Month 1

Month 1: One Pound of Vegetables (or more)

Without question, the healthiest foods on the planet are vegetables.  The healthiest of all are green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale, followed closely by green, solid vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, celery and cucumbers.  Solid, non-green vegetables like carrots and cauliflower are still excellent sources of nutrition and should be eaten liberally, but have less nutrition than green vegetables.  While beans and colorful, starchy vegetables like squash, sweet potatoes and beets are excellent, I typically exclude them from being counted toward your daily tally.  To be counted as part of your pound for the day, vegetables cannot be eaten with any creamy or oily dressings or dips.

I start with vegetables since they represent the backbone of any healthy diet.  As you start to incorporate more vegetables into your diet, you will find yourself naturally making better choices regarding other foods.  Many patients start eating their pound of vegetables by focusing on raw carrots, celery and broccoli.  While this is a good starting point, truly incorporating vegetables into your diet means making them a part of every meal, rather than eating them as a snack.  I encourage patients to get creative with their vegetable dishes and to search out new recipes that use vegetables in interesting and often delicious ways.  Long term lifestyle change should not mean giving up your enjoyment of food, it means finding different types of food to enjoy.

Vegetables – A thorough but not complete list