Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

I have familiarized myself with the concept of MWL, and I think I'm squared away as far as what is allowed and what is not.

My question is this: If I use MWL-approved recipes, am I to assume that all the required vegetables for my meal are in the recipe? Or do I eat 1/2 of the plate as the prepared recipe, and still add another 1/2 plate of veggies?

Thanks, Kathy

It depends on the recipe, really. If it's a meal that's only rice and beans with spices, then you have to add veggies.

If it's a veggie-heavy soup or stew, then no, the veggies and starch are already there, so no need to add any unless you want to. In fact, a lot of people serve those soups and stews over another starch, like rice or potatoes. Remember, this is a starch based meal program.

Don't sweat the small stuff. As long as you avoid the higher fat and processed foods, like tofu and flour products, and keep your fruit down to no more than 2 a day, you'll be fine, especially when first beginning. Don't worry so much about proportions until you've been doing this for a while, at least a month. Start with your plate approximately 75% starch and 25% veg. If you see you're not losing weight as fast as you want, increase the veg and decrease the starch a bit until you do. This is supposed to be easy, not nerve-wracking!

Thanks VeggieSue! You're a peach!

Also, try to keep simple sugars to a minimum, if you use them at all.

Good luck kate11605!

I would keep it to 50% veggies because that will make you most happy with the results. You can just "eyeball it" and add veggies when it's obvious the recipe doesn't have enough.