The Add-In Diet: Power Up Breakfast for Weight Loss + Health

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A rainbow of fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet.

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Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor, I just play one on TV, as the old joke goes. I’m not your boss, your momma, or guru either (although the last one sounds fun!). As they say in all the lawyer-y blurbs, check in with a nutritionist or doctor before making changes to your diet. OR accept the responsibility for making changes to your life. As my own Momma would say: You’ve got a brain, just remember to use it.

This Healthy Diet Plan Has What Everyone Wants

This crazy crazy world of dieting, weight loss, and healthier eating has us all in a tizzy one way or another.

What you want:
• A diet that is flexible
• A diet that can grow with you for life
• A diet that emphasizes healthy eating
• A diet that allows you eat what you want
• A diet that doesn’t involve complex planning
• A diet you can comfortably remember and follow
• A diet that doesn’t include expensive memberships
• A diet that isn’t about eating styrofoam for years

Most of all, you want a diet that doesn’t feel like you’re losing out.

I mean, who wants to give up Oreo Cookies when they’re not ready for it, right?

Healthy Eating Was My Original Motivation

As a a chunky chick, I was never cheerful about clothes shopping ‘cause I had to play whack-a-mole with my buttah-belly rolls as I tried to shoehorn them into the bathing suit I was trying on. You get the picture.

But I wasn’t all that motivated to lose weight, because my cheerful disposition and big boobsters attracted the man of my dreams.

He said he liked me because I was “nice,” but I’m pretty sure my melons helped move things along. Heh.

Meat and Potatoes Meal with No Vegetables

I came from a meat-n-potatoes family and grew up on a pantry full of canned food because my grandma worked for Libby’s (Hi Grandma!).

I loved fluffy white bread, french fries, soda, and had dessert after every meal, even breakfast.

Because I’m especially keen on living longer with my body and brain intact, I started warming to the idea of taking better care of myself.

But my health journey was slooooooow goin.’

I got exposed to new foods when I worked at a restaurant, and the chef required that we taste his new dishes. I was surprised to learn that there was fish that didn’t taste “fishy.”

“Okay,” I said to myself, “I might be able to have fish occasionally.”

Then I got married and my husband made brussel sprouts that didn’t make me want to gag. I had a couple of bites each time he’d make them because I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. I slowly grew to appreciated them.

“Huh. Maybe I could learn to like vegetables too.”

Over time I ate a little more fruits and veggies and a little more fish. I also started switching to whole grain pasta, bread and rice. I tested out new grains like quinoa and amaranth.

Still, I didn’t feel like I was doing great. I struggled.

The Add-In Diet Changed Everything

When I came across what I call “The Add-In Diet” real changes started to happen.

By the way, I don’t know what the diet is actually called and I can’t remember where I heard about it. If you know, let me know in the comment box below.

I’d love to attribute this diet to the smarty-pants who came up with it!

I call it the Add-In Diet because it’s all about adding IN, not taking OUT.

That was an idea I could get behind.

I’ve been on it a few years now and I still find it’s easy. I’m so excited about it that I thought I’d share it with you, my friend.

The Add-In Diet includes a meal with lots of vegetables

A Surprisingly Simple, Life-Long Diet Change

As I said, the Add-In Diet is all about adding things IN. It’s not about taking things away, although you naturally start eating less of the “bad” stuff.

The Add-In Diet:

1. Add IN a glass of water before every meal, dessert, and snack
2. Add IN colorful vegetables to every meal (at least 1/3 of the meal)
3. Add IN colorful whole fruit before dessert or a snack
4. Add IN education about food, health and nutrition (keep learning and applying)

More Details for the Add-In Diet

Water:

A glass of water is 8 ounces or one measuring cup.

If you hate water and need to start with another type of drink, go with the healthiest drink you can get yourself to gulp regularly, but be hip to the fact that most other kinds of drinks are unhealthy and often fattening, or so they tell me. (1)

Vegetables:

Green is King, but not the only color in town. What does “colorful vegetables” mean?

