Sample Menu Plan for Meals and Snacks
Remember from Chapter 1 that we need to space our meals and snacks throughout the day to help modulate blood-sugar and cortisol metabolism. Follow the general plan outlined in the table and "Further Guidelines" below, but substitute foods that you prefer (e.g., turkey for roast beef on your sandwich, or sushi instead of salmon at dinner), or foods that you have ready access to (such as when eating away from home).
| Time | Meal | Fruit/veggie <<Insert graphic of open hand>> | Starch <<Insert graphic of fist>> | Protein <<Insert graphic of palm>> | Fat <<Insert graphic of OK sign>> | Supplements |
| 7 a.m. | Snack | Banana | N/A | N/A | Peanut butter | □ None
□ 8 oz water |
| 9 a.m. | Breakfast | Grapefruit (+2 teaspoons of added sugar, optional) | Shredded wheat cereal | 1% milk | Coffee with half & half | □ Multivitamin
□ Cortisol □ Blood sugar □ Thermo □ 8 oz water |
| Noon | Snack | Apple | N/A | N/A | Block of cheese | □ None
□ 8 oz water |
| 2 p.m. | Lunch | 3 tomato slices
1 leaf Romaine lettuce 1 pear |
2 slices whole-wheat bread | Lean roast beef | Swiss cheese and mustard to taste | □ Serotonin
□ Thyroid □ Norepinephrine □ 8 oz water |
| 5 p.m. | Snack | Baby carrots | N/A | N/A | Salad dressing | □ None
□ 8 oz water |
| 7 p.m. | Dinner | 1/2 cup of green beans and 1/2 cup of carrots seasoned with olive oil and garlic | 1 whole-wheat dinner roll | Salmon fillet | Olive oil with garlic (for the roll and fish) | □ Multivitamin
□ Cortisol □ Blood sugar □ 8 oz water |
| 9 p.m. | Dessert (see "Further Guidelines," below) | Air-popped popcorn | N/A | N/A | Melted butter | □ None
□ 8 oz water |
Further Guidelines
Number of portions: A snack consists of one appropriately sized serving from the fruit/veggie group, plus one appropriately sized serving of fat. A meal consists of one appropriately sized serving from each of the starch, protein, and fat groups, plus one or two appropriately sized servings from the fruit/veggie group.
Fluids: An 8-ounce glass of water is suggested at each meal and snack. (8 fluid ounces = 1 cup.)
Sleep prescription: 10:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. -i.e., get at least 7.5 hours nightly for optimal cortisol control.
Exercise prescription: 30-60 minutes of activity, six times per week, for optimal insulin sensitivity and blood-sugar control.
Fruit/veggie guideline: Remember, "Choose it if it's bright, and forget it if it's white." This will guide you toward brightly colored choices that are better sources of antioxidants and essential phytonutrients.
Starch guideline: Select dark, thick, course, chewy, and minimally processed forms of grains over their highly refined counterparts (white, light, smooth, puffed, and fluffy).
Protein guideline: Choose lean cuts of meat, poultry, pork, and fish.
Fat guideline: Don't skip it to save a few calories; instead, add it to meals and snacks as a metabolic regulator. Avoid trans-fats in the form of hydrogenated oils in processed foods.
Dessert guideline (bonus!): If you have exercised for 30-60 minutes on a particular day, then either a cocktail or glass of wine or beer with dinner, or a fist-sized dessert after dinner, can be added as your optional fourth "snack" of the day. If you have not exercised, then skip the alcohol and end dinner with a piece of fresh fruit instead.
Following the Cortisol Connection Diet helps you balance the quality of your food choices (the Balance-Factor) with the quantity of those choices (the Helping Hand guidelines)-so you regulate calories to approximately 1,500 per day from a balanced intake of about 55 percent carbohydrates, 20 percent protein, and 25 percent fat. Remember that these are exactly the levels associated with the most dramatic weight loss and longest-lasting weight maintenance.
by Shawn M Talbott, PhD