(no subject)
It is time I document, if only to keep me honest, the changes I am making in my life. Because they are fantastic and I need to keep on this path. I have lost 45 lbs so far but what has been more amazing is how I feel. Arthritic changes, gone, gi distress, gone, intermittent acid reflux, gone, energy better than I remember in years. I can't even fathom going back, the unhealthy stuff now even nauseates me a bit because I can imagine feeling that way again and know it just isn't worth it. But it was a path to get here, it didn't happen overnight and still a ways to go.
The path started with my advocacy training last September when I first viewed the film "Forks over Knives" and began to read about the China Study. That lead to many more food documentaries including "Hungry for Change" and later "Food Matters", and "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead". Those lead to more readings in the science of health and wellness, and finding the greatest resonance with the sound science of Dr Joel Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" (ETL). Joel is a Family Practice doc who uses the latest science findings for a nutritional approach that is ultimately optimum for health and longevity. We watched these films as a family and my husband joined me in reading Joel's book. Conor actually jumped in first with a commitment to veganism, which he wavers in a bit, but it was a strong encouragement that we could do this also. (There is no requirement in the plan to be vegan, it is possible to do a small amount of animal proteins a few times a week and show improvement, but the faster way-and the way of greater cardiac and anticancer benefits, is to be fully vegan) When I choose a path like this I make short term commitments first, but agree that I need to follow for that short term faithfully to truly know if it will work. 6 weeks seemed reasonable to try at first. What I did not believe, but found true a few months in, is that tastes buds change. Not only did the healthy stuff start tasting better, that good food overall tasted better and I now crave it so much there isn't room for the other. About the only thing that I can miss at times is convenience, it is not as easy to eat out-but that's not a bad thing-but as you get into the swing of things that gets easier and easier. Shopping is faster, I mainly go to the produce section. There is no lack of flavor, it is a amazing how good real food can taste. Some meals are quite time consuming to make-for soups there is often a carrot or other veg juice base-but it is something that I enjoy doing. But I mostly only do this about 1 or 2 times a week. And on the days I can't, how hard is to pull together a salad? Or an easy bowl of quinoa, mountains of 5 or 6 veggies and a tahini sauce. Especially when you spend a few hours once a week or so cutting up lots of veg, making up a dressing for a few days worth, washing all the veg as you buy.
I also made a commitment, after a year or so of wishy washy attempts, to be entirely gluten free. That is when the many of the positive changes came, most of the inflammation related symptoms. And that was a harder one to commit to. Interestingly, ETL made that easier because while the plan is not necessarily gluten free, grains play such a small part of the plan that avoiding them became a non-issue. I think that also many of the processed GF foods-GF breads and such-were almost as unhealthy with microparticles that cause inflammation, and a lack of micronutrients. ETL involves filling up first on plant based foods-salad is the main meal-and after that, often little room left. Especially when your goal is 1lb raw veg and 1lb of cooked every day, along with a cup of beans, onions, mushrooms, berries and other fruit, and some seeds and nuts. Once or twice I have slipped up and the fatigue and spaciness were just awful, never again.
I am writing this more for myself, but if I was advising someone (and I am considering training to be an ETL coach to improve my own understanding of the science and practice of it, to add to my advocacy interest in wellness) I would now suggest the later books "Eat for Health" which have a more gradual approach to wean off the bad stuff. I did do that in many ways. Coffee is discouraged, although not a requirement, something I thought I could live easily with in small doses. Then I agreed to myself to give up for a week. It passed, I kept forgetting to have a cup and soon I wondered why I felt I needed a stimulant. After a month or so I bought a cup here and there as a "treat", and ended up tossing it out, the taste was terrible. So now I am off, not because I have to, but because my energy level is great without it. Even as little as I drank, it came with the cost of a more rapid heart rate, a and a spike in blood pressure. Of course, I couldn't do this until I was off night shift-and the sleep improvement is not a small part of my health improvements either.
I put this here to keep me honest since I have hit a bit of a plateau. But I honestly know why. We still drink wine most nights, and 5 drinks a week does increase the risk of breast cancer. I would do better to cut back to 1-2x week or skip it for now. Yes, some studies showed a protective benefit as a blood thinner, but eating a plant based diet already is cardioprotective, so that is not really needed nor that helpful. And wine is a sugar, which is the other thing I haven't totally given up. I still have the bit of chocolate or the occasional GF great. But they are starting to taste too sweet, having weaned off much of that. So I need to start making more of the fruit based desserts that always taste amazing to us, just something I haven't had as much time to make. If I would just make them, the cocoa/date/almond butter/oatmeal balls are awesome, and freeze into chewy treats. My son can't get enough of the cherry chocolate sorbet with frozen cherries, raw cocoa and dates. I need to stop late night snacks. I stay up late sometimes that often leads to the more mindless snacks, and I just don't need them. And most of all, I have to figure out a way to fit in regular exercise! Yeah, between 20 hours a week of work, full time homeschooling, guardianship of my mom in a home 20 minutes away, and a burgeoning advocacy practice (hey, I am signing my first official paid patient this week!!!), that doesn't fit in as well. But another cool thing about these ETL changes-activity that used to be tiring is now easy. Walks that used to be cause aches or tiredness feel like half the distance. It is why Joel discourages additional exercise initially, it only increases hunger and makes the initial cravings harder. But I past that now, step it up, girl, get offline and go!
