My diet is a continuing process. By diet I don't mean the ways I have damaged my body over the years by eating only cabbage, grapefruit, or meat( remember when Atkins had a heart attack?). By diet I mean the foods I habitually consume. I don't label myself vegetarian, vegan, macrobiotic, raw, carnivore, ovo-lactarian, etc. By a slow process I have cut back on things I have found to be unhealthy, and integrated more healthy foods into my diet. It has come through years of constant research and frequent habit revisions.
I share this because people often ask me for my secrets, my recipes, my plan. So I am going to share some of the things I have done on my road to a healthier me, mind you I still have a ways to go, we are all somewhere along the spectrum from unhealthy to healthy, and we are all making progress in our own ways.
I believe most of us know the basics of what is healthy and what isn't. Where it gets difficult is knowing how to prepare healthier foods, knowing what is out there, and overcoming food addictions. When I began looking closely at my diet I looked at all the foods I ate and drank most habitually. I began with the thing that would be easiest to cut out of my diet, soda for example, and I did. I didn't worry about anything else for a couple months. I just focused on not drinking soda and a healthier alternative to drinking soda that I enjoyed. If you try to do a complete diet overhaul it is overwhelming and very difficult to maintain. One habit at a time is doable. It gives you time for your body to adjust to something different. It usually takes about 3 weeks for habits to change and tastes to change. Often times once you get used to the healthier alternative, when you taste the unhealthier, you find you prefer your new healthier habit. Now I may have a bit of soda once in a blue moon, but it is in no way something my mind immediately turns to as a beverage.
As far as what foods to buy. I go to Sunflower Market and Whole Foods and buy new things to try. Sometimes I find something delicious, sometimes it is disgusting. I have a good community of health conscious friends with whom I share ideas. Pati Reiss, owner of Wholisitic Gourmet, is a great example. She holds cooking classes on a regular basis giving great ideas on healthy alternatives.
People ask me for recipes, but honestly I don't have many. I was blessed with a grandma who taught me how to cook without measuring. I was instilled with a love of cooking and playing in the kitchen. It is rare I follow a recipe 100%. I find great joy in looking at what I have left in the cabinet and fridge and seeing if I can make a delicious meal out of it. I know that not everyone has this love, and therefore; I want to share this book with you.
Breaking the Food Seduction by Neal Barnard, MD. This book most closely models the path I am taking with my diet. He discusses the chemical properties of food and how a great deal of what we eat in the U.S. has the same addictive properties as some major drugs. I think most of us have felt those cravings whether it be for chocolate, cheese, meat, salt, dairy. Dr.Barnard explains what is causing the cravings and what these foods are doing to the body. He described some of my own personal issues symptom for symptom.
I really like this book not only for the in-depth scientific explanations, but also for his awareness of how everyone differs. After he talks about the major foods that can be problematic he discusses ways to break the addiction. The end of the book has a bunch of recipes. The recipes follow most closely the things I try to eat 85% of the time. Once you lose the addiction and habitual grab for the unhealthy food it is easier to naturally choose the healthier route the majority of the time. Anyhow, even these recipes I modify a bit. I will add organic unsweetened applesauce for oil to lower fat. I will put even less sweetener in the recipe or I will add some stevia instead(stevia is a calorie free herbal sweetener).
Dr.Barnard also writes about foods that help fight pain and other illness. I think the more that we can connect with the idea that what we eat actually does affect how well our mind and body function, the more we can use natural methods to find the healthiest versions of ourselves. Namaste.
I share this because people often ask me for my secrets, my recipes, my plan. So I am going to share some of the things I have done on my road to a healthier me, mind you I still have a ways to go, we are all somewhere along the spectrum from unhealthy to healthy, and we are all making progress in our own ways.
I believe most of us know the basics of what is healthy and what isn't. Where it gets difficult is knowing how to prepare healthier foods, knowing what is out there, and overcoming food addictions. When I began looking closely at my diet I looked at all the foods I ate and drank most habitually. I began with the thing that would be easiest to cut out of my diet, soda for example, and I did. I didn't worry about anything else for a couple months. I just focused on not drinking soda and a healthier alternative to drinking soda that I enjoyed. If you try to do a complete diet overhaul it is overwhelming and very difficult to maintain. One habit at a time is doable. It gives you time for your body to adjust to something different. It usually takes about 3 weeks for habits to change and tastes to change. Often times once you get used to the healthier alternative, when you taste the unhealthier, you find you prefer your new healthier habit. Now I may have a bit of soda once in a blue moon, but it is in no way something my mind immediately turns to as a beverage.
As far as what foods to buy. I go to Sunflower Market and Whole Foods and buy new things to try. Sometimes I find something delicious, sometimes it is disgusting. I have a good community of health conscious friends with whom I share ideas. Pati Reiss, owner of Wholisitic Gourmet, is a great example. She holds cooking classes on a regular basis giving great ideas on healthy alternatives.
People ask me for recipes, but honestly I don't have many. I was blessed with a grandma who taught me how to cook without measuring. I was instilled with a love of cooking and playing in the kitchen. It is rare I follow a recipe 100%. I find great joy in looking at what I have left in the cabinet and fridge and seeing if I can make a delicious meal out of it. I know that not everyone has this love, and therefore; I want to share this book with you.
Breaking the Food Seduction by Neal Barnard, MD. This book most closely models the path I am taking with my diet. He discusses the chemical properties of food and how a great deal of what we eat in the U.S. has the same addictive properties as some major drugs. I think most of us have felt those cravings whether it be for chocolate, cheese, meat, salt, dairy. Dr.Barnard explains what is causing the cravings and what these foods are doing to the body. He described some of my own personal issues symptom for symptom.
I really like this book not only for the in-depth scientific explanations, but also for his awareness of how everyone differs. After he talks about the major foods that can be problematic he discusses ways to break the addiction. The end of the book has a bunch of recipes. The recipes follow most closely the things I try to eat 85% of the time. Once you lose the addiction and habitual grab for the unhealthy food it is easier to naturally choose the healthier route the majority of the time. Anyhow, even these recipes I modify a bit. I will add organic unsweetened applesauce for oil to lower fat. I will put even less sweetener in the recipe or I will add some stevia instead(stevia is a calorie free herbal sweetener).
Dr.Barnard also writes about foods that help fight pain and other illness. I think the more that we can connect with the idea that what we eat actually does affect how well our mind and body function, the more we can use natural methods to find the healthiest versions of ourselves. Namaste.
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