EAT HEALTHY?
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- newuser
How healthy do y'all eat? Anyone stay away from fats / cholesterol entirely?
I want to adopt a plant based diet, how easy is it to change?
- HijoDMaite0
I read this the other day; it's pretty spot on. Back in the day I use to work at a popular health food store in Huntington Beach, I was friends with the entire vegan community there. They all managed really well because they lived in a place with plenty of good health food stores, they cooked for each other and had really good vegan restaurants at their finger tips. So what I am saying is I hope you live in a area that will make it easy for you to do this. Of course with social media and the internet you can create these communities virtually now too.
I even went vegan for four months. While I did start to lose some weight I found my self getting depressed. If you just think about how much your life revolves around food and planning for food and getting together for food. I just love to cook and BBQ and a vegan diet didn't give me any satisfaction besides losing a few pounds. I certainly wasn't doing it for ethical reasons I just wanted to see what it was like.
Tip #1 – Get Equipped
You will need a few basics to get started. The first item is a blender, you don’t have to go straight to an expensive model. I paid around $100 for mine and it does a great job. The second item is a food processor, again this does not need to be costly. I bought mine second hand off eBay and it works beautifully. A Vitamix or Blendtec high-powered blender is a great choice if you have the budget for one. A nut milk bag is a handy little item to have, they only cost a couple of dollars and again I bought mine off eBay. A mandolin will save you time in the kitchen and give your dishes a professional look. If you can afford one then I also suggest a dehydrator. I don’t have a 9 tray Excalibur (but I want one), mine is a Sunbeam and its one of those cheap round models. Great for doing things like museli, crackers, ‘roasted’ vegetables and stuffed mushrooms.
Tip #2 – Do it at your own pace
Some people can make this decision overnight and transition to a 100% raw food diet. I wasn’t one of those people. I started by going vegetarian then gradually eliminated foods that I knew were doing me harm. Next to go was dairy. Its difficult to throw away everything you know and try something new. For years we have been taught the food pyramid which consists of meat, dairy, wheat, fruit, veg etc... you’ve based meal times on this and have your favourite recipes and restaurants. Recognise that its going to take time to form new habits and that even taking away one bad item is a step towards better health.
Tip #3 - Start a recipe folder
I have 2 of these, one for savoury dishes and one for desserts. Whenever I come across a recipe on the internet or in one of my raw recipe books, I print it out or copy it and add it to the folder. The internet is a great resource tool, there are so many raw food recipes available. Think about what your favourite dishes are and do a search. For example, if you love chocolate cake, type in ‘Raw Chocolate Cake Recipe’ in the search section and see what you find. You’ll discover YouTube videos with demonstrations, as well as many other printable recipes. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on recipe books. Nearly all of the recipes I have tried I loved, but if there is something that I didn’t, I just removed it from the folder so that it only contains my favourites.
Tip #4 – Find people who inspire you
My main reason for wanting to transition to a plant based diet was to lose weight. I found people like Philip McClusky and Angela Stokes who had already done this successfully. I loved reading their stories and studied what they did to acheive their goals. I also have a passion for creating beautiful dishes so people like Russell James, the raw food chef inspire me. His website is full of amazing recipes, all for free. He also has some eBooks and home chef courses you can purchase.
Tip #5 – Don’t deprive yourself
If you feel deprived and hungry then you are not going to enjoy this transition at all. Make sure you eat plenty of the foods you love, there is no need to starve yourself. As long as your eating the right foods, you wont gain weight. You’ll find that because you are giving your body all the nurtients it needs, your appetite will reduce dramatically. This happened for me. I used to constantly think about food and crave all the wrong things. When I started juicing in particular, I noticed I no longer felt like these foods. My body had been craving nutrients all this time and I wasn’t recognising this. Have lots of yummy fruits available so you have something quick and easy at hand. Fruit is the best ‘fast food’.