/end of infomercial
The path started with my advocacy training last September when I first viewed the film "Forks over Knives" and began to read about the China Study. That lead to many more food documentaries including "Hungry for Change" and later "Food Matters", and "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead". Those lead to more readings in the science of health and wellness, and finding the greatest resonance with the sound science of Dr Joel Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" (ETL). Joel is a Family Practice doc who uses the latest science findings for a nutritional approach that is ultimately optimum for health and longevity. We watched these films as a family and my husband joined me in reading Joel's book. Conor actually jumped in first with a commitment to veganism, which he wavers in a bit, but it was a strong encouragement that we could do this also. (There is no requirement in the plan to be vegan, it is possible to do a small amount of animal proteins a few times a week and show improvement, but the faster way-and the way of greater cardiac and anticancer benefits, is to be fully vegan) When I choose a path like this I make short term commitments first, but agree that I need to follow for that short term faithfully to truly know if it will work. 6 weeks seemed reasonable to try at first. What I did not believe, but found true a few months in, is that tastes buds change. Not only did the healthy stuff start tasting better, that good food overall tasted better and I now crave it so much there isn't room for the other. About the only thing that I can miss at times is convenience, it is not as easy to eat out-but that's not a bad thing-but as you get into the swing of things that gets easier and easier. Shopping is faster, I mainly go to the produce section. There is no lack of flavor, it is a amazing how good real food can taste. Some meals are quite time consuming to make-for soups there is often a carrot or other veg juice base-but it is something that I enjoy doing. But I mostly only do this about 1 or 2 times a week. And on the days I can't, how hard is to pull together a salad? Or an easy bowl of quinoa, mountains of 5 or 6 veggies and a tahini sauce. Especially when you spend a few hours once a week or so cutting up lots of veg, making up a dressing for a few days worth, washing all the veg as you buy.
I also made a commitment, after a year or so of wishy washy attempts, to be entirely gluten free. That is when the many of the positive changes came, most of the inflammation related symptoms. And that was a harder one to commit to. Interestingly, ETL made that easier because while the plan is not necessarily gluten free, grains play such a small part of the plan that avoiding them became a non-issue. I think that also many of the processed GF foods-GF breads and such-were almost as unhealthy with microparticles that cause inflammation, and a lack of micronutrients. ETL involves filling up first on plant based foods-salad is the main meal-and after that, often little room left. Especially when your goal is 1lb raw veg and 1lb of cooked every day, along with a cup of beans, onions, mushrooms, berries and other fruit, and some seeds and nuts. Once or twice I have slipped up and the fatigue and spaciness were just awful, never again.
I am writing this more for myself, but if I was advising someone (and I am considering training to be an ETL coach to improve my own understanding of the science and practice of it, to add to my advocacy interest in wellness) I would now suggest the later books "Eat for Health" which have a more gradual approach to wean off the bad stuff. I did do that in many ways. Coffee is discouraged, although not a requirement, something I thought I could live easily with in small doses. Then I agreed to myself to give up for a week. It passed, I kept forgetting to have a cup and soon I wondered why I felt I needed a stimulant. After a month or so I bought a cup here and there as a "treat", and ended up tossing it out, the taste was terrible. So now I am off, not because I have to, but because my energy level is great without it. Even as little as I drank, it came with the cost of a more rapid heart rate, a and a spike in blood pressure. Of course, I couldn't do this until I was off night shift-and the sleep improvement is not a small part of my health improvements either.
I put this here to keep me honest since I have hit a bit of a plateau. But I honestly know why. We still drink wine most nights, and 5 drinks a week does increase the risk of breast cancer. I would do better to cut back to 1-2x week or skip it for now. Yes, some studies showed a protective benefit as a blood thinner, but eating a plant based diet already is cardioprotective, so that is not really needed nor that helpful. And wine is a sugar, which is the other thing I haven't totally given up. I still have the bit of chocolate or the occasional GF great. But they are starting to taste too sweet, having weaned off much of that. So I need to start making more of the fruit based desserts that always taste amazing to us, just something I haven't had as much time to make. If I would just make them, the cocoa/date/almond butter/oatmeal balls are awesome, and freeze into chewy treats. My son can't get enough of the cherry chocolate sorbet with frozen cherries, raw cocoa and dates. I need to stop late night snacks. I stay up late sometimes that often leads to the more mindless snacks, and I just don't need them. And most of all, I have to figure out a way to fit in regular exercise! Yeah, between 20 hours a week of work, full time homeschooling, guardianship of my mom in a home 20 minutes away, and a burgeoning advocacy practice (hey, I am signing my first official paid patient this week!!!), that doesn't fit in as well. But another cool thing about these ETL changes-activity that used to be tiring is now easy. Walks that used to be cause aches or tiredness feel like half the distance. It is why Joel discourages additional exercise initially, it only increases hunger and makes the initial cravings harder. But I past that now, step it up, girl, get offline and go!
/end of infomercial