What is a THM E Meal?
E: the Energizing Meal
The E Meal is comprised of lean protein + good carbs + nonstarchy veggies.
It’s the carbs that make it an E meal. Protein must be lean. E meals should contain 20-45 grams of healthy carbs.
E Friendly Protein:
Lean protein includes: egg whites, pork tenderloin, Canadian bacon (known as back bacon in Canada), lean ground turkey or chicken (97% lean!), lean deli meat, chicken or turkey breast meat, shrimp, tilapia and other white fish, tuna, venison, light cheese sticks, low-fat cottage cheese, low-fat yogurt, light cream cheese
E Friendly Fat:
Good fats for cooking* are any that are solid at room temperature: butter, coconut oil, red palm oil, lard, bacon grease. The THM founders do not eat pork, but these still qualify as valid fats!
Good fats for salads* or other cold applications: MCT oil, extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, sesame oil.
Oils to avoid: canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil
*It’s best to include a small amount of fat since it helps your body metabolize the carbs, but it should be kept to 5 grams (about 1 teaspoon) or less in E.
E Friendly Carbs:
Whole grains (including wheat, rye, spelt, and oats), fruit, dry beans, sweet, red, purple, and golden potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, barley
E-friendly Breads: any storebought bread that lists a sprouted whole grain as the first ingredient and has no more than 2 grams of carbs per slice. I can buy about five flavors of Silver Hills bread locally, all on plan. Ezekiel 4:19 bread and English muffins are on plan. Knock Your Sprouts Off bread in the USA is on plan. There are others, but not a lot.
True sourdough bread is also on plan but is very hard to find in stores. The first ingredient must be whole grain flour and there must not be yeast. Not because yeast is evil, but because it rises quickly and the flour doesn’t have time to reduce carbs by sprouting or fermenting. Luckily, on-plan sourdough bread is easy to make, even for non-bakers.
E carbs to avoid: cassava, tapioca, potato starch, added sugar in any form
E Friendly Veggies:
Eat in abundance (same as in S):
Lettuce, spinach, kale, cabbage, cucumber, peppers, okra, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, mushrooms, zucchini, bean sprouts, daikon, radishes, turnips, garlic, kohlrabi, asparagus
Eat liberally:
Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, onions, squashes (spaghetti, butternut, acorn, pumpkin), carrots, peas, rutabaga, jicama, beets, eggplant, parsnips
Skip: avocados
A few E meals I enjoy, just to give you an idea what that looks like on a plate:
• Oatmeal (1/2 c rolled oats cooked in 1 c water) with two plums, 1 egg white (for protein), on-plan sweetener, and cartoned cashew milk
• Sandwich made with two slices sprouted or sourdough bread with 2 wedges Light Laughing Cow cheese, 2 slices lean deli meat, lettuce, and raw veggies or salad on the side
• Chili made with lean ground turkey and lots of canned beans and tomatoes and a bit of corn. Low-fat yogurt in place of sour cream
• Grilled chicken breast with a three-bean salad (low-fat on-plan dressing)
• Sourdough pancakes with low-fat yogurt, berries, and on-plan syrup
• Apple with low-fat yogurt, peanut powder, sweetener, and a bit of on-plan granola
• Sweet potato topped with cottage cheese, black beans, chicken breast and salsa, salad on the side
• Split pea or bean soup made with smoked turkey
• Fruit smoothie
• 4 Light Rye Wasa crackers with Light Laughing Cow cheese and up to 1 tbsp (total) of sugar-free jam
• Brown Rice Pudding
• Approved bread/toast with egg whites and veggies
As time goes on, I’ll add some recipes of my own to the blog. Meanwhile, feel free to check out my THM Pinterest boards: E for Energizing, and THM-E Desserts.
Read labels. Ingredients trump numbers, so even if the fat or carb grams are low, it doesn’t mean it’s on plan. If it contains sugar, whether white, brown, cane, coconut, date, syrups (including agave, maple, cane, or honey, fruit juices/concentrates, or any -ose (other than allulose), it’s best avoided. Also avoid Splenda, Equal, NutraSweet, Sweet’N Low, and Sugar Twin.
THM counts net carbs = total carbs minus total fiber.*
Please Note: I am not an authorized Trim Healthy Mama coach or blogger, although I play one in fiction…
