The Doctor's Diet: Dr. Travis Stork's STAT Program to Help You Lose Weight & Restore Your Health (15 page)
Authors: Travis Stork
Guacamole (¼ cup), packaged or homemade, with avocado as primary ingredient
Handful (½ ounce) of nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, etc.)
Handful (½ ounce) of seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, etc.)
Nut butter (1 tablespoon)
Whole-grain bread (1 slice—maximum~100 calories)
Whole-grain English muffin
(1 whole muffin—maximum~100 calories)
Oatmeal—unsweetened (½ cup cooked or 1 ounce dry)
Whole-grain cold cereal—whole wheat, oats, or other whole grain listed as first ingredient (1 cup)
Q: I LIKE TO EAT A HEARTY BREAKFAST. CAN I ADD AN EXTRA PROTEIN TO MY MORNING MEAL?
A:
Sure you can—flexibility is the name of the game in The Doctor’s Diet. Go ahead and choose two breakfast proteins or add a snack protein to your breakfast protein. For instance, you could add nuts to your yogurt or cheese to your egg scramble. But, to keep your daily protein and calorie intake in line, cut back by ½ your protein serving size at lunch or dinner. That way your higher calorie breakfast won’t slow down your weight loss.
THE SOY SITUATION
Scientists have gone back and forth about soy foods over the past 20 or so years. After some very positive initial studies, soy was touted as a miracle food with power over multiple diseases and conditions. For example, the plant-based phytoestrogens in soy foods were credited with reducing menopausal hot flashes and reducing the risk of heart disease and some kinds of cancer.
Follow-up research has raised doubts about whether soy is actually as helpful as it first appeared—and whether it’s harmful for some people, such as women who have had hormone-positive breast cancer. While we wait to find out more, I suggest you follow your doctor’s advice regarding soy foods—if there’s a reason your doctor thinks you should avoid them, then I’d go with that advice. If not, my recommendation is to enjoy soy foods in moderation.
Q: WHY IS GRAPEFRUIT RECOMMENDED FOR BREAKFAST IN THE DOCTOR’S DIET?
A:
Studies suggest that eating grapefruit has a positive impact on blood sugar, insulin levels, weight loss, and possibly blood pressure. It’s packed with nutrients, such as vitamin C, and antioxidants that are believed to reduce the risk of several diseases. There’s only one downside to grapefruit: it interferes with the action of certain kinds of drugs, including some benzodiazepines, statins, antihistamines, ulcer drugs, and other medicines. If you are on these or any medication, check with your doctor before making grapefruit a regular part of your diet. If your doc recommends avoiding grapefruit, you can substitute a medium orange instead.
With the STAT Plan, you can choose your own menu using my daily Meal Plan Equations. Or if you prefer, you can use the 14-day menu here. If you do, keep a few things in mind:
Each day’s menu includes daily Flex-Time Foods: 1 Whole-Grain, 1 Healthy Fat, and 1 High-Density Vegetable.
Menu items in
bold
have recipes included at the end of this book.
This menu is designed in a traditional breakfast-lunch-dinner style, with soups and salads at lunch and main-dish entrées at dinner. But if you’d like to switch it up, go right ahead—lunch and dinner on the STAT Plan use the same Meal Plan Equations.
G:
Whole-Grain Flex-Time Food (1 daily)
F:
Healthy Fat Flex-Time Food (1 daily)
V:
High-Density Vegetable Flex-Time Food (1 daily)
