Principle #2 Plant Foods:
Your diet needs to be primarily plant-based. You can still eat meat, yogurt, cheese, butter, and eggs, but the majority of your plate should consist of plant foods. Plant foods are nutrient dense. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes are low-calorie foods that are high in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber.
The fiber found in plant foods (but lacking in all animal products) fills up our stomachs and gives a sense of fullness. I believe that when you meet your nutrient needs, your body does not crave empty-calorie junk foods. When you eat a Clementine instead of a cookie for dessert, your body receives vitamin C, folic acid, and fiber versus processed flour and sugar. You may crave more and more cookies as your nutrient needs are not met with a cookie. With the Clementine, you receive a satisfying high fiber snack that is also deliciously sweet.
Think of the fruits and vegetable you like best. Keep those fruits and vegetables stocked in your home. Bring fruits and vegetables with you to work, on long car trips, when you are running errands. Have a “car apple” on your way home from work to curb your appetite before dinner.
When you buy groceries, come home and cut up veggies for you and your family and have them at the front of your refrigerator so that you’ll grab them. Put fruits in a fruit bowl on your kitchen table to remind you and your family to eat fruit every day. You should strive for a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. That could be two pieces of fruit per day, 1 cup of raw veggies, and 1 cup of steamed veggies (which counts as 2 servings). Plant foods fill you up with lots of nutrients yet very few calories, and I stand by my claim that I do not know anyone overweight from eating too many fruits and vegetables.