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I always begin my day with a big plate of veggies. At least a pound worth of non-starchy vegetables. This fills up my stomach for around 100 calories, is loaded with fiber, vitamins and minerals; and takes away my craving for foods that are more dense in calories like something sugary or salty. If I’m still hungry, I’ll have a starch, like a potato or rice and beans.

My goal is to repeat this sequence at every meal. One pound raw vegetables (usually in the form of a chopped salad with kale, spinach, cabbage, carrots, beets, onion, broccoli and blueberries or pomegranate seeds) followed by one pound cooked vegetables (this might be roasted brussels sprouts, steamed zucchini, a blend of broccoli and cauliflower, or water-sauted kale) followed by starch (I always have cooked potatoes on hand and I batch-prep beans and soups each week). Chef AJ, co-founder of The Ultimate Weight Loss Program, always says, “If it’s in your house, it’s in your mouth,” so keep your house stalked and you’ll be set for success.

This way of eating doesn’t require any weighing or measuring or counting. It simply requires an understanding of how calorie density works. In other words, how many calories/pound food has. And it just so happens that foods in their natural form found in nature are the lowest in calories and the highest in nutrients.

You can not gain weight eating this way. This is our natural environment. And our bodies will find their natural healthy weight eating the foods the Earth provided us: fruits, vegetables, potatoes (all colors), whole grains (rice, quinoa, millet), legumes (beans and lentils) and small amounts of nuts, seeds and avocado. If weight loss is your goal, or if nuts and seeds trigger you, eliminate them until you’ve reached your healthy weight.

The foods in this section are WHOLE FOODS found in nature. Containing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemical, micronutrients, fiber and water, these foods create bulk and increased satiety.

NON-STARCHY VEGETABLES

100 Calories/Pound

FRUIT

300 Calories/Pound

POTATOES

400 Calories/Pound

WHOLE GRAINS

500 Calories/Pound

LEGUMES

600 Calories/Pound

The foods in this section are PROCESSED FOODS not found in nature. Containing few to no micronutrients and little to no fiber or water, they contribute very little to satiety. Avocados, Nuts and Seeds are healthful foods but are calorie dense and are best included in small amounts.

AVOCADOS

750 Calories/Pound

REFINED CARBOHYDRATES

Ice Cream – 1,200   Bread – 1,400

Cheese – 1,600   Sugar – 1,800

CHOCOLATE

2,500 Calories/Pound

NUTS AND SEEDS

2,800 Calories/Pound

ALL OILS

4,000 Calories/Pound