Take a look at this list if you want to try the Optavia diet but don’t know how to start making your daily lean and green meals. This full Optavia food list breaks down all the different types of food that you can prepare on the Optavia diet, along with the health benefits and serving sizes that the diet suggests.
According to Optavia, you can cook chicken, lean beef, turkey, lamb, pork chops, game meats, and ground beef that is at least 85% lean during your lean and green meals.
As you may have noticed, Optavia emphasizes lean meats but does allow some red meats as well. Optavia allows 5-7 ounces of cooked lean protein during a lean and green meal.
If you are on the 5 and 1 plan, you will only get those 5-7 ounces of protein once a day. If you are on another Optavia plan, you may eat several lean and green meals every day.
When you eat healthy fats and non-starchy vegetables along with lean protein, your blood sugar levels stay stable.
The Optavia diet has become an increasingly popular way to lose weight and improve health. This diet centers around nutritious meal replacements coaching, and lifestyle habits to promote sustainable weight management. But with any diet, people often wonder if they can still enjoy their favorite foods while following the guidelines. One common question is – can you have oysters on the Optavia diet? In this in-depth guide, we’ll take a look at what Optavia is examine the diet meal plans and rules, and determine if oysters can fit into the Optavia lifestyle.
What is the Optavia Diet?
Optavia was created by Medifast and utilizes meal replacements, known as “Fuelings,” along with health coaching and support to facilitate weight loss. The pre-portioned Fuelings include shakes, bars, soups, oatmeals, and more meant to replace meals and snacks. These products contain protein, fiber, and minerals while being low in fat and carbohydrates.
In addition to the Fuelings Optavia promotes developing healthy habits such as planning ahead, staying hydrated getting physical activity, and more. The program aims to help people make gradual but lifelong changes to sustain long-term weight management success.
There are three main Optavia diet plans
- Optimal Weight 5 & 1 Plan: Five Fuelings plus one Lean & Green meal per day
- Optimal Weight 4 & 2 & 1 Plan: Four Fuelings, two Lean & Green meals, and one snack per day
- Optimal Health 3 & 3 Plan: Three Fuelings plus three Lean & Green meals per day
The Lean & Green meals provide an opportunity to eat regular food while following the Optavia principles. These meals contain lean protein, non-starchy vegetables, and healthy fats. But what specific foods are part of a Lean & Green meal? Let’s take a closer look at the guidelines.
Optavia Lean & Green Meal Rules
The Lean & Green meal is designed to complement the nutritious Fuelings within the Optavia plans. According to Optavia, a Lean & Green meal consists of:
- 5 to 7 ounces of lean protein
- At least 3 servings of non-starchy vegetables
- Up to 2 servings of healthy fats
On the Optimal Weight 5 & 1 plan, you would consume this type of meal once per day. On the 4 & 2 & 1 plan, you’d have two Lean & Green meals daily, and three of these meals with the Optimal Health 3 & 3 plan.
Some examples of lean proteins include chicken, turkey, fish, shellfish, eggs, beef, pork tenderloin, tofu, and tempeh.
Non-starchy veggie options are things like leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, green beans, asparagus, onions, and celery.
Healthy fats would include oils, nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, and certain condiments like hummus and pesto.
When examining these Lean & Green meal rules, how might oysters fit in? Let’s determine if oysters are truly part of the Optavia diet.
Can You Have Oysters on Optavia?
After thoroughly looking through Optavia’s guidelines and approved foods lists, oysters are not directly mentioned. However, other types of shellfish such as shrimp, crab, mussels, scallops, and lobster are included on the lean protein options list.
Looking at the nutritional profile of oysters shows that they contain:
- High protein – 3 ounces provides over 15 grams of protein
- Low calorie density – approximately 50 calories in 3 ounces
- Low net carbohydrates – only 3 grams net carbs per 3 ounces
This nutrient composition aligns well with the goals of Optavia’s Lean & Green meals.
Additionally, oysters supply beneficial vitamins and minerals including zinc, copper, selenium, vitamin B12, and iron. They have healthy fats like omega-3s EPA and DHA too.
Oysters are naturally low in calories and fat compared to many other protein foods. Since they satisfy the criteria of being a lean protein, non-starchy vegetable, and source of healthy fats, oysters can fit into an Optavia Lean & Green meal.
Tips for Incorporating Oysters
Here are some tips for successfully adding oysters into your Optavia plan:
-
Watch portion sizes – 3 to 4 medium oysters is a typical serving size, which equals about 3 ounces cooked weight. Stick within the 5-7 ounce lean protein recommendation.
-
Try different cooking methods – Raw, steamed, baked, or pan-fried oysters all work within Optavia guidelines. Avoid deep frying or heavy breading.
-
Pair oysters with non-starchy vegetables – Serve oysters alongside a salad, sauteed spinach, roasted Brussels sprouts, or grilled asparagus.
-
Include healthy fats – Drizzle oysters with olive oil, lemon juice, or garlic-herb butter. Top salads with avocado slices or pumpkin seeds.
