Cleansing your Kitchen Before the HCG Diet Begins

After our HCG Diet program, so many of our patients ask what they should do to maintain there weight loss and new found sense of health and well-being.  I often begin by re-iterating that phase III of the HCG Diet is a wonderful way to eat 90% of the time.  It is a clean, healthy paleo-type diet without overloading the body with junk food and an over abundance of carbohydrates and calories.

The best thing to do to stay on board is to clear out your kitchen and pantry with foods that will no longer serve your body in a functional way when it comes to diet. Please remember, this is also my opinion from my 10 years in clinical practice with a focus on diet, as well as, my years of in depth research.

Start Your New Lifestyle off with a Kitchen Cleanse

I personally recommend getting rid of :

1. All sources of gluten. This would pertain to anything whole grain and whole wheat.  In today’s world, we are bombarded with food of all kinds and many and most of today’s grain products are not grown as they were even 100 years ago.
2. All processed foods being carbs, sugars and starch.  This would include any form of yams, potatoes, sweet potatoes, muffins, pastry, pizza, energy bars, jams, jellies, yogurts, dried fruits, sports drinks, energy drinks, condiments, processed food spreads and dips, fried foods, honey, agave, corn syrup, maple syrup, sweets, etc.
3. If a food is not genuinely low or no fat please get rid of anything that is labeled to be “low or no fat.”
4. Any processed cooking oils (even if they are organic) due to over processing: soybean, corn, canola, grape seed, sunflower, wheat germ, cottonseed, safflower.
5. Any no-fermented soy products and any processed foods with soy in the ingredients list.
6. Beware of anything labeled GLUTEN FREE. Always read labels for the presence of other grains

What Staples to Have on Hand in Your Healthy Kitchen/Pantry

We have a specific handout that we give to our HCG Diet patients that outlines which foods would be nice to have on hand in your kitchen.  This may mean taking a little trip to the heath food store to get stocked up.

1. I am a big fan on healthy fats in moderation.  I love extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, grass fed butter and ghee, raw nuts and nut milks, avocado, healthy seeds, etc. (all organic is best)
2. Find condiments that are free of gluten, soy and sugar or make your own.  Load up on any healthy fresh/dried herbs and seasonings for flavor.
3. Low Sugar Fruits such as lime, avocado, bell pepper, cucumbers, tomato, lemons. Most of us would consider these to be vegetables but, they are in fact fruits.
4. Protein – I can’t say enough about protein.  It keeps me sustained for longer periods than any other food group.  Go for wild fish such as salmon, sardines, trout and herring; shellfish if you are not allergic and you know the waters they come from are not polluted; grass fed meat and poultry.
5. Vegetables — go for the low starch vegetables with your meals.  Any leafy greens, lettuces, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel’s sprouts, onion, cabbage, chard, kale, sprouts, mushrooms, celery, bok choy, collards, radishes, asparagus, garlic, leeks, ginger, parsley, cilantro, and many more. Veggies that can be eaten in moderation would include carrots, beets and parsnips.

I moderation, have some organic dairy products, legumes, non-glutenous grains, stevia, dark chocolate, sweet fruits and wine.

Categories: Body Composition, Eating Well, Food Information, hCG Diet, HCG Diet Weight Loss, HCG Weight Loss, Mindful Eating, Weight Loss