FOOD DO'S AND DON'TS the easy way

This is by no means a complete list. It's the list I use for foods I'm likely to eat and should continue to eat or eliminate.

All meat should be cut lean and cooked by steaming, broiling, boiling, roasting. Avoid frying, deep frying, and breaded.

Beef, ground 90% lean or higher
Beef
Chicken, skinless
Fish, all fresh or frozen (canned in water)
Ham
Pork
Scallops
Shrimp
Tofu
Turkey, skinless

Stay away from processed lunchmeat, sausages, jerkey, hot dogs, and bacon.


Vegetables

Asparagus
Bean sprouts
Beans (green, wax)
Bok choy
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots (raw)
Cauliflower
Celery
Chilies
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Greens (spinach, chard, kale)
Jicama
Leeks
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Okra
Olives
Onion
Peas
Peppers (all types)
Pickles (dill)
Radishes
Snow Peas
Soybeans
Squash ( except Pumpkin)
Tomato sauce, paste
Tomatoes
Water chestnuts
Zucchini

Try to avoid avocados, beets, corn, sweet pickles, all potatoes including sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and yams.


Fruits

Apple
Apricots
Berries (blueberries,
strawberries,
raspberries, etc.)
Cantaloupe
Cherries
Grapefruit
Grapes (all types)
Honeydew
Kiwi
Melon
Nectarine
Orange
Papaya
Peach
Pear
Pineapple
Plum
Tangerine
Watermelon

Try to avoid bananas, coconut, dates, dried fruits, juices, mangoes, raisons, and preserves.


Breads & Cereals

100% whole wheat
Multi-grain
Oat bran bread
Pita, whole wheat
Pumpernickel
Rye
Tortillas, whole wheat
Whole grain
All unsweetened
bran cereals
Muesli (low fat,
no sugar added)
Oat bran
Oats, oatmeal
Puffed wheat (unsweetened)
Rice Bran

Stay away from bagels, biscuits, white breads including crumbs and sticks, most cereals, cake,cookies, chips, crackers, cornbread, donuts, english muffins, granolas, pancakes, popcorn, rice cakes, tortillas, and waffles.

Starches

Barley
Beans (black, kidney,
red, garbanzo, etc.)
Bulgur
Chickpeas
Couscous
Lentils
Oats, oatmeal
(all types, no sugar)
Pasta, whole wheat
Peas (split,
black-eyed)
Rice (basmati,
bulgur, parboiled
brown, wild)
Tabouli

Avoid noodles, pastas, pretzels, white fried or spanish rice, and no soups except broths, also no refried or baked beans.


Dairy Foods


Cheese (fat free or low fat)
Cottage cheese (low fat)
Eggs, egg whites (boiled,
poached, scrambled/fried
with non-stick cooking
spray)
Egg substitute
Milk (1% low fat, fat free)
Mozzarella cheese (fat free)
Ricotta cheese (fat free)
Yogurt (low fat, fat free, sugar free)

Avoid cream cheese, ice cream, sorbet, regular sour cream and yogurt. Stay away from half & half and and full fat cottage cheese.


Beverages


Water
Bouillon
Coffee
Diet soda
Sugar free beverages
Hot cocoa mix (w/ water,
sugar free, fat free)
Tea (all types, no sugar)

Avoid all alcohol and any type of sugared drinks.

You may have treats in small amounts if they are sugar free. You are also allowed 1 pat of butter a day, plus
Garlic
Herbs
Horseradish
Hummus
Ketchup (1 T/day)
Lemon juice
Lime juice
Margarine (1 pat/day)
Mayonnaise (light,
fat free - 1T/day)
Mustard (lo-cal)
Oil (olive)
Olives (packed in water)
Onion
Parmesan, Romano cheese
(1T/day)
Pickles (dill)
Salad dressing
(lo-cal, fat free or
vinaigrette 4T/day)
Salsa (4T/day)
Sauerkraut
Shallots
Sour cream (low fat,
fat free)
Soy sauce
Spaghetti sauce (sugar
free)
Spices (all)

No bacon bits, croutons, regular mayo, peanut butter, pickles except dill, no salad dressings unless they are lo fat, no seeds or relish.

Please note that some consideration was given to avoid fats on this list for weight loss.