-
Limit high-calorie condiments – Skip oyster sauces and enjoy oysters with fresh herbs, spices, hot sauce, or horseradish if desired.
-
Balance meals – Portion oysters at one meal and eat chicken, fish, or plant proteins at other meals to vary protein sources.
Sample Oyster Meals for Optavia
To give you some meal inspiration, here are delicious and diet-friendly oyster recipes to enjoy on Optavia:
- Oysters on the half shell with mignonette sauce and spinach salad
- Steamed oysters with roasted cauliflower and pumpkin seed pesto
- Smoked oyster lettuce wraps with avocado
- Pan-seared oysters with zucchini noodles and artichoke hearts
- Baked oysters with Dijon and non-starchy veggie skewers
- Oyster mushroom stir fry with bok choy and ginger sauce
The key is balancing the oysters with ample low-carb vegetables and healthy fats. This provides comprehensive nutrition while controlling calories.
The Bottom Line
Overall, oysters can be included in the Optavia program as part of a Lean & Green meal. It’s best to check with your Optavia coach if you have questions about appropriate foods for the diet. While not directly listed in Optavia’s food guidelines, oysters meet the criteria to be a lean protein when eaten in moderation along with non-starchy vegetables and healthy fats. Enjoying variety while following the meal rules is vital for long-term weight loss success on Optavia.
Additional healthy fats
The Optavia diet focuses on consuming healthy fats that are minimally processed. Olives, low-fat margarine, almonds, avocado, pistachios, walnuts, and low-carb salad dressings are all okay for people on this diet.
These healthy fats are good sources of fiber, vitamins, and minerals as well. When you find foods that have healthy fats, they are harder to absorb and gain weight. They also help suppress hunger which helps people lose weight since they push the plate away sooner.
Certain low-carb vegetables are acceptable in your lean and green daily meals. These vegetables include spinach, celery, cucumbers, mushrooms, collard greens, cabbage, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Due to their high fiber content and low carbohydrate content, these vegetables will make you feel full faster, making you eat less.
This kind of vegetable is good for your heart and has chemicals in it that help fight some types of cancer.
When comparing Optavia to other diets, the Keto vs. Optavia discussion usually involves low-carb vegetables. Since they are a great source of Keto production, many people ask, is Optavia keto then?.
Optavia is different from keto in that the goal of the Optavia diet is not to make ketones, but to cut calories. Optavia still allows some carbs and sugars to persist during the maintenance period and beyond.
You can eat any sugar-free snacks while on the Optavia diet, such as gum, mints, popsicles, and gelatin.
Your diet won’t hurt your efforts to lose weight because these snacks don’t have any sugar in them. Cutting back on the sugar in your snacks will also help your mental health, lower your stress, and make headaches less common.
These snacks are okay during the day during Optavia fuel sessions or after lean and green meals. You can only have a certain amount of servings of each. For example, you can only have up to 3 pieces of gum or mints per day.
On the Optima diet plan, sugar-free drinks like water, tea, coffee, and unsweetened almond milk can be eaten as Optavia snacks.
Studies have shown that people who switch to sugar-free drinks can lose two pounds of body fat and about 0.5 percent of their total body weight.
Eliminating high amounts of sugar from your diet will decrease your insulin sensitivity and reduce your diabetes risk.
You can drink as many of these kinds of drinks as you want during the day with Optavia.
Fish and Shellfish
When on Optavia, you can eat halibut, trout, salmon, tuna, lobster, crab, shrimp, and scallops. You can eat 5 to 7 ounces of meat with fish or shellfish as one of your daily lean and green meals.
Fish and shellfish are filled with vitamin D and B2 and omega-3 fatty acids. Fish is a high-quality protein that can improve your metabolism, skin quality, sleep quality, and concentration.
A diet with moderate to high amounts of fish can help reduce inflammation.
The Optavia food list allows eggs during your lean and green meal. You are allowed to eat whole eggs, egg beaters, and egg whites.
Five to six grams of protein are in each egg, and you can eat five to seven ounces of meat at each meal.
Eggs are excellent sources of vitamin A, zinc, calcium, phosphorus, and selenium. The lean protein in eggs can help with weight loss and increase muscle mass. Eggs can also lower blood pressure and contribute to positive bone health.
On the Optavia diet plan, you can eat soy products, but during your diet period, you can only eat tofu.
Optavia lets you eat up to three servings of tofu every day. It is a very healthy food. Tofu has antioxidant properties that help address inflammation and improve the body’s immune system.
Tofu is also a complete protein, which means it has a balanced mix of amino acids, and a great source of fiber.
Optavia allows people on a diet to use only certain vegetable oils. The vegetable oils allowed on Optavia are canola, walnut, flaxseed, and olive oil.
These kinds of vegetable oils have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels, improving heart health outcomes. These vegetable oils are low in saturated fat, which can help improve energy levels throughout the day.
Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in large amounts in flaxseed oil, help the brain work better and lower the risk of high blood pressure.
How to Tell if an Oyster is BAD #chesapeakebay #oysters #seafood
FAQ
Can you have clams on Optavia?
Can I eat sushi on Optavia?
What is the downfall of Optavia?