New Meal Program Offers A Healthier Way Of Living -- With Gourmet Touches
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Hide the cottage cheese! Put down that celery.
It's a meal plan that offers a healthy way of life -- with gourmet flair.
It's called Paleta -- a take on the artist palate.
The program is embraced by Hollywood celebrities including Felicity Huffman, Lisa Rinna, Gilles Marini, Jessica Biel and Scott Wolf, to name a few.
CBS2's Health Reporter, Lisa Sigell, spoke to Chef Kelly Boyer who started the Paleta method in her kitchen.
"Paleta is a play on the palate of your mouth and artist's palate. We believe food is art," says Boyer.
The Paleta system delivers meals to the client -- all using food that promotes a healthy lifestyle.
Boyer knows, first hand, how important healthy eating is.
She is a 25-year cancer survivor. She started treating her body the best way possible. Boyer tells Sigell that food was a part of her regimen and she believes good food helped her beat the odds.
"I feel blessed every day," Boyer says.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack and dessert all arrive in one daily package.
Boyer says the Paleta client designs their own program with the help of nutritionists and doctors. Vegan or vegetarian? Food allergies? Not a problem, she says.
Whether you're trying to lose weight, trim a few pounds, lose the baby weight or get more energy, there is a plan for you. Calorie totals start at 1,200 for the day and up.
Boyer doesn't want anyone to think of Paleta as a diet plan even if it can help you shed weight.
"My program is not about weight loss. If you want to lose weight, I can help you do that," Boyer says, "but it's about a lifestyle. It's about putting the right stuff in your body so that you feel at your best at any point in time."
Her goal is not to change the way people eat, but how they live.
"At this point in my life, I can't imagine doing anything else. It combines my love of food and nutrition with changing people's lives," Boyer says.
There are many food plans and programs on the market but Boyer says you can do your own quick start program -- for free.
1. Follow a Mediterranean diet: whole grains, fruit, vegetables, seafood, limited animal protein and dairy.
2. Replace cream and butter, instead use small amounts of heart-healthy extra virgin olive oil.
3. Eat more but less! 5-6 small meals and snacks throughout the day.
4. Watch your portions. Take a typical meal and cut by 1/3rd to start, then in a few days, cut the meal in half.
5. And finally, eliminate all processed sugar from your diet. Commit to this for two weeks.
Boyer says with those simple steps, you will notice weight loss, changes in your skin, more energy. "You will see the results," she says.
Paleta also offers kids programs, family dinner/meal programs, cleanses and lot of other treats to add on.
Some stay on the plan for weeks, others for years. But she said a life-long client base is not her goal.
"While I would love to have you as a client for the rest of your life," Boyer says, "My ultimate goal is that you learn how to do it yourself."
Many of her clients say that it's like getting a present every day they open their door -- a present they give themselves for a healthier life.
For more information about Paleta, click here.