Meal Prep 101: Creating A Meal That Heals

I am often asked what foods I ate to lose so much weight and cure my pre-diabetes.

Remember, if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. When prepping your meals for the day or week, here's a few things to remember:
1.) Think about how many times you're going to eat. You don't want to leave any time out or you're leaving room for bad food choices.
2.) Stick to the Plan. Even when your boss wants to take you out for a great FREE meal, stick to your plan. Your body will thank you later for it.
3.) Remember why you are doing it. Some days will be tough and just want to throw that plastic container away, but remember to incorporate "cheat meals" and don't forget your goal(s) in doing it in the first place!

Here is a sample of my typical meal selections for a day, then… and now.

Breakfast:
Option 1: Bran cereal with low fat soy milk, raisins, bananas, ground flax seeds and cinnamon. No added sugar ! Drink water.
Option 2: Oatmeal with organic 2% milk, raisins and fresh sliced peaches. And drink water

Morning snack:
Option 1: Handful of nuts and piece of fruit. Drink water
Option 2: Air popped popcorn (no salt) and banana. Drink water

Lunch:
Option 1: Vegetarian chili (homemade or Wegmans) on brown rice with curry spice. Whole wheat toast. Drink Water
Option 2: Beans and brown rice with cayenne pepper. Wheat crackers. Drink Water

Afternoon snack:
Option 1: Raw carrots. Drink Water
Option 2: Celery sticks with organic peanut butter. Drink water.

Dinner:
Chipotle veggie salad with black beans (no cheese !) Water
(If fish, then grilled or baked wild salmon with natural spices and lemon juice. No butter or salt!)

Evening snack:
Option 1: Raisin whole wheat toast with cinnamon and berries. Drink water.
Option 2: Cinnamon apple sauce with whole wheat toast. Drink water.

Trust me ! Your taste buds will adjust and your body will begin healing, once you adopt a plant based whole foods diet.

By Dr. Ed James, BDO Healthy Lifestyle Expert

Dr. Ed James draws inspiration from his personal experiences with healthy lifestyle changes, having overcome prediabetes and obesity several years ago. In 2011, he founded Heal2BFree to focus on helping individuals and organizations to develop and implement action plans that help close the health disparities gap between blacks and whites.

Dr. James has given many presentations, including the 2011 National Medical Association Colloquium and regularly contributes preventive health-related articles to some of the nation’s top health publications. He is also the primary author and co-editor of Getting into Medical School – A Planning Guide for Minority Students.

He received his BS in Biology from Bucknell University and earned his MD and MBA from the University of Pennsylvania as a participant in the Penn Med Scholars combined degree program.

For more healthy lifestyle tips and news, visit Dr. Ed at Heal 2B Free.