Despite the healthy reputation of yogurt, almost all brand are loaded with carbohydrates and sugar. Therefore, the only healthy time to consume yogurt on the Hormone Revolution eating Plan is during your magic Window Meal.
Most grocery stores offer milk alternatives, such as soymilk, for those of you who are lactose intolerant or vegans. However, you must be careful when choosing soymilk, as most brands are loaded with sugar and carbohydrates and have very little protein. Try to choose a brand of soy milk that gets at least one-third of its calories from protein. To calculate this yourself, take the total amount of protein grams per serving shown on the label and multiply it by four. This will give you the total amount calories coming from protein. If this number is more than one-third of the total amount of calories per serving, than this brand is a good choice. Typically the best choices of soymilk are the ones labeled “plain” or “unflavored”; the vanilla-or chocolate flavored soymilk are usually the highest in sugar and carbohydrates. I recommend brands such as Silk, Vitasoy, and Whole Foods.
As mentioned before, margarine and butter substitute and spreads that contain partially hydrogenated oils should be strictly avoid for their trans fatty acid content. Healthier choices for margarine include various brand that use canola oil as a base, such as Promise or Benecol. These can help you lower your cholesterol levels and optimize your fat-burning hormones. A few companies also make “fat-free” margarine spreads. While they actually do contain a small amount of fat, it is so low that calories content is negligible.
Cheese is often a weak point for many people on weight-loss programs. The taste and texture of cheese is high in saturated fat and belongs in the “indulgent food” category—foods that should be avoided except on special occasions. However, there are healthy fat free varieties of cheese that taste and melt like regular cheese. Lifetime specially cheese offers a cheese that is made up almost entirely of milk protein and comes in many different flavors. Another alternative is feta cheese (made from goat’s milk), which is lower in calories and has a more favorable blend of fats. For people who are lactose intolerant or are on a vegans diet, there are many tasty alternative cheese made from soy or almond, the healthiest of which derive at least one-half of their calories from protein.
