A life collided with mine recently and started my brain a working on ideas about eating. A friend's doctor said she had to change her body healthy ASAP. So we went on a walk this morning. She asked me a some questions, and I started thinking through what I do to stay healthy and eat right. Now, I am not perfect and I can't be Vegan on a high fiber diet due to my Tykerb side effects, but I try. I did loose most of my twenty pounds of chemo-weight last year. So our conversation got me thinking about my "rules" and what I did to mentally prepare myself for a life change of good eating. Here are a few pointers I will put out there today for anyone wanting to eat better as a family.
First of all, remove all dairy for one month or longer. You might ease into this like if you drink glasses of milk, start diluting cow milk with rice milk little by little. No cheese at all. It will be tough. Dairy is one of the most harmful things for a body in the state of constant repair. So I would venture to predict by doing this, you will feel better in your joints, skin, intestine, and so much more. Don't forget to invest in calcium supplements...go to Whole Foods to buy them so you can talk with the people there and get good information...make sure they are vegetarian. After month, introduce cheese and small amounts of dairy into your diet slowly, as in a pizza once a month or Parmesan cheese on your marinara sauce (because you aren't ordering mac and cheese anymore, right?) Your mind set and dependency on dairy will be completely altered after a month or more. Eat it, but think of it as a treat to be enjoyed in small portions. Mentally, you will be prepared to move on to other food items, like carbs, next month.
The second pointer I would suggest is allow for one severing of a sweet per day. Yes, allow. We are talking the whole family here abiding to this rule. Mentally, your allowing is good for your brain and motivation. But, include all beverages other then water as a sweet. So if your son has a juice box in his lunch box, then he is done for the day. He can't have juice with dinner nor a dessert. Now, if he would like to have water for lunch and save his serving for that brownie after dinner...go for it! Again, this rule helps your family train their brains to control cravings and their dependency on food. It is all a game, you know. Later, for the die hards, do this with non-veggie carbs and packaged food. Oh, and this develops great will power that is very usefully through out all life experiences.
The third and last pointer for someone looking to change their pantry is to stop all consuming at 6 or 7 pm depending on when you go to bed. Enjoy your water! But, no food in your mouth three hours before you go to sleep at night. This allows your body to properly digest everything before you lie down. All food consumed in the late hours of the day is junk. You are giving into your lack of will power to feed emotional needs. If your tummy growls, ignore it. Tell it it can have food at breakfast, yum! (And, make sure you are eating a great breakfast slowly too.)
So basically, these three pointers aren't about food at all. It is about your Jedi training of your brain. Your will power and relationship with food will mature. Be a conscious eater. Slow down. Think about what goes in your mouth. Enjoy every last bite immensely. And, pick a vegetable of the week. This week, spinach! YUM! My favorite. My Popeye brain was so excited for two for one deals on spinach at the Framer's Market. I will post my spinach pesto recipe later. Well, I have to write it down because it has been in my head ever since I created it. For now, I have to dash off to my HER-fusion and take my two hour nap in my recliner. I hear my dad might bring me a hazelnut latte made with rice milk for my one sweet for the day...wink.
PS Try Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Cancer Diet book even if you don't have cancer. It is really easy to pick up and read bits you need. Eating well is good for all inflammatory disease. And, let's face it, we are all getting a bit older and a plate that is 80% green goodness (and orange smiles) is like an answered prayer for your body.
No comments:
Post a Comment