14-Day Pritikin Weight-Loss Plan Day 7

All Your Meals for Day Seven

Breakfast
1 cup hot whole-grain cereal, such as oatmeal, cracked wheat, or barley, made with 1 cup nonfat milk and 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries. (There are many great choices of whole-grain hot cereals; just make sure you buy one with no added sugar or salt.)

½ cup of 100% orange juice or apple juice diluted with ½ cup sparkling or still water

1 cup tea or coffee with 1 tablespoon nonfat milk or soymilk and 1 packet of sugar substitute

Mid-morning Snack
6 whole wheat, low sodium crackers. Good brand choices include Wasa, Kavli, FINN Crisp, Rye-Crisp, and RyVita.

½ cup hummus dip. Whip up your own delicious and inexpensive hummus dip in a processor with 5 easy ingredients: 2 small garlic cloves, one 15-ounce can no-salt-added garbanzo beans, ¾ teaspoon sesame oil, 2 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt, and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.

Lunch
2 cups mixed salad greens with 2 tablespoons flavored vinegar, no sugar added, no salt added. Good brand choices include Mr. Spice Honey Mustard and Consorzio Raspberry or Mango Vinaigrette.

1 grilled portobello mushroom burger on a whole-wheat bun with no-salt-added ketchup, grilled onions, mustard, and ¼ avocado. The less ground hamburger meat and other red meat you eat, the healthier your heart and cholesterol levels will be. Limiting red meat can also dramatically reduce your risk of many cancers, numerous studies have found.

1 cup fresh fruit. Like vegetables, fruit is a fabulous food for trimming your waistline. Eat a pound of fruit – yes, a whole pound – and you’ve taken in just 135 to 420 calories. Plus, you’re feeling nice and full! Do be careful about dried fruit; it’s dense with calories – about 1,200 calories per pound.

Mid-afternoon Snack
1 to 2 cups of celery sticks with ¼ cup veggie dip. To make dip, blend steamed vegetables with fat-free sour cream and herbs in a food processor.

1 persimmon

Dinner
1 to 2 cups of Tomato Cream Soup (see recipe below). Freeze leftovers in single-serving containers for easy-to-thaw-and-heat-up soup for future meals and snacks.

Greek-style salad with 1 cup baby romaine lettuce, 1 cup red leaf lettuce, ¼ cup sliced cucumber, 1 sliced Roma tomato, 1/8 ounce nonfat or low-fat feta cheese, and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.

Pan-Roasted Halibut with Baby Vegetables

1 cup cooked brown rice seasoned with 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce.

Dessert
½ cup chocolate pudding. A good store-bought brand is sugar-free Jell-O Pudding Cups.

Tomato Cream Soup

Serves 10

Vegetable oil spray
1 cup sliced Vidalia onion
1 teaspoon apple juice concentrate
1 teaspoon minced garlic
10 ounces water
4 cups canned diced, no-salt-added tomatoes
32 ounces Knudsen’s Low Sodium, Very Veggie Juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1 cup nonfat milk
1 cup unflavored soymilk

Lightly spray nonstick stock pot with vegetable oil spray. On medium-high heat, sauté onion slices until translucent. Add apple juice concentrate to caramelize onion.
Add garlic, water, tomatoes and vegetable juice. Lower temperature and simmer for 15 minutes. 
Add basil and milks. Serve.

Nutrition Information (per 1-cup serving): 50 calories, less than 1g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 3g protein, 2g fiber, 30mg sodium

Pan-Roasted Halibut with Baby Vegetables

Serves 6

1.5 pounds fresh halibut, cut into 4-ounce portions
1 pound baby carrots
1 cup parsnips, peeled and finely sliced
1 pound baby squash
2 cups whole peeled shallots 
3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked and chopped
¼ cup garlic, chopped
½ cup white wine
2 tablespoons low-sodium Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorns
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley

In a large, hot nonstick skillet, sear fish, carrots, squash, parsnips, shallots, and thyme. 
Flip fish and add garlic, wine, Dijon, oregano, and black pepper. 
When fish is cooked (it is starting to flake), add parsley. Serve immediately. (If you prefer whole-wheat pasta over brown rice, place halibut on bed of pasta with low-sodium marinara sauce.)

Nutrition Information (per serving): 150 calories, 1g fat, less than 1g saturated fat, 83mg cholesterol, 24mg protein, 3g fiber, 132mg sodium

The Pritikin Edge: 10 Essential Ingredients for a Long and Delicious Life
You will find many more great food and healthy lifestyle tips in the new book The Pritikin Edge: 10 Essential Ingredients for a Long and Delicious Life by renowned cardiologist Robert A. Vogel, M.D., and Paul Tager Lehr, director of the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Aventura, Florida. The Pritikin Edge is now available wherever books are sold, and includes:
75 recipes for flavorful and healthful dishes
A complete guide for dining out healthfully and deliciously
Quick-fix snacks and salad dressings
Sample menu plans 
Physical activities that are most effective for weight loss and heart health
Key strategies for stepping around stress and becoming a happier, more emotionally nourishing person. When it comes to heart disease, your head really is connected to your heart.