Mary Fahl's top ten favorite diet foods

There is an upside to vanity… Just ask my slim, lucid, 94 year old mother. She’s been counting her calories everyday since 1933. A few years back I asked her advice… I had slowly gained about 20 lbs from a stubborn refusal to look at a scale, not to mention the enabling effect of Gap stretch pants… and she handed me an ancient calorie counter with worn, yellowing pages that belonged in the Smithsonian. While not naturally slim, she has remained a perfect weight for 80 years. Neither of us is genetically pre-disposed to following rules, so any of those typical ‘have a portion of this, 2 points of that’ methods never work. Her advice… “You get 1200 calories a day… make ‘em work!” = Find tasty, filling, inexpensive, nutrition-rich foods and make them part of your lifestyle. Six years and 23 pounds lighter, here’s my top 10 list:

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10. An apple a day

I really do this and swear by it. The apple gives you just enough natural sugars to satisfy hunger, with loads of fiber. I keep them very cold in the fridge. I have one as soon as I get up in the morning.

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9. Almonds

Not a cup full, mind you, but a small handful everyday is loaded with protein and amino acids.

Note: Stay away from the Almond butter, it’s incredible, but for me, one teaspoon is too many – 1,000’s not enough. I will keep evening off the jar like a master stone mason until there’s nothing left but an empty jar, a spoon and my guilt.

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8. Avocado

“God’s butter” I’ve heard it called. You can spread it on crackers or toast, or make guacamole with it. Loaded with good fats and Vitamin A, it’s a perfect snack while everybody else is munching on all that synthetic, high fat garbage.

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7. The Kashi Bar

I should probably have put brown rice in as No. 7, but the truth is, Kashi bars are my guilty pleasure. If I want something that approximates candy but still has tons of protein and low fat, this is my ‘go to’ bar. I’ve tried every flavor and love them all. They’re also really convenient when you’re traveling and there’s nothing but fast food along the highway.

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6. Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatoes

These yellow autumnal vegetables are a perfect substitute for while potatoes and contain far more nutritional value. They can be spiced and served lots of different ways and always leave you feeling like you got your carb hit.

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5. Berries – Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries…

Loaded with Lycopene and all kinds of antioxidants, I love them all. They can be expensive off-season, so I will often buy them during the summer and freeze them for the winter.

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4. Fat Free Greek Yogurt

Again, an almost perfect food in my book, loaded with protein – there are several brands I love, but my current favorite is Yoplait’s 2x Protein in Key Lime… I swear, you could make a pie out of this… It’s so dessert-like, it takes away that feeling of deprivation that a low glycemic diet can sometimes cause. If you’re wondering who cleans out the key lime flavor at the grocery store every week, yes, it’s me…

Photo Courtesy of Yoplait on Facebook

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3. The Egg White Omelet

Oh I could write a song about the perfection of this food… loaded with protein and barely a trace of fat, you can dress it up or dress it down and always feel full. Add a little Gruyere, and some greens and you can pretend you’re having lunch in Paris. My personal favorite is an egg white omelet with a little feta, tomato and chopped black olives.

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2. Black Beans

I could live on them… honestly… and if you eat them alone (i.e., don’t mix them with dairy or other proteins), you will not bloat and/or wreck your relationships. I love to spice them heavily with cayenne and cumin. ½ cup can hold me for hours and it makes for a beautiful warming soup in the winter.

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1. Greens!

OK – I know it’s cheating a little to lump them all under one number, but honesty, greens are the staple of my diet… Brussels sprouts, green beans, broccoli, field greens, I love ‘em all. Baked, broiled, steamed, raw… I have 2 to 3 healthy servings a day… To me, the meat or fish I might occasionally have is a mere excuse for a plate full of veggies.

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So there you have it… eat these low calorie, easy to prepare, nutrition rich foods in moderation every day… keep your calories at 1200, stay way from the white foods (white rice, potatoes, pasta, white flour, sugar) and voila… you can stay slim for a lifetime without starving yourself or feeling deprived. Just ask my Mom!

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