Food Choices Whilst on the Protocol

Dr. Simeons spent years of research to come up with a healthy, balanced diet that was as attractive as possible, without jeopardising the loss of weight while under HCG treatment. Every item has been carefully considered. The key to remember is, “All things not listed are forbidden, and nothing permissible has been left out” (as stated by Dr. Simeons). The guidelines in this book have been carefully based on Dr. Simeons’ diet protocol.

The total daily caloric intake during the Core and Transition Phases should not exceed 500 calories /2100 kilojoules, made up of the foods described below:

PROTEINS

Eat 2 servings anytime during the day, but not at the same time. Meat can be cooked by broiling, grilling, or boiling, but don’t use any additional fat or oils during cooking.

Serving size: One serving is 3 1/2 oz. (100 grams), weighed raw. Remove all visible fat first. Use a food scale to help get the correct weight.

Beef and veal choices – Veal is your best choice, get whole cuts that are extra lean, at least 95%.

Chicken choices – Boneless, skinless chicken breast only.

Fish choices – You can use crab, crayfish, lobster, shrimp, or any fresh white-fleshed fish.

Salmon, eel, tuna, mackerel, herring, and dried or pickled fish are NOT allowed.

Vegetarian options and substitutions – Vegetarians typically get their daily protein from leguminous plants, but these foods are not allowed on the HCG diet. Vegetarian Menu Options are discussed in the Protocols eBook.

Fruit and Vegetables – again, only the allowed fruit and vegetables in the protocol in the correct portion are permissible also outlined in the Protocol eBook.

Diabetics may eat one protein item each morning to control blood sugar.
Do not skip or reduce your protein servings. Protein is very important for maintaining muscle. If you don’t eat enough protein, you may start retaining water, resulting in a weight loss plateau.

VEGETABLES

Eat 2 servings anytime during the day, but not at the same time. Best if eaten with the protein servings.

Serving size – One serving is 2 cups for leafy greens and 1 cup for the other vegetables.

Allowed items – Asparagus, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chard, chicory greens, cucumber, dandeloin leaves, fennel, kelp and seaweed, sauerkraut, sorrel leaves, zucchini.

Free Foods – These can be added additions with any meal: basil, garlic, chives, coriander, dill, fennel, fresh ginger, kale, lettuce – all types, parsley, rocket leaves, onion, spring onion, tomato, watercress, pepper, seaweed salt, apple cider vinegar, psyllium husks, stevia drops.

Most of my meals I put down a bed of 2 cups of 4 leaf lettuce, steamed one type of vegetable, placed on top of lettuce, seasoned with herbs and chopped tomato and compliment it with the protein portion (meat, fish or chicken).

FRUITS

Eat 3 items anytime during the day, but not at the same time.

Serving size: Varies depending on the fruit.

Allowed items – One apple, 1 cup of strawberries or blueberries or blackberries, 1/2 paw paw/papaya (red or yellow), one medium orange, or one half of a grapefruit.

Small apples have more calories than large ones, so two small apples do not equal one regular apple. Be sure to eat all the flesh of an orange or grapefruit; do not squeeze it for the juice only. Use only fresh fruit, not frozen, dried, or canned.
Don’t substitute other fruits even if they are low in calories.

NB: In Dr Simeons book there is a starch option of grissini and melba toast. The ingredients of both these items were not something that I agreed with therefore could not eat them on a daily basis; instead I replaced the starch portion with a piece of fruit. So instead of having the starch and 2 pieces of fruit I had three pieces of fruit.

For those who want to eat the starch then one puffed rice cracker equals one portion of starch. The replacement of the starch with the fruit made no difference to weight loss. I still lost the recommended amount and I still felt fantastic. Some people really enjoyed the starch so I leave this option to you.

FLUIDS

It is recommended that you drink at least 2 quarts (8 cups) per day of the following:
Allowed items: Water, herbal tea, green tea, black tea, and coffee without sugar are permitted. You may sweeten drinks with stevia. The juice of one lemon and lime per day is allowed, and one tablespoon of milk is allowed once a day – if you so desire. Yerba mate tea is highly recommended for those having trouble with hunger.

I didn’t take up the 1 TBS of milk per day until the very end of the program when I felt I needed something more, if you want this 1TBS of milk make sure you get a good quality unhomogenised organic milk.

A favourite drink that I made up when I was socialising was; ice and sparkling mineral water with a slice of lime or lemon, some mint leaves and 3 to 4 drops of stevia. I still enjoy this drink, it is refreshing and it looks like you are having a mohito!

Not allowed: Do not use any sweetener other than stevia. Do not use non-dairy creamer or other substitutes. Alcoholic drinks are not allowed.

SEASONINGS

You can freely use any of the allowed seasonings.
Allowed items: Salt (seaweed salt), freshly ground pepper, apple cider vinegar, mustard powder, sweet basil, garlic, fresh ginger, parsley, thyme, marjoram, and most other herbs and spices. The juice of one lemon or lime is allowed per day. If you use salt, try to use about the same amount each day. A sudden increase in salt may cause water retention.
My lunch and dinner meals were filled with seasoning; I would often marinate my meat, fish or chicken in garlic, ginger, lemon juice, chilli and a fresh herb. My salads were sprinkled with herbs and spices and my colloidal minerals or probiotics to add flavour.

Not allowed: Sweeteners.
Do not use aspartame, NutraSweet, acesulfame, sucralose, Splenda, saccharine or any other chemicalised sugars as sweeteners. Truvia is also not allowed, as it contains a type of sugar.
Allowed item: Stevia.

Not Allowed: Fats and oils
Do not use butter. Do not use ANY type of oil, including fish oil, olive oil, butter, coconut oil, cooking oil, palm oil, etc.
Do not use commercial dressings of any kind, even fat-free salad dressing. Lotions and other skin products containing fats or oils are not allowed.

Vegetarian Menu Options

The vegetable, fruit and starch servings are the same as the main protocol. Only the protein servings are different. Note that using the vegetarian menu options may result in slower weight loss than following the original diet protocol. However, vegetarians can still have a successful HCG weight loss program.

Protein Serving Substitutions:
1 whole egg plus 3 egg whites. Yolks are high in fat and the whites are very low.
3 1/2 oz / 100 gms of fat-free organic cottage cheese. This option will likely slow your weight loss. No other cheeses are allowed.
3 TBS Inca Inchi Protein Powder – this can have cinnamon added and stevia and mixed in water.
3 1/2 oz / 100 gms plain tofu