a request to all forum members with regard to what we eat

[maverick]

hi folks,

i'd like to make a request to all of you.

we started talking about what we eat in another thread, and i want to ask all of you to think about what you eat and if appropriate, make some changes.

the basic concept behind this is that eating a diet made up mostly of micronutrients helps us to become and remain healthy and minimizes our tendency of getting sick.

what are micronutrients? according to this website, micronutrients are all "all vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients," and can be found in vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains, spices, herbs and teas.

macronutrients, by contrast, are "carbohydrates, proteins, and fats."

there is a documentary called fat, sick and nearly dead. it describes how a man who was overweight and had an autoimmune disorder overcame his condition by consuming a diet solely of micronutrients in juice form (did a juice fast) and then continued a diet made up primarily of micronutrients overcame his illness and dependency on medications.

he describes a "reboot program" to help get our bodies back on track.


some of you may already be following a diet high in micronutrients, and that's wonderful!!! darcy mentioned she's eating a lot of raw fruits and vegetables!

what i am asking you to do is to cut out the processed foods. try to eat foods mainly in the micronutrient family and in a form as close to their natural form as possible. lots of raw vegetables and fruits! select fruits and vegetables in a multitude of colors - the other day, i had a salad with mixed greens, kale, spinach, beets, purple cabbage, jimaca, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, kamut, quinoa, walnuts, raisins, and a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and it was fantastic! make fresh juices. apples, beets, carrots, celery and kale go wonderfully together, for example. in all of this, if possible, try to grow or buy organic fruits and vegetables. also, thoroughly wash your fruits and vegetables.

what you may also want to do is speak with your physician about whether a juice fast may be appropriate for you. i am going to try the juice fast. they talk about that on the reboot website, as well as in the movie fat, sick and nearly dead. you don't have to be sick or overweight to do a reboot. think of it as a way of periodically flushing your system.

i know many of us lead busy lives, so think of practical ways of adopting this diet so that it becomes part of your lifestyle. if you have places like whole foods near you that have a big salad bar rich in micronutrient foods, it's a big help. if you have a place near you that makes fresh juices, that's also a big help. adopt a practical method that works for you.

i cut out processed foods (except very little oil and vinegar on the salad) starting this past monday, 11-jul-2011. i've been juicing, getting freshly made juices at robeks, drinking lots of water as well as coconut water, eating salads at whole foods, eating lots of fruits, almonds, and walnuts.

i've started exercising. actually, my cousin talked me into running the army 10 miler in the fall, so i need to get back in shape!

all of this is helping me to feel great!

i am going to try the juice fast - where for a period of time (right now, i'm thinking 2 weeks), i have nothing but freshly made juices.

i'll share my progress here, and if you like, please do the same. we can help drive each other in this effort, and support each other through the challenging times.

i think this can help all of us be healthier and happier.

thanks for reading, and i'm looking forward to hearing about your progress!

[gmanedit]

I'm not giving up mayonnaise.

[Frank II]

Healthy is a balanced diet. I agree that most Americans eat too much processed food. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with animal protein. As long as you stay away from meat injected with antibiotics and stick to animals fed proper nutrition, then beef, chicken, fish, lamb, etc are absolutely fine.

The healthiest people in the world eat a balanced diet. Just juicing or limiting yourself to completely raw foods is an extreme belief. Adding raw foods to a balanced diet is wise, living on it alone is questionable. (Can you name one society that lives on raw foods and micronutrients alone and has been around a long time?)

I've changed my diet where almost everything I eat is natural, organic, and process free. No chemicals, no additives. My rule is simple: If the ingredient wasn't available in my great-grandmother's day, I don't eat it. But that doesn't mean I have to be a vegetarian or vegan. That is a choice but not one I believe I want nor need to make. In fact, I tried giving up animal protein for a week and I never felt so weak and sick in my life.

I actually felt the best when I cut back on grains. All grains. Oh, I occasionally eat bread but I rarely if ever eat pasta or cakes. (Okay, every now and then.) My diet is mostly a variety of meats, vegetables and fruits. I eat some dairy but mostly real Greek yogurt and a little cheese. Eating this way gives me the most amount of energy. (And a visit to my local farmer's market, which I did this morning, helps.)

Everyone is different. There is no one diet that fits all. Most of the world outside the U.S., with a few exceptions, eat better quality food than we do in the U.S. and are healthier. Those adopting a standard U.S. diet are seeing rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes soar.

BTW, Maverick, oils and vinegars are not processed foods. They are naturally pressed and distilled. Processed food are where the make-up of the food is changed due to additives and chemicals.

[maverick]

agreed, this may not be for everyone.

so, today i had coconut water, a salad made up of field greens, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, artichokes, olives, and hummus. i also had some trail mix - walnuts, raisons, and various berries. i had some raw almonds, fresh raspberries and blackberries. and i had some carrots and broccoli with hummus. i didn't get to juice today, but i had lots of water.

