If you want to know if you’re one of the 80 percent of people who can control high blood pressure or cholesterol with diet alone, ask your doctor for your current numbers. follow me Show me! Diet fair two weeks, then have your doctor recheck your cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure.
The only foods you eat on the SHOW ME! diet are oatmeal for breakfast and whole-grain salads for lunch and dinner (see recipe below). You won’t need to go hungry, because you decide the size of the portion. Don’t fill yourself up, but eat until you are comfortably full and satisfied. If you prefer small meals and frequent snacks, that’s fine too; just split up your salads and eat as often as you like. You can also have oatmeal at other times of the day if you wish.
Instructions for breakfast: Use long-cooking oats (rolled, steel cut, Scottish or Irish style). Do not use quick or instant oats. To save time, cook a large batch, enough for several days or a week, following the package directions. Store leftovers in a container in the refrigerator and reheat each day’s serving in a microwaveable dish.
Season your oats with a little cinnamon or nutmeg and add a handful of raisins or other dried fruit to the pot if you like. You can also add fresh fruit, up to a cup of the fruit of your choice, but eat the fruit with oatmeal, not just as a snack. If you like milk in your oatmeal, use skim milk, fat-free yogurt, or low-fat soy milk or other vegetarian milk. Don’t take it as a drink; this is for your oats only.
Note: If you can’t eat oatmeal for any reason, substitute brown rice or another whole grain, flavored and served the same way as oatmeal. Look for brown rice with at least 3 grams of fiber. Or try Kashi Breakfast Pilaf, a whole grain mix that’s widely available and delicious.
Drinks: For breakfast, lunch, dinner and anything in between, drinks must NOT contain calories. Use water (plain, flavored, or bubbly; tap water is fine), tea, or any other zero-calorie beverage you like.
Once you’ve proven to yourself and your doctor that you can control your blood pressure and cholesterol with diet, you’ll need to learn to follow this way of eating for the rest of your life. Visit my website for the research behind this program, full instructions, menus, and dozens of recipes to show you that eating this way isn’t just easy, it’s delicious and satisfying.
Mixed and Combined Salad Recipe
Mix & Match salads are whole meals in a salad bowl. Start with any lettuce or leafy green salad you like, and add ANY other vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, and other foods from the list below. Try to get several different bright colors in the container, including something red, orange, or yellow. Here is just one example:
2 hearts of romaine lettuce, cut crosswise into 1/2″ strips
1 10-ounce box grape tomatoes (small)
1 6-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4″ strips
1 3-ounce can sockeye salmon
1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon cajun spice mix, or to taste
2 tablespoons rice vinegar or light wine vinegar
Mix all the ingredients in a salad bowl and serve.
2-3 servings
That is just one of the infinite possible combinations. Start with 3-4 cups of salad greens per person. Then add your desired amount of vegetables, whole grains, beans, fruits, spices, and seasonings. You can also add limited amounts of the following:
Shellfish: maximum of 6 ounces (2 3-ounce servings) per day
Cheese: 1 ounce dry cheese (reduced fat), counts as a dairy serving, maximum 3 per day
Nuts and seeds: maximum of 1/4 cup (2 2-Tbsp servings) per day
Oils: up to 1 tablespoon olive oil in your dressing if desired, or use your favorite low-calorie bottled dressing
Use your Mix & Match Salads twice a day in the Show me! Dietor anytime you want an easy, healthy meal.