Here’s how I eat, 365 days a year (because diets are something you go on to go off; for me, recovery means taking good care of me every single day, even when it’s hard):
Because sugar, wheat and flour (anything ground to a powder is flour) are toxic to me–once I start I can’t stop–I never, ever eat them. This is abstinence for me the way never, ever taking in alcohol is sobriety for the recovering alcoholic. That takes care of my food addiction. I follow the following food plan so I don’t binge on abstinent food and to keep my body weight correct.
Breakfast:
1 cup whole non-wheat grain (oatmeal; grits; kasha; etc; measured after cooking)
1 cup dairy (yogurt; unsweetened soy milk; skim milk)
4 oz protein (fish and white meat chicken or turkey are best; if you must eat heavier with dark poultry meat or red meat, do so no more than 3 times a week; two eggs will also do—two whites equals one whole egg)
1 fruit (a cup of berries, ½ a medium cantaloupe, a 6 oz apple, orange, or pear, etc; avoid bananas, grapes, cherries and exotic fruits; they’re too sweet)
1tsp oil (olive; cooking)
Lunch:
1 cup raw vegetable (lettuce; carrots; tomatoes, etc)
1 cup cooked vegetable (string beans, broccoli, asparagus, etc.)
3 oz protein (fish, chicken, etc) or 1 cup beans or lentils
2 tsps oil (there are a few brands of salad dressing that don’t include sugar; use 4 tsp)
Dinner:
1 cup raw vegetable
1 cup cooked vegetable
3 oz protein
2 tsps oil
1 cup grain (same as breakfast; or ½ cup starchy vegetable such as peas or winter squash; 8 oz white or sweet potato)
Metabolic adjustment:
1 cup dairy or 2 oz protein
1 fruit
Use small amounts (a tablespoon or less each) of spices and sugar-free condiments such as mustard. Don’t eat anything not mentioned on the food plan, especially cheese or nuts which are binge foods for most overeaters and are calorie-monsters as well. Space meals no fewer than four hours apart and no more than six hours apart. Try not to eat the same food more than three times a week. Never let yourself get ravenously hungry. If you have low blood sugar, at first you may need to divide up your meals and eat every three hours. Never eat a carbohydrate (grain) or fruit without a protein to balance it out. (And vice versa.) If you’re not sure about a food or a certain practice, skip it until you can consult with a knowledgeable source from your support system. Be sure to drink lots of water; sometimes we think we feel hungry when in fact we are thirsty.
This food plan was adapted from Food Addicts Anonymous, www.foodaddictsanonymous.org/foodplan.htm. If you visit there web site or go to their meetings, you’ll learn lots of useful stuff about food addiction.
