Many of you have asked me..."what do you eat?" Or, "why?!"
This is my open ended conclusion after studying, failing, growing, asking, and pondering the “right way” to a healthy lifestyle and diet. I have been hassled and sometime criticized for the way I eat. Probably because what I eat is a very foreign concept to the average joe. Some may think it’s a fad, or an obsession. Both are wrong. I am fascinated by God’s marvelous creation of the body. It is designed to heal itself and has the capacity to do amazing things if we treat it right. No longer will I be bashful about the what I eat, in fact, like every good thing I discover I desire to help others in their quest for optimal health.
Let me preface with the obvious, everyone is different and has different habits. And I certainly do not have all the technical terms or diagnoses for you. (However I have many resources to share.) But I do have a brain, a highly functioning body, and a desire to live a long adventurous life. Do you know what that requires? Health! Like normal blood pressure, low cholesterol, a sharp mind, high energy, healthy weight and an absence of any mysterious growths.
In a culture completely obsessed with “health food” jargon, and a bazillion studies and supplements, diet everything, I wanted to cut to the chase. Just like I know where I stand in my faith and am not swayed by any other “way”, I wanted to have a clear guide in my outlook on nutrition so that I would not get swept along in the massive tidal wave of the American Pop Culture Diet. These new Pop Culture Diet’s are accompanied by luring promises. Many people have mistaken this ‘tidal wave’ for a joy ride rather than what it truly is, a deadly force.
Though this rant could get quite extensive I will try to condense it into a few main points that I (and someday hopefully my family) will happily live by. This is what I eat.
1.) I eat fat.
-Do you know that your brain is made up of 50-60% of structural fat? Or that your brain takes up 2% of body weight but consumes 18% of its energy?! And that your neurons that transmit messages in order for your body to preform any function are made largely of fat? Therefore a “low fat” diet is robbing your brain and is probably making you crazy! I will never settle for lackluster low fat, high sugar foods again. You know what’s coming next...it’s all about the “good fat” right? Right. There is Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. Most of processed foods have large amounts of Omega 6 fats. What American’s lack is a healthy ratio of these two fats. An over production of O-6 is the cause for most diseases effecting everything from insulin resistance (your body’s natural full feeling) to high blood pressure. A healthy ratio between the two is less than 4.
-I finally figured out that low fat usually means high sugar. High sugar makes you more hungry, never feeling satisfied. It’s virtually impossible to overeat healthy fats! I finally know what it means to feel satisfied because I’m not afraid to cook with Olive or Canola Oil, or slappin’ my corn-on-the-cob with a hunk of some natural butter.
-I enjoy fats like, walnuts, almonds, avocados, guacamole, red meat, eggs, full fat yogurts, olive oil, canola oil, organic butter, coconut oil, or dark chocolate (75-90%)
2.) I eat gluten-free.
-I know that I have an intolerance to grains. A large percentage of people do, but will never know it until they go with out for a period of time. My body gets achey, I have low energy, and high inflammation when I eat grains. Generally speaking, grians are harder for your body to digest and gluten is highly allergenic. At first it seemed daunting to go without bread or grains, but now it doesn’t even phase me.
-I eat plenty of quinoa, which works as a substitute from everything like rice to oatmeal. I also bake with different flours such as almond, coconut, or substitute with flaxseed.
-Do you know that often the thing you crave, is what your body is actually allergic too? So for me, carbs like bread (even whole grain) and pasta was a no-go.
3.) I eat late at night.
-The myth of late night eating has been drilled into our head as a subconscious “no-no” somehow or another. Either from grandma, or that “health nutty” friend. Studies have been done however that completely debunk that myth. The reason late night eating gets a bad rap is a mix up of correlation vs causation. Most Americans that eat late at night have odd work shifts and turn to fatty, processed foods, and have a lack of exercise. People that “skip” breakfast and become overweight probably have an unhealthy lifestyle and make up for it with unhealthy food later in the day.
-I usually eat in an 8 hour shift. So if I skip breakfast, that’s fine I just start my meals at lunch and usually have three generous meals throughout the day. It works for me not to think about food so often, and I get a lot done! It doesn’t matter if I have my last meal at 8 or 9 at night. Just 8 hour eating periods. Simple. Against many standard American nutritional suggestions...but the more I learn, I don’t give much weight to what the USDA says about food consumption anyways...WHAT SO EVER. No longer do I fall for most magazines or the general public stances on health. Because it’s driven behind advertising, sales, and hype. It’s important to find out for yourself what works for you and what is healthy. Not only in nutrition, but be discerning, and wise! Don’t make the mistake I made of being spoon fed a bunch of pureed bologna of the general health trends.
4.) I eat whole.
-Because I eat whole, real foods, I eat a lot. No calorie constricting or worries. Just like healthy fats, have you ever over eaten on apples or carrots?
-I eat lots of fruit, veggies, hummus, walnuts, tea and coffee, jerky, and milk (mostly soy or almond), and my own protein smoothies.
-There is so much added sugar to a vast quantity of our foods including yogurt and cereal. I have loved learning ways to cook without it and certainly feel much more energy when I avoid added sugars. When I make treats I will use honey, molasses, or stevia sparingly. I’ve noticed that as I became used to no added sugars, natural sweetness is much more sweet!
-No I don’t feel deprived-I make some mean alternative treats that are WAY better than that double stuffed oreo you just stuffed in your mouth. Checkout the other blogs I follow for amazing recipes. Here is one I made recently. Brownies!
5.) I eat meat.
-I believe in high protein! Plus everyone, and I mean EVERYONE likes meat. Satisfaction Guaranteed: even a vegetarian’s mouth waters when the waiter place a sizzling juicy fajitas order in front of their friend.
-Meat and slow absorbing protein like eggs and cottage cheese satisfy and give you energy! Energy to do cool things. Energy that doesn’t leave you feeling like you want to eat the rest of the box of those sugar laden protein bars. (AKA candy bars in disguise)
-With my love of meat I am currently trying to cut down on my ketchup consumption. I am like a 3 year old... needing ketchup when meat is served. But ketchup is really just sugar. Unless you make your own...
PS. I will never again calorie count
PPS. I didn’t even touch on artificial sweeteners. I understand they are ravenous on your body. Not going to lie, sometimes I can’t say no to a diet A&W or 7UP. But most of the time favored sparkling water does the trick.
PPPS. I hope this helped some of you, at least maybe you understand my somewhat strange habits a little better. I would love to answer any questions, share recipes, or advice. Not to mention my extended personal story of my nutritional “journey.”
Like I said before, I believe we are meant to live incredibly amazing, purposeful life. We are three parts, mind, body, and spirit. Balance is absolutely necessary, and each part is vital. I hope this note helps to strengthen all three.
Cheers!
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