The Pasta-Chocolate Diet basically focuses on
- Pastas (spaghetti, rigatoni, elbow noodles, shells, linguini, fettuccine)
- Pasta sauces (low-fat, low sodium, non-meat… but could contain occasional skinless white meat pieces)
- Salads w/low-cal, fat-free dressings. (No croutons)
- Vegetables
- Fresh fruit
- Popcorn (air-popped, no butter or salt). Alternate toppings include non-fat butter substitutes, vegetable seasonings, garlic powder, soy sauce, vinegar, cayenne, or a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
- Chocolate (1 ounce)
- Water (2 quarts per day)
On the Pasta-Chocolate Diet you are encouraged to swap items for meals as needed and snack between meals. Having options for meals allows one to adjust the diet according to whim or desire, i.e., one morning you can start your day with fresh fruit, then next day, fruit salad, the next, shredded wheat.
An excellent point of the diet is that total abstinence could be counter-productive. That is why the diet includes snacking and satisfaction of your craving for chocolate, although you are limited to a 1 ounce serving of chocolate. An ounce of chocolate is equivalent to 1/4 cup chocolate chips, 2/3 Hershey bar, or one square of semi-sweet baking chocolate.
It is assumed that one could substitute the 1 ounce chocolate portion of this diet for any 1 ounce, non-diet food item that you crave.
A typical daily schedule would be represented as follows.
| Breakfast |
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| Morning snack |
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| Lunch |
* = w/low-cal dressings |
| Afternoon snack |
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| Dinner |
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| Evening snack |
|
| All day |
|
The following items are to be avoided while on the Pasta-Chocolate Diet:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Salt/sodium
- Sugars (artificial sweeteners are okay)
- Oils
- Oily fruits (avocados, olives, coconuts)
- High sugar/cal fruits (raisins, figs, dates)
- Fried foods
- Dairy products
- Red meats
- Nuts and seeds
- Unauthorized snacks (chips, junk food, candies, cakes, pies, etc.)
- Coffee/caffeine
- Carbonated soft drinks
- Fruit Smoothie:
- Blend 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 cup frozen peaches (or other fruit of choice) with 1 cup non-fat skim milk.