Migrate from High Calorie to Low Calorie/High Nutrient
MIGRATE FROM HIGH CALORIE/LOW NUTRIENT TO HIGH NUTRIENT/LOW CALORIE FOODS
CONSIDER FOOD YOUR FUEL AND SWITCH TO HIGH OCTANE
MHFL encourages everyone to think of our bodies as a complex machines that need the best grade of fuel to run well, go the extra mile, keep repair costs to a minimum and last a long time.
Many of us also need to plan our food selections not only to benefit from all the "High Octane," highly functional foods but also use Fuel Efficient foods to lower our caloric intake overall and reduce our intake of dirty or lower octane fuels.
Our weight can adversely impact our health. Carrying around a bigger belly than we need can result in increased risk for a range of sicknesses. And unfortunately, many of us are in the category of needing to shed a few pounds. Or we just want to take steps to avoid adding pounds as we age and get less active.
REMEMBER: CALORIE COUNTING COUNTS A LOT
Key to maintaining the right weight is not taking in more calories than we burn off. A healthy daily calorie intake varies from person to person, however, here's a basic guideline:
If you are of normal weight and you don't exercise on a daily basis, a recommended daily calorie intake is 1940 calories for women and 2550 calories for men.
However, many people don't exercise daily and consume more than these recommended amounts. If that's your case, you'll want to cut back and get more active.
The issue is how to cut calories and still feel full. Some trendy diets have you eat virtually nothing in terms of calories. And that just doesn't work over the long haul.
That's why MHFL recommends concentrating on highly functional, "High Octane and Fuel Efficient Foods". Click here for Functional Foods document.
HIGH OCTANE & FUEL EFFICIENT FOODS AND MENU PREPARATION GUIDANCE
Beyond Mediterranean style eating, the MHFL Trapezoid focuses on what we call highly functional, "High Octane Foods" and "Fuel Efficient" foods.
MHFL"s focus on Fuel Efficient And High Octane food make an exciting and tantalizing market basket that can keep you healthy -- and keep you away from those foods that can keep your body from performing at its peak.
HIGH OCTANE FOODS include a vast array of flavorful foods that are good for you: whole grains; fresh fruits and vegetables; nuts; seeds; legumes; beans; fish rich in Omega 3 fatty acids; yogurt; poultry; and olive oil.
BE FUEL EFFICIENT
To fill up or to lose weight, you'll want to enjoy portions with equal or less calories than grams and also high-water and high-fiber foods. These foods include apple; asparagus; bananas; beans; blueberry; broccoli; broth; carrot; cantaloupe; celery; cucumber; grape; oatmeal; orange; orange roughy; peach; pear; peas; raspberry; salsa; strawberry; sweet potato; tomato; veggie chili; and yogurt.
MHFL also advocates cutting out high caloric and inefficient foods -- including processed, hydrogenated, fried, battered, buttered, trans- and saturated-fat foods. We also recommend limiting bottom-dwelling fish; butter; cheese; cream; high-fat meats; high-fat-content homogenized milk; refined breads/pasta/rice/cereal; salt; and sweets.
MORE MENU PREPARATION GUIDANCE
Remember: only 20-30% of calories should come from fat! And we should recognize the difference between healthy fats and unhealthy fats. For example, healthy fats come from nuts, olive oil, advacodo and fish. There are two kinds of healthy fats and two kinds of unhealthy fats we should look for when reading food labels.
Healthful fats include:
- Monounstaturated fat
- Polyunsaturated fat
Unhealthy fats include:
- Trans fat
- Saturated fat
Focus on fiber
In daily menu preparation, women should target 25 grams of fiber but only 50 grams of protein daily. Men should aim for consuming 38 grams of fiber but only 60 grams protein.
Whenever possible, we should replace butter with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Take advantage of raw, colorful fruits and vegetables as much as possible: eat 2 - 4 servings of fruits a day; eat 3 - 5 servings of vegetables a day.
