The HCG recipes phase 1 starts you off with a bang. The HCG diet as a whole can be hard work and does require discipline, but the first phase, or loading phase, is the fun part. This first phase is when you can eat whatever you want. Doesn’t that sound like a fun diet?! The key to remember is that this phase will soon look like the good old days, once you start the low calorie stages of the diet, the core diet plan.
Since this first phase has few restrictions, it is possible to find recipes from any number of cookbooks you may have at home or recipes you’ve cut out and stored over the years. Likewise, there are many websites that feature recipes, many for free too. A good rule of thumb is to eat the foods you enjoy eating and either know how to make or can source easily from local restaurants and supermarkets. Since this is the fun phase, you might as well eat what you enjoy eating!
Once the low calorie phase begins, you will find that your body has stored up many calories from the feast you’ve enjoyed for this HCG recipes phase 1 diet. Not to worry, there are many healthy, tasty foods available on the low calorie diet, many of which you probably eat already. Some of these foods include shrimp, chicken, sirloin, fish, fruit, tea, and melba toast. The key to success on the HCG diet is that these various foods are consumed in small portions and prepared using as little added fat and calories as possible. For example, when preparing proteins like sirloin and shrimp, it is best to use a grill, as grilling is both one of the tastiest methods of cooking food, and the leanest. Grilling basically uses the fat found in the meat, combined with the heat source, to cook the food.
As for other foods like fruits, these are limited to citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit, and other watery fruits like apples. For vegetables, these can include broccoli and spinach and asparagus but these vegetables should be prepared very plainly, usually by steaming. Steaming uses hot water to cook the vegetables without adding any fat or calories to the vegetables. It is also considered a healthy method of cooking.
Since starches are a common source of weight gain and calories, these are consumed in very small portions on the HCG diet. Foods high in carbs such as potatoes, bread, and rice are generally avoided on the HCG diet, as they can pack on calories, fat, and pounds. The HCG recipes phase 1 frowns upon consuming these foods. Since you are on a diet, the goal is to lose weight and therefore avoid foods that will make you fat!
The area where the HCG diet is most strict is in beverages. If you are a fan of soda and juice, you will need to adjust your drinking habits! The only beverages that are generally recommended on the HCG diet are tea and coffee. That might sound easy to you, but remember, these are to be consumed plain or black. No cream and sugar in your coffee for this diet. Once you complete the diet program, you will be able to add a modest amount of skim milk or low fat soy milk and a tiny but of sweetener, preferably brown sugar or agave nectar.