Tip #6 – Get involved in social networking
It may surprise you that most of your friends and family may not be as excited as you are about your new way of eating. At first I felt really isolated and recieved constant criticism from those around me who were ‘concerned about my health’. They thought I would be deficient in all sorts of things like protein, iron, calcium etc. One thing that really helped me was to connect with other like minded people on Facebook. Facebook has a huge number of groups related to raw food. There are ones dedicated to sharing recipes even. Join the ones that interest you and ask questions, share your journey etc. You will be surprised by the amount of support you get. Also don’t forget to share interesting videos and links on your wall. I love posting photos of my recipes, this always gets a lot of interest. Its a great way of spreading the word without being ‘preacher-ish’.
Tip #7 – How to get your friends and family involved
I’ve found the easiest way to do this is by creating raw desserts. Everyone loves something sweet, you can create delicious raw desserts that are guilt free without any animal products, sugar, wheat etc. You’ll feel good about offering these to your children in place of sugary treats. Another idea is to invite your friends over for lunch and prepare some raw dishes for them to enjoy. Its a great talking point. Most people are suprised by what amazing food you can make and how good it tastes. When they hear ‘raw food’ they imagine boring salads and carrot sticks. You can make raw pasta using a spiralising tool (available on eBay or Amazon), create flax crackers and dips, yummy soups to name a few.
Tip #8 – Find a raw food class or demo
These are a great way to see a raw food expert in action and try some amazing food. You’ll also get to meet other people in your local area that share your interest. I did a series of 4 classes that ran on weekends. We got to see the food being made, take home recipe sheets and sample everything afterwards. She demonstrated making raw chocolates, pasta, burgers, onion bread, crackers, almond milk, green smoothies, museli, chocolate mousse to name a few. This was a real turning point for me. All the things she made were quick and easy and she educated us along the way on all the health benefits of individual ingredients. I learn’t about superfoods and enzymes etc. Great value for money.
Tip #9 – Be prepared for social situations
If you have been invited to a friends gathering, bring a plate of food along that you can eat and share with others. If you are going out to dinner with friends, ask if they can go somewhere healthy. If you don’t have any choice in where you are going, choose the best possible option. Either a vegetarian meal or ask if they can make you a salad off the menu. Just request your favourite ingredients. Just do the best you can and don’t feel bad about it. If you do slip up and eat the wrong thing, don’t undo all your hard work and go back to your old ways. Its not worth feeling guilty over. Just move on and continue on your journey to better health. None of us are perfect and there are going to be challenging situations.
Tip #10 – Track your progress
This will help you to stay motivated. When I started my journey I weighed myself and took some ‘before’ photos. Wear some figure fitting clothing so you can see the difference when the weight comes off. Maybe buy the same outfit in a smaller size so when you take your ‘after’ pics, you can really compare the two. Take photos from different angles, I did front, side and back. I also like to share my goals and progress with those around me. Even if it is on Facebook. The support I have recieved is fantastic and really keeps me going. I’m surprised by how many people I now inspire, you could be the same. Be a living example that this way of life is the best and gives you the best possible health, and the sexiest body!
- srhadden0
In Belgium where I live there's a small food hype going on. A young gerontologist (a medecin who studies aging) wrote a book where he basically compiles an overview of conclusions of scientific studies on the various causes and possible remedies against aging diseases like cancer, heart and coronary disease, dementia, parkinson etc. And with scientific studies I mean serious, large scale, double blind, test group included studies, published in scientific publications like Nature, Science, The Lancet etc. Ask any scientist who ever tries to get a study published anywhere how easy it is to get a publication in those, and what it tells about the study itself.
The book turns its attention almost exclusively to food, because it appears that what we eat is the most important cause of all these diseases. There are other things that can have positive influence like exercising etc, but the most important thing that can be done is eat healthy food and not eat unhealthy food. But what is healthy food ?
