Switching to The OMS Program Diet
Switching to a new diet can be a challenge. If you decide to give up certain foods because they pose a health risk for your body, often nobody really tells you how to do it. Many times you don’t know what to eat instead. This is one story of how it can be done.
When I switched to the OMS Program Diet I decided to go for a clean cut from one day to another. I decided to give up all the foods that were deemed unhealthy. I decided to make such a radical change because I knew, if I didn’t empty my kitchen, hunger (or cravings) might tempt me to go back to eating the things I needed to give up in order for this diet to work. The biggest change for me was giving up all those saturated and unhealthy unsaturated fats that are hidden in ready made foods, snacks etc. I became an avid label reader. The first thing I did was to go through all the things that were in my cupboards. I looked at the labels (and cleared out) all those handy pasta sauces, pestos, thai spice mixes, biscuits (cookies), chocolates, muesli bars, muesli, crackers, most of the pre-baked bread products, canned soups and sauces (if they contained any fat). I said goodbye to the cheeses, yoghurts and other dairy products in the fridge. What I was left with were some staple basics like canned tomatoes, some chickpeas, a few beans, rice, pasta, a bottle of cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil and a lot of empty space.
After I had eliminated all the things I can not eat from my kitchen I when off to find things in the supermarket that I could eat. I wandered the isles and picked up things and more often than not put them back on the shelves because they weren’t suitable for my new diet plan.
I got some fish and some fresh vegetables but I only had a few ideas what to prepare with those. I really needed a cookbook. So I went to the library and started reading cookbooks. I found some recipes but most of the recipes required me to prepare the food with some kind of fat for frying or baking too. So I put most of the cookbooks back on the shelves too.
The Lotte Wild OMS Cookbook
At the beginning I had two or three recipes that were compliant with the OMS program. I had a vegetable stew I could cook and then freeze, that was very convenient for those days I really didn’t want to have to figure out what to cook. I had a simple pasta dish I could make in less than 20 minutes. I had a simple and easy to cook fish dish. I rotated through those. I also started to take notes, I noted down how I cooked things – which was the beginning of the OMS cookbook. And while I stuck to my three recipes, I started to learn how to change and adapt other recipes.
I read labels not just to see if the foods I liked to eat contained things that were unhealthy. I started to look at the ingredients list to see if I could adapt and recreate something similar to my favourite pesto pasta sauce or Thai curry dish. I wanted to know which ingredients and spices I would need to make my own tasty food. Each week I took on a new challenge and the list of recipes grew from three to four and more to make what is now contained in the Lotte Wild OMS Cookbook Series.
The Lotte Wild OMS Cookbook series came to life because the majority of the prepared foods available in the shops and supermarkets today aren’t available OMS Program compliant. Nor are there any cookbooks that comply with the OMS Program Diet Plan.
Step By Step Guide on how to Switch your Diet
- Eliminate those foods from your kitchen that don’t comply to your new diet plan. It is easier to walk past things you want to give up while you’re still in the supermarket then when they are sitting in your cupboard or fridge.
- Stock up on things you can eat. At the beginning it is a good idea to have some simple go to snacks you enjoy. This could be your favourite fruits, nuts etc. Find or learn how to prepare healthy treats and pastries or deserts so that you don’t have a sense of denying yourself tasty treats and snacks.
- Stock up on spices and herbs. In order to be able to prepare the foods you like you will need the essential ingredients to make your food taste!
- Try out new products such as soya, rice and almond milk. See if you can find natural and fruit soya yoghurts. Natural soya yoghurt can easily be changed into a fruit yoghurt by either adding (blended) fresh fruit and your preferred sweeter or even just adding a slightly thinned low sugar fruit spread.
- If you aren’t well stocked regarding pots, kitchen utensils and gadgets you might enjoy going shopping and investing in some nice non-stick (silicone) tools and trays etc. for baking. A selection of non stick or stainless steel pots and frying pans are very useful. A stick blender (with a whisk and other attachments) and or a kitchen blender are also good investments. A (digital) weighing scale and some cup and spoon measures are also very useful.
- If you are new to a diet and don’t have a big repertoire of dishes you know how to cook, try adding one or two new dishes every week for a while to bring up your list of things you can/enjoy to eat with time.
- If you have a few dishes you are happy with, there is no harm in preparing bigger quantities and freezing them in portions sizes that allow you to defrost and reheat. That way you have your own convenient food source. This doesn’t just apply to things like soups. Try freezing lasagna and other baked foods. It is also possible to prepare/pre-bake things like homemade pizza and finish baking them as you would a store bought frozen pizza.
- Celebrate your new cooking with family and friends. As you get more confident with your new lifestyle and cooking, invite friends and family to share your new diet.
And last but not least, sign up to my mailing list and download the free A Three Course Meal Cookbook by Lotte Wild. I will send you an invite and promotional code as soon as I publish any new books that are compliant with the OMS Program or part of the Lotte Wild OMS Cookbook Series.