#if you LOVE oats but don't eat it because it seems high calorie low volume this is a recipe for YOU

[stawberryana]

Lmao I just learned how to make a MASSIVE bowl of oat for only 93 - 159 calories

[annikaq-foodandfitness]

Meal plan review part 2: personal takeaways

Back from my busy weekend to continue this series! First, here is the link to part 1 where I explain the structure of the plan, how much I liked it and how easy it was to follow:

Now, for my personal takeaways - the principles I will bring into my everyday diet.

Takeaway 1 - double fruits and vegetables

I thought I already ate a lot of fruits and vegetables. I mean, most Americans don't even get their 5 a day, and USDA servings are little! Well, this plan basically doubled the amount I was eating, usually by doubling the serving size of fruit or the number of types of vegetables. This definitely kicks up the fiber and the volume of food; I'm a person who gets used to compact portions pretty easily so I don't really need the volume, but I do appreciate the effect of the fiber. My belly doesn't "look as full" as I'd expect from how much I'm eating, and completely debloats overnight. It also kicks up the carbohydrates - this plan was really high in carbs compared to what I normally eat, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it didn't "feel high carb." I thought I knew the effect of "slow carbs" plenty well since I always choose 100% whole grain, but I guess I hadn't gotten them diluted in quite so much fiber and water.

So, I'm trying to follow the double rule by using a whole large fruit, or one cup instead of half a cup at breakfast and snack, and two types of vegetables at lunch and dinner. Plus sometimes a fruit with lunch (see below).

Some related discoveries about fruits and veggies:

A fruit with lunch after the main dish makes it feel more satisfying and complete. They did this with grapes a lot in the plan, at least week 1.

You can slice a banana lengthwise to use toppings! I don't know why I never thought of that before. I just always got frustrated with how nothing sticks to them.

If you slice a fruit and pack a butter knife to spread with, you can stretch a small amount of nut butter over a lot more fruit. I always thought a whole apple with a tablespoon of peanut butter was badly proportioned, but it can be done if you spread rather than dip.

Takeaway 2 - generous fats and flavor

Specifically, about 2 teaspoons with each of lunch and dinner, occasionally more, plus some nuts or nut butters and avocado, and fat from protein foods. I was surprised - I definitely defend the place of fat in my diet, and I wasn't expecting a reduced calorie, high carb plan to outdo me. But I was usually using only one teaspoon of oil for dressing, or maybe cooking with a tablespoon but not every day and not using oil at two out of three meals. It was really nice to see how more fat could be included on a consistent basis. That being said, there's a little bit of a caveat because I normally eat some cheese, and the plan had no dairy, so I don't have a great sense of how much fat I was including from dairy.

Related discoveries:

It's really worth it to put some effort into the dressing for salads. Lemon maple, orange cumin, spicy mayo, thinned out hummus.

It's also worth it to chop up a tablespoon of onion for flavor.

Foods that are tasty and healthy but high in calories, like nuts, don't have to be allotted in a single full serving for the day (like an ounce of walnuts). They can be sprinkled in small amounts into different meals, like a tablespoon of chopped walnuts into a salad or on top of oats.

Takeaway 3 - 3/4 cup cooked grain servings, and remember beans

Kind of like the lengthwise banana, something I'm surprised I hadn't already figured. But there sort of seem to be two camps regarding grain portions - low calorie dieters and the USDA with their 1/2 cups that barely make a mound on the plate, and the carb fans or careless eaters with their whole cups that crowd out other parts of the meal. But it turns out in the middle, 3/4 is satisfying without breaking the calorie bank or feeling too much of a carb-up.

Also related:

Grain salads are rad and extremely versatile. Fluff them up with veggies and squeak them past the protein threshold with legumes.

Black beans and chickpeas. Even edamame in the right context can be surprisingly good. It's been a bit of a throwback to my former vegetarian life.

There are a lot more whole grains to work with than just rice, wheat bread, and wheat pasta, and I didn't know that I LOVE quinoa!

Takeaway 4 - chia seeds as a mix-in

They're great to add some extra nutrients and bulk to cereal, and for thickening smoothies. They also *really* pack that fiber-fullness punch. I'm not a fan of having them make up too much of the dish, but I'll go into that more when I discuss individual recipes.

Takeaway 5 - calorie distribution

I kept a little bit of an eye on the reported calorie content of the recipes. As I mentioned in part 1, I think some of them may have been a little inaccurate, but it's a guideline. Most breakfasts were in the neighborhood of 350. Lunches and dinners tended to be between 450-550, with dinners usually on the higher side. Snacks and treats were both very consistently between 150-200.

This seems to add up to closer to 1700 rather than their reported 1600, but I didn't pay close attention to how the higher and lower meals were balanced across days. I don't normally have a "treat" every day or eat 5 times a day generally (except when refueling a hard/long workout), so I can translate the structure of the meals and snacks pretty directly for a 1500 calorie plan.

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And with that... my next post in this series will be on my favorite and least favorite recipes of the plan.