What I am doing

I have tried many so-called diets. Most involve tiny portions and writing down everything you eat and counting calories and - forget it. I do not want to obsess about every bite. I end up falling off the wagon, every time.

So do most of us. That is because diets suck.

NOT because we are weak. It is also because we are surrounded by junk food with little to no nutrition, but a lot of fat and/or sugar.

And I do not want to hear the pious thin people who just purse their lips and say, "Calories in, versus calories out. Just eat less and exercise more."

Bite me.

The Standard American Diet (SAD) is awful. Too much meat, too much fat of the wrong kind, added sugar, overprocessed grains, sodas and hardly any vegetables or fruit.

I am following the advice of Dr. Joel Fuhrman, who advocates making the bulk of one's diet - there is that word again, but this time it means an eating plan one can live with - leafy green vegetables and other non starchy vegetables such as cauliflower, green beans, onions, peppers, carrots, celery and the like. Yeah, what they used to disparage as "rabbit food". Shut up and listen.

The next tier on the food pyramid is divided into fruits and beans. These are not unlimited as the veggies are - did I mention  you can fill up on veggies? Recommended is three or four fruits a day, and a half cup to a cup of beans a day.

Yes, I know you will run the dog out from under the covers. Beans do that. Get Beano or live with it.

Above that is nuts and seeds. These are not unlimited either, but used as a way to add healthy fats. You can make a salad dressing from raw cashews - really. Or you can sprinkle walnuts and sunflower seeds over your oatmeal like I did yesterday. throw some almonds in with your green beans.

Add a few whole grains - whole wheat bread, quinoa, oats, barley, and the like. Also recommended is cooked mushrooms for their nutrient value.

Notice I do not mention red meat or dairy. Or eggs. You can eat them, but sparingly. You don't need dairy at all - you are not a baby cow.  Fish is preferred as an animal protein, with chicken second. Once or twice a week!

Refined foods are addictive. "Bet you can't eat just one" was an actual slogan to advertise potato chips! They knew it was actually true.

The main idea is to get as much nutrition for the calories we consume. Vegetables are high in micronutrients that we need to thrive on. Vitamins and minerals and something called phytochemicals - you can look it up - are largely missing in the SAD, but not missing are fats, protein and carbohydrates, or what is known as the macronutrients.  The low fat and low carb advocates have been duking it out for decades, and both are wrong.

Dr. Fuhrman's term for the best way to eat is what he calls Nutritarian. You get the most nutrition for your calories.

That made sense to me.

Follow along and see how it works for me.

Try it yourself for two weeks. Quit whining about cheeseburgers and fries. After two weeks you won't be able to eat them - they will taste nasty.

But you can eat glorious salads, wonderful soups, fantastic fruits - and as your taste buds change, you will be amazed how good real food tastes!