Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook

Chapter 4: The Art of Meal Planning 71

Break down each meal into components to see if all food groups are
represented, and then look for healthy modifications. For example, say your
family’s favorite meal is hamburgers and French fries. The hamburger is
basically meat and a bun, so this is an easy one. The meat patty satisfies the
protein requirement, and you can make it healthier by using lean ground
beef, ground turkey breast, or a veggie burger. Make the bun whole grain,
and another food group is satisfied. Yes, you may also put on pickle, lettuce,
onion, and tomato (what we refer to as PLOT), but consider using Romaine
lettuce or spinach instead of low-nutrient iceberg lettuce. And PLOT isn’t
a complete serving of vegetables, so you’ll need to add something else to
the meal. You can add some mayo, if it’s low fat or fat free, a little ketchup,
and mustard (no change necessary there). Modify French fries by preparing
baked fries or baked chips.

Now check in with the checklist. The meal satisfies the requirements for
protein, whole grain, healthy fat, and, if you add some carrot sticks or
low-fat coleslaw on the side, vegetable. Do you see a fruit or dairy? Perhaps
you could add some watermelon or apple slices and put a piece of low-fat
cheddar cheese on the burger. Or you can drink a glass of milk 30 minutes
after the meal is finished or snack on a container of yogurt later in the day.

Table 4-1 shows what your chart for burgers and fries may look like.

Table 4-1 Burger Night

Food Group Item Modification

Protein Hamburger patty Lean ground beef patty,

ground turkey breast patty, or

veggie burger

Whole grains or

starches

Bun

Fries

Whole-grain bun

Baked fries or baked chips

Fruits None in original menu Add apple or watermelon

slices

Vegetables Lettuce Consider romaine or spinach

instead of iceberg

Tomato, onion, dill pickle No modification needed

Insufficient vegetables in

original menu

Add carrots or low-fat

coleslaw to complete

vegetable serving

Healthy fat Full-fat mayo Low-fat mayo or sliced

avocado

Low-fat or

fat-free dairy

Cheese, if applicable Low-fat cheese, or add milk or

yogurt later in the day