Take the Stress Out of CookingWhether you are working too much, taking care of a household of kids, stress can easily take over your daily life. Add planning and cooking healthy meals to the mix, and it becomes overwhelming. One way to remove stress from your life is to make cooking a simple and gratifying process.
Plan Ahead One of the easiest ways to eliminate stress is to take the guesswork out of dinnertime. Set aside time to plan your upcoming week’s meals.
Want to reduce stress even more? Make a universal grocery list for all the meals, and go to the supermarket to get everything you’ll need for the week. Not only does this remove the stress of “what am I going to make for dinner tonight,” but you won’t have to take time out of each day to swing by the grocery store. |
Find new ways of preparing your food. If you're used to eating deep-fried chicken, or beef cooked in a rich gravy, you'll need to make a few adjustments. Find healthier ways of cooking vegetables and meat to make sure you're on the right track for diet success. Asparagus is great but if it's smothered in butter it takes away the healthy edge. Steam your vegetables rather than fry or boil them (boiling takes away many of the essential nutrients you'd otherwise enjoy). Cut the fat from your meat before you cook it. Absolutely don't use sugar if you heat fruit for a warm dessert.
Once you've mastered a few dishes that you enjoy, make them in bulk quantities. Put each serving into an individual container and leave it in the fridge or ice box to be eaten when necessary throughout the week. This is a good strategy if you're busy with work or family - if you can't face cooking one evening, you can reheat and eat one of your pre-prepared portions. When you don't allow yourself to become over-hungry, you are less likely to spoil your weight loss plans with unsuitable food or drink. One thing that becomes apparent when you start cooking food for the HCG diet is how much healthier you and your family eat when you make your meals yourself. Gone are the high levels of salt and sugar, and the alarming quantities of additives and preservatives. When you cook for yourself using fresh or frozen vegetables, fresh meat and fresh fruit, you benefit from all of the nutrients and none of the added nasties that some processed food manufacturers put into their products. And another bonus? When you've finished the HCG diet your body will be re-programmed to eat in a healthy way, and you will find it much easier to maintain your weight loss on a regime of healthy, home-cooked foods. Here is an example of a typical day in PHASE 2 of the HCG Diet:
Breakfast:
VERY IMPORTANT: DO NOT mix vegetables or have the same selection of protein, vegetables or fruit twice in one day. |