It means mix it up, man.

Don’t stick with eating the same two or three vegetables over and over, especially if they are the same color.

Make it a rainbow. Change it up. Get playful. Tap into your inner veggie unicorn.

You don’t have to have a rainbow on each plate, just choose different colored vegetables over the course of several days.

Don’t like vegetables because they’re bitter? Bitter is your friend. The more bitter something is, the better it is for you. “Bitter is Better.” Rejoice when you eat bitter. (2)

There is one exception to the vegetable rule: Potatoes do not count as a vegetable because they are very starchy and more suitable in the “carbohydrate” category (also known as “carbs”). That’s the same category as rice, pasta, and bread.

Fruit:

Sorry, Olivia, an apple pie does not count as an add-in fruit because it’s not a “whole” fruit. It’s a processed fruit.

A whole fruit is a fresh apple. Or a cup of berries. Or an orange that you have to peel. Or a banana.

It is not applesauce or orange juice or strawberry jam. It’s something that looks like itself when it’s picked.

The “colorful” part means variety. Eating only pears for the next 3 months isn’t going to get you to optimum health, but if that’s where you gotta start, you go girl.

Just like the vegetables, you don’t have to have a rainbow of fruits for each serving, just have a variety over the course of several days.

There is one exception to the fruit-before-a-snack rule: If you decide to have a vegetable as a snack, you can skip the fruit.

Education:

Keep learning about food preparation techniques, food health, menu planning, nutrition, vitamins, and more.

When you feel inspired to make a positive change to your meals, do so. Take it slooooow… learn to enjoy each new change. Then go learn some more.

One caution: Don’t believe everything you read about food.

The human race is still learning about nutrition, and everyone is different.

I mean, really different.

The Rolling Stone’s Keith Richards snorts his hot sauce instead of eating it, for example. I wouldn’t take health food advice from him, for sure. (3)

Most people go with variety and moderation as the best approach.

That’s the Add-In Diet. Pretty simple. Or so I thought.

A plate of pancakes is a common breakfast food

The Add-In Diet Brings the Breakfast Conundrum

I found a bump in the road on my way to implementing this diet.

I had a good start by adding salads to lunch and later, dinner.

Did I mention I didn’t like most vegetables?

I got past the vegetable issue by putting on my actors cap and pretending I LOVED vegetables when eating them. I’mmmm ACTing! A funny thing happened… I actually started liking them after a while!

Months into the Add-In Diet I was pretty proud of myself.

I asked for vegetables on my pizza, I added more veggie fixin’s to my hamburger. I ventured into green beans, then broccoli. I’d grab a carrot for a snack once in a while. And the fruit before dessert was working out great.

My lunches, dinners, snacks and desserts were starting to look a little like I gave a d*mn.

But then it dawned on me… I completely forgot about breakfast. Uh oh.

Double uh oh.

Breakfast is a “meal” too. (Thonk!)

Yeahhhhhh…how was I going to handle THAT? I couldn’t imagine eating ….ewwww…just the thought of eating…..uhhhhgggg….I mean, who could even consider having (gulp) vegetables with breakfast?

Sh*t. What was I going to do?

Breakfast omelettes have lots of vegetables

Then I remembered the veggie omelette! THAT’s a breakfast with vegetables!!! Phew!

I stubbornly started making veg omelettes. But, it was a lot of work. Errrk. I’m a busy [lazy] person. How can I make this happen in an easier, quicker way?

That was when I discovered frozen vegetables.

They are pre-chopped. They often have more vitamins than store-bought fresh vegetables. And you can microwave them. Yay!

Eventually, I figured out that vegetables with salt tasted pretty much the same whether or not there was an egg involved, and most mornings it was faster and easier to make veggies without the omelette.

This turned into a bowl of microwaved spinach, or green beans along side a bowl of oatmeal for example.

As I learned more about nutrition, I made even more changes and got experimental, mostly with leftovers from the day before.

I loved telling people what I had for breakfast because I got such a great reaction people.

