The
Health Building Diet
The
foods we eat and our diets are woven deeply into our
emotional makeup. Because of this, lasting change can
be difficult. Most of us are aware that we don't eat
as well as we could or should. Before you decide to
improve your diet, first decide why you are doing it.
We caution, that to change for a negative reason ("so
I don't die, because I want to get my blood cholesterol
down") are poor reasons. Rather look to the positive
rewards of adopting a new eating life-style ("to enjoy
my health and grandchildren for years to come, so I
can enjoy physical activity, so I can better fulfill
my lives mission with more vibrant energy"). The way
we look at change really is important. Dietary changes
are made one good recipe at a time.
So
What Should I Eat?
Our
diets should consist of predominately whole grains (starches)
with the addition of Vegetables and Fruit. Eat a diet
centered around whole grains (rice, wheat, oats, millet,
rye, spelt, corn, amaranth, buckwheat, barley, couscous,
quinoa, kamut, etc.), potatoes, whole grain pastas,
beans, lentils, seeds and nuts. Emphasize a variety
of organic whole grains, legumes and vegetables and
de-emphasize flour products like breads and muffins.
Eat several pieces of fresh fruit each day, especially
before noon. Eat fruits and vegetables, fresh and in
season whenever possible. Of course, organic is best
and many local farmers markets carry organic and some
organic growers even will deliver weekly.
Chew
your food thoroughly (to the consistency of apple sauce).
Eat slowly (set your fork down between bites). Drink
plenty of water (8 oz., 10 minutes before your meal
is a good habit). Drink at least 8 glasses of water,
fresh juices or herbal teas (64 oz. or 1/2 gallon) each
day. To loose unwanted pounds increase by one glass
of water for every 25 pounds overweight you are. Eat
high-quality, whole, unprocessed foods. Remain open
to change, experimentation, and new recipes. Eat green
salads. Purchase a good vegetarian cookbook. Calander
your dinner menus and eliminate the kitchen search for
what to make for dinner.
Some
Foods To Avoid
Salt:
Change
from processed table salt to sea salt. We like Celtic
Sea Salt. When your body craves salt, it is asking for
all of the minerals naturally found in salt from the
sea, not just refined sodium chloride with iodine. Sea
salt is balanced with essential minerals and trace minerals
needed for good health. Using natural sea salt is a
healthy choice.
Refined
Flours & Sugars: Avoid
these as they are constipating, mucus forming and do
not have the nutritional value of whole foods. As you
adapt your diet to whole food sources these refined
products will begin to lose their appeal and strong
emotional attachments.
Milk,
Dairy, Eggs: Use
very sparingly if at all. There are so many natural
health substitutes that you'll hardly miss them. These
foods create a lot of mucus in your digestive tract
and are constipating. Stop using milk as a beverage.
Substitute fruit juices for milk. Drink more water,
juice and herb teas. Try soy, rice or almond milk on
cereals and in cooking. One of the main concerns of
the milk, cheese and eggs we purchase is that they are
contaminated with hormones, antibiotics (many scientist
suggest that minute trace amounts of antibiotics in
our food supplies are responsible for the drug resistant
infections that are appearing). If you use cheese, use
only as a condiment to garnish foods. Hard cheeses (parmesan,
Romano) are healthier choices than soft cheeses (American,
Jack or Cheddar). Eat eggs only from organically fed
free-range, chickens. Never, never use margarine, it
is damaging to your arteries. Use real butter if you
must, but very sparingly. Try olive oil as a butter
substitute. Use a high quality cold-pressed organic
olive oil on your next baked potato.
Meat:
Our
definition of meat: anything that has a face. Use it
sparingly if at all. Hormone, pesticides, herbicides,
and many drug residues and contaminants are found in
our meat supplies. Meat, if used, should be used to
garnish and add flavor to your food, not as the main
course. If you do eat meat on occasion, cold water fish
like salmon is best. Many healthfood stores carry meat
from organically fed, chemical-free animals. Quality
and quantity are the big issues.
Obvious
Unhealthy Products: Eliminate
completely; soda pop, tabacco, coffee, black/green tea
(the types with caffeine), alcohol, and foods with artificial
preservatives, flavors, colors, etc. Read the labels
on the products you buy. If it has a chemically sounding
name, then be suspicious of its health value.
Supplements
As
a general overall nutritional supplement, we recommend
Earth's
Nutrition™,
a green drink containing organic whole food source vitamins,
minerals, enzymes and trace elements. Medicinal herbs
in general can be considered as concentrated foods.
Western Botanicals™ offers many herbal remedies
designed to assist your bodies natural healing abilities
restoring you to your optimal health. The body was designed
to utilize nutrients as they are made by nature. Natural
whole food herbal supplements are a better choice than
those synthetically made by man in a laboratory.
One
of the secrets to a healthy diet and life-style is recipes.
Some books we recommend are: Vegetarian Cooking
for Everyone, by Deborah Madison, The
McDougall Program, by John McDougall, M.D.,
and Vegitarian Times and Natural
Health Magazines. |