[Grizzld]

I switched to a plant-based diet about a week ago seeking relief from migraines and digestive troubles. In doing some research, I came across a book called The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. His research suggests that adopting a plant-based diet can prevent many diseases currently afflicting Americans such as heart disease and diabetes.

After a week of completely eliminating meat and dairy, I can tell you that my digestive issues have completely gone away. I haven't noticed any issues with a lack of energy, but I have been taking Vitamin D and B6 supplements. In fact, I'd say my energy/endurance levels are up--I breezed through a 6-mile run the other day (2 miles further than I've run in 2+ years).

Again, everyone is different. My energy levels are probably higher because my diet was so poor prior to this week. Frank II might have eaten a perfectly healthy diet prior to switching to a plant-based diet, so his energy levels dropped off a bit.

I definitely plan on giving the plant-based diet another 2-3 weeks before I completely make my mind up. It's definitely not the most convenient of lifestyles. I'd say, eventually, I'll probably move to a diet more in line with what Frank II follows, as it seems to make the most sense to me.

[pw1224]

The thing that kills me about restricting intake in this manner is that A) I'm allergic to most nuts & seeds and B) I loathe onions and garlic (with a possible allergy to both). That means that most of this supposedly-healthy-for-most-people food will not be good for me.

That and the hubby doesn't really want to adjust his diet too much....

But I'd love to see some "healthy diets" that don't include flax, soy, sesame, onion, and garlic.

[maverick]

The thing that kills me about restricting intake in this manner is that A) I'm allergic to most nuts & seeds and B) I loathe onions and garlic (with a possible allergy to both). That means that most of this supposedly-healthy-for-most-people food will not be good for me.

That and the hubby doesn't really want to adjust his diet too much....

But I'd love to see some "healthy diets" that don't include flax, soy, sesame, onion, and garlic.

hi pw1224,

you can certainly leave out the garlic, onions, seeds and nuts and prepare a number of delicious plant based meals.

one of my favorite things to make is quinoa and vegetables. you can add the vegetables of your choice - carrots or broccoli, for example. i would make this with onions, but i leave out the onions when my dad's here. like you, he doesn't like onions. there is this stuff that is made from wheat protein - it doesn't contain soy. i'm drawing a blank on the name, but it will come to me. you can add that to this dish also.

you can prepare lentils with some tomatoes and lemon juice.

you can make a lovely vegetable soup by picking up all of the fresh vegetables that look good to you. chop them up and start by adding the harder vegetables first and later the softer ones. cook them just long enough so the start to become tender.

[maverick]

so, today for lunch, i had a big salad from whole foods for lunch - kale, jimaca, quinoa, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, purple cabbage, broccoli, sunflower seeds, raisons, some sort of mix involving quinoa, mangoes, and other stuff. for dinner part 1, i had a wakame soup at sunflower restaurant - japanese seaweed, fresh enoki mushrooms, and shredded ginger roots in vegetable stock. later, i had blackberries, strawberries, some melon, a peach, and some kale chips.

[Frank II]

Maverick, since you're willing to change your diet strictly by watching a movie, how about watching this movie and then telling me what you think? (BTW, don't judge it by its title which is really dumb.)

http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Fat_Head/70115017?trkid=2361637

There are many movies out there that got me started in doing my own research. "Food, Inc" and "King Corn" were two of them. What I found is that there are extremist viewpoints on both sides of the aisle when it comes to what kinds of foods are best. The movie Maverick mentioned is towards one end, and the one I suggested at the top of this posting is to the other side.

Instead of listening to scientists who may have some personal, financial or cultural agenda to follow, I studied people and nations who have consistently high levels of good health. And they all had one thing in common: a simple balanced diet from all the food groups. None of the food contained chemicals, preservatives or were genetically altered. Nothing was injected into any animal. It was fresh, in season, and simply prepared.

A good friend of mine struggles with her weight. Over the last three years, she has spent two nine month periods in a small village in Ghana doing health education. There, she eats like the natives. No fast food, no supermarkets. Food was purchased fresh daily and had to be prepared. The meals were simple and healthy consisting of some meat, vegetables and fruit. She went over both times about 30 lbs overweight. That weight was off of her in no time. She slept better, felt better and was free from most illnesses. As soon as she came home and started eating a standard American diet, she gained weight, slept poorly and had migraines.

She learned that she didn't need to go on an extremist diet, she just needed to eat good quality food.

For dinner tonight, I had sauteed organic duck breast in grapeseed oil, sauteed spinach in olive oil and garlic, a small yukon gold potato, a mixed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette (homemade), and a glass of Pinot Noir. No dessert, I was full.

[Yonkdaddy]

With all respect, maybe we can devote this forum to travel and the wonders of Tom Bihn luggage. This thread is a pretty massive departure from EVERYTHING I've seen previously and I'm pretty sure it doesn't fit.

[maverick]

Maverick, since you're willing to change your diet strictly by watching a movie, how about watching this movie and then telling me what you think?

