The feeding and exercise habits of New York women are an artful weave of the best diet practices on the planet, Daspin writes. Here’s the “speed version” of her philosophy: Eat well, but not too much. Walk like a maniac. Cook at home. Leave a little something on the plate. Indulge your sweet tooth. Don’t go hungry. Don’t deprive yourself. Eat whole foods; dump anything with “diet” in the name. Water is good. A glass of wine is fine, too. Here are some more tips:
• Eat what your body craves. Just because it’s 8 a.m. doesn’t mean you have to have eggs, fruit, oatmeal or Pop Tarts. At midnight, how about a bowl of granola (actress Christine Baranski’s default snack)?
• Have fun. If you pick an exercise you like, it will seem less like work.
• Olive oil is good for you — this is crucial. Lots of people have written about the trap of low-fat diets. Low fat makes you fat.
• Always leave a little left over. It can even be small, a crumb; just be aware you’re doing it and watch it go into the garbage.
• Savor every bite and take time for it. Never eat while in motion — not walking or in a car.
• Don’t always have a salad at lunchtime — it’s not always satisfying. Instead, choose a sandwich, a controlled way to have your carbohydrates, and you can pack in extra nutrients by using spinach instead of lettuce, as well as extra tomatoes.
• Skinny Manhattan women don’t patronize fast-food joints. Their idea of fast food is a Starbucks cappuccino. Frozen meals from Amy’s or a couple Boca Burgers are as close to processed food as thin Gotham gals get.
24 ‘KEY’ FOODS
A smart NYC gal’s perfect pantry according to “The Manhattan Diet”
• Almonds
• Pickled ginger (no calories!)
• Mar tuna (Drain, break over a bowl of lettuce, and dinner is done.)
• Boiled egg whites (Keep bowls of them handy in the refrigerator for a quick kick of protein.)
• Korean skirt steak from Fresh Direct (Just sear on both sides and eat.)
• No-butter butter spray (No, you can’t believe it’s not butter, especially sprayed on corn on the cob.)
• Salad spritzers (a salad dressing like Wish-Bone or Hellmann’s, in spray form)
• Lean Cuisine pizza (not organic, but pretty good for frozen pizza)
• Beans: garbanzo, cannellini, kidney (They are filling, full of fiber and low in fat. Toss them into salads, or make a bean salad with a teaspoon of good olive oil and vinegar.)
• Stonyfield Farm Nonfat French Vanilla Yogurt
• Greek-style yogurt
• Agave (healthier than honey)
• Tofutti Cuties (tofu “ice cream” sandwiches — a lifesaver in the summer)
• Tofutti Bars (tofu “ice cream” bars)
• Dried cherries, almonds and tamari mix sold at co-ops (You can make it at home with soy.)
• Boca Burgers (organic veggie burgers) or Boca Nuggets (which kids love with mustard or hot sauce)
• Frozen grapes
• Skinny Cow Fudge Bars
• Gnu Bars (all the fiber you need for a day)
• Kind Fruit & Nut Bars
• Kozy Shack rice pudding
• Kashi cereals (Go Lean Crunch, Go Lean Crisp, Honey Toasted Oats)
• Oatmeal (the real rolled oats, not the instant)
• No Pudge Fudge (Add one tablespoon of yogurt to two tablespoons of the fudge mix, and you’ve got a 100-calorie, microwaved brownie in 40 seconds.)
