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The Pocket Change Diet
Guidelines & Shopping List

Freebies

Sugar-free condiments: spices, herbs, syrups, berry jams, vinegar (apple cider is best), ketchup, mustard

Sugar free desert: Jell-o,
Fruit flavored, non-fruit popsicles

Non-caloric drinks & sweeteners:
soft drinks, coffee, tea, dark cocoa, non-powdered sweetener,

Non-fat, low-carb dairy:
milk, live plain yogurt, yogurt cheese, sour cream

Vegetables:
sprouts, lettuces, leafy greens,   celery, fennel, asparagus, cucumber/pickle, radishes, tomatoes, leeks, mushrooms, pimento, eggplant, cauliflower. cabbage/sauerkraut, okra, green beans,
squash, pumpkin,
peppers (red and chili are best), broccoli, carrots, Brussels sprouts,
onions, turnips, jicama, artichokes, snow peas, beets, garlic

Fruit: 
lemons, limes,
cranberries,
wild blueberries, 
blackberries,
raspberries, strawberries, black currants, rhubarb,
pink grapefruit,     cherries 
  

 

Quarters

A quarter =
1 oz. good fats

All non-lean meat & cheese (4 TB if grated)

All fried, sautéed, or packed in oil foods

Vegetables:  avocados, olives

Seeds:
linseed, flax, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower

Nuts:
pistachio, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, brazil,
pine nuts,   
macadamia

Or – 1 TB of the following:

Oils:
extra virgin olive,
all nut and seed based oils, canola

Dressings & spreads:
fat-based sauces, gravies, sugar-free mayonnaise, butter, good margarine, sugar-free seed and nut butters, tahini

Condiments:
dry unsweetened coconut

Dairy:
heavy cream,
half & half

Or – 1 whole egg

Dimes

A dime =
1 oz. lean protein

Low-fat, skinless meats & cheeses

Low fat, low-carb cheeses:
cottage, ricotta, cream cheese, brick, sliced, shredded

Cold Water Fish:
Atlantic wild salmon, mackerel, whitefish, sardines, herring

Soy beans & soy products: i.e. edamame (raw soybean), tofu, etc.

Or – ¼ cup
(2 oz.) yolkless egg product

Nickels

A nickel =
1 oz. good carbs  
Beans-Legumes:
(weigh dry)
small red, kidney, fava, black-eyed, lima, pinto, black, lentils, great northern, split-pea, navy

Breads & Pasta:
wholegrain (at least 1g fiber per 10g carb), high-fiber, low-carb: cereals, breads, crackers, pastas

Grains (wholegrain):
(weigh cooked)
all brans, pearl barley, rye kernels, wheat kernels, bulgur, wheat germ, spelt, quinoa, oats (steel-cut are best), buckwheat,  popcorn, wild rice, brown basmati rice

Vegetables: 
potatoes with skins (russet or new), peas, shallots, parsnips, corn, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, seaweed, chestnuts

Fruit: 
deep red apples, oranges, peaches, apricots, figs,  watermelon, pineapple, kiwis, papaya, mangos, purple grapes, dark plums, cantaloupe, honeydew,  pears, bananas, prunes, raisins

Deserts & candies: sugar-free with low GI sweeteners

Or -one drink:
light beer or unsweetened table wine

• Buy sugar free condiments -- better yet, make your own. Simply find recipes for homemade condiments and substitute the sugars.

• While all vinegars support weight loss, raw, undistilled apple cider vinegar is best.

• Fruited pops would be nickel foods.

• Powdered sweeteners contain a caloric filler.

• While most milks are 8g sugars per cup, some milks are more low- carb  -- Moo-topia, from HEB, is 4g sugars per cup. Hood also has a low-carb milk.

• Make sure your yogurt contains living bacteria. Yogurt cheese can be made at home.

• Buy veggie babies. Young, tender, small vegetables are healthier than their big, tough, aged siblings.

Start with 3

• Any meats or cheeses with 3g or more of fats per serving cost one quarter per ounce.

• Grated parmesan cheese, can be measured with a tablespoon -- 4TB per quarter. (One TB is a penny.)

• Food preparation & storage methods can greatly increase their fat content. Therefore, no matter what the food was to start with, be it carb or protein, if you fry, sauté, or store it in oil, it becomes a quarter column item.

• With non-solids such as oils, sauces, dressings, mayonnaise, margarine, and butters (nut & seed) one quarter = 1 TB.

• For variety, consider other butters than peanut. Almond butter is especially healthy. Always choose "no sugar added."

• Unsweetened coconut is high in both fats and fiber. Its plant based saturated fat is offset by its many health benefits.

• Pay for one whole egg with one quarter.

Start with 7

• Meats and cheeses must be skinless and labeled low-fat (less than 3g fat per serving).

• Fat free cottage cheese with fruit, or cheesecake made with fat free cream cheese are great ways to add protein to deserts.

• Yolkless egg product may be measured as 1/4 cup (2 oz.) = one dime.

Start with 7

• Because of the health benefits of legumes (beans), they may be weighed dry.

• Read the ingredient list of all breads, crackers, cereals, and pastas. The word "wholegrain" should be the very first ingredient.

• Popcorn is a wholegrain. Learn to love it plain.

• White carbohydrates are simple carbohydrates. Look for complex carbohydrates found in richer colored foods like sweet potatoes, pumpernickel bread, and wild rice.

• If you eat white potatoes (like russet or new), eat them skins and all.

• Choose fruit and vegetables with higher fiber counts.

• Look for 0g-4g sugars per serving on packaged foods. No more.

• "Sugar-free" often means it contains sugar alcohols. Be sure they are the low GI sugar alcohols.

• Measure powdered mixes (sugar free pudding, etc.) by the table spoon -- 4TB is a nickel. (One TB is a penny.)