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    Donald Hensrud, M.D.

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  • The Mayo Clinic Diet blog

  • Feb. 5, 2010

    Make your diet a journey through healthy foods

    By Donald Hensrud, M.D.

42 comments posted

Last time, we discussed the importance of attitude when beginning weight loss and mentioned a journey around the world of healthy ethnic foods. My wife and I have been on a similar journey over the years ... a salad journey.

Yes, I know that sounds funny, but we have periodically tried different types of salads. Years ago, it was mixed greens with toasted sliced almonds, a small amount of smoked Gouda cheese, and raspberry vinaigrette. For a while, we enjoyed a spinach salad with sunflower seeds, whole wheat croutons, and a small amount of hot olive oil. Then an eggless Caesar salad (she makes a great one), followed by mixed baby greens with a small amount of sunflower seeds, parmesan cheese, and balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Our staple has always been a Greek salad — with a whole grain baguette and smoked salmon it's often our dinner (and I can eat large amounts of the veggies based on the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid!).

Why is this relevant?

  • It shows how our taste preferences change over time and we can learn to like new foods. Thank goodness for that. I've often felt sorry for our cat; it generally eats the same food day in and day out (but surprisingly seems to look forward to meal time).
  • It shows just a few of the many variations that are possible in just one type of food. Most of us develop a core group of recipes and meals that we eat every week or two. We get used to making these foods and it becomes quick and easy. This can turn into a 'recipe rut'. To break out of this rut, it's necessary to either try new recipes or modify old ones. The work and effort in this is in the planning and preparation. Once you make a new dish a couple of times, it becomes part of your new routine.
  • It shows how healthy food can also taste good (you may have to trust me a little here). All of these salads have used either vegetables or generous amounts of greens — such as spinach, red leaf lettuce, romaine, mixed baby greens and my favorite, arugula. Higher calorie foods aren't avoided, but used in smaller amounts to provide a lot of flavor. A little bit of toasted nuts and different types of flavorful cheese can go a long way.

We all may have slightly different taste preferences, and you may not like all the salads above, but you get the picture. I hope you have similar enjoyable journeys, salad or otherwise. Please share your experiences.

42 comments posted

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  • February 23, 2013 1:13 p.m.

    Foods is so important for our health. It's also helpful for control our health. And salad is good for control our weight. So we should take this on the travel time. Because on the travel times we took so much food. weight loss surgery in Mexico

    - Emmanuel

  • October 5, 2012 2:04 p.m.

    I have been trying to lose weight with a healthy diet. Some recipes I found on http://socialcookbook.dantash.com, as well as tips around here. Thank you for the informative articles, they really benefit me in the long run!

    - Erika

  • October 3, 2012 6:41 a.m.

    Just for an example im trying to lose 20lbs in 6 weeks so I work out like do cardio for an hour a day, In the a.m i eat eggs and 1 slice of wheat bread , for a snack i have a fruit or yogurt , then at lunch i eat baked fish or brown rice or low fat pasta, then i drink plenty of water and for dinner ill eat a sandwhich. Does this sound about right? London Removals

    - William

  • September 24, 2012 11:14 p.m.

    Also, it would be nice to someone sit down with older folks and go thurogh all thei meds and doctors orders. I spent 2 hours sifting thurogh papers and looking stuff up online for my MIL, who has never used a computer in her life, because her doctors orders were so vague, and shed seen three different specialists over 3 days. She was totally confused.

    - Edina

  • September 4, 2012 10:31 p.m.

    Hello there great studying your informative articles. I discovered your blog and just wanted to say thanks!! It is assist me an incredible great deal!

    - Cara

  • September 4, 2012 3:28 p.m.

    Ha ha, I can totally relate with the phenomenon of taste transformation. When I was a child, I absolutely loved macaroni, but now as an adult, I despise it. On the flip side, when my mother would serve me brown rice, I would push the plate away. Now I consume about two cups of it everyday, and I love the taste of it. Yes, I completely agree that your taste buds adapt to whatever food you accustom it towards. This is empowering to know when you're trying to obtain your fitness goals.

    - Trent

  • August 11, 2012 5:41 p.m.

    I do agree that your will change in what you like..and having the same things will only get boring...It is important for our body to mix things up a little as it will slow down on how hard it has to work if it gets used to breaking down the same things. with that said...it could be as simple as mixing up when you have what that is enough. Our body needs to have Lean Muscles Mass to be able to burn and keep our metabolism high. Many think they need to do so many Dangerous things to get this... YOU do not need to kill yourself at the gym 7 days a week. YOU need something to help build this type of muscle mass and add a some extra activity to your day that is not normal, like extra walking or 20 minutes on treadmill. YOU need to make sure that you are not taken in more calories than your burning. I use myfitnesspal to see the amount of calories foods are and to keep track of what I eat. I am also doing a 90 day challenge with shakes that promote lean muscle mass in which I have lost 16 pounds and almost 20 inches...I see the the muscles and others do to and I am not done my challenge...above results were in less than two months. Remember...you need these healthy meals, and the suggestion on here to keep on track. YOU need to stick to it and make smaller goals that you can reach more easy as huge ones...are to hard and far away for one to keep on track and hit.

    - Kelly

  • June 29, 2012 12:26 p.m.

    thanks for this wonderful post.yep i agree that our taste preferences change over time ... hehehe i have a weird liking for mashed potatoes and chili.

    - chastine

  • April 13, 2012 7:08 a.m.

    Myo clinic diet is the new invention for the loss of weight but which the ingredients are used for its manufacturing.Need help me in this respect.

