Can't Go Back

Note:  This was written, but not published in October.  New one for January coming soon.

I have been reading a lot of books lately on diet and nutrition.  They all differ in what is good for you and what isn't.  However, there is one common theme.  No sugar, no flour, no dairy and buy organic fruits and vegetables and grass fed meat.  I am reading Practical Paleo: A Customized Approach to Health and a Whole-Foods Lifestyle.   Interesting reading, but I still feel that Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live is a healthier way to eat.  Paleo takes out all grains and legumes and adds as much meat as you want as long as it is naturally raised or grass fed.  It also allows fat as long as it is the right kind of fat.  I have enjoyed reading all these nutrition books, but it can get very confusing.  One thing is for sure, nobody agrees on the perfect diet.  Too much money involved in the industry to do that.

At this point, I feel I am still a Nutritarian.  Whole foods are the best way to go.  Stay away from anything processed and read labels on canned items.  If it lists too many ingredients and you can't pronounce one, put it back.   Eat fresh produce as much as possible.  I have not given up meat completely and have decided at this point not to.  I have reduced dramatically the amount of meat I eat to what I was eating a year ago.  It is now a side dish, not the main dish.  I buy only natural meat...no hormones and grass fed.  My new favorite meat is Bison.  It is healthier than chicken or fish, but tastes like beef.  Love it.

It has been one year since I started to eat the way Dr. Fuhrman recommends.  I had no idea that I would still be eating like this one year later.  Sometimes I think of going back to eating the old way and I can't.  I do not want to risk my health on eating fries and doughnuts and the vast supply of unhealthy food that is readily available.  This was a commitment for life and I can't go back.  Most shocking is that I don't want to.  Too much at risk...my life.  It was a very fast year and an easy lifestyle change for me.  If I can do it anybody can.  I also feel much better not carrying around 27 extra pounds.  Next year this time I hope to be carrying around even less.

Food for thought:

Seven Best and Seven Worst Foods for Health and Longevity (Dr. Fuhrman)
Because food has the power to heal, my patients often ask me for my top list of healthy food – the anti-oxidant foods, heart healthy foods, and nutritious foods that are central to the Eat To Live program. These high nutrient foods, consumed regularly, will contribute to your health and longevity. What you eat -- now and when you were growing up -- dramatically affects the state of your health. The effect is cumulative, influencing everything from the amount of energy you have (or lack), to your emotional state, medical condition, and ultimately longevity
Top Seven Foods for Good Health and Longevity

• Black raspberries
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Flax Seeds
• Green Leafy Vegetables
• Tomatoes
• Broccoli sprouts

The healthy and nutritious foods are high antioxidant foods, primarily fruits and vegetables. I selected these healthy foods because they contain the most powerful phytochemicals and anthocyanins which illustrate strong inhibition of chemocarcinogens.
Other foods with high antioxidant and high anti-cancer potential include walnuts, sunflower seeds, pomegranates, beets, cabbage, peppers, and parsley. Make your diet strongly cancer-protective and longevity-favorable by including these highly beneficial, nutritious foods.
A good way to think about nutritious food: Produce is the most important health care your money can buy.
Food also has the potential to harm, and these are effective foods for those attempting to die younger. One of my daughters calls this list the Seven Foods of Death.
Worst Seven Foods for Health and Longevity

• Butter
• Cheese
• Potato Chips and French Fries
• Doughnuts
• Salt
• Sausage, hot dogs
• Pickled, smoked or barbequed meat

Foods high in saturated fat and trans fat are consistently associated with high cancer rates. Cheese and butter typically contain over ten times as much saturated fat as fish and white meat chicken and turkey.

Salt has been consistently linked to stomach cancer and stroke, even in populations that eat diets low in saturated fat.
Add the carcinogenic potential from heated and overcooked oils (usually trans containing) delivered in doughnuts and fries with the powerful cancer inducing properties of carbohydrates cooked at high heat (acrylamide formation) and you have a great cancer potion.
Needless to say, I advise people to avoid the foods on my “worst list” entirely.
The best foods to eat are the healthy, nutritious fresh fruits and vegetables. By making these antioxidant foods the major portion of your diet, you can protect yourself against cancer and other serious diseases. As you extend your youthful vigor into later years, you have contributed to your longevity by Eating to Live with a healthy, nutritious diet.  (Taken from www.drfuhrman.com)

Recipe of the day:  Cranberries and Apples

1 bag of fresh cranberries
3 apples with peel (chopped)
1/2 cup pure pomegranate juice
1/4 cup coconut sugar
8 medjool dates chopped

Combine in microwave dish with cover and microwave for 4 minutes, stir and microwave 4 more minutes.  I just made this one up and it was yummy and pretty too.