Photo by Steve Damron, courtesy of Flickr.
I finally finished watching the movie “What the Health” last night.
And it struck me as kind of funny (in a sad way) as to just how much we have believed what we’ve been told throughout the years.
How much we have blindly trusted the institutions that we’ve always thought had our best interest at heart…..
- The USDA for example…making sure our food is safe.
- Our doctors and hospitals – making sure we get the proper care we need, with our health as the number one priority.
- Even our schools – trusting they have our children’s best interest at heart by demanding they take a milk product for lunch…. because we believed milk built strong bones.
- And what about The American Diabetes Association, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, the Susan G Komen Foundation….we actually believed they were all searching for that elusive cure for our nation’s top killers….
- Even something as silly as a highway road sign, letting us know there’s a variety of yummy foods just off the next exit.
But no, I don’t believe ANY of that anymore.
What I DO believe is that if we’re going to ever get healthy, lose the weight, get off the meds, even possibly reverse the diseases……
WE Have To Be The Ones To Do It Ourselves!
Not some agency, not some doctor who only knows how to treat symptoms, not even our own government.
I mean US….you and me and nobody else.
And even “I” can’t do it for you.
I can guide you, tell you which books to read, which movies to watch, even give you recipes to try……but YOU have to be the actual one to do the work.
But you know what?
It’s not really that hard!
And we’ve actually had the Secret to Good Health for years.
There are just two very easy, simple things that you have to do.
You want to know what that secret is?
The Secret to Good Health
Photo by Bruce Tuten, courtesy of Flickr.
We’ve heard it for years, from our doctors, our parents, our teachers……
EAT RIGHT AND EXERCISE
That’s right, that’s the whole secret!
Of course the tricky part is “eating right”….because if we DON’T eat right, we’re not going to FEEL like exercising…..
So you have to take care of the ‘eating’ part first….
So what do I mean by eating right?
- Leaving all FAST FOOD alone, as it’s nothing more than empty calories, salt, sugar, and tons of fat. Burgers, tacos, chicken, pizza, all of it. If it has a drive-thru….keep right on going. I mean come on, you can SMELL the grease as soon as you pull into the parking lot…right? Ya really think that’s healthy?
- Leaving all PROCESSED foods alone. Again….they are nothing more than empty calories, processed chemicals, preservatives, and salt, sugar, and fat. If it’s in a box, package, can, or carton and has an ingredient list a mile long….back away.
- Leaving all DAIRY products alone. We do NOT need milk, cheese, or yogurt to be healthy. In fact, eating these products will make us very sick instead. Contrary to what we’ve been taught – milk does NOT build strong bones – look it up! In fact, countries that have the highest percentage of dairy consumption actually have the HIGHEST rates of Osteoporosis. Think about that. Most of us are lactose intolerant anyway.
- Leave all ANIMAL products alone. That means no meat of any kind. No beef, chicken, turkey, pork, eggs, or fish. Even 100% farm-raised, cage-free, all-natural, organic, non-gmo….whatever fancy label you want to put on it…… animal flesh is high in saturated fat and cholesterol and will make us sick. Period. And when you factor in that 99% of all meat products are factory-farmed, full of growth hormones, antibiotics, and God knows what else – they will REALLY make you sick.
- Leave all OIL alone…yes even olive oil. Oil belongs in your car, not in your body. It is THE most highly processed ‘food’ that we eat with 120 calories per tablespoon, zero fiber, and very little nutrition. In other words it’s nothing but pure fat. And we can easily get all the fat we need by eating whole, natural foods like nuts, seeds, or avocados.
Seem like a long list?
Well the good news is that whatever’s left… is what you eat, and that’s an even LONGER list!
You’ll have a HUGE variety of healthy foods to choose from.
- All kinds of fruits and berries, full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
- Hundreds of different kinds of vegetables
- All leafy greens – like kale, lettuce, spinach, collards, chard….
- Beans! Tons and tons of beans which are FULL of protein
- Legumes (lentils, peas, split peas, etc)
- Whole grains like Quinoa, Brown Rice, Spelt, and many others…..
- Starches! Entire civilizations have sustained themselves on potatoes and corn.
- Nuts & Seeds
In other words – a 100% WHOLE FOOD – PLANT BASED DIET
And believe it or not, many of these foods can be prepared and combined in such a way to mimic those comfort foods we thought we were giving up! I know – because that’s my specialty here at Brand New Vegan.
Making that initial transition as easy as possible by giving you those comfort-food recipes we all remember and love.
And when you combine this way of eating, with just a little bit of exercise…?
The results can be DRAMATIC.
The Good News
If you’re here reading this….you’re in a good place right now as this plant based ‘vegan’ movement is definitely catching on.
As an admin for many of the plant based groups on Facebook, I see more and more people joining every single day.
So my advice to you if you’re new to this and wandering where to start……
- Keep reading books, articles, and blogs that explain a ‘whole foods, plant based’ (wfpb) diet.
- Keep watching documentaries like What The Health, and Forks Over Knives…
- Keep looking here and other blogs for low fat, wfpb recipes…
- Learn to cook – even if it’s just the simple things like boiling potatoes or making a pot of soup
- And move….even if it’s just a little bit every day. Walk a little, take the stairs, swim, whatever you can do.
- And honestly… see your doctor first. Tell him you want to try this before you make any major changes in your life – whether that be diet or exercise. He may not be onboard – but you have to convince him to let you try, or find a doctor who will. But the important thing is to have a healthcare professional nearby to monitor things as you get started. Who knows – you might just surprise them too!
And then just stick with it, because you WILL see results, and you WILL start to feel better (when nothing else you’ve tried has ever worked before.)
And when OTHERS see those same dramatic results in you…. ?
Then together, maybe we can change this world of ours for the better after all.
But nobody’s going to do it for us…
WE have to do it ourselves.
And I’m always here to help if I can. So good luck!