“You eat WHAT for breakfast?”

Hahahaaaa… yes, my breakfast revelation was ego driven at that point.

And still is. Which is why I’m telling you about it.

Breakfast was my breakthrough meal to eating better in general.

The more I played with what I could eat for breakfast, the more enthusiastic I was about eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables throughout the day.

Brussel sprouts are tasty once you get used to them

The Add-In Diet + Breakfast Breakthrough Saved My Life

I’ve made tons of incremental changes while on the Add-In Diet. I lost 30 Lubs, feel more energetic, and got off some yucky medications (with blessings from my doc).

My food changes have inspired exercise changes, mental health changes, restorative activity changes and more.

I’m pretty sure it also made me look both ways before crossing the street, it’s THAT good.

I’m not perfect. I don’t always remember to drink my glass of water, and not every meal is vegetable laden, but MOST of them are.

The trick is consistency, not perfection.

An Easy Meal with Vegetables Added with the Add-In Diet

Tips for Getting Started

What if I eat Lucky Charms for breakfast?

No problem. Start where you are.

Keep eating your Lucky Charms.

Just drink a glass of water first, and add a side of veggies.

Maybe it’s carrots or celery dipped in healthy peanut butter. Maybe it’s a salad. Maybe it’s a bowl of vegetable soup. Maybe it’s leftover veggies from last night’s dinner.

Eat those, AND your Lucky Charms.

Too full to finish? Next time, make it a smaller meal (ie: a smaller bowl of cereal).

Eat Dessert after eating a whole fruit on the Add-In Diet

Can I eat a hot fudge sundae for dessert?

Yessir!

Start with your glass of water and have a bowl of fresh berries (no sugar), or a banana, or a whole peach (try it with the skin on, it’s much better for you).

THEN have your hot fudge sundae. Enjoy it fully.

Can I be stupid-busy and still make the Add-In Diet work?

You Betcha!

Frozen vegetables are your friend.

They are nutritious because they get frozen just after getting picked, so they retain their vitamins. They are also quick and easy to prepare. Microwave them or heat them up in a pan.

Beware of canned vegetables because they add a ton of salt to them and many of them are overcooked, which is not as healthy.

If that’s what you’re used to eating, though…start there and branch out by trying fresh and frozen vegetables.

More Tips for Super Quick Veggies

Take advantage of pre-chopped veggies and salads. They have fewer nutrients, but they are still better for you than not having vegetables at all.

Choose pre-made meals that have lots of veggies in them already.

Don’t bother peeling fresh vegetables. That’s saves tons of time.

You can eat kiwi with the skin, potatoes can be mashed with the skin (it’s called smashed potatoes), cucumbers are tasty with their skin on. Apples are better for you with the skin.

If you’re unsure if a skin is edible; look it up.

It's easy to love vegetables on this Diet

If you’re not a big veggie fan, try roasting them; it brings out their natural sweetness. Most veggies can be roasted. And it’s sooooo easy:

ROASTED VEGETABLE RECIPE

1. Grab the vegetable, look ‘em in the eye and say “I’m the boss of YOU!”
2. Wash ‘em & chop ‘em (big bite sized chunks). Leave the skin on for extra vitamins.
3. Toss ‘em with liberal amounts of heat friendly cooking oil (my fav is olive oil).
4. Add some salt (and pepper, garlic powder, other spices, or fresh herbs if you want to get sassy).
5. Spread out on a baking sheet – give those babies lots of space.
6. Bake in a 400 degree oven.
7. Check on them in 15 minutes and keep checking every 10 minutes after that until they are tender.
8. Pop ’em in a container to keep in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or oven as needed.

Charred bits are okay.

They might need extra salt at the end.

Eat them hot or cold. Mix and match.

You can roast pretty much any vegetable: potatoes, onions, bell pepper, carrots, beets, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, squash, parsnips, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, asparagus, green beens, fennel, garlic, etc.

Sky’s the limit!