    - No name given

  • April 13, 2012 2:29 a.m.

    Diet is must, these are some of best tips for diet. Don't only rely on diet food do some extra cardio exercises for an hour or more is must.Use Salad of five colors. boot camps orange county

    - pamelajohn

  • February 16, 2012 11:08 a.m.

    Aren't you a little worried about a lot of this 'weight loss' coming from muscle tissue?

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  • February 4, 2012 2:26 a.m.

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  • June 8, 2011 12:34 p.m.

    This is absolutely awesome. I enjoyed reading this article. This could help a lot.Thank's for the post!!!

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  • March 9, 2011 10:30 a.m.

    I was reading about the spring roll recepie, real spring rolls are great for you. Very healthy, but one thing some people don't understand is that they are not a fried roll by all Asians. Also, the dip on the recepie is wrong. Not one of my Asian family or friends would ever prepare it like that ever. Yes, you do put hoisin sauce down, then tuong ot sriracha (chili sauce) topped with fine chopped peanuts. Very tasty!!!!

    - Lee

  • October 5, 2010 9:53 a.m.

    I am amazed that I lost 10 lbs on the Mayo Clinic Diet last month........... All year I wandered from diet to diet...some expensive and some complicated...... At last, I am able to snack only on fruits and veggies and the weight and the anxiety are leaving me.... Like the cover of the book says, this must be the last diet I will ever need........

    - elizabeth

  • May 13, 2010 11:25 a.m.

    Pam, for many combination foods try and classify them according to their major ingredients (oats? sugar??!) or if that doesn't work well, could just use the calories. Perhaps a better idea short term is to follow one of our habits and 'eat real food'! We try and focus on unprocessed food for different reasons and in many cases can make it easier to manage weight. Karen, theoretically someone can eat too many fruits or vegetables, but most people become satisfied and reach a practical limit - it's difficult to overdose on broccoli, but I have to admit your husband is eating more fruit than most people can! A large banana would probably be 2 servings. He should try and eat some food from each of the food groups and not just fruit so his diet is balanced. The proof will be in his weight - if he is losing then he is burning those calories through his farm work. If he is not, then perhaps cutting back just a little on fruit or other foods (providing he still remains satisfied) might help. Good luck!

    - Don Hensrud, M.D.

  • May 12, 2010 4:08 p.m.

    My husband is having great success at losing weight on your diet. Do I understand it correctly that fruits are unlimited? I would guess sometimes my husband will eat 10-15 pieces of fruit in a day. We work on our farm on weekends so there's quite a bit of labor involved. Are large bananas considered one serving or two? He loves fruit so it's easy for him to pick up a piece and run out the door. I keep wondering if he's eating too many to lose as fast as he wants to--don't want him to lose too slowly and get discouraged. Thank you for your time.

    - Karen

  • April 9, 2010 2:32 p.m.

    How do you count nutrition/protein bars? Our favorites include Luna Protein and various Clif bars. Have been enjoying success on Mayo diet, although much slower than expected, which is ok. I think I'm making permanent lifestyle changes.

    - Pam

  • March 9, 2010 4:27 p.m.

    Congratulations everyone! Keep up the great work!

    - Don Hensrud, M.D.

  • March 9, 2010 1:02 p.m.

    This is the first comment I have ever posted to any blog anywhere but needed to share my successes. I am starting the 5th week of Live it!, so am starting 7th week counting two weeks on Lose it!. I have lost 20 lbs. and feel fantastic! I am never hungry, in fact some days I do not eat everything I could. I think it helps that I have always loved fruits and veggies.

    - Robin

  • March 8, 2010 10:21 a.m.

    I love the tips that you give and I am a regular reader of your blog posts. Thanks for all your help on this issue.

    - terry

  • March 7, 2010 5:03 p.m.

    I was patient enough to wait for my book. In a little over a week, I'm down 4 pounds and have lost 4 1/2 inches from my waist, 1 inch from each leg, and 2 1/2 inches from my bust. I feel great! Thanks for this program!

    - Rebecca

  • March 1, 2010 12:45 p.m.

    Dr. Hensrud - Thank you for responding to my question. I enjoy everyone's comments and appreciate your taking the time to respond. Really helps. Happy March 1st to everyone.

    - Joanne

  • February 28, 2010 11:02 a.m.

    Anna and Mary, congratulations! Mary and Jennifer, when trying to count mixed foods like soup or traditional family recipes, try and estimate the servings of each food group and round it off. See chapter 8 in The Mayo Clinic Diet and the sections on ‘deconstructing’. Cinzia, no one is perfect and it is challenging for most people to follow all the habits. Be kind to yourself and do your best! Monica, either one or two servings or going meatless is ok – but don’t deprive yourself too much or it will be difficult. If you exclude dairy products, you may want to consider a calcium supplement. Linda, I haven’t heard of people having dreams before. The only thing I can think of is that sometimes when people are eating less and losing weight their sleep patterns may change and they may sleep better or deeper. Sweet dreams! Joanne, although we didn’t specifically mention that, your plan sounds good – just try and keep the total calories the same. Rebecca, I hope you have obtained your book. Remember, it’s the long road that matters, not 4 days!

    - Don Hensrud, M.D.

  • February 27, 2010 11:14 a.m.

    Hi, I want to start this diet TODAY, but all the bookstores are out of the book! I ordered it, but that will take about 4 days to arrive. Can someone let me know what I should be doing in the Lose it! period? I have the Healthy Habits info (and will start with that), but is there something else I should know for these first few weeks)? I really need to start NOW! Thanks

    - Rebecca

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