Meal Mentor

The Real Dirty Dozen Revealed

We've all heard about the Dirty Dozen, but what about the real Dirty Dozen?

Jeff Novick created his own list called, "The Real Dirty Dozen: The 12 Deadliest Dietary & Lifestyle Factors & What You Can Do About Them" and it has a lot of great tips on how we can all live a healthier life.

1. Smoking Don't smoke and avoid second hand smoke.

2. Excess Calories/Body Weight Maintain a healthy weight with a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 (a BMI of 18.5-22 may be optimal), and a waist circumference of less than 35 for women and less than 40 for men, and a waist to height ratio of less than .50.

3. Inadequate Diet (not enough fruits, vegetables, and intact starches) Eat a diet based predominately on a variety of minimally processed whole plant foods (fruits, vegetables, starchy vegetables, roots/tubers, intact whole grains and beans). Good thing that's what the meal plans focus on!

4. Alcohol Limit intake to less than 1 drink a day & less than 4 drinks a week. Not drinking at all is optimal.

5. Inactivity/Sedentary Lifestyle 150-300 minutes per week of moderate activity (or 60-120 minutes of vigorous activity). The inclusion of some balance, flexibility work is also recommended.

6. Excess Added Sodium/Salt Total sodium from all sources to less than 1500 mg/day. No added salt/sodium is optimal.

7. Excess Saturated Fat Keep saturated fat to less than 7% of total calories (less than 5% is optimal). Dairy, meats, fish, oils, butter, chocolate, coconut, seeds, and nuts are high in saturated fat.

8. Dietary Cholesterol Keep total cholesterol to less than 25 mg/day. None is optimal. (Cholesterol is only found in animal foods).

9. Added Sugars/Caloric Sweeteners Keep added sugars/sweeteners (including fruit juice and natural sweeteners) to less than 5% of total calories. None is optimal.

10. Added Fat/Oils Keep added fats/oils less than 4% of calories. None is optimal.

11. Refined Flours/Grains (such as white bread, cookies, etc) Less than 5% of calories. None is optimal.

12. Hydrogenated/Trans Fats Avoid these.

If you're looking to eat better and lose weight, I can't recommend the meal plans enough. They're always vegan, low-fat, and oil-free.

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4 Easy Tips for Faster Meal Prep

Looking to get breakfast, lunch or dinner on the table -- and fast? Here are some great tips that will make meal time stress-free and a lot quicker!

Have a plan. If you're always dreading these three words: "What's for dinner?", I can't recommend the meal plans enough! They not only make prepping all your meals for the week super easy and fast (in as little as 2-3 hours), but it will already be waiting for you when you're ready to eat!

Lay it all out. Clear off your counter or table and lay out all your ingredients, that way you aren't constantly running around your kitchen looking for them.

Pre-Chop your Veggies. We already note what to do with each veggie on the prep sheet, but this also works well for meals like wraps or salads that suggests components to be stored separately (no one likes a soggy veggie wrap!). That way when it's time to eat, all you have to do is throw your veggies in a tortilla or salad and you're good to go! You can also buy pre-cut fruits and veggies at the grocery store to make things even faster, but they may not be as cost-effective. Another alternative: frozen, pre-cut veggies (like broccoli and bell pepper slices).

Cook from longest to shortest. Start with the meal that takes the longest to make. While you're waiting for it to cook, you can continue prepping other meals on your list.

For even more meal prep tips, see this post: How to Cook All Your Meals for the Week in 2-3 Hours.

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How to Recover After Dining Out

A meal plan user emailed:

"I've been doing a pretty good job with the meals plans, but today I need your advice! I wanted to treat myself, so I went out to eat with my brother for lunch. I got a spicy black bean burger and I looked at the calories afterwards- 1160!! Should I just not eat for the rest of the day?"

I can't believe a single burger was over 1100! Are you sure? I suppose it's possible if it had a lot of oil on it, or other fat like fake cheese or avocado, but beans and a bun shoudn't be even half that.

I would pick lighter options the rest of the day -- salads, broth-based soups, that sort of thing. You don't want to force yourself to be hungry all day. Just keep this as a reminder and lesson :)

Hang in there!

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The Right & Wrong Way to Lose Weight

I recently came across this meme while scrolling through my Facebook feed the other day:

While the bottom pyramid is not entirely true, weight loss really does come down to your diet.

People think they can work off bad food, but you really can't. It's all about what you're eating.

If you are trying to lose weight, stick to the meal plan as close as possible and choose the lower-fat options.

I also don't encourage weight-lifting or exercise for those trying to lose weight. In fact, with many of my clients, exercise combined with caloric restriction actually slowed their losses. Light activity like walking and yoga is fine though :)

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Need Help Preparing the Meal Plans?

A meal plan user emailed:

"I need help cooking the meal plans. They seem very detailed, but I still have trouble. I feel like I'm always struggling to find everything I need from the shopping list and when I prepare them I feel lost sometimes. I have no cooking skills whatsoever."

If you need help locating something in a store, just ask a worker for help. All stores are laid out a little different, but any employee should be able to help you.

As for cooking, first you want to gather all your ingredients and the things you'll need -- like pots and pans and measuring cups. I put all mine on the kitchen table to save counter space.

From there you start your grains/potatoes and then start working your way through the items on for "prep" i.e. dicing your onions. Once you're prepped, you start cooking in order.

I find cooking is one of those things that gets better the more you do it, and you sort of find what works for you. For example, my sister has to clean and put things away as she goes, whereas I sort of pile my dirty dishes in the sink and clean after.

Similarly, my husband likes to pre-measure EVERYTHING, even a spice, whereas I just pull the container out, then measure when it's time for me to add, say, chili powder.

If you're totally new to cooking, it might make sense for you to try to do it recipe by recipe, even though that takes longer, until you're more comfortable -- then you can try multitasking.

Depending on your needs, you may want to start with the new dinner only family meal plan (also great for couples if you don't mind leftovers for lunch!). There are only 7 meals to prepare for the week (plus bonus breakfast and lunch recipes), which may be a little less overwhelming for someone new to the meal plans. And with the new customizable shopping list, you have the option to prepare meals you only want to eat.

Enjoy the meal plans!

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Looking for Oil-Free & Plant-Based Brands?

I'm always getting questions from meal plan users about brands... what brand should you buy?

Unfortunately, brands vary by state and even two chain stores in the same city can have different items. For example, the Kroger by my friend's house (who lives less than 5 miles away) doesn't carry the same brand of tortillas I buy at my Kroger that's down the street. He also has access to Dave's Killer Bread (which I LOVE!) but it's not sold at my Kroger, or any of the other Krogers in our area.

It takes a little bit of time to scan labels at first, but once you figure out what brands your store has that work for your dietary guidelines, shopping gets easier. I also find I'm frequently rediscovering the stores in my town -- hidden gems on those bottom shelves!

As for me, since I'm on a budget, I almost always buy generic. I find generic items are usually vegan (even if the more pricey commercial cousin is not) and oil-free too! For example, the generic semi-sweet chocolate chips at my store are vegan but the fancy brand contains milk.

I also recently discovered this generic organic brand. Can you believe their soup has no oil and is vegan?

The only thing I'm super picky about is my nutritional yeast. I’ll only use Braggs or Red Star, even if it means having to order it online (like at bulkfoods.com). I find other brands, especially the bulk stuff at Whole Foods, is gnarly.

Anyway, I have a HUGE jumbo list of plant-based, vegan and HH-approved brands in my new Guide.

You can also see this mini list of brands for starters, and this post has tips too.

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