Inspiration for Breakfast

For the heck of it, I’ll share some of my recent breakfasts.

I’m weird and like to take pictures of my food for my own enjoyment.

I’m like that serial killer in the 90’s movie “Mr. Frost,” played by Jeff Goldblum, who wants to take a photo of each delicious dish he makes. (4)

Please ignore my horrendous camera skills; I wasn’t planning on sharing these with anyone when I took them.

Breakfast that is mostly vegetables can include sausage

Microwaved spinach with peas, Mrs. Dash seasoning and salt, served with marvelously greasy breakfast sausage, a clementine, and avocado.

tShredded cabbage salad, tossed in cilantro dressing on a warm corn tortilla with cute-as-a-button baby bell peppers, avocado, and a side of bing cherries.

I make a lot of salad taco’s for breakfast, playing with different tortillas and greens. I throw seeds or ground flax on top for texture.

Rainbow Vegetable Salad for Add-In Diet Can include edible flowers

Mixed greens-n-kale salad with carrots, cucumber, and apple. Hummus as a dressing. Bejeweled with toasted sunflower seeds, chopped wild anise and garden-grown hollyhock blossom.

Yes, the Hollyhock flowers come from my own garden which consists of two hollyhock plants, several wild-growing fruit trees and 40,000 weeds.

In my quest to follow through with Add-In Diet Rule #4, I found out that hollyhocks are completely edible from root to seed to blossom, so I thought I’d try it out.

It tastes exactly like ice burg lettuce, I swear.

And look at the color it added to my breakfast!

Avocado toast and peanut butter on celery is a great breakfast for the Add-In Diet

Smashed avocado on sourdough toast. Celery with stir-it-up style peanut butter, bell pepper, mini-grapes, blueberries, and a snappy salad on the side.

Microwaved collard greens and spinach, with seeds, salt, and sardines.

Ewww, sardines??

Actually, I’ve grown to like them. They are nutritious, especially for omega-3’s and calcium. The calcium comes from lots of soft little tiny bones.

Double Ewwww. I also learned about this while practicing Rule #4.

Variety of fruits and vegetables for breakfast with tofu

Most of this meal is self explanatory. The white squares in my salad is firm tofu cut and sprinkled with salt and Mrs. Dash. It’s pretty tasty.

I didn’t always like tofu, but I added it in for variety, and now I like it, like most things I’ve tried more than once.

Some info sources say tofu and soybeans are good for you, others say it’s not. It’s pretty much that way with most food items, so diversity is a good idea.

Leftover vegetables is an easy healthy breakfast

Whole grain pasta with tofu, bell peppers, onions, celery, zuchinni, and yellow squash with pesto.

This was primarily a medley of left-overs in the fridge.

Soybean and spinach breakfast with walnuts

Simple, simple, simple. Warm greens, soybeans, walnuts, and salt. Done.

Eat leftovers from the night before for breakfast

Yes, this is still breakfast we’re talkin’ about. More reheated leftovers. Easy and fast.

In case you’re wondering, the orange thingy is a Sweet Potato, which I learned is better for you than regular potatoes. Eating the skin is a vitamin thang. (5)

Rice bowls are easy for Add-In Diet Breakfast

Nutritious brown rice, broccoli, corn, and shredded chicken leg meat.

Next I’ll be adding in wild rice for extra health goodness. (6)

Last one. The yellow bowl holds whole grain elbow pasta, shredded pork (poor piggy!), pesto, and blueberries.

Is it weird to add blueberries to a savory dish? Who cares. I like to play with my food. It was delicious, by the way, and I’d eat it again.

Do I still have eggs for breakfast? What about oatmeal? Yes to both, but these days my oatmeal is savory, not sweet and I still make sure to add a side of vegetables.

And Water!

Easy Diet + Breakfast Breakthrough = Happy & Healthy

I’m thrilled that I started this way of eating. Besides the benefit of the weight loss, I feel energized and interested in eating. It feels like an adventure now.

I’m hoping you’ll join me.

Live Juicy, Joybird!