[url=http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Fat_Head/70115017?trkid=2361637[/url]

For dinner tonight, I had sauteed organic duck breast in grapeseed oil, sauteed spinach in olive oil and garlic, a small yukon gold potato, a mixed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette, and a glass of Pinot Noir. No dessert, I was full.

hi Frank II!

except for the duck, it all sounds lovely!

i've been a lactovegetarian all my life. i've heard about the china study, dr. fuhrman's eat to live approach, and a vegan diet for a number of years. my choice to minimize on the consumption of processed foods and (at least for now) dairy didn't arise from just watching a fat, sick and nearly dead. i made the change about a week ago, before watching the movie. but i did find the movie motivational, and thought others might as well.

i was eating the good stuff i'm eating now, but not in as great quantities and not on as regular a basis. i was eating too much pizza, too much mexican fast food, too many desserts, too many chocolates, too much junk food, too much stuff that isn't good for me. you open up my pantry, and you'll see tortilla chips, crackers, cheddar bunnies, and so forth. yes, we buy the organic stuff. but it's still over processed food - it's still junk food. it's the fast food, the junk food that i've cut out, along with dairy.

whether i decide to reintroduce dairy, i want to continue to minimize my consumption of over processed and fast foods.

my choice to lead a lactovegetarian diet is one based on a belief that i don't have to kill animals to sustain myself. that's how i grew up, so a lactovegetarian diet doesn't seem remote to me, but i know that it must to others.

i'm okay with dairy from a philosophical perspective provided the animals aren't mistreated. i don't like the idea of growth hormones being given to the cows. but as a friend of mine pointed out, even if you don't give the cow additional growth hormones, when you think about what is in milk - milk is designed for consumption by the baby of the mammal that's making the milk. it's designed to help that baby calf or whatever it is grow. that milk has grown hormones in it naturally from that mammal. we are already grown. moreover, we are consuming the milk of another mammal - something that no other mammal does.

making the choice to eliminate dairy from my diet seemed a difficult one for a long time. i enjoy milk in my tea. i enjoy ice cream. i enjoy milk chocolate. i enjoy cheese. i enjoy pizza. i enjoy yogurt. i like cooking with ghee (clarified butter). i understand the benefits of the probiotics found in yogurt, and i am aware of the benefits of ghee on our overall wellbeing.

but i don't find myself craving dairy products.

[maverick]

With all respect, maybe we can devote this forum to travel and the wonders of Tom Bihn luggage. This thread is a pretty massive departure from EVERYTHING I've seen previously and I'm pretty sure it doesn't fit.

i'm sorry if this is distraction, Yonkdaddy. i know this thread has nothing to do with tom bihn bags. it's something i'm excited about, and as the tom bihn forum community is close to my heart, i wanted to share it. the topic actually started in another thread (which was about bags , so we spun it off into this thread...

[Yonkdaddy]

Well, maybe we can move to religion or politics next.

[maverick]

There are many movies out there that got me started in doing my own research. "Food, Inc" and "King Corn" were two of them. What I found is that there are extremist viewpoints on both sides of the aisle when it comes to what kinds of foods are best. The movie Maverick mentioned is towards one end, and the one I suggested at the top of this posting is to the other side.

Instead of listening to scientists who may have some personal, financial or cultural agenda to follow, I studied people and nations who have consistently high levels of good health. And they all had one thing in common: a simple balanced diet from all the food groups. None of the food contained chemicals, preservatives or were genetically altered. Nothing was injected into any animal. It was fresh, in season, and simply prepared.

A good friend of mine struggles with her weight. Over the last three years, she has spent two nine month periods in a small village in Ghana doing health education. There, she eats like the natives. No fast food, no supermarkets. Food was purchased fresh daily and had to be prepared. The meals were simple and healthy consisting of some meat, vegetables and fruit. She went over both times about 30 lbs overweight. That weight was off of her in no time. She slept better, felt better and was free from most illnesses. As soon as she came home and started eating a standard American diet, she gained weight, slept poorly and had migraines.

She learned that she didn't need to go on an extremist diet, she just needed to eat good quality food.

hi Frank II,

just reading the rest of your post...

you have me thinking about my grandmother, who lived to be 93. she moved here to live with in 1989 when my grandfather passed away. but she lived most of her life in india. she lived in a time when you shopped for produce every day or every other day, and you made food for a given meal and ate it at that meal. there were no leftovers. food was always prepared fresh from freshly purchased produce. i still remember as a child going with my grandfather to buy produce (late 1970's). we bought produce from one guy or another who had it on a big cart he pushed from his farm into an area of our neighborhood each morning. there were no supermarkets.

i am looking into a place called bull run mountain vegetable farm. local to me, they grow organic vegetables.

thanks!

[maverick]

Well, maybe we can move to religion or politics next.

this thread was in poor judgement on my part, and i apologize again. i will close it out.