I have a strong interest in maintaining a whole foods lifestyle and the benefits it provides. I’m always researching and reading new books on different approaches and diets to see which ones work best for me. It’s important to me to incorporate super foods into my diet, because of their amazing benefits.

Lucy Danziger, the Editor-in-Chief of Self Magazine, created the Drop 10 Diet: Add to your Plate to Lose the Weight. The basis of the diet is incorporating one or more of 20 super foods into your daily meals. The 1600-calorie per day diet includes Breakfast: 350 calories, Lunch: 450 calories, Snack: 150 calories, Dinner: 450 calories, and 200 Happy Calories per day. The book includes recipes and meal ideas, but is completely flexible, not sticking to a particular “meal plan” or eliminating certain foods after a specific time. I began following the concept of the diet this week. The recipes are very filling, and don’t leave me feeling hungry in between meals.

As I have shared before, as much of a health nut as I am, I have a serious “faux” sweet tooth. The 200 “happy calories” per day let’s me get my sugar fix and stay satisfied. The perfect balance! Depriving myself of any “junk” foods, only results in whipping up a batch of vegan chocolate chip cookies and having one too many. (i use the term “faux” sweet tooth; though the sweets I eat are vegan & whole foods (no processed ingredients here!).. as like any other food, they aren’t exactly healthy when they aren’t consumed in moderation.) The Drop 10 Diet leaves plenty of room for creativity, and even lists possible options to choose from at a variety of restaurant locations. Once you learn which foods have great “fat-burning” properties, it’s simple to incorporate them into any type of diet. The Stuffed Sweet Potato was delicious! I from a recipe on Happy Healthy Life.

Don’t forget about dessert! I was excited to find that the Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie from Chocolate Covered Katie rings in right around 200 calories, making it the perfect “happy calories” treat. It’s pretty amazing.. would you believe that the main ingredient is chickpeas? Trust me, you wouldn’t believe if you tried it.