Waffles for breakfast. Ham and avocado wrap for lunch. Stir-fried rice for dinner. Blueberry-vanilla custard for dessert.
Sounds like a day of bliss for non-calorie counters.
Actually, it’s a typical day’s menu from “The Reality Diet,” a new book by Dr. Steven Schnur, CEO of South Florida Cardiology Associates. Its 200-plus recipes for an eight-week period include pizza with Canadian bacon, spinach pesto fettuccine, banana flan and salmon croquettes.
“I’ve designed it so you’re eating regular food you enjoy–from hot dogs and hamburgers to lobster thermidor,” Schnur said. “This is a diet for real people living in the real world.”
As you might have noticed, low-carbing-it isn’t a requirement like it is in the wildly popular South Beach Diet, created by his former colleague Dr. Arthur Agatston. As a doctor, Schnur said, he can’t condone the nutritional restrictions of trendy diets.
“Human beings are designed to eat from all food groups,” he said. “In the last few years, patients on the low-carb plans come in saying they were dizzy, light-headed or too tired to exercise … that’s because carbohydrates give you energy!”
Shirley De Leon, Schnur’s in-house nutritionist and a consultant on the book, agreed.
“It’s not carbs that are making people overweight–it’s overeating, period,” she said. “We’re eating too much and moving too little, and the equation doesn’t balance.”
The South Beach Diet susses out “good” carbs from “bad” ones with the use of the glycemic index, which estimates how rapidly blood sugar levels rise after a carbohydrate is eaten. Carbs with a high glycemic index (potatoes, pasta, white rice) are forbidden, while those on the low end of the scale (whole wheat products, wild rice) are acceptable.
“Will you lose weight on diets that have the glycemic index as their engine? Yes,” Schnur said. “But is it a satisfying way? No.”
Schnur’s prescription in “The Reality Diet” is hardly a magic bullet. It’s fiber, the part of plants that’s not broken down by digestive enzymes. He’s talking a daily diet filled with fiber-rich foods such as oats, beans, fruits, wheat bran, whole-grain cereals and such root vegetables as turnips, rutabagas, parsnips and sweet potatoes. Even the big supposed no-no, potatoes, are included.
The federal government recommends that adults consume a minimum of 25 fiber grams a day. Right now, Schnur said, the average person takes in half to two-thirds of that. His book recommends a “2:90” rule: All carbs must have at least 2 grams of fiber per 90 calories.
“It amazes me when people say this is a high-fiber diet,” he said. “I’m not stuffing you with 50 grams, I’m just bringing you to where you should be.”
“The Reality Diet” also strongly recommends burning at least 300 calories a day, or 2,000 calories a week. Not as easy as it sounds. Figure close to an hour of fast walking seven days a week.
Luckily, all those carbs step in to give you the boost you need.
“It’s key to be committed to exercise,” Schnur said. “You’ve got to wonder about any diet that doesn’t promote it.”
DIET TIPS
Here are tips from “The Reality Diet”:
– Distract yourself: TV ads for food are dangerous. If you can busy yourself while they’re showing off the latest sundae at Wendy’s, you’ll be less likely to binge. Do crunches, the laundry, make a phone call.
– Keep hydrated: Peckish between meals? Try drinking an 8-ounce glass of water.
– Go on, cheat: Don’t berate yourself if you’ve indulged. One candy bar won’t kill you.
– Mind the scale: Because weight can vary from day to day due to water retention and other factors, weigh yourself, “at the same time of day so that you’re comparing apples to apples,” no more than once or twice a week.
[MIAMI HERALD].
