The Complete Plate. Lauren Klukas
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Название: The Complete Plate
Автор: Lauren Klukas
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Кулинария
isbn: 9781773270166
isbn:
This new trend of fear over facts has led to the concern of a potentially new form of disordered eating called Orthorexia Nervosa. It is an unhealthy obsession of being so fixated on righteous eating that people become paralyzed by fear, afraid to eat anything because it may cause cancer, or it may contain “bad fat,” or it isn’t a complete protein and so on. They become so focused on a perfect orthorexics’ diet that they develop malnourishment. While it is not considered an official diagnosis, it does highlight a growing concern about the fear-based nutrition environment we are living in.
The psychological connection we have with our food, if not addressed, could be more dangerous than a rogue sugar or fat molecule. Building healthy relationships with food means taking away the food labels of good and bad, it means taking away the feeling of guilt or shame with having a treat, it means tossing out the concept of “cheating,” and it means finding joy in food and eating patterns. The Complete Plate celebrates delicious and healthy food in moderation. We give people permission to enjoy food.
Create Realistic Goals and Expectations
Sustainable, healthy eating habits and weight loss require realistic goals. If you expect to look a certain way after eating one salad, you will be disappointed. Behavioral changes cannot be done overnight. Sustainability means making changes slowly to break long-term habits. Eventually, these slow and steady changes will result in healthier new habits. The goal of any lifestyle change should be to improve your overall health and wellness.
Embrace Variety
Resenting the process is the main reason people give up at making lifestyle changes. If you feel healthy eating means just consuming chicken, quinoa, and veggies the rest of your life, it will get old quickly. As you make changes to your eating habits, consider adding foods to your diet rather than eliminating foods.
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how to usethis book
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Determine Your Caloric Intake
How does one determine which caloric level to follow? It is important to check with your health care provider, but if you do not have any medical condi-tions, you can start with some general guidelines.
If you are physically active, you will need more calories. Also, males tend to need more calories, based on the samelevel of physical activity, than females. There have been many equations developed to attempt to predict caloric requirements, each with their own strengths and limitations. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is one of the more reliable ways to estimate caloric require-ments in healthy individuals, and you can find Mifflin-St Jeor calculators online.16 Caloric estimation is not an exact science; you are unique and calculating your estimated energy requirements is just a place to start. Use your experience (how full you feel, weight changes) to provide feedback on which calorie level to follow and consult your health care provider. An additional note of encouragement: weight is not the end-all-be-all to health; the health benefits of eating a well-balanced diet go well beyond the scale.
If you follow a plan lower than 1500 kcal,you require very specific instructions from a medical professional. Additionally, if you require any more than 2500 calories, you are likely a high-level athlete and require a very specific dietary plan.
Make a Plan
Every single daily meal plan in the book provides a perfect balance for your dri values. If you follow the daily meal plan for your caloric intake and eat all of the meals and snacks for the day, you will receive all your daily nutrients just from what you eat. With 30 balanced days in total, you can design a meal strategy that best suits your flavor preferences, eating patterns, and family dynamic. This flexibility promotes sustainability because it allows you to adapt meals to fit your lifestyle.
The adaptability allows you to create a realistic schedule. You may decide that you want to adopt a Complete Plate seven days of the week. Or you may just start with a few days of the week. Additionally, you may decide that you want to try new recipes every single day. Or you may choose to pick one or two days and double or triple each recipe, batch cooking the same recipes for the whole week. The options are endless.
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Shopping
Everyone has their own grocery-shopping preferences. For myself, I like to shop on Sunday and get everything I need for the week. Others prefer to use produce when it is at its freshest, so they shop every other day. Whatever your inclination, there is an ingredient list provided at the beginning of each day to help you quickly build your grocery list.
Pantry and Freezer Staples (page 35) features a list of regularly used items that you should always have in your pantry or freezer. It makes weekly shopping more manageable!
Portion Control
Each recipe includes the number of serv-ings as well as the number of portions to be served for each calorie plan. Portions are intended for healthy males and females, aged 19–50 years old, based on current dri values. Some people may be surprised by actual portion sizes, and it may take some time to adjust to eating proper portion sizes. A gram weight is often included next to the volume measure. You don’t need to live life worrying about every single gram you eat, but weight does have an impact on the caloric range of certain types of foods. For example, 3 cups of spinach or ½ cup of shredded cheddar will vary depending on how tightly they’re packed into measuring cups. Invest in a digital scale to get the most accurate measurements (see Essential Equipment, page 36).
Please be aware that meal plan portions are not suitable for children, but kids can still eat the same meal. Just be sure to give them their usual portions.
Snacks
I’ve included a snack list for each meal plan. Consume all the snacks within your caloric plan to keep you satiated throughout the day and to ensure you meet your dri requirement. I recommend spreading them out over the course of the day.
Hydration
Males require 15½ cups of water per day and females require 11½ cups. This number includes drinking water, water from beverages, and water from food. While you receive some water from food, you definitely do not receive all of it. Your water intake should come from tap water, tea and coffee (with no additional cream or sugar), and sparkling water. If your sparkling water is sweetened, be sure it is sweetened naturally (e.g., with fresh lime juice) and not with an artificial sweetener. Water is vital with this plan as your fiber intake will most likely be much higher than you are used to. (See page 284 for fun flavored water ideas!)
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