Now, I'll warn you. I know that right now you're a meat eater, you don't care for veggies, and you drink pop instead of tea. You're going to have to stop that. Sorry. (Not really.) I can guarantee that the majority of my posts will go a little something like this, "Meat is bad for you because..." or "Tea can benefit you like this..." or "Sugar feeds cancer cells." I'll be talking about green smoothies and juices, the benefits of products you've never heard of, detoxifying your body with veggies, and letting go of all the crap you put into your mouth. I'm no expert - in fact, you'll be learning everything as I learn it, changing your lifestyle as I change mine. Maybe one day I'll be a nutritionist, but for now I'm just spreading the good news. I don't expect you to do everything I do or change everything all at once. After all, we only learned to walk by taking baby steps. I just hope you care about yourself as much as I care about you so that you can become healthy enough to live a long happy life with me.
So on to the rough guideline. I actually drafted this for my father in law, with other family members in mind as well. I would LOVE your feedback on it. It is a "starter" packet of sorts.
1. Cut out animal products as much as possible. Red meat contains saturated fat and cholesterol. Try to stick to chicken and turkey, but no pork or beef. The conditions chicken and pigs are kept in before turning into dinner are more disgusting than you realize, and often they are so dirty and sick, filled with antibiotics and growth hormones, that if they were not killed to become food they would have died shortly from being so sick. Cage-free eggs come from chickens allowed to roam free, thus they have less illness and more nutrition. Definitely make sure to cut milk out of your diet because of the growth hormones it’s injected with. Grass fed beef is definitely the way to go if you can't live without it, although it is a lot more expensive. However, if you could find it in your heart to consider what an animal suffers through before turning into your dinner, maybe you can abstain from animal meat altogether.
2. Cut refined, processed, and fast food out of your diet - again, as much as possible. Anything with a shelf life longer than you needs to get thrown out. Anything refined means it has been altered and is not in its natural state. Fast food is not exactly biodegradable (I'm sure you've heard of the McDonalds burger that sat unchanged for over a month on a shelf). Also get rid of that vegetable oil you cook with, and stay far away from anything deep fried. EAT REAL FOOD, not the crap made in labs.
3. Cut sugar out of your diet as much as possible. This one doesn't have to be all or nothing - about 15grams of sugar per day is a happy median, but the average American consumes about 22grams per day, and YES, sugar is not only addictive, not only in absolutely everything nowadays, but it feeds cancer cells as well.
With red meat, pork, milk, processed/packaged stuff and fast food out of your life, your only options will be natural foods like beans, greens and fruits. You will be forced to make more healthy foods (yes, you’ll have to cook) or search out healthy alternatives because the stuff you normally turn to (hot dogs, burgers and candy bars) will not be an option. I know you've all at least taken one baby step towards eating green, whether it be using grape seed oil, not buying pop for as long as you can, or staying away from artificial preservatives. Just keep at it, stay motivated.
So what can you eat? Vegetables should be the majority of what you eat. For every three cups of veggies you should have one cup of fruit. Don’t forget nuts, potatoes, fish and beans, and the HUGE variety of healthy pre-made food at the grocery store. Check out Amy’s burritos, pizzas and meals in the frozen aisle, as well as Kashi pizzas and Vitabrownies in the frozen aisle too. There's so much more, but I'll get to all the bonuses later.
How will you stay inspired to follow this guideline? Look up Mimi Kirk online and on Youtube. She is 73 years old and has been eating this way for decades with minimal exercise. The way she looks and feels should be enough motivation to get you started, assuming you want to look and feel that young at her age. If you’re a guy, check out the RawBrahs on Youtube. Buy Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr or The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. Visit the wealth of blogs and websites out there that are focused on raw foods, living foods, vegetarian recipes and local, organic stuff. Then to keep you on the right track, watch Dr. Oz every day. You will always learn something new.
Remember, even household chores count as exercise. So if you don’t want to do any other kind of exercise, at least you’ll be keeping your house clean. But if you want to take it a step further, do some yoga. I know a lot of people think of it as new age hippy shit, or not "real" exercise, and other stuff, but wow does it make you feel good, and it definitely trims back a few inches on your waistline. Exercise doesn't have to be going to the gym, doing pushes, running around your block every day. It can be going for a walk, physically playing outside with your kids, mowing the lawn, swimming. Things you would do naturally when you're active.
When you start to see the difference the changes I mentioned above make in your body, as in losing weight, less illness, major-disease prevention, feeling better, then you will know why it’s important, and I won't have to persuade you anymore.
Here are some common guidelines: limit alcohol to one day per week, coffee to once a day, switch out any other type of candy for dark chocolate, look for things that have no added sugar and products that say 100% whole wheat or whole grain, and NO MORE SODA. (Yes, I know.)
Just so you know, on average, vegetarians tend to weigh less and have lower rates of cancer, have lower cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension and Type 2 diabetes. When you go shopping, think of the fresh produce section as medication for all your ailments. If it’s fresh produce it will give you more nutrients than you can imagine. Make a trip to the store once a week so the food doesn’t go bad before you make it. Remember not to overcook vegetables. Try to make your plate 80% fruits and veggies (remember the 3 to 1 cup ratio) and 20% lean meats, proteins, etc.
Wow this is amazing!!!
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