masala, chicken shawarma wraps, turkey meatballs & zucchini pasta w/ LS bacon, turkey burgers w/ avocado & tomato on top and a side of cauliflower "mashed" like potatoes.


It's all just a matter of what you enjoy eating. I'd never enjoy eating bland meat and rice. I'm a little too brown for that

I'm always amazed by how many people think that they can continue to eat the way they always have just because they are working out. Diet and exercise go hand in hand. By diet I am not referring to Adkins, South Beach, etc... A well balanced diet really is the way to go. If God made it, it's usually good to eat. If man has touched it stay away. All things in moderation and log EVERYTHING! Good luck!

Well if one doesn't believe in god, then they would probably starve on this analogy. Practically all food today is processed in one way or another today. Unless one is planting it, pulling from the ground, personally raising and slaughtering their own meat, then today's agriculture involves pesticides, chemical cleaning of food, GMO, etc.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I think you see where I was going with this. No need to get hung up on semantics. Obviously, eating an apple is a better choice than eating a bag of potato chips. Wouldn't you agree?

chicken breasts, all kinds of fish, (salmon , tilapia , trout)

fresh veggies (broccoli, spinach, zucchini)

cheeses

water (I gave up soda now.. last soda was 8/4/12) and that's made a big difference

low sodium canned black beans

eggs and egg whites