Ditto velogirl. Toss the poptarts.

Watch chinese food that is breaded & fried. Very high calorie.

I'm a food dork - I have never liked the pre-packaged greens. As a child of the '60's, I was taught to be distrustful of the establishment. So, I wonder - how do they keep that stuff fresh & make a profit?

You can get bags for produce that will keep it fresher longer. I also clean all of my veggies (organic whenever possible) but I don't chop them unless I know I'll be in a huge rush - or it is a salad that needs to marinate. I've heard chopping veggies & fruit causes them to release nutrients.

I don't cook anything in their plastic bags because heated up plastic releases chemicals implicated in cancer. I take the food out of the plastic bag, put it in a bowl & cover the bowel with a plate (not a plastic wrap.)

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OK, now that I've ratted myself out as being a food maniac...

You need clean protein, good fat & complex carbs. A few excellent books:

South Beath Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook - meals to be made in 30 minutes

Anything by Moosewood.

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I absolutely love a book called Stop Your Cravings by Jennifer Workman. It is influenced by Ayurveda. The cover says "A balanced approach to burning fat, increasing energy and reducing stress." She talks about making lunch your biggest meal and making sure that you have all of the five tastes in your meals. She also goes into the different doshas and how to eat correctly (and even exercise) according to your dosha.

I usually avoid those kind of books like the plague, but this one is excellent. She is a registered dietician & isn't out to sell you her supplements, etc. She talks about doing a cleanse twice a year and how to fashion the cleanse based on your dosha.