In the book he discusses the different types of foods ( carbohydrates, fat, fibres, vitamins.. ) and what happens in your body when you eat them and how these processes relate to the different kinds of aging diseases. And also what can be done against the negative effects, as proven by the scientific studies.
In the end the conclusion is that you should elimininate carbohydrates and sugar as much as possible (so no bread, pasta, rice or potatoes), eat tiny amounts of meat and replace red meat by white meat, eat fatty fish and anything else that contains lots of Omega3 like nuts, elimlinate dairy products, that there are good fats and bad fats, good proteïn and less favourable proteïn and so on, which all boils down to an update of the classical food triangle, but where he places all the good stuff in the triangle, and places an upside down triangle above it, that contains the bad shit, where everything in it should ideally be replaced as much as possible by its counterpart in the bottom triangle. So that's why the book is called "De Voedselzandloper", or translated "The Food Hourglass"
It's in Dutch but here it is :
http://www.voedselzandloper.com/…
Now, I've been living like this for a month, I've lost 4 kilograms, my energy levels are through the roof, and everybody I know who's been adopting the diet feels exactly the same. The weird thing is that you always knew that vegetables were better for you than hamburgers, but that you always say 'oh well' and stuff another hamburger in. But once you read and actually know what'll happen with all the stuff and how you'll be influenced down the line, it's much harder to say 'oh well'
The book is a bit of a bombshell, because it basically makes three quarters of our current agroculture and pharmaceutical industry obsolete. It gets constant attacks from various lobbies from both industries, but apparently that doesn't prevent every pressing from selling out in no time, because word of mouth on this book is GINORMOUS.
To give an example how this book is making waves : In the book a huge brand of margarine isn't mentioned by name literally, but by describing its marketing campaign everybody knows which margarine he's talking about. The margarine claims that it has plant stereoles in it, which reduce cholesterol, which reduces the chance of heart disease. Now it's true that lowered cholesterol reduces the risk on heart disease, but what the book also says is that by turning liquid plant fats into solid fats (so it can be smeared on a sandwich) there are also transfats being produced, which are impossible to elminate completely from the margarine, and which are incredibly unhealthy. Transfats are unnatural fats our body doesn't exactly know what to do with, so they cause a multitude of problems in our bodies.
So now this brand of margarine has just launched it's "new and improved" formula, with added Omega3 ( the book also makes a big deal of how important Omega3 fat is for you). The margarine's slogan is now that it contains extra amounts of Omega3, which is good for you , and that it's scientifically proven.
Again, it's true that science has proven Omega3 is good for you, but that doesn't take away the transfats out of the margarine, which actually causes heart disease. In Israel people don't eat butter because of their religion, so they eat margarine instead. Even though everybody there has lowered cholesterol on average, they have a much higher rate of heart disease, probably because of the transfats in all the margarin they're eating. Don't eat margarine.
Now I get a lot of "it's unhealthy to be so strict and if you don't exaggerate nothing isn unhealthy" and all that. That might be true , I don't know. I'm just passing on what I know. The book isn't translated yet I think, but if you read it and you're not a complete idiot you'll know it's the real deal. It works great for me and everybody I know. Enjoy!
- detritus0
Ultimately, isn't everyone on a plant-based diet?
- dijitaq0
i start out the day with fruits such as apple, pear, pepaya or any fruits with high water content and fibre.
for lunch and dinner i eat a combination of carbohydrate and protein or protein and vegetables, but i don't mix protein and carbohydrate.
- oops sorry the first should be a combnation of carbohydrate and vegetabledijitaq
- CanHasQBN0
I have no idea what the first two people posted, but whatever it is, it shouldn't be that complicated.
If you're at the grocery store, buy healthy food instead of junk food. If you're at a restaurant, order healthy food instead of junk food. Do some exercising. Done.
