Food Pyramid Can Be Turned Into Veggie-Heavy Diet Program

Several months ago my husband, Yakir, decided to lose weight. I went along for the ride, knowing that a few pounds less wouldn’t hurt me, either.

The results were amazing. Yakir lost 40 pounds in four months and was back to his weight of the day of our marriage, 27 years ago. And for the first time in my life, I arrived at my ideal weight.

Our friends and acquaintances were astounded, and everyone has been asking how we did it.

What helped us come up with this eating program was the experience I gained from writing three low-fat cookbooks. In one of them, I modified the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Guide Pyramid to suit a vegetarian diet. For our new eating plan, we tinkered with my vegetarian pyramid and transformed it into a weight-loss pyramid.

Basically, we turned the bottom layers of the pyramid upside down. We made vegetables the foundation of our weight-loss pyramid instead of grains, pasta and bread.

Furthermore, we made two rows of vegetables. The bottom row contains vegetables that are so low in calories that we could eat as much of them as we wanted. It includes cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplant, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. The row above it contains such higher-calorie vegetables as potatoes, carrots, beets, green peas and winter squash.

For the first couple of weeks of our diet, we ate only foods from these two rows - that is, only vegetables. This was a very low-calorie vegetarian regimen, and we had to eat often in order not to be hungry.

Next we added more foods to our menus from our newly designed pyramid row No. 3: Beans, grains and breads, fat-free dairy products and fruits. We also learned to fit exercise into our daily routine.

Only after two more months did we start occasionally eating foods from what became row No. 4: Small portions of fish, chicken, turkey, lean meat and eggs. Following the USDA Food Guide, we placed fats and sweets at the tip of our pyramid, and used them very sparingly.

In our quest for the best ingredients to include in our diet, we searched for foods that have the greatest nutritional value for their calories. A new book that we found particularly useful was “Power Foods” by Stephanie Beling (HarperCollins), which identifies desirable, nutrient-dense foods and categorizes them into 10 easy-to-remember groups.

One thing was essential: The food had to be tasty and filling because we wanted to develop a formula for eating not just for weight loss, but for weight maintenance as well. And in addition to being nutritious, the recipes had to be quick and easy.

As our best allies in losing weight are vegetables, we knew it was important to enjoy them in a variety of preparations. For our diet, I chose dishes that seemed most suitable to cooking with little or no fat. Now we eat vegetables at every meal, and always in several forms - as big salads, as soups and as stews. We shop at farmers markets and ethnic produce markets often.

And our joy in eating and cooking is no less than during the six years I was studying classic cuisine in Paris, feasting on every possible variation of French butter sauces.

Butternut Squash in Spa-Style Raisin Sauce

When I’m browning onions, I use vegetable broth the same way I would use oil. I heat a tablespoon or two of broth in the pan, and then add the onions. When the pan looks dry and the edges of the onions are beginning to turn golden, I add another tablespoon or two of broth, being careful not to let the onions burn. The natural sugars in the onions caramelize and they acquire a kind of “sauteed” taste.

To save on preparation time for this dish, you can buy banana squash pieces, which have only a little peel to cut off. A good accompaniment for the squash is brown or white rice, couscous or cooked bulgur.

2 pounds butternut or other winter squash

About 1 cup vegetable broth

1 large onion, chopped

1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, drained and chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup dark raisins

1 or 2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice

Cut off squash peel, remove seeds and strings, and cut meat in 1-inch pieces.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable broth in large heavy saute pan, add onion and saute over medium heat, stirring often and adding 2 or 3 tablespoons more broth gradually to prevent burning, about 7 minutes or until onions are golden.

Add tomatoes and cook, uncovered, 2 minutes. Add squash, remaining broth, and salt and pepper. Stir and bring to boil. Cover and cook over low heat, occasionally stirring gently, 30 minutes.

Add raisins and lemon juice and cook 5 minutes or until squash and raisins are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot.

Yield: 3 or 4 servings.

Nutrition information per each of 3 servings: 280 calories, 2.5 grams fat (8 percent fat calories), 7.6 grams protein, 65 grams carbohydrate, 1 milligram cholesterol, 768 milligrams sodium.

Fat-Free Carrot Veloute Soup

Pureeing root vegetables like carrots along with a little rice thickens soups and gives them a creamy texture without using cream.

1 pound carrots, scraped

1 (14-1/2-ounce) can vegetable broth (1-3/4 cups)

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons uncooked white rice

2 tablespoons dried minced onion

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

Pinch sugar

1-1/2 cups nonfat milk

1 tablespoon thinly sliced or snipped chives

Quarter carrots lengthwise, then dice into 1/2-inch pieces. In heavy medium saucepan, combine carrots, broth, water, rice, onion, salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf and sugar. Cover and bring to boil. Simmer, covered, over low heat, about 15 minutes or until carrots and rice are tender. Discard bay leaf.

With slotted spoon, transfer carrots and rice to blender or food processor, reserving cooking liquid. Puree mixture. With machine running, pour in cooking liquid. Puree until very smooth.

Return puree to saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring. Add milk and bring to a simmer, stirring. Taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle hot soup into heated bowls and garnish with chives.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 168 calories, 2 grams fat (11 percent fat calories), 7 grams protein, 31 grams carbohydrate, 3 milligrams cholesterol, 781 milligrams sodium.