I have known about true nutrition and have gleaned many things from the studies of my parents on the subject. I know how the government recommended food pyramid is is way off on what our bodies really need and that the American view on health is completely wacked and backed by big food industries. Calcium? A good kind comes from green leafy veggies that don't have fat and cholesterol. Protein? You don't need as much as you think. There is more protein in broccoli than in steak, apparently. Protein might help muscle growth, but it means a shorter life span and other things. Think about what animals live the longest, the ones that eat diets rich in plant-based foods. I thought I knew a lot, but my eyes have been opened even wider after reading "Eat To Live" by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.. I know you've seen the ever-so-famous Dr. Oz on Oprah (love that guy) and he actually refers people to Dr. Fuhrman and is quoted in the book. Also, if you're familiar with "The China Study", the author T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D wrote the forward in Dr. Fuhrman's book on nutrition for children.
Your diet is directly linked to your health and eating processed foods, sugar, white flour, white pasta, and dairy in large quantities actually cause disease because your body doesn't get the nutrition to work like it should. Even eating diets rich in these things as a child can cause disease later in life, even cancer, because your body isn't getting the nutrients it needs. Wow. So, mainly I jumped into the 6 week diet plan for weight loss. It is a jump start and is really strict, but after that is the life plan. It allows you to eat the things you want, but only in small quantities, if at all. Once you get used to eating this way, you may not even want those things.
I had a leg up, I already try to eat healthy foods and do not think candy bars are tempting in the least. I threw all the dairy products into the bottom freezer drawer and gave away any open processed foods I had. I am 11 days into the 6 week plan and am finally getting over cravings. It's interesting. Hunger as we know it is just withdrawal symptoms. Really, think about it. He explains it really well and I found it to be true. Scott and I were heading to the grocery store to go shopping. I was talking about how I still felt full from lunch and then later I caught a whiff of a no-no food and my stomach growled. I was not hungry, but my stomach was going through withdrawals and is like a drug addict, addicted to the low nutrient food.
I have lost 6lbs so far and am excited to keep on seeing what happens. I am going to adopt this lifestyle wholeheartedly.
Right now my diet consists of oatmeal with fruit or just fruit in the morning. Not more than 1 cup of whole grain a day, not more than 1 cup of starchy vegetables. Salad first at lunch and dinner. Lots of fruit, veggies (cooked and raw), beans, tofu, sprouts, greens (kale, collards, spinach), <1 oz of raw nuts, and a small amount of avocado.
White breads and pastas are off limits, all dairy, little to no salt, no oil or fat, no sugar or any sweetener (besides fruit), and no fruit juices (unless used as dressing).
Like I said, this one is really strict, but I'm hoping it'll give me great weight loss results and let my body detox from the processed foods. The portions recommended are also bigger than anything I can eat. I am so stuffed on this diet! There are many people who have gone on this diet and have reduced or eliminated medication for all types of disease, within a matter of days to weeks! He recommends if you are taking medication (especially insulin) to tell your doctor about going on the diet because you might get over-dosed when you don't need the extra medication. After the 6 week diet, Dr. Fuhrman recommends eating a 90% plant-based diet, but he says even eating 60% will give you a 60% less chance of developing disease.
I have now moved on to reading his book for children. Pixie is already pretty good at eating healthy foods, she eats anything green, but she doesn't have the molars for lettuce yet. Although, she loves to crunch on the white parts of romaine and iceberg.
This is an excerpt from the book I'm currently reading:
"Humans suffer greatly from misunderstanding what our nutritional requirements are. We have evolved to a level of economic sophistication that allows us to eat ourselves to death. A diet centered on milk, cheese, pasta, bread, and sugar-filled snacks and drinks lays the groundwork for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune illnesses to develop later in life. It is not merely that sugar, other sweets, white flour, cheese, and butter are harmful; it is also what we are not eating that is causing the problem.
When you calculate all the calories consumed from the typical foods most children in America eat, you find that the calories coming from natural foods such as fresh fruit, vegetables, beans, raw nuts, and seeds is less than 5 percent of their total caloric intake. This is dangerously low intake of unrefined plant foods guarantees weakened immunity to disease, frequent illnesses, and a shorter lifespan." -Disease-Proof Your Child
His books are amazing and are based on scientific facts and research. I don't know that I'll follow it 90% after this, but I am for sure going to keep this a big part of our life. Maybe 80%.
Even if you don't plan on following this diet completely, I recommend reading the book "Eat To Live". It will change the way you look at what you put into your body and how you view nutrition. It will help you protect your children from nutrition related illnesses later in life (pretty much all of them) and make for healthier adults with no medical bills. Even childhood illnesses like colds, flus, excema, and ear infections can be cured by eating the right foods.
I'm on to something big here and want everyone to read what I have learned!
I'll update on my progress from time to time. The weight I have lost already was without exercise too. I only went to the gym once because I felt like I was coming down with a cold. But lo and behold, the cold passed me by! Coincidence? Maybe not!
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