Extras

  Nonfat milk, either fresh, UHT, or powdered, is allowed and can improve the taste and the consistency of tea or coffee; it can also be used to make sauces, cream desserts, custard tarts, and many other dishes.

Sugar is not allowed, but aspartame and Splenda are perfectly acceptable and can be used without restriction.

Vinegar, spices, herbs, thyme, garlic, parsley, onion, and shallots are not only allowed but highly recommended. Using them brings out the flavor of foods and heightens their sensory value. These oral sensations trigger our nervous system, which is responsible for sensations trigger our nervous system, which is responsible for whether we feel full or not, contributing to our feeling of being satisfied. To be clear, I am saying quite simply that spices are not just taste enhancers, which in itself is no small achievement, but that they are foods that encourage weight loss.

What certain spices such as vanilla or cinnamon do is offer their warm and reassuring taste in exchange for sugary flavors. Others such as coriander, curry powder, and cloves can cut down the need for salt, especially for women who suffer from water retention and want to add salt to everything even before they have even tasted it.

Pickles (made without sugar), as well as pickled onions, are allowed, as long as they are condiments. If eaten in too large a quantity, they become a vegetable and outside the phase’s pure protein requirement.

Lemons can be used to flavor fish or seafood but cannot be consumed as lemon juice or lemonade, even without sugar, because although sour, lemons are still a source of sugar and are therefore incompatible with the program’s first stage.

Mustard and salt are acceptable but must be used in moderation. There are salt-free mustards and low-sodium diet salts if you want to use them liberally.

Ordinary ketchup is not allowed because it is both very salty and very sweet, but there are sugar-free natural ketchups that can be used in moderation and high-quality tomato purées and pastes that turn into a real treat with just a little flavoring and spicing up— without any of that sweet aftertaste that does not go well with meats.

All oil is forbidden, except in the smallest quantities for greasing a frying pan. Even though olive oil justifiably has a reputation for protecting the heart and arteries, it is still oil, and pure fats have no place in a pure protein diet.

Apart from the allowable extras listed here and the food categories just described, you may eat nothing else. All other foods and drinks—anything that is not explicitly mentioned on this list— are forbidden during the first stage.

Concentrate on what you are allowed to eat and forget the rest.Make sure you get enough variety and pick ingredients for your meals in any order you want so as to keep things interesting. And do not ever forget that all the foods allowed and on this list are for you, really and truly for you.