- monkeyshine0
I just try to eat real food and keep chemicals out of my diet. Organic fruits and vegetables and if I eat sugar, it's raw or cane or honey. Buying a juicer was the best thing ever. I can make spaghetti sauce with the tomato + pulp and my pup loves carrot pulp. :)
Cheese and wine are two of my favorite things in the universe so that's the hardest for me to stop. :/
- aaux0
Cut out refined sugar as much as possible. Easier than you think and makes a huge difference in how you feel.
- < yes. raw sugar and honey taste better anyway and are much better for you.monkeyshine
- actually i think sugar is sugar no matter how you consume it. the thing is when you eat fruit (the whole fruit) it contains fiber which you body takes longer to useHijoDMaite
- which your body takes longer to digest and therefore uses the sugar over a longer period of time like a complex carbHijoDMaite
- the simple sugars are the problem because they spike your insulin levels. that is not how our bodies are design to work. unless you are an athlete exercising which your body will use thatHijoDMaite
- work. unless you are exercising and need quick fixes of energy. that's why gatorade is so common in professional sports and it has high fructose corn syrup. but it doesnt hurt them because they are not sitting on the assHijoDMaite
- and gatorade has HFCS but in their case it doesn't matter they burn that shit up real quickHijoDMaite
- what i am trying to say is honey, white sugar, brown sugar, agave. its all the same shit.HijoDMaite
- Nope. It's not. The way our bodies process refined sugar is different. And honey has antioxidents.monkeyshine
- Julesvm0
cook your own food as much as possible. it's fun.
- ideaist0
Health is wealth.
- VectorMasked0
I've been on a raw food diet since march, eating mostly smoothies. Once a week I cheat with a veggie stir-fry or a salmon steak.
The first week is tough. You really crave processed foods and sodium. During this first week you can experience some mild headaches and might feel a little fatigued. The 2nd week is easy, The third is rough. The cravings come back. Once you are past this 2rd week it's all smooth sailing imo.
I've lost a good amount of weight, my body feels stable, my thoughts are clearer and have good energy levels. I highly recommend this lifestyle as least for 3 months if someone wants to get his body back to how it should be.This fuirt and veggie smoothies are fantastic even if you don't adopt a raw food diet. They truly help you stay within a health body weight.
If you for example know you are going out on a Saturday for drinks and a steak dinner, have a smoothie for lunch and your calorie intake for that day will still be acceptable.- interesting, thanks for this..... inspiring too.....vaxorcist
- How do you properly measure juice calories? I have a hard time with that one.monkeyshine
- since I don't buy processed juice, I just measure the calories by individual pieces of fruit. It's not even an issue imo.VectorMasked
- VectorMasked0
btw... I use an app called MyFitnessPal. I can scar any bar code and it records that food in my calendar or I can enter any food I want. This way I can see how many calories, fat, cholesterol, fatty oils, calcium, vitamins I am consuming.
- i_was0
BIO nothing but bio.
- vaxorcist0
There are interesting studies that indicate Cholesterol isn't a problem, but one of many possible indicators of underlying conditions involving inflamation... eating cholesterol may not raise your blood cholesterol as much as eating lots of white bread and sugar drinks, which spike your insulin which, over time messes you up more than eating a bit of meat here and there.....
long story, but there have been a number of studies indicating the cholesterol lowering drugs do lower your cholesterol numbers but have little or no actual significance of lowering your risk for heart attack or stroke, so they treat a number, not a patient....
or so says a bit of the rants I remember my doctor going off on...
- i stay away from egg yolks since it has the bad cholesterol, i eat alot of avocado that has the good cholesterolmoldero
- moldero0
i have a juicer i use about 5 times a day.
theres a lot of garbage out there they try to pass off as food, beware of that shit. watch some docs, the future of food is a good one, another and even better is food matters.- hmm..... which juicer? how do you choose one that's good....vaxorcist
- i forget, I got it at cosco years ago back in the states, pint to clean 5 times a day, but the energy i get is worth itmoldero
- found it http://www.powerjuic…moldero
- me my wife and daughter go through 80lbs of carrots and 40lbs of oranges a week, seems like a lot, but its notmoldero
- price down here in MX is crazy cheap too so its nice, all that runs about $18 bux US a weekmoldero
- yurimon0
For Health food is major but there are other factors Like emotional
well being. Look up "german new medicine".From my research and experience his is my list.
