hi all! i just thought i would share a recipe for a healthful eating strategy that i have discovered along the way from my experiences in oa and with a registered dietician.

if you eat like this for 3 weeks you'll see a big difference in weight, attitude, and energy level. try to eat only 3-4 times per day, with nothing in between meals but living food, i e, food that is not dead, and prepackaged. usually those are high in acid and those kill your body's metabolizing mechanism. live foods [foods as close to the natural state as possible] are higher in alkalinity, which the blood really prefers.

food groups from which to choose:

protein
milk [8 oz serving...low fat or skim]
eggs [1]
pnut butter [2 tbs]
fish all types [6 oz...no breading, baked]
tofu
hot dog [1; less than 3 grams fat]
beef [6oz very lean; 4 oz lean; 3 oz medium, or 2 oz high fat]
cheese [1-2 oz]
chicken [6 oz.....no breading or skin, baked]
cottage cheese [non-fat]
yogurt [plain, non fat]

starch
peas [1/2 c]
corn [1/2 c]
lima beans [1/2 c]
potato [1/2 c]
rice [1/3 c]
pasta [1/2 c]
lentils and beans [1/2 c]
bread [1 or 2 slices]
cereal [avoid prepackaged/processed which is full of crap]
oatmeal and other grain cereals[1/2 c dry]

veggies-fresh or frozen is best
salad [all you can eat]
tomato
green beans
broccoli
asparagus
mushrooms
cucumbers
carrots
celery
etc

fat-you need this too! limit to 5grams per meal
butter
peanuts [1 oz]
oil
use spray oil for cooking or on salad...does not amount to much

fruit-fresh or frozen
avoid canned as they are soaked in sugary water.
pineapple [canned is ok, as long as in natural juice]
watermelon [a good filler]
raisins
banana
peach
nectarines
grapes
apples
etc

cautions

• eat as much fresh whole live as you want. fill yourself up with these
• limit fats as they kill your body's metabolizing mechanism
• make delicious dressing using fruit juice or just vinegar or lemon. watch oil as it counts towards the 5 grams of fat per meal. also, the salads natural juices are delicious too, but the taste buds need to be reconditioned from too much sweet and salty.
• limit snack foods such as chips; balance them with other whole, live natural foods. limit quantity to 10 to satisfy the urge for salty, crunchy, texture eating
• avoid sugar based drinks....this is like putting sugar in a gas tank! they kill the insulin distribution mechaism. drink lots of water every day [lots of times you think you are hungry, but usually a full stomach of water will suffice] make iced tea [cold water and a tea bag--put in the fridge before meal then add a splenda. splenda is made from real sugar cane, but the component that triggers the insulin has been extracted. that's what distinguishes it from other artificial sweeteners].
• read labels! the most prominent ingredients are listed in the first 5. anything sugar such as dextrose, sucrose, maltodextrose in one of the 5 first ingredients should be avoided.

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when eating is not planned, then patterns seem to design themselves; usually, that leads to grabbing what's quickest and most convenient...... not a good idea! here's to your health! enjoy!