I find counseling patients on grains and starchy vegetables to be challenging because there is a lot of variation in how these foods impact weight loss from person to person. Some people are able to eat grains and starchy vegetables liberally without gaining weight while they bring other’s weight loss to a complete standstill.
Nonetheless, there is a possibility that these foods can be added to the Metabolic Reset Diet without compromising your weight loss. Even within the category of grains and starchy vegetables, there is variation. Some people don’t gain weight from adding baked potatoes to their diet, while others do. In A Pound of Cure, I break these foods down into the good, the bad and the ugly. The good (colorful starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, beats and squash) are still good and can typically be added to the Metabolic Reset Diet without compromising weight loss. The ugly (white bread, white rice, white pasta and instant oatmeal) are still bad and must be eliminated while you are following the Metabolic Reset Diet. However, I’ve further categorized the Bad (grains and colorless starchy vegetables) into the “Not So Bad” and “Pretty Bad.” If you feel it is necessary, feel free to add some of the “Not So Bad” foods back into your diet in small amounts, but I still would recommend avoiding the “Pretty Bad” foods.
Not So Bad
- Corn
- White Potatoes (baked, no butter or oil)
- Quinoa (whole, not processed)
- Oats
- Brown Rice
Pretty Bad
- Whole Grain Breads
- Popcorn