• Your emotional state is important with food/water you put in your body because you create a chemical environment that can cause disease if you are overly stressed/or other have emotional problems regardless of what you eat. The first thing to health is good state of mind.
• How much toxicity you consume from where you live and water quality(filter for floride/chlorine, chemicals and drink clean water)
Also in pesticides in produce is toxic. Defeats the purpose of eating well if you consume this.• Dont Eat from nutrient deficient soil. You can still fruits and veggies but be nutrient deficient. there was a study done that shows vitamin decline as much 40% from 1940's. My recommendation is too find a farmer(s) that takes care of the soil and doesn't use any pesticides. Buy from him.
• Choose food that is nutritious but also acts as medicine.
Some food aid kidney function like seaweed and black sesame seed. Also some fermented foods like japanese fermented radish (real no chemical), help digestion. The less your organs use energy and are efficient in function the better.• Circulation. This most crucial. Replenishment of nutrition, water and Exercise and I also do japanese or organ based Acupuncture (once a month). This is Toast principles of everything is motion. The better your circulation the more efficient your body runs. stagnation which causes energy blocks and lead to degeneration of tissue and also toxic build up.
• Good bacteria balance. It turns out that you body is mostly bacteria. Just a question of either its good or bad balance..
Fermented foods are good for the body and help your digestive track keep its balance. Good bacteria in your digestive tract process vitamin b. as just one example of the importance. without it you start to see health issues for sure.• Parasites are almost in everyone. I recommend from my personal results Dr Clark for handling this. parasites eat and shit toxic crap in your body. Self explanatory.
There is more but this what i can think of for now...
- pr20
Anybody who tells you eat this but not that - and then they cite a study to prove it - don't know shit.
The key is not "eat this but not" that but VARIETY.
You like fried chicken and fries - fine! - eat it once a week. Just make sure that the other 6 days you get other things into your system.
There is at least 6 ways to cook your chicken (frying, sauteing, boiling, stewing, simmering, braising...) and if you choose to only eat it one way then just like a close-minded idiot in real life you are denying yourself necessary nutrients.
Eat large variety of stuff, prepared in large variety of ways and you gonna be fine.
- HijoDMaite0
a lot of nutrition advice in this thread.
If I could give you one huge piece of advise it would be, DO NOT waste your money on Vitamins and Minerals and Herbs at the health food store. Maybe a multi but that's it. The shit is all a scam and it has been for years!
Good supplements are EFAs and Probiotics
Everything else you can get from the produce section, meat section and grain section.
- yep. Only a handfull things are useful. A multivitamin, vitamin D and fish oils are all you need. Calcium if you are over 40.VectorMasked
- yup, vitamins are better from the source, + you need enzymes which are live organisms that cant live in a dried up pillmoldero
- incorrect. most health issues like depression and fatigue are caused by vitamin deficiencies that can be treated with supplementsuuuuuu
- also numerous herbal supplements found at the drug store are perfectly natural treatments that can replace commercial pharmaceuticals.uuuuuu
- ... commercial pharmaceuticals. You should do your research and take a look.uuuuuu
- so many foods in the grocery store simply do NOT have the proper nutrients anymore. people really should supllement these daysuuuuuu
- MrAbominable0
avoid fads. if you like a "diet" then eat like that diet but live in the real world. i juice and i am enamored of people that pull off paleo diets but i still have pizza and hamburgers now and then. do your best to eat food that is made of food. anything heavily processed is bad news. shop the perimeters of the supermarket because that's where all the real food is (with expiration dates).